theecoop

This thread will be dedicated letting the beginner know the advantages of getting a sims first or a heli .

Explain your opinon

dizzymarkus

Short explaination :0)

I bought a heli (Axe cp) and tried it with no Sim-----after 2 weeks I finally broke down and boguht RFG3.5. The first night I smacked the ground say 20 times -- at 12.99 a set of blades (not to mention whatever else would have broken) x 20 times is $259.80. Payed for the sim first night :0)

No question about it -- SIM SIM SIM

Markus

MaxAdventure

90% of the time, people will want/need a sim - so why not just start with the sim and let it HELP you decide what heli to start with?!?!

and when we talk sims, let's talk about all of them. You don't have to spend $200, there are options.

theecoop

http://www.preflightsim.com/ 29.95

http://www.fsone.com/ 99.99

http://rcflightsim.com/ 39.95

http://n.ethz.ch/~mmoeller/fms/index_e.html free

http://www.heli-x.info/demos_e.shtml free demo

http://www.realflight.com/products/gpmz4420-index.html about 190.00 to 200.00 from site to site


did I miss any

KrazyEighths

You really want to invest in a decent sim. It's going to save you lots of money and frustration. Phoenix RC Sim is in my opinion the best heli sim out there.
http://www.phoenix-sim.com

Don't worry about the overseas delivery time. I got my package in less time than it takes to get a ground package cross-country.

bassplayinDude

FSOne ( www.fsone.com ) just lowered their price to $99.99 (79.99 w/o controller). I don't know much about this sim other than the fact they advertise in MA.

KrazyEighths

FSOne is kind of a weak heli offering. I would get Phoenix before I bought anything else. It's a really nice sim.

There is a free heli sim called well..Helisim. The physics for it are supposed to be pretty accurate, but I had a tough time getting it to work with my DX7 where Phoenix was simply plug-n-play. If you want to try Helisim follow this link: http://www.marksfiles.net/HeliSimRC/index.htm

There are also several support threads available on Helifreak.com for most of the sims out there that feature helicopters.

jasmine2501

Ideally, you should not have to choose... should be able to get both. However, if it comes down to money and it's one or the other, I would definitely go for one of the free sims and spend the money on a helicopter. Then get someone experienced to help you with the setup and first flights.

RyuuChi

honestly, i think that you need to (well, i did) crack up a heli before you sim, as in my case, it made me more serious about learning what to do in the sim. same thing for a&o, he started the sim, but just messed around... until he smashed and had to fix his first heli, then he got serious about really learning in the sim. i think that some people take it as a computer game, until they realize how much money it will save them and get serious about learning. I am aware that this is not always the case, but that's how it happened for the two of us.

theecoop

I have to say that a sims wont help onless it is used proper....You have to set up areas to practice and practice precise moves or orientations ,sample ......if your just learning to hoover then practice hoovering ......Hmmm in a sims seems simple ...well that is because it is if you dont make it challenging ......find a location in the sims that has a marking that you can tell were your heli is located from your beginning hoover now keep it above that location....not drifting around....next try forward flight along a line......ect. IMO

Bob O

I just DL'ed and tried the marksfiles HeliSim. I used the controller that came with my FS One. At first it didn't feel much different than my FS One, but after adjusting exponential settings, I was a lot more successful at stable hovering and general flying around.

With the HeliSim it seems that you can adjust EVERYTHING, whereas the FS One you cannot adjust anything.

I plan on buying a T-Rex 450SA very soon as my first CP chopper. I have a mCX that I can spot land and I'll be practicing on the Sim on a daily basis. I figure I'll have at least 20 hours of sim time hovering tail in and nose in, and basic fore/aft and side to side flight before I actually get my chopper and begin setting it up.

Another guy in my club are going to do this together. We are both into 3D planes, although he is a way better 3D pilot than I am. And our Club's president is an accomplished Blade 400 pilot so we'll have some assistance there. For the time being, I'm reading forums every day and trying to learn as much as I can before I actually make the purchase.

Monti

Well, I downed the flight sim and tried to use it. With a 3D Pro Joystick, I have managed to crash the Sim more times than I landed safely. I can't imagine how much money I just saved. Now, if I could just get a handle on how the controls work then I might have a chance. I do however, have a better idea about landing that I would have had to pay dearly for in real time. Power up before hitting the ground...what do you call it? Flare?

LOL.

n3m1s1s

i got a coaxial 1st but if i were to do it all again it would have to be SIM!

jasmine2501

Be serious man... if YOU had to do it all over again, you would get the Trex 600 with gold-plated CNC parts and diamonds on the soles of the skids, with 3 or 4 cameras on it. You know you would

Music-AMG

LMAO.. OMG.. very well put. My first was a coax, and trust me, what not fun learning by chasing the dog around the back yard. I really didnt care about rebuilding it completly 4 times.

A freind pointed out how he started. Started with a coax heli, once he was able to land it on top of a light pole, he moved on. He said the sim didn't come in till he was ready to cut grass.

n3m1s1s

LMAO well actually the diamonds would be in the gears no point in diamonds on the skids dont wanna get blinded when i look up but EVERYTHING else sounded real appealing to me

AM I THAT EASY TO READ???

twoslick2

Yes,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, get a sim 1st..............no way around it!

Music-AMG

My money with the babe... Nice having someone like her in the hobby..

If your big time into the hobby, get the best sim and Tx, then get the heli. I own a video company and got into the hobby with a specific intention to do video and photogragphy using heli's. Turned out to be more of a hobby than an investment...

BTW: Rebel Base 6, my Icon, one of 6 places I fly.. Number 6 is my church field. Number 1 is www.nomacrc.com

exit44rc

I started buying helis first and it wasn't until after I purchased Phoenix that I realized that I should have had the sim first. I spent much more money than I would have if I had just bought the sim and then focused my learning there.

During the past winter I spent my flying time on the sim learning inverted flight, frontwards and backwards. That would have cost me a fortune to learn in real life.

When using the sim I always set the timer to limit my flight times to the same as real life flight times. As I'm learning a new skill I can count my crashes on each "battery" and I know how I'm improving. Once I can fly the heli through many "batteries" on the sim, I'll take it out and continue my learning in actual conditions.

Flying Fiz

For anybody struggling to fly a CP heli you might be interested in my story.

I had been dicking about and just barely flying a Honey Bee FP V2 and not being able to fly my Eflite Blade SR or my Blade 400, just short hovers and barely controlled drifting, this over a period of about 8 months, with lots of "oh crap" moments, lots of repairs, lots of down-time. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

So I bought a cheap CP heli to train on, namely an Esky Honey Bee CP3 and a Phoenix Sim.

Both arrived mid week and so I spent 3 nights flying constantly on the Sim. Bad at first and after about $50,000.00 (virtual world dollars) in crashed blade 400's, Esky belt CP's and Trex 450 Pro's I started to get the hang of it, then I could hover then I could really hover, then I sort of got to fly them a bit back and forth and round a bout.

Sat Morning dawns, I set the brand new (real) CP3 down on the ground, with high hopes but low expectations, I lift off the heli and bring it up to head high in a rock solid hover, hold it there for a while moved it back, forward, side to side, a big round circuit, then I realised Holy Crap It's Working I CAN FLY! I CAN FLY!

I race back inside pluck my blade 400 of the desk and charge 200 metres up the road to my quite local oval, set the big blade down, take her up and just started to fly her, more stable than the CP3 and fast and spectacular. I just flew and flew then set her down as soon as the battery started to lose power, and realised I'd just flown my first full pack through a CP heli completely in the air.

I'm now a huge fan of a good SIM, it absolutely transformed my flying.

Would strongly recommend to anyone struggling with a 90 degree FP or CP heli.

exit44rc

Same experience here. Learn it on the sim first and you'll save much frustration in the real world.

Netdewt

I am a Mac user and I'd rather not take up my valuable hard drive space with an installation of Windows. I just noticed that Heli-X has Mac OS X download. Cool! I tried it on my 3 year old Intel laptop running Leopard and it looks like it will work. I don't have a USB cord yet to try it for real (coming soon in the mail).

http://www.heli-x.info/download_e.shtml

Does anyone know of others that are available for Mac?

kenchiroalpha

Hi
I learned to fly helis without the benefit of a sim
I used Radds
http://www.dream-models.com/eco/flying-index.html
So i would recommend a sim and radds
Best of luck with your flight training
Take care
Hank

motoguy

How is FPS for learning a heli? I already have it, and have been playing on it, and letting the 7 year old "practice" on it. I've noticed that in the windless world of FMS, I'm able to take off, hover, and land successfully. I'm curious how FMS compares to the real world.

NickMcEnjoy

Now with the so cheap micro helis, which can be flown in your bedroom and almost unbreakable , you might want to bypass the sims and get the bird straightaway!

Btw, my experience is the sim heli was a lot more difficult to fly than my current real mSR. If I ever want to mess with a bigger heli, I might need the sim first. But for now, I'm happy with my mSR

So if you're new to heli, get the mSR first. You might never need the sim