Originally Posted by everydayflyer

How well can you fly a heli?
Will the 130 be a good first CP heli. most likely not.
Is the MCP X a great first CP heli, yes it is.

There are many post describing just how good the mcp X flies and have well it survives thum thumb flights into the ground. Learn to hit throttle hold before impact ,fly over grass and most crashes result in nothing more than a link or links poping off. I have advanced more in one month ,just over 100 flights with a mcp X than all the other helis I have owned / flown over the years. Reason is simple I spend time flyingthis one not repairing it and it does not cost a bunch of dollars to keep it in the air.

Only upgrade it needs is an extended tail boom and Blade at last came out with one for those who can not make their own. Part # BLH3602L.

Charles

Yes, this will be my first collective pitch heli.

I am coming from the micro E-Flite stuff.

I fly airplanes, 3D. I pick up quickly. I don't want to spend $200 if I am going to want the bigger 130X really quickly. But in this case, the Mcpx sounds like the way to start.

Originally Posted by johnnyrocco123

Yes, this will be my first collective pitch heli.

I am coming from the micro E-Flite stuff.

I fly airplanes, 3D. I pick up quickly. I don't want to spend $200 if I am going to want the bigger 130X really quickly. But in this case, the Mcpx sounds like the way to start.

I'm skipping right from the 120sr to the 130x. We'll see how it goes If I could borrow an mcpx for a few days to transition that would be great, but I won't be buying one just to transition, can't justify the expense for something that would just be a means to an end and then get shelved within a week.

I'll take my chances... based on my progression up the ladder to date, I'm confident in my abilities... that's the sort of thing I would base my decision on... everyone's aptitude and learning curve is different.

Originally Posted by North_of_49

I'm skipping right from the 120sr to the 130x.

I'll take my chances... based on my progression up the ladder to date, I'm confident in my abilities... that's the sort of thing I would base my decision on... everyone's aptitude and learning curve is different.

Good luck with that... you might be different than most, but I'm guessing that most people would find it very difficult to transition from the 120SR to the 130X with no CP experience

The 120SR flies nothing like a CP. After about three crashes of the 130x you would have paid for the mCPx which can be crashed all day without damage.

I was a hotshot 120SR pilot and thought I knew what I was doing, but it took me a month before I could get the mCPx into the air safely and in a stable hover. But you might be different

It's your time and money...go for it.

Good luck with that... you might be different than most, but I'm guessing that most people would find it very difficult to transition from the 120SR to the 130X with no CP experience

Possibly and probably, but not necessarily.

The 120SR flies nothing like a CP. After about three crashes of the 130x you would have paid for the mCPx which can be crashed all day without damage.

Without it even being out yet, you already know what's going to break, and that 3 crashes will equal the cost of an mcpx

I was a hotshot 120SR pilot and thought I knew what I was doing, but it took me a month before I could get the mCPx into the air safely and in a stable hover. But you might be different

And there are ways to tame down a CP with a computerized Tx... even simulate FP Like you said, everyone's different... you are the best judge of your own abilities... be smart about it, you don't need to ask someone else what you should do, they don't know your capabilities or aptitude for this kind of stuff or anything else for that matter.

It's your time and money...go for it.

I am

If I have some mishaps in the beginning that still cost me less than buying, selling and taking a loss on an mcpx that I would only own and use briefly (I don't like it aesthetically) then I have made the right decision... for me

Like I said, we'll see how it goes, I'm not overly concerned about it... I have a big field out back with thick grass

Obviously I don't know what's going to break on the 130x in a crash, but it's my OPINION that it's more fragile than the mCPx.

Many people are concerned about the tail gears stripping on the 130x in a tail strike. And it's just simple physics that a larger rotor disc with more head speed will result in more damage in a crash. Even if you are quick on the throttle hold. The mCPx weighs about 45 grams. The 130x is 107 grams or a little over twice as massive.

An mCPx BNF is $149. In my OPINION it's a worthwhile investment. But hey I don't work for Horizon Hobby and if you want to jump right to the 130x I still say go for it, I'm just giving you my opinion that it's a big jump.

I'm anxious to get mine and see if I can handle it. For me the mCPx is a handful and I don't really like flying it indoors. So if you are outdoors you might as well fly the bigger heli, I see your point.

Enough said, I am going with an MCPX first.

Version 2....

Any parts I should upgrade other than the longer boom?

Originally Posted by johnnyrocco123

Enough said, I am going with an MCPX first.

Version 2....

Any parts I should upgrade other than the longer boom?

I'm not even sure you need any upgrades. I'm still flying version 1. The people complaining about the mCPx tail are the people pushing it to it's limits. As a beginner I don't think you will have a problem with the stock tail.

Originally Posted by jscott1

snip

The mCPx weighs about 45 grams. The 130x is 107 grams or a little over twice as massive.

...

It's about the same weight as my 120 which has heavier than stock skids (Align 250) and some other extra stuff like boom supports... so, believe me, I'm used to crashing a 100g+ heli and what is likely to happen or not happen All my damage or broken parts on that bird were sustained over hard surfaces like the driveway, sidewalk and road out front... I don't think I've broken a single part flying (crashing) in the farmer's field my neighborhood backs onto (knock on wood) and that's where I plan to train myself on the 130 . I'm hoping the 130x will be at least as robust as the 120sr... we won't know until it's out, but, if so, I don't think we have too much to worry about 'cause that one is a tank... for its size (as long as you kill the throttle before striking anything)

The first thing I'll try doing to it is mount the Align 250 skids like my 120 (the only thing I break on those are the pipes which I make myself from plastic antenna tube)! ...
http://static.rcgroups.net/forums/at...skid-wht-2.jpg

The mcpx was cool for me for about a month. A couple of my fellow club members said the same. I sold mine as did one of the other club members. The other doesn't fly his any more.
The mcpx is cool for flying around fast foward and maybe some light flipping and thats about it.
Anything more and you'll find the main motor is under powered and the tail blows out. Then you'll be looking at upgrades like a brushless motor, better tail motor, etc. Then you'll be frustrated because its too expesive to upgrade and your stuck with a small, under powered heli.
If you want to learn how to fly helicopters buy a similator and fly close to a real cp heli with REAL power. If you want a small helicopter to fly in the backyard then by an mcpx. Nothing againts the mcpx but people need to understand what it is and what its not.
I have a feeling the 130x will be three times the heli the mcpx is. my 2cents.

Originally Posted by North_of_49

It's about the same weight as my 120 which has heavier than stock skids (Align 250) and some other extra stuff like boom supports... so, believe me, I'm used to crashing a 100g+ heli and what is likely to happen or not happen

True the 130x and the 120SR in stock form are virtually the same mass. The real difference is the head speed. The symmetrical blades on the 130X require significantly more head speed to achieve the same amount of lift. Also higher head speed is part of the design because it increases the stability and control in flight. The 120SR has a tendency to balloon up when a gust of wind hits it.

As a result the 130X will respond significantly faster to the controls than an FP helicopter. And we haven't even addressed the lack of the 45 degree flybar and lack of self-correction in hover...but I'm sure you know all about that.

I admire your tenacity in taking on the challenge...makes me want to skip right to the 500X

Ps - That's a nice looking 120SR with the align skids and boom support.

Originally Posted by North_of_49

It's about the same weight as my 120 which has heavier than stock skids (Align 250) and some other extra stuff like boom supports... so, believe me, I'm used to crashing a 100g+ heli and what is likely to happen or not happen All my damage or broken parts on that bird were sustained over hard surfaces like the driveway, sidewalk and road out front... I don't think I've broken a single part flying (crashing) in the farmer's field my neighborhood backs onto (knock on wood) and that's where I plan to train myself on the 130 . I'm hoping the 130x will be at least as robust as the 120sr... we won't know until it's out, but, if so, I don't think we have too much to worry about 'cause that one is a tank... for its size (as long as you kill the throttle before striking anything)

The first thing I'll try doing to it is mount the Align 250 skids like my 120 (the only thing I break on those are the pipes which I make myself from plastic antenna tube)! ...
http://static.rcgroups.net/forums/at...skid-wht-2.jpg

I promise you that is not the case =)
The 120 will be like a tank compared to the 130x. The 130 is much much much faster, much much much more sensitive to cyclic, has a torque tube tail and var pitch tail..the list goes on. Not telling you not to buy the 130x, just not to think itll stand up even remotely near your 120.
120+ sized CP helis break a lot when they crash, they are marketed to the intermediate and advanced pilot, thus not expecting to crash every flight.

As for buying the McPX and outgrowing it in a month...not sure where that idea came from...you wont master that anytime soon, and wont be outgrown period and itll stand up MUCH better than the 130.

If I bought my 120 CP before my 100 I wouldnt be anywhere near the pilot I am now, as it would have cost me more, more downtime, and make me more afraid to crash, limiting my learning.

A 130 size TT tail brushless CP heli running on 2s is not the ideal trainer.

Originally Posted by airtimeallen

The mcpx was cool for me for about a month. A couple of my fellow club members said the same. I sold mine as did one of the other club members. The other doesn't fly his any more.
The mcpx is cool for flying around fast foward and maybe some light flipping and thats about it.
Anything more and you'll find the main motor is under powered and the tail blows out. Then you'll be looking at upgrades like a brushless motor, better tail motor, etc. Then you'll be frustrated because its too expesive to upgrade and your stuck with a small, under powered heli.
If you want to learn how to fly helicopters buy a similator and fly close to a real cp heli with REAL power. If you want a small helicopter to fly in the backyard then by an mcpx. Nothing againts the mcpx but people need to understand what it is and what its not.
I have a feeling the 130x will be three times the heli the mcpx is. my 2cents.

While I do agree the stock mcp x is underpowered, I do not have any tail blowouts with the new stock extended boom. I think for what it is, it does great. I believe it can teach good collective management, and takes crashes well especially over grass. I have one stock and one brushless, and love to fly them back to back. It is a real CP helicopter, and I learned inverted, loops, rolls, flips without a simulator. I would recommend learning CP on the mcp x. Parts are cheap, and it is easy to repair. I already ordered a 130x, and glad I own my 2 mcp x's. Years ago I tried to learn on a Novus 125 CP, which turned into an expensive nightmare. Anyway, that is my 2 cents.

J

RawmadeCF,

I'm just saying, based on my experience so far, I've already bought helis that everyone said you must go to first before progressing onto the next thing... I wish I had skipped the expense of some of those purchases... the ones I was just using as a means to end to move onto the next thing... because I had them down pretty quick and they served their purpose and they don't get much use anymore if at all. The ideal situation for me would have been if there had just been some way to use one for a little while without actually buying it and then jump right into the thing I really wanted to fly... in some of those cases all I would have needed was a couple of days with it. I'm not saying I would only need a couple of days with a mcpx to get to a 130x... but you get the jist of what I'm getting at... I feel there were steps I'm now confident I could have skipped that I took 'cause everyone got me all freaked out so I might try a different route this time.

As for outgrowing an mcpx... I didn't say I'd outgrow it, I said I purposely wouldn't want to keep it because I don't even like it.. its size and proportions and dinky little skids (I've discussed this already either here or in another 130x thread) so if I got one to train on that's all I'd want it for... but I'm having a hard time justifying that kind of expense on something I really don't even want and would end up dumping anyway. I'd have to learn the same kind of CP flying characteristics anyway so I might as well do it on the one that I actually want. If there are mishaps in the beginning I'm ok with that and I fully expect it... I'll try to minimize them with a smart choice of location to fly it. I mean, I'm not going to try to blast it off into the wild blue yonder on the first flight... just get hovering down and take baby steps from there. I've already read up on ways to tame down a CP in my Tx settings as well... some people are even starting out on them (like the mcpx) in a pseudo FP mode until they get used to it. I'm not just jumping into this blindly without being aware of what I'll be up against... I've considered everything in alot more depth than what it might sound like. I probably shouldn't tell you I just bought the UMX Carbon Cub SS as my first plane either

I gotcha, and more power to ya! Long as you know what youre getting into, which you seem to, so all is well.

The mcpx was cool for me for about a month. A couple of my fellow club members said the same. I sold mine as did one of the other club members. The other doesn't fly his any more.
The mcpx is cool for flying around fast foward and maybe some light flipping and thats about it.
Anything more and you'll find the main motor is under powered and the tail blows out. Then you'll be looking at upgrades like a brushless motor, better tail motor, etc. Then you'll be frustrated because its too expesive to upgrade and your stuck with a small, under powered heli.

I guess those who have flown better non underpowered heli and no longer crash often or those who have an unlimited hobby budget some of the above is true.

Here is my son flying a stock mcp X except for theextended boom ,less than $1.00 mode.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showp...65&postcount=3


I have seen him crash this one way to many times and after close to a year and over a hundred flights he replaced the swatch as it was getting wobbley and he has replaced a few dog bone links..


I flew 30 and 50 glow size helis over 20 years ago, I have Blade CP converted to B/L ,a msr, Blade 400 with better gyro,servos,scorpion motorCC ESC and Ihave a Phoneix sim.

Guess what I have learned more in the past month with the mcp X than all of my other helis and Sim combined and that is saying a lot I belive for a 67 year old male with slowing reflexes, fading vision and dyslexia which keeps getting worse.

Someoneelse put it well.

The MCP X is the flight simulator you can take outdoors.

I would love to have an electric heli with a 60" rotor and unlimited power to do any trick in the book and new ones. I would be willing to pay say $3000 for such a setup if it came with free unlimited tech support covering rebuilds,maintiance and free replacement parts for the next year with a mx. of 2 days oput of comminsion at a time.. I figure by then I would no longer be crashing very often.

Two years ago I shelfed my Blade 400 due to rebuild cost and time. One dum thum move equaled $50 to $100 in parts and hours of rebuilding and re tuning.