Stringfellow

Hi all, I'm kinda new to this hobby. Wanna buy my first electric heli, I've kinda figured that a CP heli would not be a wise choice for a beginner so will prob go for a 4ch FP. There's two FP helis that I've got my eye on... the Mini Dragonfly 22d which I know has no tail rotor (which might be better for a newbie) or the esky / honey bee 4ch (not the honey bee 2)....

Can anyone assist me with my decision?

tanasit

IMHO, the CP will be easier to fly because the almost constant rotor speed (thus constant flybar speed which does most of the controlling) obtained by varying the main blade pitch and the motor speed (more motor speed more blade pitch). CP is more complicated and requires more than 4 channel radio gear, thus more expensive. Today, you can find a very reasonable priced CP RTF RC 3D helicopter and the Esky 3D is one of them. I like the simple design but yet effective with many carbon fiber parts. Even though it utilizes the rudder motor which people say will only last a few flight. Mine is logged at over 12 flights with no sign of tail power weakness while other owner who also added the heat sinks flew his for over 2 months on daily basis with the same rudder motor.
The FP is simple and flyable but will hover best if you just jump off the ground rather than slowly take off. I learned to fly with the gas FP over 25 years ago and now I fly electric CP and will not go back to FP.
Either way you choose, practice and practice some more. I practiced everyday with training gear for 6 months and the longest air time was about 8 seconds!! But guess what, the first world record for RC helicopter air time was.....5 seconds.

VinceHerman

I believe that FP is a better way to start, as a CP crash can cost nearly half of and entire FP bare-bones kit. And FP helis can crash again and again, with an occasional broken part ot replace.
You would probably get some good info from the [link=http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=275607]EHBG[/link]

mark3000

I have the dragonfly with shaft driven tail and am very impressed. I got a friend to fly it for me and it seems very manauverable, but also controlable enough for me to learn.

let me know how u get on

mark

rustler08-delete

which ever is cheaper. plus the new dragon fly 22d has metal gears, and is now stronger. here is a good cheap place to buy from
[link=http://hobbyjapan2000.com]click[/link]

R-Rudder

if u can get 6 people for a group buy, you can negotiate the price down to $109 each for the d22.

pwterry

You should note that most FP heli adds state that it should be flown indoors or outdoors in CALM air. There is a reason for this - the FP cyclic control cannot compensate (doesn't have the range of motion) for gusts of wind. Although this is good in that the pilot is less likely to over-control, it can lead to out-of-control with a sudden gust. Just food for thought.

PS. The more proficient you become, the more inadequate the FP will become.

tnd2000

Where can I buy 6 at $109 each?