very new need advice

[turkey1]

I have never flown anything before no planes or helicopters so I have no idea what I'm getting into it just looks like a lot of fun. I ordered a esky Comanche for my first copter after reading a review here was this a good purchase?

second I hear a lot of people talking about replacing motors that have burned out does this happen often should I buy extras to keep on hand is it difficult to install them? what about extra parts blades batteries?

I was also thinking about getting a indoor copter to practice with the Comanche might be too big to fly in the house was thinking about a Walkera 4#3Q is this good or will I just destroy it is there anything cheaper or better for a beginner for the first time.

And is there anything else I should know at all whats the upkeep like on these things? or any other words of wisdom thanks in advance

[still charging]

Turkey1, you're on the right track with the coaxle commanche to start with. Try to find a nice large area indoors like a garage or just a really light/no wind day to play with it in hover hops and tail in hovers. I can't say that the Walkera 4#3 series would do you any good, they're small and squirrely things that are single blade, much less stable than the coaxles. I can testify that bigger is better in terms of stablility, but not in finding suitable places to fly them, lol. Just make sure you get a good bit of practice in on FMS (flying model simulator, which is free to download) to ensure minimal expenses for replacing parts. The more you fly and learn the more you will learn about the parts and disassembling/reassembling the heli. It may seems really technical, but it's not. Just do your best not to force any of the pieces, they're all precision parts and need to be handled as such. I hope someone else who knows more in detail about the commanche motors can tell you about that, but as for parts: landing skids, main blades, rotor head, tail gear box (if you have one, i don't know, lol) tail rotors are pretty popular ones for common wrecks :) I hope that helps a little. Have fun and welcome to the best hobby around!

[markarch]

Welcome to the hobby! I also think that you are on the right path to enjoying the hobby and not getting discouraged. I started with the Esky Lama V3. I found that the heli seems really big when you are first learning so the bigger the better area to fly in would be best. I chose to fly it over my queen size bed so that quick landings would not harm it. That also gave me an area to attempt to keep the heli over for learning orientation and control. The only parts that I broke on mine were the blades. I would stock up on those. I did go ahead and buy pretty much all of the shaft and swashplate parts for replacements though and have yet to use them and it's been quite a while since I got them. BPhobbies.com has really good prices on their parts and extremely fast shipping. I think they carry the comanche.

The real trick, at least for me, in learning was to get the heli trimmed out correctly so that I was not fighting the heli but actually directing it around where I wanted. It mostly involves adjusting the pots on the 4 in 1(3 in 1?) to hold the tail in place and adjusting the linkages from the servos to the swashplate so that the trims on the tx can be centered as much as possible. Doing this will keep the heli mostly stable and in place for a hover. There are a ton of discussions about trimming on this site. It really helped me to learning proactive flying rather than reactive flying.

One other thing that you might want to check out is the Blade McX. It is an extremely stable little heli that is perfect for flying in very small spaces. It is also very durable for learning since it is so small. You may not want to drop any more money on another heli since you just ordered one but it is worth considering. Check out some of the threads on it in the multi rotor forums.

Good luck and welcome to the addiction........No go out and buy some planes too.....

[turkey1]

thanks for the info keep it coming I have some more questions what is a tx and what about a micro honey bee are they good for a beginner ( durable easy to fly) I was thinking about getting a single rotor mini heli so once I master the coaxial I would have have to immediately get something different but don't want to if wont be able to handle it

[jasmine2501]

TX = transmitter (aka, Radio)

Post a link to the "micro honey bee" - if you mean the Honey Bee FP, then yes it's supposed to be pretty good.

[turkey1]

http://www.xheli.com/juinye20esho.html how about that for my next heli seems like it would be good for indoors just don't know it its durable enough for a beginner like me but seems to be a step up form coaxial

[markarch]

Yes that is the FP, fixed pitch, honey bee. That would be a good step up from the coaxial. There is quite a bit of information and opinions out there regarding the next step from coaxials but I think the Fixed pitch is the way to go. For one it is an extremely durable heli that can take a bit of abuse during learning. There are also easy mods to strengthen it up a bit in the weak spots. The parts are affordable and you can even buy a new frame without electronics for 35 bucks if your original one gets beyond repair. So yes I for one think that it is a great step up from a coaxial but also used in conjunction with a simulator it can't be beat in my opinion. I would look into the "Clearview" flight sim. It is 40 buck online registration for lifetime updates. I can't speak professionally about the physics of helis on it but it is a great value.

I would take your time with the coaxial and get used to all orientations of flight, nose in, tail in, side in and then move up once you have a good feel for all orientations. The single rotor fixed pitch heli will be a world of difference from the coaxial but the orientation would be the same no mater what type of heli you are flying.

[turkey1]

this place is the best for answering questions thanks let me know if there is anything else I should know ups says my Comanche will be here Monday so I'm sure I will be back asking even more questions thanks

[arbilab]

Esky V4 is my first flying machine, essentially the same airframe with a diff canopy. I looked closely at MCX--in person--wanted the extra heft/size even though my space is 11x7 max down to 9x5 counting furniture.

Lotta people with big/complex craft have a MCX too. But I couldn't afford a fleet of helis and the mid-micro Eskys seemed the best overall compromise. Quite pleased with it. The most annoying thing it does is the TX battery cover falls off (they all do that).

Read up on Lipos. First few charge cycles won't be very deep, they get longer after that. Do NOT run it until it will no longer move, that will destroy the battery. Stop when the throttle becomes noticeably less responsive.

Oh, and I hope you have carpet. Even so, might as well get back on the phone and order at least a dozen blades. You'll see why. :D

[turkey1]

no tile floor hope it last past the first flight is the tx mode 1 or 2 still contemplating the honey bee fp it is in the cart but I have not checked out yet seems like i do that with everything i do buy the next step up before I even get the first one

[turkey1]

well first tip over and the bottom blades don't respond to any thing any ideas on how to fix it lasted about 10 seconds so far this hobby isn't as fun as it looks

[Balr14]

They don't respond now, or never responded? If you tipped over and didn't cut power immediately, there's a good chance you toasted the 4 in 1. Does the motor run? If not, swap the motor connecters on the 4 in 1 and try it.

This hobby is fun, but it's a lot harder than it looks.

[turkey1]

when I switch them nothing works the bottom does not work when plugged into the top and top does not work ether but when you switch them back the top works again man I thought this was a durable copter any advice

[Blade_Killer]

fried 4 in 1...........gotta cut power before you wang it in

[Balr14]

^^^^

To explain what Blade_Killer said, anything that prevents the blades from turning while power is still on, causes excessive amperage to be drawn, overheating the 4 in 1 unit. You have about 5 seconds before it's toast and must be replaced. From the test you described when switching motors, it would appear one motor cooked and took the 4 in 1 with it.

That's an expensive lesson we all learn the hard way.

[turkey1]

so what now isn't that going to cost almost as much as the heli any idea on what to do whats is the most durable coaxial they make I want to make a run at the hobby but don't want to keep buying parts and new helis is there one I could run over and still be ok

[jasmine2501]

No motor will survive that kind of abuse, doesn't matter which one you get. New motors should be pretty cheap. There isn't a way to make a helicopter really durable, because it would be too heavy to fly. The tiny coaxials like the Blade mCX are the most durable, simply because they are light weight. If you have a hobby shop in your town, you should consider buying whatever they have parts for, even if it's a little more expensive at the start, because then you should be able to pick up parts without having to wait, and the hobby shop employees may be able to help you fix things.

It is frustrating to crash before you even get going, but don't let it get you down. I did the same thing with my CX2 - broke a blade on it before I even got it adjusted good enough to fly.

[Balr14]

so what now isn't that going to cost almost as much as the heli any idea on what to do whats is the most durable coaxial they make I want to make a run at the hobby but don't want to keep buying parts and new helis is there one I could run over and still be ok

You can buy a Lama V4 for under $70 and use your heli as spare parts. Or, a new motor and 4 in 1 will cost you $40 - $50. It isn't an issue with just coax helis, all helis that have the ESC integrated into the control unit (3 in 1 or 4 in 1) can overheat with too much amperage.

[Blade_Killer]

so what now isn't that going to cost almost as much as the heli any idea on what to do whats is the most durable coaxial they make I want to make a run at the hobby but don't want to keep buying parts and new helis is there one I could run over and still be ok

rc helis are delicate "toys", they need TLC and you need to learn how to fly, thats more then just getting it in the air it's also how to take care of them and not fry their parts.........consider this a lesson learned, buy a new 4 in 1, and be more careful.

[Blade_Killer]

I just replaced a very old 4 in 1 for my CX, was $60 and...........it was DOA from the hobby shop and they wont take it back, I have to ship it off to Horizon for a replacement, shipping is at my own cost!!

[markarch]

any idea on what to do whats is the most durable coaxial they make

I think we have mentioned the Blade Mcx as being a durable helicopter....
None the less they are all delicate and need repairs and maintenance. That is actually one of the fun parts about the hobby. If you need help with any of the repairs, there are many people here that will help out.

I don't think you are ready for the HBFP yet. I would suggest saving the money you were going to spend on it and get your replacement parts. Give it some time and you'll be ready for an FP before you know it. Don't get discouraged.

[yogibbear]

I actually have to thank these forums for the beginner's tip of turning the throttle off as soon as or just before crashing into something. I read so much of both the Lama v3 and v4 endless guides, that i practically had deja vu after deja vu when it finally came around to experiencing most of the stuff first hand. So far so good, almost 6 weeks with my Lama v3 and no parts asides from gears/blades broken. Not stock anymore. But loving it.

Once you get around the throttle/esc/motor protection, the Lama is bloody durable. I crashed mine into a pond and it all survived (including 4-in-1). Immersed and getting attacked by giant goldfish for about 10 seconds.

[RD Gator]

Free Lessons for download on this web page. that well help you out some before you try to fly to high.

http://www.littlerotors.com/flyinglessons/figureeights.asp

[arbilab]

See above. First reflex you need is slamming the throttle shut as soon as you realize you're in trouble. Don't wait for it to hit, you can see a crash coming.

Yeah, it's not 'fun' until you get some control of it, to where you can fly at least a few seconds and land (or just fall) without having to replace something major. Doesn't take long to reach that point, but it might feel like it does.

Almost nobody makes electronics that are durable to the point of current limiting on stalled rotor. Not the craft's fault mate, it's the pilot's. You can add resettable fuses to the motor lines, but you still better slam the throttle shut before you hit, they're not 100% effective.

[norcalheli]

See above. First reflex you need is slamming the throttle shut as soon as you realize you're in trouble. The only problem with this is as you progress to a CP heli, that reflex is the first thing you have to unlearn. Reason being, CP helis have negative pitch below mid-stick. (At least those set up for 3D.) You've never seen an aircraft descend quite so fast as a heli spinning 2500 RPM in idle-up and negative 10* pitch. :eek: Just to say they will plant very quickly. :D That's why computer radios have a "throttle hold" switch. ;) This lets you cut power yet maintain collective control.

[arbilab]

True. Do NOT slam negative collective on a CP craft.

I don't even know where "throttle" (rotor power) is on a CP controller. But whereever it is, you still want to shut it off when you're fixing to hit something solid.