smallest copter with cyclic pitch?

Samick

New member
Hey guys, was thinking about getting a copter. I'd really like to get one with cyclic pitch for control just to appreciate the technical level of control.. i've looked around a little but i have only seen copters claiming collective pitch. Do these copters have cyclic as well?

whats the smallest copter made with cyclic pitch controls?
 

makattack

Winter is coming
Moderator
Mentor
Most rc helis come in the following styles:

Coaxial
fixed pitch
collective pitch.

If you want cyclic and collective control, you're looking for collective pitch/cp/6 channel.

The smallest one I know of is from horizon hobby. I think it's called the nanocp.
 

Samick

New member
Most rc helis come in the following styles:

Coaxial
fixed pitch
collective pitch.

If you want cyclic and collective control, you're looking for collective pitch/cp/6 channel.

The smallest one I know of is from horizon hobby. I think it's called the nanocp.

so the collective pictch copters also have cylclic?
 

PhenomPilot

New member
My limited understanding is yes. I believe cyclic refers to pitch/bank and collective is up/down. If there are only two servos to the swash plate it is most likely fixed pitch (no collective) but if there are three servos then it also has collective. The smallest that I know of is the ncpx or nano cpx. I have the Mcpx which isn't much bigger and it is a handful for (myself) the beginner heli pilot. My nephews V911 is fixed pitch but is a much nicer training heli. The cheap coaxial helis are too easy and don't give a good feel for how a real heli handles.
 

makattack

Winter is coming
Moderator
Mentor
Some examples:

Collective Pitch (Yes, it has cyclic and collective control for pitch/roll and altitude respectively -- the third servo affects the pitch of the blades):
http://www.horizonhobby.com/helicopters/blade-helicopters/nano-cp-x-bnf-blh3380

Fixed pitch (as PhenomPilot mentions, only two servos to control pitch and roll. Altitude is governed by head/motor speed):
http://www.horizonhobby.com/helicopters/blade-helicopters/blade-120-sr-bnf-blh3180

Coaxial (very similar to fixed pitch, but generally doesn't have a tail rotor/motor for yaw):
http://www.horizonhobby.com/helicopters/blade-helicopters/blade-mcx2-bnf-eflh2480
 

KRAR

Member
a good trainer would be the blade 200. It is fixed pitch but it will teach you well... The Mcpx as a bind n fly is $200.00 and I hate the the little thing. the blade 180 is 249.99 and is much better.
Now I will not fly anything smaller than a 450 size heli due to stability and I hate working on the smaller helis. A lot of people also dont realize that when it is a smaller heli you try stupid maneuvers with the heli because it is cheap to fix. But when you go fly a $1500 heli you dont want to crash it and therefore you learn to actually fly it..
Note: these are just my observations
 

aiidanwings

Senior Member
The HiSky fbl 80 is really small, I think the rotor diameter is around 7 3/4 inches. I have an FBI 100 and really like it. If the 80 is anything like the 100 it would be a great intro to small 6 channel helis.
 
I love my little MCPX, other than the lack of power its a blast to fly and very durable to learn on. I am now flying My V450D03 fairly easy because of it and sim time. The price is steep for a new one. I lucked out and got a whole pile of CP helis and a DX6i cheap as dirt. I cannot count how many times I have smacked the dirt learning banking maneuvers or losing orientation. Pick it up, pop a ball link or two back on and fly again! I like how twitchy it is because it is training my reflexes and makes my 450 seem like a breeze to hover lol.
 

tamuct01

Well-known member
I started out with a "mall copter" which was a 3-ch fixed-pitch copter. This would allow for up/down, forward/back, and yaw, but no left/right as it did not have cyclic control.

I soon upgraded to the Blade MSRx which is a 4-ch fixed-pitch copter. This allows for full control except for collective. up/down is still controlled by the speed of the main rotor. The MSRx is very stable indoors and can be tuned from mild to quite aggressive. Tons of original and aftermarket parts are available.

Once I felt I had competency on the MSRx I got a Blade Nano CPX which is a 6-ch collective pitch heli. I've never been very comfortable with how it flies. It's extremely twitchy even with the AS3x flybarless stabilization. This will fly outdoors, but due to its size is tricky to see when theres more than a little distance between you and the copter. It does handle crashes quite well, and is 3D capable. I'm still trying to figure out the best battery to motor combo. The brushless conversion seems to want a larger battery, but larger batteries require more weight, etc., etc.

My latest is the Blade 180CFX which is very stable, but larger heli. This is also a 6-ch collective pitch bird. I'd almost recommend it now over the Nano CPX for a first CP heli.
 
After the little incident I had yesterday with my V450D03 I am extremely impressed at it's beginner user friendliness.. I decided to try stunt mode yesterday for the first time. 15mph steady winds, flying in normal mode was making it float away in the wind, not enough negative pitch. All was fine and dandy, I even gathered the courage to do a few rolls and flips! Totally uneventful to this point. flipped back to beginner mode as I noticed a difference in pitch, I had more positive pitch in beginner mode. Well I went to flip back into stunt mode and hit throttle cut mid flight! (i have a dx6i and a devo 7, the switches are reversed n the two..) After a second (which seemed like a year...) I realized what happened. at this point the heli is nearly upside down, tail facing the gravel about 20ft in the air. Flipped throttle cut off and the 6 axis took over, 2 piros, and flipped back to an upright recoverable situation quickly, I thought it was a gonner.. Very impressed with how quickly it brought the heli upright. 3 axis with my inexperience would have ate dirt and into my wallet lol. The 450 is 100000 times easier to fly than the MCPX, but I can't fly it inside. Outside its a blast. Can't wait to burn a few more packs through it! For the price of the V450D03 it can;t be beat.
 

KRAR

Member
The bigger they are the easier to fly, I have a 700 that is just a breeze to fly but the sound and thought of crashing scares me too much to take too many risks with it.