Hey guys, I am looking into getting into Helis as some of you may know. I'm facing many options and I'm trying to figure out the best way for me to get into helis without breaking the bank. At the same time though, I wanna have adequate satisfaction with whatever I have.

Basic budget: I'd love if I can stay under $200, but I realize that I may need $400 plus.

Originally I was thinking about getting an mCX just to play around with and see how much I like helis. Well, right now I have a cheap coaxial 3 channel heli that moves forward and backward by a horizontally mounted tail rotor that tilts the heli. This is somehow an incredible amount of fun despite the cheapness. So I don't really think getting an mCX will hold me off for that long. Plus I'd like something that can go outside.

The next thought was going after the Blade CP or something like the E-Sky HBK II or Belt CP. There are a bunch of these used out there, but pretty much are all FM Tx's and RX's.

The next thought was getting either an mCX or the CP helis and a Flight Sim. I realize that a Flight Sim would save me a lot of cash and give me a place to experiment with heli control. However my problem is as follows:
-Which Sim, Real Flight, Phoenix, Clear View?
-What Tx would I use? Would I have to buy a DX6i to hook up to the computer which would cost me at least another $120 or so for a used Tx and Rx?

Then the most recent thought was getting a Blade 400 and a sim. But this would definitely put me over $500, which is something I don't feel like doing right now.

I am wondering if anyone on here, heli or plane could share experiences with how they started. I am leaning towards getting a sim, but the question of the DX6i is bothering me since they say that the best way to learn on the sim is with a Tx you'd be using in the field.

I don't know a lot about the larger more complex helis, but I do know that practicing on the same TX you'll be using for real flying is the only way you should go. Just about any controller out there worth buying is going to have a port you can connect to your computer. Either dedicated or through a buddy port adapter. Flying Coaxial helis won't require a lot of flight sim time to be able to fly, but if you get a single rotor collective pitch Helli then you will need some practice time to get the hang of it. The key thing with flying larger helicopters, if you can't afford to buy 2 of them, you shouldn't be flying one of them. A crash can cost you a small fortune in replacement parts and components.

Also if you are flying in an area with a lot of radio interference, you better go with a high freq setup that can bind to your own channel. A conventional crystal TX/Rx is susceptible to someone flying on your channel too close to you. When you start getting into park size and real hobby grade RC... any thing under half a mile away from you is too close.

I'd get ripped on if I said this at rcgroups, but I don't believe in sims.

I downloaded FMS when I first started several years ago. It's good for the basic orientation and stuff but not so much on the physics.

I got the mCX without flying anything on the sim. If you can't fly it you have a serious problem.

Just my opinion, but I like to learn on the real deal which means more gradual steps and less sim time. I'm planning on going from a mcx, to a fixed pitched heli like the honey bee, to a collective pitch heli. A lot of people will go straight from coaxial to collective pitch with just some practice on the sim.

But that's not your question. I've heard that clearview is good for the price, and realflight is supposed to be excellent.

I forgot to update.

I sniped an awesome deal on eBay for a Spektrum DX7 (2.4 GHz spread spectrum Tx) metal case for it and the Phoenix Flight Simulator. Since then I maybe have 15 hours on it (2 weeks, meh. I've been busy).

Next on the list is an mCX

Anyone that has the mCX, what are the most broken parts you find? I am going to order an extra set of the blades, inner shaft and flybar.

Center shaft, top blades and flybar, in that order..

When I purchased a new mCX S300 I bought an extra center shaft to
go along with the purchase.

By center shaft do you mean inner shaft, or the outer shaft?

Inner shaft to the top rotor and flybar.

Ah okay, I am gonna pick those up definitely. I am debating whether to get the glow blades, but at 2.25 a pop (heliproz.com) it's hard to refuse

So it's looking like:

-BNF mCX
-(2) Flybars
-(2) inner shaft with upper hub
-set of extra upper blades
-set of extra upper blades (glow!)
-set of extra lower blades
-landing skids
-vertical fin (glow! I will use this to glue on a printed tail and I will have a printed canopy)
-gap filling CA (for future use)
-CA activator http://www.heliproz.com/prodinfo.asp?number=109130

Total: $140. Not bad... I still need to buy some extra batteries. Looking at the flightmax 138 mAH batteries. Set of 3 for $20 shipped from a guy in the US. Not bad.

have you guys tried the CA kicker?

Also, what do you guys think of this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/E-Flite-Blade-MCX-Ultr...93%3A1|294%3A50

I don't know if I should take a risk with this auction or not. I am guessing all the 5-in-1s are bad except for maybe the last one which just has a broken flybar and inner shaft assembly... which is why it would be returned. But it could be bad there too D:

I would get the lower blades in glow that way an night it looks like the MXC is a single rotor heli.

And get kicker. I use it all the time.

Safest place to order would be from Horizon Hobby.
I wouldn't risk getting a broken heli...

It is ordered!

From HeliProz (good reviews from other people who have ordered there).

-BNF mCX
-(2) Flybars
-(2) inner shaft with upper hub
-set of extra upper blades
-set of extra upper blades (glow!)
-set of extra lower blades
-set of extra lower blades (glow!)
-landing skids
-vertical fin (glow! I will use this to glue on a printed tail and I will have a printed canopy)
-CA activator http://www.heliproz.com/prodinfo.asp?number=109130
-Swashplate

If I break anything other than what I have of extras, I will cry. Long and with many tears.

I am going to order batts tomorrow. Going for the Flightmax 138mAH zippy bats.

What do you have for a radio?

Spektrum DX7

I'll sell you 3 new flightmax batteries for 20 shipped.

I literally just bought some off of ebay... pretty much right after I posted about the DX7

Ah, Okay, I wasn't clear why you were picking up the
BNF version...