Son wants Heli

[docque]

It has been a while since the last discussion so I am going to start a new one about it.
I would like to get into an Electric Heli. I would be flying it outdoors. I have flown the cheap ones that require little skill. Someone mentioned the Blade 230 S but that is no longer available.
I fly RC planes and play around with some quads. Is there a very good entry level Heli out there?
Oh, about the Son part. He is in the Army and would probably buy this for him when he gets back.

 

[jaredstrees]

Shoot F106DeltaDart a message. He has built a few helis on this forum and may have a good answer for you. I know that the horizon hobby line (blade I believe) has safe technology built into several that help make them easier to fly. Good luck!

 

[JimCR120]

We have a few heli guys here that know a good amount about heli's. I'm not one of them. But I will share the little I know to get you going and give you something more as you look over options.

Indoor means it will need to be small. When it comes to little heli's you have coaxial (2 sets of rotor blades, one directly, above the other), fixed pitch, and collective pitch. Each of these 3 has its own advantages, similar to fixed wing. Basically, the more stable it is the less likely you are to crash it but it has its limitations as to how much maneuverability it has. Conversely, the more agile it is the more tricks you can do with it but with that comes the higher risk of crashing it. The 3 types I listed are in order from most stable to most agile.

The flight stabilization they have these days is significantly greater than 5 and 10 years ago. The little heli's are much more stable and their prices are also much more affordable. Plus, since they are so little, impact damage to the heli itself and other things in the room is much less, though still a risk.

Do you already have a transmitter?

 

[docque]

We have a few heli guys here that know a good amount about heli's. I'm not one of them. But I will share the little I know to get you going and give you something more as you look over options.

Indoor means it will need to be small. When it comes to little heli's you have coaxial (2 sets of rotor blades, one directly, above the other), fixed pitch, and collective pitch. Each of these 3 has its own advantages, similar to fixed wing. Basically, the more stable it is the less likely you are to crash it but it has its limitations as to how much maneuverability it has. Conversely, the more agile it is the more tricks you can do with it but with that comes the higher risk of crashing it. The 3 types I listed are in order from most stable to most agile.

The flight stabilization they have these days is significantly greater than 5 and 10 years ago. The little heli's are much more stable and their prices are also much more affordable. Plus, since they are so little, impact damage to the heli itself and other things in the room is much less, though still a risk.

Do you already have a transmitter?

I do have a DX6 and I believe that will work. I want an outdoor flyer so I assume that means a larger size.

 

[JimCR120]

Already having a DX6 will make the Blade line of helis much more affordable since you can buy any BNF and use the tx you have.

Here's a link to the Horizon Hobby site with their BNF helis. I would recommend getting something with SAFE as it's really good to have whether your son needs it or if he decides to pass the transmitter to someone else who lacks the skills. SAFE does a lot to keep the aircraft docile. It can be switched off so it can be flown more aggressively too. Check them out.

 

[F106DeltaDart]

Sorry for late reply, I’ve been on a business trip the last week and had very little time. For an entry level outdoor heli, you have a couple different options. Jim’s list of the types is great, and for outdoors you should really stick to either fixed or collective pitch single rotor Helis. The coaxials rare super stable, but pretty much have zero wind tolerance.
I would say either the collective pitch Blade 230S V2: https://www.horizonhobby.com/produc...-helicopters/blade-230-s-v2-bnf-basic-blh1450
Or on the cheaper side, the fixed pitch Blade 120 S: https://www.horizonhobby.com/produc...opters/120-s-bnf-with-safe-technology-blh4180

The blade 230 S will have the most capability and wind tolerance. It is also going to fairly tolerant in a crash. The 120 S is going to be much less capable (winds under 5 mph and not aerobatics capable), but provides a cheaper entry point and is extremely durable, and allows him to make the decision of whether he likes flying Helis or not. Both have SAFE and a wide variety of flight modes. On either one, I recommend that he start with “training gear” attached to the skids. If you google RC helicopter trading gear, you’ll see what I’m refereeing to. It’s basically an X shape of dowels with ping pong balls on the ends. This helps ensure you don’t flip the heli over on its back on your first attempt to hover. Good luck, and feel free to contact me with any questions!

 

[docque]

Sorry for late reply, I’ve been on a business trip the last week and had very little time. For an entry level outdoor heli, you have a couple different options. Jim’s list of the types is great, and for outdoors you should really stick to either fixed or collective pitch single rotor Helis. The coaxials rare super stable, but pretty much have zero wind tolerance.
I would say either the collective pitch Blade 230S V2: https://www.horizonhobby.com/produc...-helicopters/blade-230-s-v2-bnf-basic-blh1450
Or on the cheaper side, the fixed pitch Blade 120 S: https://www.horizonhobby.com/produc...opters/120-s-bnf-with-safe-technology-blh4180

The blade 230 S will have the most capability and wind tolerance. It is also going to fairly tolerant in a crash. The 120 S is going to be much less capable (winds under 5 mph and not aerobatics capable), but provides a cheaper entry point and is extremely durable, and allows him to make the decision of whether he likes flying Helis or not. Both have SAFE and a wide variety of flight modes. On either one, I recommend that he start with “training gear” attached to the skids. If you google RC helicopter trading gear, you’ll see what I’m refereeing to. It’s basically an X shape of dowels with ping pong balls on the ends. This helps ensure you don’t flip the heli over on its back on your first attempt to hover. Good luck, and feel free to contact me with any questions!

Thank you for the input. It is getting late in the year to start learning so I will save this for the spring. I will probably get the 120 S since it is more wind tolerant. I am tired of chasing my UMX planes when the wind picks up and they decided to fly away.

Does this train us how to fly a Heli or does it just train you to fly that specific Heli? The reason I am asking is I have started learning to fly my quads and each one is different and I know it is not really preparing me for the day I purchase one of those expensive quads.

 

[F106DeltaDart]

Thank you for the input. It is getting late in the year to start learning so I will save this for the spring. I will probably get the 120 S since it is more wind tolerant. I am tired of chasing my UMX planes when the wind picks up and they decided to fly away.

Does this train us how to fly a Heli or does it just train you to fly that specific Heli? The reason I am asking is I have started learning to fly my quads and each one is different and I know it is not really preparing me for the day I purchase one of those expensive quads.

You might want to double check my descriptions.. the blade 120 and all fixed pitch Helis are LEAST resistant to wind. They can handle up to about 5 mph of wind. Otherwise you’ll want a collective pitch machine.

As far as what the heli trains you for, that depends. They teach the skill set you need to fly other Helis, but they won’t handle exactly the same. The basic maneuvers and orientations will be most critical for moving on to other Helis. The 230S V2 would prep you very well for other Helis in the blade line. However, most other Helis are very dependent on a user’s setup. A well set up machine with a tuned flight controller will be much easier to fly, and can be set as docile or as agressive as a user desires. The mechanical and flight controller setup must be done well though. All this is done for you in the blade Helis. However, you will need to learn to do it after any crashes to ensure the machine stays running as well as it started off.

 

[docque]

You might want to double check my descriptions.. the blade 120 and all fixed pitch Helis are LEAST resistant to wind. They can handle up to about 5 mph of wind. Otherwise you’ll want a collective pitch machine.

As far as what the heli trains you for, that depends. They teach the skill set you need to fly other Helis, but they won’t handle exactly the same. The basic maneuvers and orientations will be most critical for moving on to other Helis. The 230S V2 would prep you very well for other Helis in the blade line. However, most other Helis are very dependent on a user’s setup. A well set up machine with a tuned flight controller will be much easier to fly, and can be set as docile or as agressive as a user desires. The mechanical and flight controller setup must be done well though. All this is done for you in the blade Helis. However, you will need to learn to do it after any crashes to ensure the machine stays running as well as it started off.

Thank you very much. I meant to say 230S but 120 was stuck in my head. I have bookmarked it and will look again in the Spring.