Help for newbie hobbyist

[bfldworker]

I am new to the RC Helicopter field. I have alway wanted a RC Helicopter, but money has been quite tight (As I am sure it is with a lot of people).

This past Christmas my wife got me a Syma 603 (Yellow Dragonfly) Helicopter. It is what I would call a trainer Helicopter at the very most.

I do have one issue with it that is driving me batty!

When I start it up to about 30 percent it does take off, but it starts spinning like a top unless I yaw it to the left about 20-35 percent. And then it stabilizes enough to play with it. (I am still trying to learn to get the most out of it). My question is this. Outside it being a trim issue (which I can't find anyway of trimming the spin). It is possible the tail rotor could have been formed wrong when it was being molded?

And one additional question. I live about 2 blocks from the beach (I live right on the Gulf in St. Pete beach). Is it normal for a breeze to effect the flight greatly? Meaning, a moderate breeze blows and it becomes almost impossible to control and to point it in the wind.

Sorry if it seems like I am vague, but I am not versed in explaining issues with RC helicopters.

Also, Can anyone suggest a RC Helicopter that can take a beating (meaning crashing or getting blown into a object) and that can deal with moderate to strong breezes?

Thanks.

[Andrew McGregor]

That sounds pretty normal for one of those. They're not exactly what you'd call sophisticated. And no, they don't handle wind well.

Your flying skills are going to take a bit of developing before you're up to handling something that can handle the wind well... and that will NOT handle a crash.

So, the standard advice with trainers is the E-Sky Honeybee FP, whichever version you can find. They're small, cheap, don't take much damage in a crash, and are cheap to repair. But, they don't handle much wind (and they're not that easy to fly, but that's a good thing in a heli trainer).

[jasmine2501]

Possible you have something stuck in the tail rotor or it just needs lubrication. Worst case the motor is wearing out and I'm not sure you can fix it. You could try twisting the blades to get more pitch, but you risk breaking them.

Not many helicopters are crash-proof... the speed of the blades required to lift a helicopter means there's a ton of force on them, and the most durable helicopters I've seen are the super-light ones like the Blade mCX. The nice thing about the Blade mCX is that it is hobby-grade, rather than toy-grade like the one you have. This means it will fly better and if you happen to break something, every part of it can be bought separately and you can always fix it. It is too small to handle any wind, and can really only fly inside, but is very safe and controlled and a lot of fun!

Wind tolerance come from two things, weight and power, and pilot skill. Any helicopter will get blown around in the wind, but the larger it is, the more inertia it has, and the more wind it takes to make a significant change. The smallest helicopters that don't just get tossed around in the wind are the 400-size... things like the Blade 400 and Trex 450 - but you'll need some practice before you can even get one of those off the ground. Getting a small 4-channel like the Blade mCX, and practicing on a simulator will help you get there.

Here's some examples of helicopters in the wind. The first one is a Tempest helicopter - it is really large, and this friend of mine flies in winds that I wouldn't even fly planes in. The second example is me flying my Blade 400 in about 5-10mph winds - you can see it's very stable and under control, but when I come in for the landing, I do have to work a bit to get it down where I want it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02GdAa2efts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2igsQCww_I

[Blade_Killer]

that heli is a 2ch toy, they dont have a gyro and spin when you give them any throttle. They dont really fly, they pretty much just go up and spin like crazy then crash.......

[Balr14]

Damn, that things big for a two channel! :eek:

[snokid]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaFH2P5EfVQ&eurl=http://www.hobbytron.com/ElectricRCHelicopterRTRSyma603AA70921.html

funny if you watch the video the tail spins out of control in the video...

Bob

[bfldworker]

Possible you have something stuck in the tail rotor or it just needs lubrication. Worst case the motor is wearing out and I'm not sure you can fix it. You could try twisting the blades to get more pitch, but you risk breaking them.

There isn't anything stuck in the rotor, before I let it take off, I have it running at the lowest possible setting and then make sure nothing is loose or getting caught up in either the main rotor or the tail rotor.

Not many helicopters are crash-proof... the speed of the blades required to lift a helicopter means there's a ton of force on them, and the most durable helicopters I've seen are the super-light ones like the Blade mCX. The nice thing about the Blade mCX is that it is hobby-grade, rather than toy-grade like the one you have. This means it will fly better and if you happen to break something, every part of it can be bought separately and you can always fix it. It is too small to handle any wind, and can really only fly inside, but is very safe and controlled and a lot of fun!

Yeah, I figured out the crash-proof part. Took it out today and it was running well (while I was adjusting for yaw). And a strong breeze blew and it flew full force into a palm tree and came down. Broke the tail rotor.

I ended up super gluing back together and making sure the seam matched. About an hour later flew it and for some strange reason it didn't spin nearly as much as it did. So either I misaligned it or some of the superglue modified it's aerodynamics enough to actually help..

As for getting a hobby grade trainer I am going to a RC shop in St. Petersburg and going to look at the trainers and see what I can get for the best bang for the buck with out breaking the bank.

Wind tolerance come from two things, weight and power, and pilot skill. Any helicopter will get blown around in the wind, but the larger it is, the more inertia it has, and the more wind it takes to make a significant change. The smallest helicopters that don't just get tossed around in the wind are the 400-size... things like the Blade 400 and Trex 450 - but you'll need some practice before you can even get one of those off the ground. Getting a small 4-channel like the Blade mCX, and practicing on a simulator will help you get there.

You mentioned weight. Would adding a little bit of ballast help?

[bfldworker]

that heli is a 2ch toy, they dont have a gyro and spin when you give them any throttle. They dont really fly, they pretty much just go up and spin like crazy then crash.......

Yeah it is 2 channel. Actually when there isn't any wind it does move forward and to turn and stuff I just adjust the read rotor since I superglued the tail rotor. Before it was a pain just to take off with out it looking like a top.

[jasmine2501]

No you can't add weight without adding power too, or the thing won't be able to fly. Definitely look at the mCX if they have it. Most stores have one that they let the customers fly - it is that good. It is very easy to fly, almost unbreakable, and also very capable. You will immediately see the difference between hobby grade stuff. Don't let them tell you a CX2 will fly outside - it won't. And don't let them sell you a Blade 400 or something either... a big single-rotor helicopter will require some practice. DO let them sell you a simulator if you eventually want to go up to the more capable stuff.