Anyone play with remote controlled helicopters?

[jazz4cash]

I would be willing to pay a good bit more to purchase domestically from an established seller just in case you need to make an exchange. The linked source has a shipping calculator indicating <$10 for Fedex Ground to my location (East Coast). These items are not heavy so it seems reasonable. If I was aware of that site before I bought spare parts from Ebay (China), I would've bought from them instead even though the cost is a good bit more it's worth it esp. with 3 day delivery.

 

[My Dream]

Did you have any issue what so ever with the Ebay (China) vendor other then delay in the arrival time? Or is an issue with supporting US Vendors?

 

[jazz4cash]

Did you have any issue what so ever with the Ebay (China) vendor other then delay in the arrival time? Or is an issue with supporting US Vendors?

I just ordered spare parts a few days ago so too soon to tell. My gift was from Amazon and not sure who the actual vendor was.

 

[DRiP Guy]

Same model on E-bay can be had for as low as $39-55 including shipping for buy it now pricing, but maybe shipping will be more to your location.

Well, my Syma 031 did come in, and it was exactly as described on the R/C forums, in that it is big... beautiful... and unwieldy. I quickly discovered that it is far too big and unpredictable for indoor use, and far too underpowered in forward speed and general control to be used outdoors. So it is good for neither, honestly. After much tweeking, engineering, parts, modifications, and frustration, some of the more senior forum members say the best thing to do is leave it on your shelf or cabinet as an impressive shelf-piece, then if a visitor asks, you can take it to a two foot hover, shut it down, and return it to the shelf. Luckily, it was not that big an investment, but I wish I had stayed with my original plan, with the Syma 107.

Since the S107 is still sold out, I did some research and for a bit more (okay, quite a bit more - about double the s107 price), I decided on a true indoor micro, so it's properly sized, but with enough quality to make it likely I can control and enjoy it.

I decided on the Blade mCX2 RTF package for $120. Be sure if you order this model, you get the "RTF" package, and not the "BNF" version, which is helo only, since it is designed with a Bind-n-Fly (BNF) system so you can use multiple aircraft on one high end controller, and so apparently it is often purchased without the cheaper provided controller. The BNF saves you about $30 *if* you already had the proper radio.

This is a true four channel, with gyro, and some adjustments/settings (swash plate, dual proportional stick) that supposedly will make it easier for a rookie like me to learn, then to step up performance as I get more proficient.

It appears to be popular, supposedly flies stable, and has a huge availability of parts, and is discussed a lot on the forums, so should be able to get assistance/advice if I need it.

Unfortunately with the holidays and weather, it is not due in until Jan 5., a week from now.

I'll weigh in when it comes.

Discussion thread on mCX2:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1220881&highlight=mcx2#post14747049

Discussion thread on Syma107 - more info than you can shake a stick at!:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1176146

 

[DRiP Guy]

I clicked on the link again and the Syma S032 is going for $49.95 now, I wonder how much shipping is?

Just be careful -- it appears the S032 suffers much the same issues as the S031, and unless you really 'need' a big heli, then the S107 is the far preferred way to go:

RC Groups - View Single Post - Syma s107 Helicopter

 

[Livefree]

S-107

I picked up this model (S-107) from Amazon and it's good and great fun. paid $36 with shipping..and I noticed that Amazon ships it from this company and is only $29 free shipping and the blades are $4 and free shipping so you can buy direct for cheaper it looks like

http://http://www.xheli.com/newsy3chs1mi1.html

 

[Livefree]

sorry the link was broken..here it is

The New Syma 3 Channel S107 Mini Indoor Co-Axial Metal RC Helicopter & Built-in Gyroscope (Red)

 

[thefed]

i bought more of those phantom 6010's for friends and family for christmas...we've been having a blast at our 2500 sf warehouse with 16 ft ceilings! one guy attached fishing line and a hook and we've been 'hooking' different small objects as a contest. keeps our minds fresh when we get tired of working hahaha

 

[ls99]

On my 2nd S107. The first, from Amazon tuned out to be a piece of junk.

And a cheap copy of the true S107 to boot. The controller had a solder blob across the left/right control terminals. Initially it would only go back and forth in random fashion. Once I removed the solder blob, had somewhat better control.

Further checking showed that it was really a used unit. The rotor drive gears were touching on their faces, the gear hubs were partially melted, clearly an indication of high heat.

The faces of gears rubbing burning up a lot of energy as result of friction in the wrong places. Max time before battery shutdown about a minute and a half. Shortly the lower rotor's motor fried. It now sits in a bowl, mostly dis-assembled. Hopefully some parts I can re-use.

Did write a nasty gram to Amazon, and am cancelling any dealings with Amazon in the future. Their response was that they would refund my money. BFD. By the way, since they shipped it, Amazon deleted my review, saying they don't allow review on items they ship. Huh

On to my 2nd unit via Ebay. $10 less than Amazon and the genuine article. With the R5 rev circuit board. Worked like a champ out of the box, after the initial charging of the battery.

Still works fine, about 80 minutes of total flight time so far. Typically do about 4 minutes, the battery will last a lot longer by not making it into auto shutoff. Very controllable, only minor bounce twice.

The cat took some interest initially, now he dives under a chair when the thing is flying. If I land it close to his nose, he'll back up a bit, then he'll sniff it a few times, then just stares at it. With great intensity. No hostile actions as yet.

It is a great fun toy, especially with the teens an' twenties outside, flying it close to the big windows shows the air currents very well by the amount of control inputs needed.

Genuine fun, having flown Huey UH1H and UH1M, a few Jet Rangers Bell 208s IIRC, a Hughes 500, and a Hiller, some 30 years ago with the real pilots keeping close tabs, and hands and feet close to the cyclic, stick and pedals, this is nearly as much fun. Far more forgiving to screwups. Never could con the pilot of a Bulkow to let me at the controls

I can walk away from any crash.

 

[DRiP Guy]

[snip]
It is a great fun toy, especially with the teens an' twenties outside, flying it close to the big windows shows the air currents very well by the amount of control inputs needed.

Genuine fun, having flown Huey UH1H and UH1M, a few Jet Rangers Bell 208s IIRC, a Hughes 500, and a Hiller, some 30 years ago with the real pilots keeping close tabs, and hands and feet close to the cyclic, stick and pedals, this is nearly as much fun. Far more forgiving to screwups. Never could con the pilot of a Bulkow to let me at the controls

I can walk away from any crash.

Looking forward to my own 'micro' coming in, so I can have my own indoor fun!

 

[thefed]

ls99 - my dog STILL goes nuts when i fly mine. she chases and chases and snips and barks and bites and gets hit and starts all over.

80 minutes of flight time and only 2 bumps? wow. i hit something every minute or so it seems. but mine keeps on goin!

 

[My Dream]

Great information here but now I'm torn as to which one to order. hmmmmmm

 

[Avalon]

Family member has this one. Says it flies well, but the controls are a little sensitive for beginners.
Blade mSR RTF (EFLH3000): E-flite - Advancing Electric Flight

 

[DRiP Guy]

I decided on the Blade mCX2 RTF package for $120.

This is a true four channel, with gyro, and some adjustments/settings (swash plate, dual proportional stick)

I'll weigh in when it comes.

Well, I said I'd weigh in and I will:

As simply and directly as possible: I can't recall ever having bought a product that was as much of a delight, in terms of meeting my expectations as a customer.

The mCX2 is amazing. Somehow they got it perfect - this little palm-sized heli blows my mind. It is completely stable, easy as pie to fly, and does exactly what you tell it to do. It is rugged without being weighty, and just goes and goes. It was perfectly trimmed out of the box, and with the combination of adjustments, let me learn quickly, and then move to the more advanced flight settings. That said, this *is* a coax, so part of what makes it so appealing to buy as a newb, makes it limiting if you really get bit by the bug -- you can't really get yourself into trouble with it, but you also aren't going to be doing advanced acrobatics, either. I've had loads of fun practicing landings on small targets, flying under TV trays, and walking behind it from room to room in the house. I've flown it outside at night, and with no wind, it did fine, but even slight breezes pick it up outdoors, and it is so small it can't fight through them. One challenge I gave myself tonight was to open the patio doors and the front windows as a storm came through, and the wind tunnel effect gusting through the living room allowed a fun game of trying to keep it on heading and hovering in the same spot -- hard to manage, but not too much to recover. I just don't know how they could possibly improve this as a first introduction to R/C helis.

Chapter 2: (heh heh)

I may have made a mistake, but flying the mCX2 has spoiled me so completely, that I went ahead and ordered a more advanced and larger model, a collective pitch (CP) machine by the same maker -- the Blade CP Pro2.

I figured it was a bit bigger, a bit pricer, and would probably be a good stepping stone/ challenge. Unfortunately, as I started doing some belated research (good thinking that, no, looking into it AFTER purchase?) into both the model I selected and CP flying in general... oh boy. I seem to have bitten off a wild ride to come. Aside from the challenge of a true collective chopper versus the coax, this model in particular seems to be difficult to tame, easy to crash, and expensive to fix. Most people don't fault the heli or it's build quality, just that it's design, it's size, and it's flight characteristics combine to make it a bit of a 'widowmaker' for newbs.... oh well, I guess I will go from the plush easy-going Cadillac version to the bucking bronco!

I am going to take the approach outlined in the free lessons here, at Radd's flight school in order to approach it in a methodical disciplined way to hopefully reduce failure and breakage - he claims he can teach flying without crashing; and that's my (new) goal:
RADD'S SCHOOL OF ROTARY FLIGHT?

Of course, if all else fails and I make a mess of the new heli, I have the mCX2 to fall back on!

 

[DRiP Guy]

Family member has this one. Says it flies well, but the controls are a little sensitive for beginners.
Blade mSR RTF (EFLH3000): E-flite - Advancing Electric Flight

Excellent. See that is probably the one I *should* have tried next:

* Same micro size as mCX2, instead of larger CP Pro2
* Fixed pitch rotor instead of collective of CP PRo2
* It can crash without expensive repairs
* No list of hundreds of threads on the RC boards of people selling wrecked ones!


Oh, well!

 

[Avalon]

Excellent. See that is probably the one I *should* have tried next:

* Same micro size as mCX2, instead of larger CP Pro2
* Fixed pitch rotor instead of collective of CP PRo2
* It can crash without expensive repairs
* No list of hundreds of threads on the RC boards of people selling wrecked ones!


Oh, well!

I don't know too much about these things other than what he says. This is his first micro helicopter. He says the sticks seems to hang a little from the neutral position. He does like the fact that it has dual rates.

He's been flying RC fixed wing for about 23 years now. Helicopters for about 15.

 

[ls99]

You folks are having way too much fun. Keep it up.

I 'm sticking with s107 until it wears out or crashes beyond fix. Since I have a clone that is essentially junk, have a battery and one motor +tail rotor motor as a spare.

Then I might go for something a tad more complicated. Likely for one with a collective and single rotor blade.

Genuinely cheap entertainment, love it.

 

[DRiP Guy]

You folks are having way too much fun. Keep it up.

I 'm sticking with s107 until it wears out or crashes beyond fix. Since I have a clone that is essentially junk, have a battery and one motor +tail rotor motor as a spare.

Then I might go for something a tad more complicated. Likely for one with a collective and single rotor blade.

Genuinely cheap entertainment, love it.

Indeed. It is downright mind-blowing how much technology they can now cram into even the low end toys, much less the next level up 'hobby' products.

By looking into some of the advanced RC forums, though, I find it's still the case that a really determined person could still blow a wad on getting the latest greatest bleeding edge stuff. LOL

But it seems to me that we are at a fantastic place to be a beginner in this hobby! You really can do it 'on the cheap,' unlike any prior time, and have a ball of fun for not too many dollars as long as you think a bit before you leap (I know -- physician heal thyself! LOL).

One of the breakthroughs I intend to exploit fully is the 2.4 GHz spread spectrum band and associated frequency hopping technology, that allows for the use of one transmitter for a whole host of models -- planes and helis -- any or all of which can be 'bound' to the transmitter, allowing not only a unique personality of custom settings to be associated with each craft, but perfectly safe, secure, and high bandwidth connection to a bunch of models on the field at the same time, and same 'base' 2.4 GHz freq, all with no interference at all, including interference from other RF sources!

So, for instance, I happened across the E-flite (Blade) system (there are others) and they call it "DSM2," and as long as I get a DSM or DSM2 compatible aircraft, my transmitter will work with that model.

That list includes both micro and full sized models, including T-28 Trojan, T-34 Mentor, P-47 Thunderbolt, P-51 Mustang, J-3 Piper Cub, F-4U Corsair, BF-109 Messerschmitt, SU-26 Sukhoi and other airplanes, as well as the multitude of helis I am interested in right now.

At the upper end, they even have a 40" long brushless DC ducted fan JET, for a couple hundred dollars for Pete's sakes. When I was growing up, a ducted fan jet RC model would have cost several thousands of dollars, and many hundreds of man-hours to build the fragile one-off thing, with pretty horrible flight performance. Now you pretty much snap the foam wings on these things, and go, including the Jet!

Anyway, I am jazzed about getting my CP heli... should be here around midweek next week, but for now, I am still buzzing through the house in my little coax!


Video of the ducted fan jet at work:

 

[ls99]

I think you are wise to follow the training program. Single rotors are more quirky. But oh so much more rewarding, once you get the hang of it.

Once you add the collective with power control for speed/altitude/attitude control things get real busy.

I know I will do the ground level training once I get to the single rotor toys. On real helis I have flown (with real pilots in close proximity of controls) there is auto throttle that simplifies things in level flight, not really practical in toys.

 

[DRiP Guy]

I think you are wise to follow the training program. Single rotors are more quirky. But oh so much more rewarding, once you get the hang of it.

Once you add the collective with power control for speed/altitude/attitude control things get real busy.

I know I will do the ground level training once I get to the single rotor toys. On real helis I have flown (with real pilots in close proximity of controls) there is auto throttle that simplifies things in level flight, not really practical in toys.

I really am looking forward to the challenge! It's strange to say for a person over 50, but seriously, I think I am just now old enough for this 'toy' -- I would have salivated to have had it earlier in life, but would likely have either pitched headlong into trying to just seat of the pants pick up flying it, or else started with the 'ground school' approach, but then short-circuited it prematurely once I got wheels-up.

Now, I am really looking forward to savoring each minor milestone and will try to be disciplined about it. I really like Radd's approach of going by 'batteries' for the size of the lessons. If there is any interest, I can post back here as I progress (or, what would probably more entertaining for you guys, 'fail to progress' LOL).