Edmonton Radio Control Helicopter Association

Hey guys, I've been flying electric helis for two years and a bit.
I've been wanting to get into something larger than a 450 for a long time and have the chance to do so now. I wanted to stay electric, but it seems anything over a 425mm blade sky rockets in price for batteries and chargers..

So I have been thinking about trying out nitro, it just seems like the economical choice for larger birds, and I have a little experience with nitro from the few years I was into monster trucks.
But i'm still a little stumped on what to get and why.
I've attended one fun fly just to spectate and it seemed like most people were flying raptors vs align. Price? stronger?
I was thinking about a raptor 30 for the price, but people have been advising me to jump straight to a 50 so I have the extra power to grow on so I was thinking about the raptor 50se. Any things to look out for, or warnings?

Also, trying to go into this for as little as possible with out sacrificing too much in reliability, what are some brands of cheaper but still decent starters I should look at that are available in edmonton here?

Thanks, I have more to ask, but I'm just on break and can't think of them now.

There is lots of good helicopters out there. Tell us a little more about the kind of flying you are doing with the 450? What kind of radio do you have?

Charles 

Medivac Has a Raptor 50 for sale on this site. If you want one. Ken

I have a dx6i, no good receivers for a bigger heli though. I guess I'm approaching the intermediate flying level with my 450s, I'm at the point where I can hover nose in inverted some what comfortable, started trying inverted forward flight last fall, trying to get better at backwards flight, small loops, rolls and funnels...
Trying to bring the simulator flying into real life but having trouble with the fear lol I'm sure a 50 sized nitro with 150$ blades isn't going to help that.
But that's why i'll always have the cheap 450's, so I can try unfamiliar things, crash and not break the bank.

I'm just having a hard time trying to decide what to get, you have an equal ammount of people who love every heli and tell you why its the one you should get  ???

Well it sound like it's time for a bigger either a 30 or 50. a 30 you can run wood blades to reduce the cost of crashes. and depending on the motor a 30 is a lot less to run for fuel. The brand is up to you that should depend on the support and parts you can get. Mark (woodchopper) is a Rep for Raptor and I'm a rep for Century.(Charles) Sorry guys I'm not sure who is reping the other brands so please post here.

There is lots of entry level 30 and 50 size helicopters  and you will crash and rebuild long before you reach their limitations. The whole purpose is to get a heli that you spend more time in the air and you are not afraid to fly it.

Charles
Century Helicopter Field Rep
charlestye@hotmail.com

You will also need to invest in a new radio as nitro birds require a 7th channel for the governor. Or at least I know I had to when I had my nitro so correct me if I am wrong on this one guys :)

Yeah that's why I've kind of narrowed it to align and TT, for local parts availability. I am far too impatient to wait for parts orders.
How many flights should I expect out of a gallon of fuel on a 50? Approx anyway.

Also, I see align offers a starter for 130$ or so, Are there any cheaper starters you guys know of?

A new radio? Hmm... That may push this over the edge for what I can afford. Is a governor necessary? Or just a luxury to have so you dont have to fool with throttle curves as much?

If you already have a 6 channel you can keep flying with there is ways around it. I don't us a governor, my preference you will just have to set up your nitro like you have your 450.

Parts are always a concern that is why we suggest flying what others in the club fly they will usually be able to help get you back in the air and after a short period of time as you know you will have the parts on hand you need a ie: a crash kit and a few parts.  Raptor, Align, and Century are all safe helicopter to fly lots of flyers and parts. (Sorry if I missed any brands) way up here in St. Albert I'm out of touch so if I missed a brand or field rep please post.

If I can't find parts there is an on line store in BC that is good

http://www.pivotalhobbies.com/sc/home.php (http://www.pivotalhobbies.com/sc/home.php)


Try to support the local scene first that will encourage them to stock the product

Charles

A governor is not mandatory on a nitro bird, throttle curves are adequate, at least until one gets into serious 3D flying.

The nice thing about TT Raptors, is almost everybody has had one, they are easy to setup, predictable in their response, parts are widely available, crashes are a bit cheaper to fix over some of the other brands, and since it's main body is a 2 piece molded plastic that bolts together with guide pins, there is no fussing around with frame alignment.

You can probably get quite a good deal on a used Raptor 50, as people tend to sell them off once they move up to a higher end heli.

As for a starter, I think I paid less than $50 for my starter, it's not until you hit .90 size engines that you have to worry about heavy duty starters.

Raymond, I try very hard not to speak at the brand names, I'm a field rep for Century and Mark is a field rep for Raptor, you can approach either of us or both, we can let you fly our helicopters on a buddy box system and have fun.

Most helicopters including the entry level ones from both Thunder TIger and Century will do anything the pilot wants to, setting one up is not a problem for Mark or me  regardless  of the brand!

Field REP's are here to support the hobby and their products the REP for!

Please feel free to approach anyone in the club and get help, we are all willing!

Charles

Thanks for the advice guys! I`m excited to try these bigger birds out. Kind of scared too, but I`m sure that will pass lol

It's all FUN

Raymond, Nitro will save you money only if you fly very rare. In long run electric helis are much cheaper to run (even 700 electics), less maintenance, motors last almost forever (you have to rebuild or buy new nitro engines quite often), and they are way more powerful.
But some people like Nitro smell and loud noise  ;)

No it won't !  :o

No?... Bummer, I'll have to invest in a few pairs of brown pants then.

LMAO !


The "scared" feeling will pass but the heart thumping adrenalin rush will remain.  8)