I got tired of talking about it. I decided against a TREX 450SE as you get more bang for your buck buying the ESKY HoneyBee King 2 Carbon Edition. My wife got it me for Christmas, I have had 4 flights so far, broken one set of carbon blades, the rear tail fin and a nice flower pot. It is fantastic. Tricky to fly after flying the counter rotate lama v3, but well worth the effort. It is fast, responsive, just great. I will post a video soon, but for now here are some pics to drool over. Pure engineering excellence.
This is a question I was just asking myself. I am now at a point where the Lama is starting to bore me just a little. I have now discovered the joys of flying it outside. The UK has had fantastic weather recently, and in the lovely calm evenings I have been whizzing my lama around the garden. I have had many hours of flight time but I am at the edge of the lama capabilities, i.e. the blades can’t take the stress of the moves I am throwing at it - so now I want to move up to a CP helicopter that I can fly even in a breeze in my garden. The wind from the beating of a butterfly’s wing will make the lama crash and burn.
So where do I go now. Well - I have been doing some research and talking to a very helpful shop owner just outside Guildford. CP (collective pitch) helicopters are the next step.
Collective pitch changes the angle of attack of all blades by an equal amount in unison. The pilot uses the collective pitch control to adjust the main rotor and make the craft rise or descend.  Got it? Basically it is just like a real helicopter - the blades spin up to the predefined speed and then the height of the vehicle is controlled by altering the pitch of the blades. Unlike counter-rotating blade RC models where the accent is controlled by ramping up the power - which can cause a more jerky flight. CP choppers are smoother to fly and I understand are a little more tricky as they do not have the stability of a counter-rotating model. What they lose in stability they gain in controllability.Â
So what CP to go for. Well as I said - I have been really thinking about this. There are so many - but as I love this hobby so much, I am going for the best. This companies range of electric models are so well engineered that they are converting die hard gassers (petrol engine helicopter pilots - don’t go there ). If you have the cash and want a serious electric 3d chopper then buy an:
Align Trex (t-rex) 450 SE (V2)
I have not bought it yet, but had a good look at one. They are so well engineered they put everything else I have seen into a lower catagory. Here is a great video of the helicopter in action - sadly not me yet, but soon, very soon.
So - you want to get into remote controlled helicopter flying? Well I don’t blame you - it is a lot of fun. The best place to start it with something you can mess around with in the comfort of your own home. Why? well, indoor helicopters are less powerful, less likely to cut your arm off, cheaper and usually easier to fly, the other important reason you want an indoor chopper is that outdoor models are exactly the opposite they are more powerful, they will injure you while you are trying to learn, they are more expensive, more tricky to fly.
So what should you buy.
Everyone will tell you the same thing, go for a counter-rotating blade model. These are usually exceptionally stable and will allow you time to learn the control.
Instead you will spend you time worrying about why it is heading toward your cat at great speed.
I would highly recommend buying an ESKY LAMA 2 Version 3 or similar.
This is what I have and I love it. It is easy to fly, I have hit myself in the face with it and still maintained my youthful looks, I have bought 6 sets of blades, a set of gears, a head upgrade and my wife hasn’t divorced me for wasting money - and above all my cat is safe.
Here is a couple of videos I made when I was learning to fly.
I hope that has got you interested in the world of R/C Helicopter flying. Follow this blog to see my journey into this hobby.
Other choppers that are just as good -
Walkera 55
Robins 22
Add your comments to this post with your preferences on beginner models…
). If you have the cash and want a serious electric 3d chopper then buy an:
