Hey everybody, just came across this fantastic forum.

I'm looking to pickup my first helicopter and I want to seriously get in into the hobby. I have a couple of option to pick from..

1. 3ch Coaxial Double Horse 9077 (Available for ~2k through a friend)
2. 4ch single rotor (No clue about availability or price in India)

I've read that there's a lot of difference between a 3ch coax and 4ch single rotor and most places have said to start off with a 4ch single rotor.

If that's the case, does anybody know where I can pickup a decent 4ch single rotor like the Exceed Falcon 40?

Thanks a ton!

Hi Anish,

I have just bought my first intermediate Heli. It is a 3 Ch Co Ax. I was overcharged and ended up paying 5K for it. Similar types are available on Ebay for 3K.

It is big (24 inches +) and has full function 3 Ch controls. Up, Down, Forward, Reverse, Left and Right. It also has a rather decent hovering capability.

On ebay, look for a Heli that has the cockpit painted to look like an Eagle. Seems to be a similar type.

However, I am a Heli novice and I would advise you to wait till the real Heli experts comment on this thread.

Welcome to this forum and we hope you enjoy your stay here.

Regards,

VC

hi mate,
if you are seriouse about starting to fly helis......................
don't go below 4 channel, they are basicly toys not hobby machines.there is very little if any. [depends on the vendor....]  spares backup.
 THEY ARE THROW AWAY TOYS......................
next it depends on your budget.uk prices GBP........... FROM £180 Upwards ready to fly, some come with good tx others come with cheap tx fixed pitch 'fp' is not a bad way to start as they are far cheaper to repair, the slightest thing with 'enable gravity' and then there is a repair bill. it is THE MOST EXPENSIVE hobby out there so be aware
do you fly planks??
this is nothing like it........................but at least you would know the importance of a good tx......
go for a 'brand name' with advertised 'instock' spares...........you will need them.
when I was learning it cost me an average of £100 PER MONTH in spares
choose between fuel or electric..............this depends where you will fly.
 here it is hard to fly a fuel machine anywhere now because of restrictions.
so electric would be a cheaper safer bet for starting out.
as for the two you mention............................. they are 'worlds apart' both cost wise and abilaty wise.......the coaxial will 'almost' fly itsself...a toy standard realy...with very limited spares backup.
the falcon is a 'top end' standard heli....very expensive and will 'NOT' come with any radio equipment.something I hear you will have to buy localy, you would need a 6ch min radio for this heli as it is a 6ch cp heli as in collective pitch................ both main blades alter pitch to control the heli . a much more complicated heli to
[a] setup
fly
and [c] rebuild....................and you will be doing this believe me.
get a 4chanel fp heli [single rotor] like a walkera or esky which will come with a cheaper radio and will teach you the fundamentals of heli flight. with minimal repare bills. WHEN you can hover this inside a 3ft box and flyit around 'where you want it to go' not like a naughty dog then go for a 450 size cp heli .and decent radio system.

regards
don

If you are serious, go for a 4ch, but make sure you can hover very well on a sim first.  Don't know of Falcon 40 sources in India, some people have reported starting with Honeybee FP models.

The HK 450 models are another choice, and certainly a better long term choice. But a separate radio would push the costs up, unless you are planning to get a good radio for the long term anyways.

Please post a link.

Thanks a ton VC, Don and Anwar.

What 4ch would you suggest to start off with? And where can I source one with proper spares support in India.

Thanks!

Is this your heli, VC?

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-94582326164583_2106_34421416

Sorry Administrator,

I won't post the link as I do not wish to give this seller any more business as I have been fleeced thoroughly on this purchase as well as on the MiG 29. (Now you know who I am talking about  )

However, for a cheap 3 Ch Co Ax she does fly outdoors, in moderate breeze, surprisingly well. The paint and decals add a cheapness to it and I am in the process of modifying it now. Will post the pics and maiden video soon.

Regards,

VC

No that isn't my Heli, that is the one available on ebay. It seems to be similar to mine. Anwar Sahab, can you please remove the duplicate post above? Thanks!

People need to know the model, not the seller I am sure it is available from multiple sources, and even a direct link from the manufacturer website is probably a good idea.

hi mate,
start with your 'local model shop' speak with them, they will know which models are popular out there and what models 'they carry spares for'  but in uk esky and walkera are the two makes that are popular 'starter' helis both flywell and should have good spares backup and come compleat with cheap radio.
 check on the motor they use if one is brushed and another 'similar' heli is brushless go for the brushless heli as these motors last far longer. also get a good charger , a battery alarm....to save your batterys........... and a few spare battery...........only 10 min flight with one battery.......... and a few spares, if plastic head get a few center hubbs and blade holders and main gears, plastic blades usualy last well.
regards
don

Posting pics in a few minutes....................

This is it. Please note the extremely cheap Tx. The tail rotor was white with red lightning bolts! The tail section was transparent plastic and there were 2 ridiculous missiles on either side of the body with twinkling LED's!!! I have removed them and painted the tail grey.

Now there is a red/blue tail navigation light and two bright headlamps under the nose that look realistic. The cockpit interior has a weak red LED, this is not offensive. Thankfully the Tx comes equipped with a switch that can kill the lights for daytime flying and conserve battery.

I plan to repaint the canopy and get rid of the decals.

Regards,

VC

Don't know of any RC Helicopter dealers in my state.

Any known reliable sources for Honeybee / Lama 4ch Helis with good spare support?

hi VC
get rid of those training gear mate, when taking off give a good burp of power to get up then back off a bit, if you go slow taking off that is what tips it over.
 much better without training gear.
regards
don

Don! 

How dare you make fun of my lovingly crafted, bio degradable, state of the art training gear!

Good to see you back in full flow mate!

VC

So it is the QS8004.

http://www.diytrade.com/china/4/products/6504061/Big_3ch_metal_rc_helicopter_with_LED.html

http://www.google.com.qa/search?hl=en&safe=active&q=QS8004+heli

Please post some videos of it flying outside.

hahaha
back with a vengence  >
 

Anwar could you guide me to any sellers who stock Esky Honeybee/Lama in India?

Training gear on a co-axial?? That is definitely a first 

Hey Anish, nice to hear from someone from Goa.. There is someone in North Goa who is into heli.. But i dont think he's on this forum.. I think u'll have to bump up ur budget quite a bit to get something decent..

Start with the list : http://www.rcindia.org/rc-outlets-and-resellers/mega-list-of-all-rc-outlets-in-india/ and go through the sites of the major ones (especially the heli specialists, like http://www.rotor.co.in).

The stock keeps changing in various stores. For example, here are some beginner electric helis : http://www.rcskyhobby.com/products.php?main_page=productDisplay&cat=17

I would rather feel stupid after reading your post than sit back with a crashed Heli that is irreparable due to my lack of expertise.

Sorry man.. Didn't mean to offend you  What is the training gear made of anyway? I had one of those tiny IR co-axial indoor helis and after it was trimmed it was pretty much impossible to crash.. I was thinking of ordering that heli with the eagle decals from ebay (its supposed to be really good) but then decided to save the money n spend it on my nitro plane instead..

Medicineman..  don't worry, you are not alone in wondering whether these coaxial ones still need training gear.  See this :

http://www.rcindia.org/helis/need-training-gear-2314/msg21843/#msg21843

But I do realize now that it is a matter of realization of ones strengths (or weaknesses, depending on how you look at it), and is quite a rational thing to do

@VC - Just read about ur landing gear from the other post.. Bamboo sticks, cello tape n foam balls.. impressive 

@Anwar - Thanks for the link 

Hey medicineman, nice to come across a fellow RC enthusiast from Goa!

rotor.co.in seems to be a nice site, but I still haven't been able to find a 4ch Single Rotor Heli. If anybody knows a seller, I'd really appreciate the help!

Thanks!

Also another quick query guys.. Is there a lot of difference in flying a 4ch coaxial rotor like the link I posted below and a 4ch single rotor like the Honey Bee?

http://www.rotor.co.in/show-detail.asp?prodid={2E9D7A4E-6821-4BEC-972E-BB0029F30998}&pn=1

Medicineman, my apologies too if I sounded offended. No offence taken at all, my friend. I just want to be careful.

Just a point here - the Heli was maidened by a very experienced pilot, who perhaps did not want to take the risk of damaging a brand new model (especially since it didn't belong to him) and insisted on my creating a training gear. I was only following instructions!

Cheers!

VC

Hey Anish, there are lots of RC enthusiasts in Goa actually but none of them seem to be on this forum.. As i said there is some guy in N.Goa who flies helis but they cost like 50 grand plus i think   I can try n get his contact for you..


Even i had this dilemma when i was in my "i need a heli badly" phase (thankfully i got over the phase n am concentrating on my plane now).. Wouldn't it make more sense to buy a 4ch coaxial instead of a 4ch fixed pitch single rotor?? Although i guess learning on the single rotor it would be easier to progress to more complex models.. coaxials pretty much fly themselves and when you progress to more complex models it will be a huge jump.. Am i correct?

It is typically a cost versus longevity trade-off.  Coaxial ones are much less twitchy, and are therefore easier to fly and less prone to crashes.  On the flip side, any one would outgrow them really fast (in a matter of days even).  You can make life with coaxial ones interesting by trying to do maneuvers like "figure 8s backwards" which helps you polish your flying skills.  Even then, their long term charm is severely limited. 

The other factor is indoor versus outdoor.  Most coaxial ones are built for indoors (except for some like the Big Lama), and they also affect their utility.

If you develop a steady hand by training rigorously on a sim, go for a single rotor (either FP or CP).

Anwar bhaiyya, how much more maneuverable is a FP heli over a co-axial? As in what kind of extra stuff can you do with a FP heli (as compared to a coaxial)?

The difference is huge. In fact, coaxial helis are considered "toys" (as opposed to "rc helis") by many in this hobby.  And it is this maneuverability that makes them harder to fly, and prone to crashes.

hi vc,
I tried to put training gear on my coaxial but it made my gyro go crazy and add to unnecessary weight.

1. The coaxial is certainly to give you a great learning curve
2. It will definately crash but they are very easy to repair , mostly CA
3. I can also suggest you to practice the throttle by take off from Hand rather than ground.
    Saves battery and breakages

So i also suggest to remove the training gear, instead you can put a bed sheet on the ground and it will cushion any crashes.
I have gone through 1 new and 2 coaxials (used) from Prem vijay.

hi mate.
this looks like just what you need
New 4CH 2.4GHz Walkera Wolf CB180Q as in the link above.
 if you find one without the fuselage [body] they are easier to repair [pod and boom style]
regards
don

hi guys,
what can you do with a fp single rotor heli?


you can perform internal/ external funnels wi
and some have even loop the loop. .......need plenty of hieght............
proper FFF and stall turns etc
but yes far more versatile than a coaxial..........
but hey dont trash them.................. I have two .an 'esky  big lama' and an 'esky lamav3' in an airwolf fuse .)
and a coax military chanook ..thats 3 
so for fun and rainy days a coax in the front room......for seriouse learning a fixed pitch single rotor in the garage or garden in light wind
nearly forgot. .......great to learn nose in hover with a coaxial.....cheaper than helicommand
 and works the same.......let go the sticks it recovers itself......if setup right that is
for those not into hovering a nose in hover learning is realy learning the 'reverse commands' on the radio rather than learning 'the heli' . so a sim or coaxial will teach you nose in hover .
regards
don

I just received a quote for the Walkera HM CB180D RTF 2.4G 4CH Metal Upgrade with a nice LCD screen on the transmitter for 10k.

Also the 4ch Honey Bee 2 was the same price.

I really like the Walkera. It's built out of metal, looks solid and the LCD is a neat added touch. What about Walkera spares, are they easily available?

And is 10k a fair price to throw down on a 4ch or am I being taken for a ride?

Thanks!

hi mate.
you will have to check a couple of different india sellers and then see the prices.
walkera spares should not be a prob they are big company, but check with the seller to see if they 'stock' the spares.
 that is more to the point 'who stocks' the spares.
regards
don

Thanks Don, that's exactly what I'm looking for.. Any more help on who stocks Walkera/Esky spares?

.

You are right even i saw some people in ponda who flew helis.

BTW i stay in Dona Paula.

you stay at dona paula?? wow! lucky you

Hey!! i hang out at Dona Paula all the time.. Pretty close to my hostel.. Maybe we can meet up..

There is a gentleman in Ribandar who's into heli's.. He's not on this forum though..