I Need some advice on R/C helicopters!

[SASless]

A lady friend is seeking to purchase some R/C helicopters for use by a youth group. Her message to me requesting help:

need advice. Looking to buy R/C helicopters for 3 aviation camps. Looking for one with gyro in it and stabilizer - So anyone who has a good idea of which ones I should buy. Something solid, not junk but not a fortune either. Would like one that you might have flown before. Will be used in DC camps and ACK - inside room...Type, cost, source, etc...Thanks!!!!

Any suggestions guys (and gals of course thinking fondly of Fair Whirls and her Seattle buddy)?

[drop lead]

In my opinion your friend couldn't go wrong with an E-sky Lama, stabilized with contra rotating blades, easy to fly straight out of the box and includes the transmitter, spare parts are available (order some spare blades) and think about getting extra batteries, believe me they will be needed! They're that much fun to fly inside!:)

[heliboy999]

These are also very good. Easy to fly and tough as old boots!!

Blade CX2 RTF Electric Coaxial Micro Helicopter (EFLH1250): E-flite - Advancing Electric Flight (http://www.e-fliterc.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=EFLH1250)


HB999

[parasite drag]

Does your friend want a 'real' r/c heli....as in, single rotor on top with tail rotor and torque, so they can learn how real helicopters work/fly........or a twin blades on top/no tail rotor 'contra-rotating' toy...big difference ?

[HuntandFish]

SASless

An interesting question .

If she is looking looking for something that most people will be able to fly Contra rotors as has been said is the way to go .

Indoor models only are perhaps a good choice as well , tend to be light and relativley strong , but cant cope with even a gentle breeze .

You want something as has been said with all spares reddilly available like Esky products . Direct imports from China may look cheap but spares can be difficult .

Something with a basic swash plate giving a full range of control movements is also good especially if people want to progress onto bigger single rotor machines .
I had an eflite MCX that i bought to fly in the houser when the weather was too bad to fly my I/C Helis . Great fun and the only issue I had was that it was too stable . I swapped it for the MSR its single rotor reasonably stable can be flown outside if its calm but perhaps not an absoloute beginres model .

Thes things aint that cheap though !

[bolkow]

I fly a number of real r/c helicopters.
My advice would eb as follows. It si a steep learning curve so buy the most common and well knwn one around, the Raptor v.2 is a 30 size helicopter, spares are relatively cheap. When you join a club, because they are a well known and popular helicopter members there will be familiar with its operation and particular charteristics and will be better able to help if technical issues arise, than they might be if you buy a type none of us have heard of before.
What is crucial is that the person has someone to help them set it up, and use training gear for those first few hops, it will save the helicopter from an avoidable prang. Your friend after a gallon or two of fuel will learn that they behave better in the hover out of ground effect that near to or on the ground. Frankly get as much info as possible iof you buy a nitro, they are lethal if the hit you or anybody else. Clubs provide insurance withn the membership. Nitros though are not the sort of machine some can simply have a "try of". Cant be done, they would simply fly it into the ground at the first try, it takes a long time to learn and master but its possible. Frankly I fond them harder than full size where you dont have to learn nose in and all the angles in between.
Look up a website called [runryder.com] it isd all about r.c helicopters, all types opf advice from first times to experienced through scale etc, well worth a look and they can answer things I wont know or ahve thought of. Hope this helps.

[jim63]

I also fly real RC helicopters (90 size).I agree with bolkow,it's a steep learning curve and it ain't cheap by any means.At Runryder.com you can see what they are going for in the classifieds,you are going to be surprised.A couple of flight sims would be ALOT cheaper and those that lose interest and they will,you will no be out the money.Realflight or Pheonix are good sims.

[HuntandFish]

Likewise I fly real RC Helis 50 size Sceadus mainly but I do have a Freya.

I agree with the R?C flight sim advice great for training the brain to move the sticks in the right direction .

[BlenderPilot]

I have everything made by eFlight! But my favorite is the MCX because I can land it on my girfriends rear when she's lying in bed, fly it around the room, land it on top of the TV and it's almost indestructible!!! Also the Blade 400 is great but much more expensive and complicated.

[RINKER]

I totally agree with the above.E flight is a great contra indoor machine.I fly all models up to .60 size but I love the little e flight contra. Also I use Real Flight simulator and strongly recommend this too.
R

[bolkow]

I should have mentioned the flight simulators also, as they have saved my life on more than one occasion, particularly in the early days when I have suddenly found a heli unexpectedly facing me, the difference it made was that I did not panic and input an incorrect command haveing practiced it on the sim. It does save a few crashes.

[photex]

On a slightly related note I'm selling a rather rare and unsual model helicopter someone gave to me years ago. It's a massive Jet Ranger replica made in the 80's I believe.

If you know anyone who might be interested, please send them this link! It's a real shame that I can't get it working but I just don't have the time or known-how.

Rare Kavan R/C Bell Jet Ranger Model Helicopter on eBay (end time 13-May-10 19:03:48 BST) (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180502680444&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.co.uk%3A80%2F%3F_from%3DR40%26_trk sid%3Dp4712.m570.l1313%26_nkw%3D180502680444%26_sacat%3DSee-All-Categories%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1)

[bolkow]

I just made a current winning bid for it, I suspect if I do win it I will need need to make some changes to the mechanics as I believe that Kavan no longer supprt that type of aircraft unless I am mixing it up wityh the Morley ones, but although I fly them I am no engineering expert.

[photex]

Thanks Bolkow, I think there's a company in Canada who support the helicopter but not 100% about that. I think you're right in saying about the mechanics, but its way beyond me.

[bolkow]

Either way there are guys in my club who can advise me.
It looks like a good fuselage and I assume it around a 30 size?

[photex]

Not sure on the size. Actually about to go and measure it up now. She's a big one though.

[SASless]

I have everything made by eFlight! But my favorite is the MCX because I can land it on my girfriends rear when she's lying in bed, fly it around the room, land it on top of the TV and it's almost indestructible!!! Also the Blade 400 is great but much more expensive and complicated.

Three things came to mind while reading that....one is how do you know she is "lying".....and with yer girlfriend in bed....what the blazes are you doing playing with a toy helicopter?






























The third thing I wondered about I shall keep to myself out of consideration of your girlfriend.

[bolkow]

I had a girfriend once whose ass was so large you could land a sea king on it! Am I allowed to make observations like this here? Needless to say I swapped this for a much smaller compact landing pad!

[jim63]

bolkow,check this link out for Kavan.
AmericanRCHeli.com Parts and kits for Ranger, Jet Ranger, Shark, Lockheed 286, and Alouette II (http://americanrcheli.com/)

[parasite drag]

Bolkow...FYI the Kavan Jetranger is 'at least' a 60 size...

Kev

[bolkow]

thatnks for that info regarding it being a 60 size. The raptor 30 wont be big enogh to adapt to it but I have a raptor 50se that might. Failing that I have some spare mechanics for a second 60 size graupner bolkow that would fit also.

[bolkow]

Thanks for that link Jim I have saved it in favourites in case.

[photex]

The rough dimensions are as follows:

Rotor span: 1.52m Nose to tail length: 1.50m Height to mast: 0.41m Fuselage width: 0.20m Skid width: 0.40m