From the Want-ta-be to the Noob

            Here’s were we dance you into a tailspin of Information. For those who don’t know a Noob is someone who has just gotten his or her first Heli. See you learned something already, now that wasn’t so hard was it now!  If you find yourself lost with any of the term used here refer back to the glossary to get back on flight path.

            Let’s begin with Kits, ARTF, and RTF; this part is mostly for the want-ta-be. A kit is great if you want to know your heli inside and out and you don’t mind reading a lot and doing the research. ARTF is good if you would like to add your idea of the best parts (i.e. Servos and Rx). Some kits and ARTF’s come with Tx, others require buying your Tx and or Rx, as well as servos. So make sure you know what you’re buying before you place your bet!

            RTF’s come with all you need to start flying except batteries for your Tx. If you do a bit of shopping around you can find a price and a RTF that works for you. Some RTF’s include items like Sim. Software and cables, as well as training gear. The best advise, I can give is shop, shop and you’ll find a deal that works for you. Locating a local hobby shop (LHS) that deals in Heli’s can be very helpful with getting started.

            Fp’s are 4 Ch and Cp’s are 6 Ch, 2ch heli’s are fun, but in my opinion are just toy’s, ideal for your kid. That being said I bought my wife a 2 Ch Syma dragonfly. Now she fly’s a 4 Ch walkera # 4, see what I started.  So let me make this clear Heli’s are not toys and can be dangerous if not handled correctly. 

            Adding to the brain buzz is the choice of FP or CP heli’s. Here is where price really starts to come into play. You can get a FP for under $200.00 USD. CP’s start around that price line for an RTF. FP’s are said to be easer to learn and fly to start out, but you may just out grow it. Twin rotor helis are good indoor helis do to the fact they are stable and lack the rotor twisting effect of other helis. Many people I know like them for their ease of control for indoor use. Me on the other hand, I just don't like the look. I perfer a more tradtioal single rotor. My opinion is purely based on looks. Cp’s fly more like a real heli with pitch control on the main rotor. Known as Collective pitch, Hence the CP designation. I am an all in type of person, but this is just me and not suitable for everyone. So I bought a CP.

            Now, there are two ways to go here as I see it. You can get Sim. Software in many forms Freeware, shareware, and you pay out the nose ware. Or you can buy a heli with the cable and software included. Starting out on a Sim is a great way to get a feel for Tx controls. If you don’t have a heli Tx, you’ll be flying your Sim on a joystick and I don’t think this is a good way to go. To get a better feel you'll need a cable and Tx hook up for your computer. Sim require a bit of set up to work correctly. But we’ll get into that later.