flyzalot88

Hi All,

Just started helicopters and I am trying to shop for the right one.


Does anyone know of a micro-electric helicopter that will fly well at 6,035 feet Above sea level? No one in Colorado seems to know what works or not.

I am thinking the Honey Bee could handle it since it can fly in winds, is this true or not?[sm=confused.gif]

-Josh

Acs_guitars

My Feedback: (3)

Look into the Hummingbird FP Elite, Piccolo FP, or Hornet. Any one of those would be better than the E-Sky IMO. It just depends on your budget and whether you want CP or FP. My prefference is the Hornet, but for the price I ended up with a Hummingbird Elite.

flyzalot88

Hi,

Have made any modifications to make them fly at altitude (electronics)?

Is the Hornet stable enough for a beginner at altitude?

What flys better at altitude CP or FP?

-Josh

E-gpeden

Hi there,

Along with my favorite Mikado heli's, I've flown the F/P Picolo F/P Hornet and C/P Hornet (all stock, but separate components, FWIW) at 5600' with no problems.

flyzalot88

Hi Glen,

Which helicopter has the most power at your altitude? Which one is the easiest to fly? Which one would you suggest for someone starting out?

-Josh

eheheh

I guess the only impact on electric heli's at high altitude is the lift produced. The thinner the air the faster the blades need to cut through the air to obtain the same lift you would get at sea level. Either that or you increase the pitch on the blades slightly to compensate. Bit tricky on fixed pitch heli's but not impossible. Your best bet in this case is a collective pitch heli so you have full control over pitch settings from the Tx. Other than that there shouldn't be any impact on the electronics or battery. Just watch out for moisture. Keep the heli dry (avoid flicking snow over the heli). Electronics like being cold...just not damp.

I'd imagine that a nitro powered heli wouldn't run as efficiently in thinner air with the drop in oxygen flowing into the carb. Still at 6k feet up the air wouldn't be that thin.

flyzalot88

Hello,

Yes, that makes total since. CP has more control over the FP in the controls.

But won't this make the heli harder to fly?

What CP Helicopter should I get, that would require no upgrades, would be stable enough for a beginner and doesn't cost a lot?

Thanks a Million!
-Josh

Conman

My Feedback: (1)

I have flown my ECO8 in Denver with no problem. seemed like it took a little bit more stick to get it off the ground but it was no big deal at all and flew fine. my LMH 110 however really didn't have the power to even lift off. i think that was due to the engine, which barely had enough power at sea level, to make enough power. i would guess that any CP heli or a strong FP one would do ok up there

eheheh

As some others have mentioned the Hummingbird CP kits are not bad for the money. My personal preference at the moment is the Shogun/Zoom/Zap 400 CP heli. Has had some great reviews and is moderately affordable.

In it's most basic setup CP is no different than FP in the way the throttle stick gives you lift due to the mix of the thottle and pitch channels being applied by the Tx. Once a mix curve has been settled on, as you increase the throttle the pitch increases proportionally as well. Once you settle on a nice hover throttle you hit the throttle hold button on the Tx and then movements on the throttle stick become only pitch changes on the heli rather than throttle and pitch. Thats where 3D flying starts where you can apply negative pitch angles as well while maintaining RPM. But that's were things get tricky. So a CP heli can be as easy to fly as a FP heli...provided it is set up correctly in the first place on the Tx.

cutlassglsracer

I would tend to agree. A good light CP heli with a 370 motor or greater shouldn't have a problem at that altitude. You might have to watch your engine temperature in the hotter months because air density at that altitude is roughly 80% of the sea level density.

CJKinney

You won't have a problem with the altitude at all. I have flown Hummingbird and Zoom/Shogun 400 and I live up the street in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I prefer the Zoom by far if you can invest in the computer radio. I use a brushless motor - tons of power, more efficient. Good luck!

Josh

harralk

My Feedback: (22)

I have a similar problem with my fp piccolo. I've tried everything I can think of, even using an umbilical to rule out the battery, but it still just jumps in the air about a foot or two, then can't lift off again. I'm starting to suspect the motor, and I want to upgrade to a 370 or higher. My friend, however, has a cp hornet that he flies with no lifting problems. If I could afford it, I would have just gotten the same thing. And yes, the CP helis are more stable and easier to fly, but setting them up correctly is harder. At altitudes above 4000 feet (according to Frank at Ikarus), you need to increase 10% on everything.........blade pitch, power, etc.