Getting Started- Part 1

You want to get started in Model Helicopters. So what do you need to think about?

Obviously The Helicopter Itself A Suitable Engine The Radio System The Tail Rotor Gyro A Suitable Muffler Starting Equipment That's it basically but like all things it's a little more complicated than it first seems, so to go into detail:

The Model There are now lots of suitable models available and fortunately not to many bad ones, what model will best suit you depends on a number of factors: If there are others flying Helis in your area If you want to fit the model in a scale body later Size Considerations How much you want to spend Yes even the local weather

The Power Plant (Engine) Generally the better engines are made in Japan or Taiwan, there are some economically priced engines made in other countries & although they are rapidly improving their quality is still on the whole not up to the standard that will allow trouble free running in a beginners model. The most user friendly engines are made by OS Engines in Japan, Thunder Tiger & YS are also OK. However the price of OS engines has recently got a lot more competitive than it has even been in the UK so there is now very little reason to consider anything else other than OS as they really do make the most practical engines. <=== The OS 50 "Hyper"

The RadioRadios like house hold electronics have rapidly improved while at the same time the real price of them has spiralled downwards, today’s radios in real terms are twice as good a value as they were only 5 years ago, have a lot more features & are easier to use due to bigger screens, easier data input, simpler menus & cheaper. Suitable Entry level radios would be the Futaba 6EX-H, Spektrum DX6i or the 7 channel radios from these companies the Futaba FF7 or Spektrum DX7, the Futaba FF8 is another good option but slightly more complex to use & of course costs a little more. Most radios are supplied as standard with 4 servos but the helicopter will need 5 in total so you are going to need another one to complete the helicopter requirement. Generally the higher specification radio’s will be supplied with slightly better ball raced servo's compared to the entry level 6 channel radio’s servo’s which are normally bushed servo's. The servo’s supplied with say the DX7 or Futaba FF9 can be used in up to 50 sized machines for learning to fly or basic flying but aren’t up to the job of flying a 90 sized model. It’s worth making the effort to contact your local clubs in advance to find out which radio’s are most commonly used & consider this when choosing your radio, chose a radio that no one uses locally & you might struggle to get help in setting the model up if no one knows how to use it. Also they won't be able to link your radio up on a buddy box lead for safe training (buddy box training is where a lead is used to link two transmitters so a instructor can safely give & take control for you at the flick of a switch but this can only happen between two radios of the same make). The best advice I can give is to give some serious thought to what radio you want, the entry level radios will certainly get you going & all are capable of giving the basic throttle curve needed for 3D aerobatics but you will find that they are lacking in some of the more advanced features found in high spec radios. So if you think helis are definitely for you & if you feel you can justify the extra money, go for a higher spec radio like the Spektrum DX7, JR DSX9 2.4G FF8 or even the Futaba 14MZ (pictured left), This will actually save you money in the long term as this way will be far cheaper than buying another new radio a few months after you first start flying. The features you will probably "desire" most that aren’t on the entry level radios are multiple flight modes (idle ups) & multi point pitch/throttle curves. There is also a element of for lack of a better saying (techno desire) meaning you will almost certainly desire a better radio than you really need, there is nothing wrong with giving into this desire if you can afford to, anything that will make you feel more confident in your equipment or abilities can't be a bad thing. The down side of this is the more money you put into the model the more afraid you will be to take risks with it & you do have to take some risk to progress! As the single most expensive part of the radio set (the Transmitter) does not normally fly it is at little risk, so extra money spent on a radio does not add to the **fear factor** in the same way as a expensive model can.