New to Flying!!
09-07-2004, 01:26 PM
#1
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New to Flying!!
Hey!
Ive been looking to buy a mini heli for a while now, and after tonnes of reading and sorting thru the forums ive decided on a..........
*drum roll*
Century Hummingbird V.2!!!!
I avoided asking the infamous quesion "which one is better and more affordable for me" because with minimal typing and reading i realized i didnt have to ask anyway.
Now, besides wanting to share my new decision with everyone im still slightly in the dark as to how these badboys actually operate. Aside from the obvious movements of a helicopter i was wondering how much actual control you have over them. I know theres 15 million different types on the market but im assuming they all operate, more or less, in the same manner.........as far as electric micros go. Do you have infinite control? or are u limited due to it being 4CH? Im assuming 6CH would allow for more control, but unfortunately the hummbird is a 4CH.
The model im getting is a FP and it costs 229.99USD.
Would upgrading to a CP allow for THAT MUCH more control over the heli?? and is it worth it somewhere down the road to purchase the conversion kit??
Thanx
Ive been looking to buy a mini heli for a while now, and after tonnes of reading and sorting thru the forums ive decided on a..........
*drum roll*
Century Hummingbird V.2!!!!
I avoided asking the infamous quesion "which one is better and more affordable for me" because with minimal typing and reading i realized i didnt have to ask anyway.
Now, besides wanting to share my new decision with everyone im still slightly in the dark as to how these badboys actually operate. Aside from the obvious movements of a helicopter i was wondering how much actual control you have over them. I know theres 15 million different types on the market but im assuming they all operate, more or less, in the same manner.........as far as electric micros go. Do you have infinite control? or are u limited due to it being 4CH? Im assuming 6CH would allow for more control, but unfortunately the hummbird is a 4CH.
The model im getting is a FP and it costs 229.99USD.
Would upgrading to a CP allow for THAT MUCH more control over the heli?? and is it worth it somewhere down the road to purchase the conversion kit??
Thanx
09-07-2004, 01:34 PM
#2
RE: New to Flying!!
Start with FP as you have listed. Upgrade to CP after you learn about setup, troubleshooting and flying.
4 channels is fine for FP. I lean towards getting a better transmitter from the start, but the one that comes with the package will be useable.
4 channels is fine for FP. I lean towards getting a better transmitter from the start, but the one that comes with the package will be useable.
09-07-2004, 02:17 PM
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RE: New to Flying!!
Good choice in Helicopter. if you wanted to get a CP later you would need a 6 channel radio that has mixing. so you would not be able to use your 4 channel radio.
The HB V2/3 is a great heli
The HB V2/3 is a great heli
09-08-2004, 01:46 AM
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RE: New to Flying!!
thanx for the reassurance guys!
I really hope that i will be impressed with this heli, cuz thats a lot of money to invest in an already expensive hobby. I own a tamiya and duratrax electric touring car and buggy.........they keep cutting into the budget for a REAL car....hopefully an 05 Subaru Legacy!!
Anyhow, whats the distance range on the Hummingbird?? and how high can it actually fly without losing control? Ive seen some vids of other micros and notice that the person controlling them is usually no more than 5 feet away. That would be VERY disapointing.
I was also curious if the heli points downwards when its going forward, kinda like realy helicopters do. Or is that a skill that ill pick up on after continous abuse??
thanx
I really hope that i will be impressed with this heli, cuz thats a lot of money to invest in an already expensive hobby. I own a tamiya and duratrax electric touring car and buggy.........they keep cutting into the budget for a REAL car....hopefully an 05 Subaru Legacy!!
Anyhow, whats the distance range on the Hummingbird?? and how high can it actually fly without losing control? Ive seen some vids of other micros and notice that the person controlling them is usually no more than 5 feet away. That would be VERY disapointing.
I was also curious if the heli points downwards when its going forward, kinda like realy helicopters do. Or is that a skill that ill pick up on after continous abuse??
thanx
09-08-2004, 04:47 AM
#5
RE: New to Flying!!
How high... he he he
Don't do that. You will loose perspective and crash. Looking side on at the rotor gives you very strong clues about very small changes in the angle of the disk. Looking up from underneath, you loose that completely, and crash soon afterwards.
After you learf hover and nose in, you will start flying circuits. The range and height of those circuits are only limited by your eye sight.
Don't do that. You will loose perspective and crash. Looking side on at the rotor gives you very strong clues about very small changes in the angle of the disk. Looking up from underneath, you loose that completely, and crash soon afterwards.
After you learf hover and nose in, you will start flying circuits. The range and height of those circuits are only limited by your eye sight.
09-08-2004, 06:20 AM
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RE: New to Flying!!
I found myself in a similar situation and decided on the Mini Dragonfly. Like you I was apprehensive about the whole control thing and was wondering if my skill was enough to even get this bird off the ground. Well after careful research I chose the dragonfly not for its flight chracteristics but for its crash characteristics. I have read that the dragonfly is very very durable and now that I own one I can atest to that. I have put this thing through the ringer and back it is awesome and a blast to fly. I have absolutly no experience in helis whatso ever but have ample time behind the sticks of RC planes. It took me 2 days of banging around and i got this thing in a rock steady hover and with all the standard set ups no upgrades YET !! but I have plans. The only advise I have as a beginner heli guy is that the stock battery they give you is crap. 730 MAH @ 8.4 V they claim it lasts 6 mins, NOT!!! I was getting 4 mins tops of hover time and that was hardly enough to asses if the heli need to be adjusted in any way. Just when I would get back into the swing of hovering the heli would drop voltage and start responding totally different and it was making the learning process very very difficult. I since purchased a 1320 MAh 7.2V Li PO and now I get 20 mins of flight time. Its awesome I love my Mini Dragonfly. Not to mention there are tons of upgrades to this heli for stablitity and gerneral flight characteristic enhancments, Also a CP upgrade too.
09-19-2004, 08:22 PM
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RE: New to Flying!!
Wait, hold on a sec here, ldo i need to upgrade my esc for lipos?? I know i would for an 11.1 v lithium battery, but is a 8.4 or lower lipo battey ok to use?? Will i burn out tail motors quicker??
09-20-2004, 07:14 AM
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RE: New to Flying!!
NO, fact is there isnt a 8.4 V battery pack for lipo its 7.2 or 11.1 and under load or peak charge there Volage output is different than the battery states and a lot closer to a nimh. My 2 cell Lipo at peak charge is at 8.7V not 7.2 and its discharged at 7.2 so I always stay up there and I get double the flight time easy.
