[Solvaldez]

Hi i am new to this site and the hobby in general.
I am looking at building a scale heli. as350 600 size.
I was thinking about the trex 600 along with either a century or funkey fuselage.

I also wanted some info on flight style. I am not really trying to get into 3D flying. I am looking at scale flying. How do you get an RC scale heli to auto-level after a turn? What do i need to buy/install on the heli in order to make the flight look and feel scale?

[lemonsorbie]

Hi,

Welcome!

My advice is go get a sim. There are two great sims on the market, Real flight and Phoenix.

Both have pros and cons. I fly Phoenix.

Good luck with your venture.

[waylander]

While a 600 is doable as a first ccpm heli if you have no experience I'd really suggest some local help to set it up correctly and to fly in pod and boom form until you're ready to fly it with a scale fuselage on.

Chances are high that you will crash while learning so it's easier to fix and less expensive if you do it without the scale fuselage on it.

A sim is definitely a good idea but I'd also suggest something smaller like a mcpx or similar to learn to fly on first. They can take a beating and keep on flying, any sort of crash with a 600 is going to cost you money and time to fix. Keep in mind that even a tip over during take off and landing is probably going to require some sort of repair with a 600.

[Keyrigger]

One thing about self levelling gyros is that they will not make your helicopter fly very realistic or as smooth as you will be able to fly it once you learn to fly a model helicopter. Generally, self levelling is used as a bailout in the event you loose orientation or get into a spot that you can't fly out of.

The simulator is the best advice about learning the basics of scale flying. Spend a lot of time on that and with good pod and boom helicopter to get yourself completely comfortable with flying nose in, side on, and general circuit flying. Learn to hover a helicopter in the simulator upside down and then be able to get yourself out of that. Do loops, rolls, and general combat aircraft maneuvers until you can do them without error. Now, practice that on a regular pod and boom helicopter until you can do this all the time in real life. Then get your scale helicopter project on the go.

No auto-pilot will make up for practise and practise will not remove the possibility of crashing. You must work at it as nothing will hand it to you on a platter and that is what you seem to be asking for. It doesn't work that way. Spend your money wisely on good quality parts and equipment as you can be sucked into cheap products that will not last and will not have good parts support in the future. Sometimes older, more established helicopters are better for long term support rather than the latest and greatest from Align. They change constantly and leave you in the dust as the latest 3D craze comes and then evaporates into thin air.

It is now getting hard to find gears for an Align 550 I bought three years ago. I was forced to upgrade a gear hub because no one had the gear that mine was made with. I would rather now use a Logo or Century helicopter chassis to build a scale helicopter. And the scale helicopters now coming out with mechanics as part of the kit package? I give them 3 years and they are gone as those making them have had a track record of folding shop and moving on when the heat gets turned on because of poor quality. You will see two build threads of mine in this forum and one is an AS350 that is still under construction. Take your time, learn to fly, and then be prepared for some really nice looking scale helicopters in the air in your control. Take care.

Don

[RCcanuck]

Welcome to RCCanada. I would have to agree with the rest....get a sim first. Wish I had. The money I could have saved. Youll answer your question and any other questions you may have about flight control when you fly on your sim. You'll also find out if flying an rc helicopter is what you really want. If its not...you can sell your sim and move on to something else. Its extremely hard and very expensive to fly rc helicopters. However...building, and learning how to fly is also very rewarding.

[gothicbunny]

I'm with the others on learning to fly just a normal RC heli before adding a fuselage. Also check into local flying clubs that could help you out.

[Solvaldez]

Hey guys thanks so much for the advice. Very valuable knowledge.
Just so everyone knows i own RC flight sim 4. It is indeed a great tool.
I also own a blade MSR and SR.
I fly those quite well also.
I know this rc heli hobby is something i want to persue. I know there is a learning curve that cannot be shortcut.
So as an example in this flight sim, the TREX 600 and lets say an airwolf scale heli fly very differently. What is the explanation to this.
It seems to me the the Scale helis seem easier to control as opposed to the TREX 600.
Any takes on this?

[Keyrigger]

They are, in fact, opposite. A pod and boom is a very light basic structure that has only the required components to fly and a canopy more for visibility than any other purpose. It is overpowered for its size, flys well upside down and right side up, can do blindingly fast maneuvers at the drop of a hat, and doesn't cost anywhere near as much to repair when crashed. Seldom is a pod and boom completely destroyed but trust me, I have done it (fire consumed the main body and all electronics except for the RX).

The scale ship is generally overweight for the mechanics inside but not enough that it will not fly. The body is easier to see but adds a lot of surface area that now creates drag. A lot of them have more than two blades, which creates a lot more torque and drag, making it more difficult to properly setup and balance the additional torque against the tail's power. Add more than double the cost of the body to changes you will make to the helicopter to get it to a nice flying condition compared to the original chassis. An average 600 size pod and boom helicopter will weight in around 7 to 8 pounds and you can add up to 6 pounds or more for some of the larger 600 body kits out there when they are finished and ready for the mechanics.

Once flying and trimmed out, a scale helicopter is generally flown in a much more subdued manner but it is not any easier than a pod and boom 3D helicopter. In fact, it is harder to fly in a scale manner than it is to just toss the helicopter around the sky as seen in so many videos. It takes lots of practise to fly steady and slow, more so than fast aimless pitching about the sky.

Once you have done one, there really is nothing more satisfying than being able to lift off a large scale helicopter and take it out for a few minutes of flying and listen to the reaction of those watching. It takes a lot of work to be able to get a scale model helicopter brought in on a high speed, high angle approach and land it in one smooth motion. Hope this helps.

Don

[Solvaldez]

Yes Don thanks helps alot.
So in reality, the reason why the larger scale helis seem easier to fly is due to the added weight by the fuselage. Also it really comes down to what you do with the sticks to make it fly scale.
So would a TREX 600 be good step up from where I am now, MSR, SR?

[Keyrigger]

In actual fact, yes. It will make you fill your pants, though, as you will not be used to such a large helicopter and it is intimidating to say the least. No matter what you take as your next step, it will be larger and have the same effect on you, so you might as well get it over in a one fell swoop. You will quickly learn that you know nothing and need to start from scratch with your learning curve. The 600 is a very easy helicopter to work on because of its size but that is also what makes it a real handful for your first larger helicopter.

You most likely have not setup a 120 degree swash from scratch and it can be frustrating but if you have a few fellow flyers in the area, they can help you set it up. You want to get an AS350 helicopter in the air at some point and although it is a ways away, you can get an Align T-Rex 600EFL Pro and use that one to get your large helicopter build and learning curve in and when you are ready, it will slip right into a Century body kit. There will be parts to change in order to lower the head speed down to a more sedate level but no matter what kit, the changes would be made anyway. There is also a matter of the head, taller main shaft, and linkages for the head, but that is a couple of years away, maybe by early fall next year if you work at it. I am being realistic about this and it is not far off what the average flyer takes to learn good basic flying skills before tackling a scale build.

There are other kits like the Logo that can work in a scale build and there are many parts that can be changed to make it work in a scale build. It is also a good helicopter with parts support in Canada but it is not local to the east. Century also makes a chassis that is capable of being flown as a pod and boom helicopter and it will also slip right into the AS350 body kit you were looking at. Few local retailers deal with Century but there may be one in the area around you someplace.

If you go online to Century Helicopters and to Mikado Helicopters, you will see they both have 600 size helicopter kits and full parts for any changes you wish to make. Think about it for a bit before doing anything and keep an eye out at the local clubs for someone selling a good, clean ready to bind and fly 600. There should be lots of 600E/ESP helicopters out there and they may be found for well under a thousand with batteries. Take your time.

Don