RC Heckalopters

[Andy Moore]

Anyone know anything about them?

[bedajim]

Originally Posted by Andy Moore

Anyone know anything about them?

Which type small elec or bigger nitro ones?

[Andy Moore]

Originally Posted by bedajim

Which type small elec or bigger nitro ones?

Not sure.

1. I want to be able to fly outside;
2. I don't want to annoy the neighbours;
3. It must be able to lift a gerbil or hamster.
4. I was thinking of spending £400-ish.

[GuyP]

Just knowledge picked up from mates who have them but - Get a small indoors battery powered one first (about £80 off ebay) to learn the basics of flying them - RC Helicopters are damn difficult to learn to fly and you don't want to be smashing up a £400 one in the first week or so of ownership.

[GuyP]

Originally Posted by Andy Moore

3. It must be able to lift a gerbil or hamster

What have you got planned

[Hightower]

A bottle of Helium a tube and your favorite pet is all you need to fly em. .....Oh and a peice of string, if you want to get em back down

[J S]

I fly model planes and i have read quite a bit about them and know a few people with them and they are extremely hard to fly, very very expensive especially when they go wrong and most clubs don't allow helicopters. Oh and if you want to lift any kind of weight you will need a nitro one.

Oh yer and you do need insurance as well.

Hope that helps.

James

[havener]

Originally Posted by Hightower

.....Oh and a peice of string, if you want to get em back down

Or a decent air rifle if you're not bothered about re-using the balloon!

[Tim M]

I agree with the comment about buying a cheap one to practise on - I speak from bitter experiance!

[Hightower]

Originally Posted by havener

Or a decent air rifle if you're not bothered about re-using the balloon!

Who mentioned balloons

[codprawn]

The bloke who taught me to fly RC planes always used to say that RC helicopters were the most efficient way of turning money into noise!!!

Electric models have come on a lot but to carry any sort of payload I would have thought a glow motor would be needed.

I have a small model that I fly around the house and it's great fun but remember they are usually much easier to fly as they have more limited controls.

Just looked and the maxi joker seems to be the biggest with a claimed payload of 2KG!!! Not cheap though starting at £500!!!

http://www.revolutionmodels.co.uk/ac..._HELIS_60.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21BjaB_8aS8

[Andy Moore]

Originally Posted by GuyP

What have you got planned

Which one would be able to withstand this the best? Gerbil or Hammy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6F-0rIpLJE

[J S]

You also have to remember if you go for a nitro one the field equipment can end up costing about £200 alone.

James

[matt h]

Whats a nitro one?? Nitro is a small additive (5-20%)that is mixed with the castor oil to give it some beans!!
Glow fuelled is the term i think you may want to use,
nitro was a supposed sexy term thought up by the chinese used initially for small model cars aimed at 10 -15 years olds to boost sales!!

[Biggles]

Originally Posted by codprawn

The bloke who taught me to fly RC planes always used to say that RC helicopters were the most efficient way of turning money into noise!!!

I thought that was an old 2 stroke !

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by matt h

Whats a nitro one?? Nitro is a small additive (5-20%)that is mixed with the castor oil to give it some beans!!
Glow fuelled is the term i think you may want to use,
nitro was a supposed sexy term thought up by the chinese used initially for small model cars aimed at 10 -15 years olds to boost sales!!

Yup annoys the hell out of me as well - as does the term Remote control instead of radio control.

[Brian]

Andy

Recommend you start with an indoor one. You will definately smash up an expensive one, and yes, they are extremely hard to operate.
I bought this one which has twin rotors, er, which eliminates one element of necessary control (though I dont know which).
I still cant fly it.
This one only costs £50 and they dont break that easily.
PLEASE learn on it before you lash out your pocket money and make an expensive mistake.

[RAD]

Originally Posted by Brian

Andy

Recommend you start with an indoor one. You will definately smash up an expensive one, and yes, they are extremely hard to operate.
I bought this one which has twin rotors, er, which eliminates one element of necessary control (though I dont know which).
I still cant fly it.
This one only costs £50 and they dont break that easily.
PLEASE learn on it before you lash out your pocket money and make an expensive mistake.

Second that!

i have a small battery one that charges from the handset. Its cool but is difficult to get to grips with first of all.

i wouldnt spend 400 smakeroonies on a big one without having a smaller one first.

[matt h]

Yup annoys the hell out of me as well - as does the term Remote control instead of radio control.

i fly model heli's and Planes and i learnt using the Reflex Flight sim and lessons with the Glow Heli, started on the Raptor 30, great heli, flying a real Heli is easier than a model, have fun with a simulator first, they are great fun and the graphics are amazing,

[BruceB]

The problem with a proper glow powered RC chopper is that you have an extremely steep initial learning curve.
The hardest thing to do with one of these is learn to hover, it is also the first thing you need to learn as it is required to take off and land.
I smashed mine up loads of times learning, everything from just having competitions to see whether the chopper was tougher than the ground to chopping off the tailboom with the main rotor on hard landings
It is almost as efficient a way of getting rid of cash as a boat............