Help For The Beginner

It is always difficult to break into a new hobby, you generally find that it has a language all of it’s own, everybody seems to talk and understand this language except for you.   Radio controlled helicopters is no different, however, we are lucky to have a great wealth of experience in the Hell-E-Cats and the members are always willing to help.   It is useful to remember that nobody goes into a new hobby expecting it to be easy, we generally do it because we want a challenge, flying RC heli’s is definitely that, but it is also extremely enjoyable, sociable and relaxing.

To help you get started here is a short article on some of the things you need to know, I have tried where possible to use plain English and not helitalk 

How do I get started in RC Heli Flying?

The first thing to do is join the Hell-E-Cats and the BMFA, the latter is essential as it provides you with 3rd party insurance, without it you can not fly with the club.   It helps if you already know an experienced flyer, but it is not essential.   Ask someone in the club to be your mentor, there will be plenty of members willing to help.   Your mentor will offer advice on how to get started and will point you in the right direction of a good training model.   It may well be a model that he is familiar with, this is all the better as he will be experienced in setting the model up.

It is advisable to get a simulator and practice on that until you can take off and control the model in the hover.   This will hold you in good stead for your first attempt at the flying field.   As you progress you should continue to try out each new maneuver on the simulator, it will save you a lot of crashes, and therefore your bank balance will be healthier. 

How Much does it cost ?

Revolution Models in Altrincham offer a small discount to club members and will help you to make the right choices in equipment and make sure you have everything you need.   Speak to Chris or Joe in the shop.   You should expect to pay around £500 or £600 on a complete beginners setup.

 Which helicopter should I buy ?

It is recommended that you go for the smaller 30 to 46 size helicopters. They are a lot cheaper than the 60 size models both in terms of initial purchase and repairs.

In the club at the moment there appears to be a general trend towards the Raptor as the favoured beginners model and a lot of expertise is available for helping to set up etc, this is not a recommendation, but only an observation.

 What radio gear Do I Need?

Transmitter.
Buy a modern transmitter, these are computerised and will easily handle all your requirements as you progress to an experienced flyer.    These transmitters come into their own when you come to setting the model up.

 Servos.
Any good quality standard servos will be OK for you to learn with, however, ball raced outputs are a definite advantage.

 Gyro.
I learned to fly on a "heading hold" gyro and I would advise any starter to do the same , however, there is another school of thought that says you have enough to contend with when learning and that you should buy a simple piezo gyro without heading lock.   As far as I am concerned you are going to need one at some time and when learning you can always "switch it off", when you are more proficient you can "switch it on",  if you buy a simple one to start with you will have to purchase a heading lock gyro later, so do it all in one go.

 Nicad.
You need at least a 1200mAH battery, if you can get 1700mAH.   This is the only way of getting a reasonable fly time in.   It is advisable to fit an on board nicad checker, that will show you the current state of the battery, and, never fly on a low battery.

A note on insurance

Join the British Model Flying Association, they provide a £5,000,000 3rd party insurance policy for all members, do not fly without this.   In the Hell-e-Cats you will not be allowed to fly until you have proof of insurance.