Everything You Need

It seems like every week I'm asked to suggest a first helicopter, and/or a complete package to get started. Of course there is no single correct answer for everybody (or even for any one person), but if I were starting today, I'd hope someone told me to get these:

item	suggestion	price	alternatives
radio	JR 8103	500	Futaba 8UHF/8UHP, Airtronics RD6000
helicopter	Raptor 29BB w/o engine	220	Hawk III, Shuttle Z-TS
engine	OS 32sx	120	there are none
gyro	Anything around $100	100	Arcamax, Telebee, Century, GWS, etc, etc
simulator	CSM v10	220	not RealFlight Deluxe
		$1160

Why?
I started with a Concept 30 SRX. Unfortunately, it's no longer in production. If I were to total it in a horrific crash, I'd replace it with a Raptor. The Shuttle's engine/fuel-tank layout makes it difficult to see the fuel tank in flight, and changing glow plugs is a non-trivial operation. The Hawk is a decent machine, and getting better every year, but I still like the Raptor's control system and drivetrain a little more.

The OS engine scores higher than the Thunder Tiger 36 (which comes with many of the Raptor kits) in my own informal unscientific customer satisfaction observations. But it scores quite a bit higher. :-) I have a friend who is getting good results from a Webra 32, but I won't recommend it to a novice until I see more of them run just as well. It's promising, though.

For an extra $120 or so, the Futaba 8UHP gives you a different RF modulation (with safety features and better noise rejection) and stronger servos. Personally I think standard FM/PPM modulation is just fine, and I have mixed feelings about the alleged 'advantages of PCM.' And in my opinion the 8UHF's standard servos are plenty for a 30-class helicopter. I flew with them for about four years in my Concept 30 SRX before one of them finally failed. If you stick with the hobby, replace them after three years, OK? I'm not sure how long the better servos would have lasted, but I suspect that the limiting factor was the number of times they hit the ground (and how hard they did so), not the nature of the servos themselves.

The JR 8103 is a bit more user-friendly than the Futaba radio, but it does cost a bit more. You can save about $80 by getting the Futaba instead. The Futaba has some usability issues and a couple of minor bugs with its more advanced features, but by the time you start wanting to use those features you'll see how to work around them. (I'll have a full explanation of the bugs, probably with a few words from Great Planes, by the end of the first week of September).

I must admit that I haven't actually had a chance to try the Airtronics RD6000. However, everything I've heard about it has been good, and since it costs a couple hundred less than the alternatives, I can't bring myself to leave it out until I've flown one. I'm giving it the benefit of doubt here. Caveat Emptor.

You could also go with 6-channel radio from JR or Futaba, but you may find yourself outgrowing those radios. Neither has the same degree of flexibility as their 8-channel brethren or the RD6000. The 6-channel radios will probably begin to limit your flying progess shortly after you get into loops and rolls. The JR (model 644 I think) is a bit more capable than the Futaba 6X. The Futaba 6V is a last resort. It is not suitable for sustained inverted flight, and only barely sufficient for loops and rolls.

CSM makes a very good simulator with acceptable graphics. "Real"Flight is a mediocre simulator with very nice graphics. In my opinion it's the simulation that counts, not the pretty pictures. Again, your opinion may differ. But if it does, you're wrong. :-) A new version of RealFlight Deluxe has been announced, but there is no projected release date (or there wasn't last time I checked).

Do get a simulator though. Even something as poor as RealFlight Deluxe will save you a lot of money over no simulator at all. And it will speed up your learning curve dramatically.

Tools

You can't build or start these things with your bare hands. Or you could, but it would take longer. Much longer. These will help tremendously:

Helimax ball link pliers

There are others, but they either have curved tips (which help when you're putting links on, and annoy you when you're taking links off, or vice versa, depending), or they're made of stamped metal and they don't last as long or work as well.

McDaniel's ni-starter

There are others, but so far as I can tell this is the most reliable. Spend the extra $10 to get the one with the meter. I started with a Great Planes Pro-Glow, and now it collects dust.

Bondhus or Wiha hex driver set

These are made of hard metal, and won't round off or strip out like the cheaper alternatives.

JIS screwdriver set

Most helicopters have Japanese Industrial Standard screws all over them. JIS screwdrivers fit them best. Or Craftsman screwdrivers, which are close enough. Not Stanley screwdrivers though, they don't fit Japanese hardware very well.

Starter motor

Sullivan, Hobbico, whatever. So far as I can tell, they're pretty much interchangeable

Starter battery

Most folks use a 12-volt lead-acid or 'gel-cell' battery to run the starter motor and various other accessories. I hate lead acid batteries. You're asking trouble if you tip them over by mistake, you're supposed to leave them on a 'float' charger when you're not using them, they give off suspicious gases so they need to be ventilated, you have to deal with battery acid, etc, etc. Gel-cells are sealed and suffer from none of these problems. Ni-cads are considerably lighter than either of these, and I've been meaning to convert to them for some time, but haven't gotten around to it some I can't really recommend them myself.

Fuel pump

You can get a hand-crank or motorized pump depending on your budget and your love for gadgets. I have a motorized pump, but I must admit it really doesn't add anything to the fueling experience.

Maybe a 6mm start shaft

If you get a Shuttle or a Hawk, you won't need this. If you get a Raptor, you will. A shaft with a one-way clutch is not absolutely necessary, but it makes things easier.

Couple different pairs of pliers

Needle-nose, angle-tip, and diagonal cutters, at least

Driver's license

Well, not exactly... but if you live in the United States you should probably get an Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) membership. This gives you insurance, should you land on someone's house, car, or head, and it pays for lobbying Congress to keep our RC frequencies. If you live in Canada, I think the organization is the MAAC. I've heard rumours of honest-to-god licenses being required in some countries but I don't know anything specific. Check with a hobby shop in your area (or at least in your country).

You'll find new things to spend money on later, but this should get you started!

Some of the questions posed below made me realize I need to add a some basic information about radio controlled helicopters.

Are they dangerous?

Yes. The rotor is four or five feet across, and spinning at 1700-2000 RPM. This works out to about 250-300 miles per hour at the tips of the blades. Even just hovering, a helicopter is fully capable of killing a person. These are not suitable for 5 year old children. If you would not trust your child with a chainsaw, do not give your child a radio controlled helicopter. The potential for injury is no different.

How high? How far?

As far as you can see them well enough to fly them. For most people this means keeping the heli within about a hundred yards. The radio system is good for many times that distance - the limit is your eyesight. Helicopters get very small very fast, so we tend to fly them relatively close.

How long does it take to learn?

If you buy a simulator, expect to spend a couple of weeks practicing with it before you can hover the helicopter. If not, expect to spend most of the summer if you practice once a week. See my 'diary' page for more information about the learning curve.

Do they break?

Yes. If you do not land softly, you land expensively. How often you crash depends on how disciplined you are and how hard you push yourself - if you always fly within your ability, you need never crash. Most people crash two or three times per year. Some people crash two or three times per month. You can expect to spend about $100 to repair a crashed entry-level helicopter like those recommended above.

Are they difficult?

Yes. This might be the most difficult thing I have ever set out to do. For most of the people in the hobby, difficulty is what drew them in, and it's what keeps them in. If you like a challenge, you're love this. It's very rewarding. If you continue to seek out new challenges, helicoptering will continue to provide you with new challenges. On the other hand, once you're past the initial learning curve, you can relax a bit if you like... you don't need to continue challenging yourself unless you want to. However, if you really want to relax, airplanes and gliders are the way to go.

Do I need to build it?

No, but you should anyway. Eventually you will need to rebuild it after a crash. Building it yourself in the first place will make rebuilding it easy.

I was reluctant to include links to hobby shops for a number of reasons, but those reasons have been outweighed by the number of people asking for this information...

Rick's RC Helicopters In spite of the name, the guy who runs the show here is actually named Ron (it's a long story). They've been around for a long time, and I've done more business with this shop than any other so far. They put on one of the best get-togethers in the country, every February in Corpus Christi Texas.	Hobby Mart The guy who runs this shop taught me a lot about helicopters when I was starting out. He's also a good person to do business with.
HeliProz A number of my friends swear by this outfit. One of their people writes the helicopter column in Model Aviation. As I write this, I am expecting my first order from this shop. If you're still reading this, it must have arrived on time and intact, or I would have come back and written something nasty about them by now.	Tower Hobbies Probably the oldest and biggest mail-order radio-controlled-anything shop. Their prices aren't the best, but their selection is huge.

There's more of course, but these are the shops I've done business with so far.

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