First time 3D flier here....First 3D build, Work in Progress w/Pics

[thedood]

"first time 3D flier"? or do you mean "first CP Heli"?

200 will be a bit of a squirrel outdoors in any wind.
High headspeed and the largest flybar weights it comes with.
Here is some info on training:
http://www.mycoolheli.com/HeliTraining.html

If the 200 is anything like my EP100, there's a bit of slop in the tail so make sure you have good gyro and fast tail servo.
Other info that may have been helpful before you made the EP200 purchase.
http://www.mycoolheli.com/FAQ/BeginnerHelicopter.html

You may consider NOT learning on the 200 and switching to something else, or just holding onto the 200 till later.
When you add up crash parts, you may spend more than the cost of the 200 just getting to learning the basics.

I'm new to both. I went into Google and typed in "Top ten micro rc helicopters" first link listed the best mircro rc helicopters. i landed on the GAUI Hurricane 200. I guess i didn't do enough reading. i noticed it was 90% RTF but i didn't read the part where it said the other 10% i had to buy and build it my self.


On another note, i got the battery in. Now all i need now is a Gyro. Nothing expensive, anyone recommend anything?

[elkmaster01]

How come everytime a nooby shows up,,everyone points at elkmaster and says, "don't do what he did!",,,,,or "he's SPECIAL!!!!".

The fact is,,,I was willing to soak a bunch of money into this and I took,,what I believed, and still do, the easiest way to learn how to fly. I sure wouldn't recommend my way to anyone on a budget or someone not fully committed.

thedood,,,actually,,the gaui 210 gyro is fine for that heli,,it is small and compact and thats what you need. It's about $55 I think at xheli.

FYI,,,,I learned to fly on a T-Rex 600 ESP that I built myself,,,,,,,BUT,,I had most near 2 1/2 months of intense research and simulator time before I took to the air. But within two weeks,,I was flip'n and roll'n!

Take your time,,,this ain't easy but it can be done. Once you get airbourne,,,you'll be proud as hell!! The fun starts here!

[dditch66]

Elk, I learned on a .30 Nitro which is pretty close to your 600. But that was the smallest they had back then.  I think I spent $750 in 1990's dollars.  People starting out are SOOO lucky. Heck, I consider myself lucky to have all this stuff anyway.  Consider yourself "dedicated"

Bigger = Better = more $$ (in general terms).

But you spend a bunch of time on the sim right?
Sim saves $$$ in the long run.

[RC Dbutz]

How come everytime a nooby shows up,,everyone points at elkmaster and says, "don't do what he did!",,,,,or "he's SPECIAL!!!!".

The fact is,,,I was willing to soak a bunch of money into this and I took,,what I believed, and still do, the easiest way to learn how to fly. I sure wouldn't recommend my way to anyone on a budget or someone not fully committed.

thedood,,,actually,,the gaui 210 gyro is fine for that heli,,it is small and compact and thats what you need. It's about $55 I think at xheli.

FYI,,,,I learned to fly on a T-Rex 600 ESP that I built myself,,,,,,,BUT,,I had most near 2 1/2 months of intense research and simulator time before I took to the air. But within two weeks,,I was flip'n and roll'n!

Take your time,,,this ain't easy but it can be done. Once you get airbourne,,,you'll be proud as hell!! The fun starts here!

LOL Elk, just pointing out that you did put a lot of time, money and research into the hobby before getting started.  Just imagine how hard it would be if that first one was a 250 size heli though...Either way, I wouldn't recommend someone putting a 600 size heli in the air without having COMPLETE control.  I read of a story of someone learning on a 600 heli down in Texas and lost control, hit the instructor in the neck, and he bleed out.

Dood, another (really expensive) piece of equipment that Elk used is something called a Helicommand.  It's a $500+ stabilizer unit that has a bunch of sensors that allows you to automatically stabilize a heli by letting go of the right stick.  It's kind of like training wheels for helis.  Make's that flip'n and roll'n a lot easier.  There's also a slightly cheaper stabilizer unit called a Co-Pilot.  I used to use them myself, but I started to find that they prevent nice clean aerobatics and I started to rely on them too much.  I got comfortable enough with my flying to sell them, but they can be a great starter tool for someone who just wants to jump into the hobby and start flying.  Gotta be careful though, because I think they can also hamper growth and provide a false sense of security.

Question still is dood, did you get a simulator yet?

[elkmaster01]

The Helicommand is incredible,,,it makes flying a heli just plain stupid easy. I still have it on my 600,,,thats my training bird. I rarely have it turned on,,when I do,,it's because I'm trying something I'm not totally comfortable with. It allows me to transfer what I learn on the simulator to my heli with minimal risks. It increases the learning curve immensely!! Once I perfect a move on my 600,,,I can do it on my 500 and 250. I can fly circuits inverted,,,now I'm working on backwards flight. Sweet!

[mckrackin]

I have a Helicommand 3D on my 500.
I barely use it myself.Mostly for FFF.
I leave it turned off for inverted stuff.

It really helped me with my confidense in the beginning.

[LawnMower]

Wow, so much to comment on here.

So this is your first heli, aside from the cheap 2 channel ones that fall apart in a week?  If so, I'd recommend you purchase a nice transmitter (I have a spectrum Dx7 and it works great for me) and a simulator (also prefer Phoenix, which works with the Dx7 transmitter).  If you are dedicated to learning how to fly RC helicopters, be ready to invest some serious time and money.  If you don't have it, this may become frustrating to you.  Warning: these things are very fun and addictive, and if you get hooked, you'll be spending a lot of $$ on parts because even the best ones crash.

The cheapest way to start out for someone who wants to be a good pilot is to just spend lots and lots of time on the simulator, at least 30 minutes a day, or more if you are dedicated.  Next, read around the boards and learn as much as you can.  Most questions you'll have were probably addressed at some point, but it also never hurts to ask.  Better yet, find someone locally who can help you out and get you through a few flying lessons (not an option that everyone has).  Never get ahead of yourself and your skills, or you will pay for it one way or another.

If you have a bunch of $$ to burn, go buy a 4 channel coaxial heli to get an idea of how the controls work.  Once you are comfortable you can move up to a small and cheap FP or CP heli, which will be a big challenge.  They are difficult to hover and you will do a lot of scooting around, but once you get the hang of that hover, you are hooked.  I hear the new Blade SR will be a great one to start single rotor flying.

Now, there are a few people (like Elkmaster) who prefer to skip all of those steps and just start out on a larger heli.  I would not recommend this, as even though they are more stable and give more indication of their intent, they can cause some serious injury or even death if you're not in control.  I think that putting an inexperienced pilot behind a large heli is one of the stupidest things you can do.  Elk is special, he had nothing but free time and he spent all of it researching helis and how they work, and has even had some real life experience in the aviation field.  (we're also not so sure about the inbreeding, but that's another story - messin' with ya Randy )  He did a great deal of research and put in sim time before he tried to fly any of those big ones.  I think he may have tried a 450 early on and just made him realize how difficult it can be.  Perhaps he can comment on the specifics.

If you are only interested in getting that GAUI 200 heli working, you can get yourself the recommended bare minimum parts and go and try, but that little thing is going to be a handful.  I would recommend getting the Dx7 Transmitter with a AR6110e (search online for them).  This transmitter can hold memory for up to 20 models, for when you get hooked and start buying more RC flying toys.  If you later decide you don't like the hobby, they also have some resale value because they are commonly used.  As for the battery, you'd probably need something with 3-cells, 11.1 Volts, around 800 mAH and any discharge rate (I usually go 25C to 30C).  Don't forget a good charger, and don't go cheap on this, you want a good Li-Po charger balancer that will help prevent your house from burning down (Li-Po batteries can be a huge fire risk if not tended to properly).  You would also be smart to buy some spare parts, because you're going to crash.  Usually a good idea to keep some spare: main gears, main shafts, feathering shafts, skids, linkages and blades.  Of course, after any crash, you're likely to need something you don't have.

For a gyro, you can never go wrong with a GP750.  I've never used the GU210, so maybe someone else here can comment, but I've got the GP750 on my Trex 250 (similar to the Guai 200 in size) and it holds solid.

Finally...PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE and LEARN ALL ABOUT SAFETY!!!

Very well said +1.  (And I say this because the post-master speaks of a 2ch. heli. So with that stated, am I safe to say this person has zero r/c aircraft knowledge-to a degree?)... I started out with a 6 ch. heli but, before that I have been flying nitro/ electric fixed wing since I was 8. Not to be blunt or an egotistical A-hole, but I have an understanding of how heli's work. IE: inputs vs actions. Granted there is still a STEEP learning curve depending on where you start...

Assuming you know nothing of this sport, use a sim first before spending hundreds of dollars on a hobby that will only frustrate you.

[elkmaster01]

Hey,,,I missed the 'in-breeding' crack, ,,,,,,just because I married my Aunt   doesn't mean,,,,,,,,well,,,,,,,,,ummmmmmm, ,,,,I guess that would qualify,,,sort of. But give me a break,,,,my Uncle pissed me off, ,,so I stole his wife!! Who wouldn't?!!

[thedood]

Very well said +1.  (And I say this because the post-master speaks of a 2ch. heli. So with that stated, am I safe to say this person has zero r/c aircraft knowledge-to a degree?)... I started out with a 6 ch. heli but, before that I have been flying nitro/ electric fixed wing since I was 8. Not to be blunt or an egotistical A-hole, but I have an understanding of how heli's work. IE: inputs vs actions. Granted there is still a STEEP learning curve depending on where you start...

Assuming you know nothing of this sport, use a sim first before spending hundreds of dollars on a hobby that will only frustrate you.

I have some familiarity with nitro rc planes. i have a 6 channel rc plane that i used to fly around with a while back, which was mostly about 80 build yourself. Only the fuselage was already assembled.  So i cant attest to atleast some experience. i really didnt mean to start off on this advanced of a heli. But i like a challenge so i decided to stick with it, no matter how long it takes. 

[elkmaster01]

thedood,,,,,have you considered continuing with this heli and also getting another one that is more appropriate for learning? As you will learn,,,building these things is as much fun as flying them. If you are serious about this hobby/addiction,,,you most definately will get multiple models,,,or want to upgrade. Something like a BlueRay 450 ready-to-fly heli will be easier to learn on and it will help you in building this heli.

Just a thought. But,,,whatever you decide,,,at your skill level right now,,,get a simulator AND a set of training gear for your heli,,,they will save you money and you won't get discouraged as easily.

If you start feeling frustrated or overwhelmed,,,I think you already see,,there is a bunch of guys here willing to help you!!

GO FLY!!

Randy

[RC Dbutz]

Hey,,,I missed the 'in-breeding' crack, ,,,,,,just because I married my Aunt   doesn't mean,,,,,,,,well,,,,,,,,,ummmmmmm, ,,,,I guess that would qualify,,,sort of. But give me a break,,,,my Uncle pissed me off, ,,so I stole his wife!! Who wouldn't?!!

   Don't piss of Elk, he'll steel your wife, even if you ARE family.

Story cracks me up every time Randy.  So I take it you and your uncle aren't on speaking terms?

[elkmaster01]

He waves every now and then,,,,when he's not drunk!! LOL

[thedood]

thedood,,,,,have you considered continuing with this heli and also getting another one that is more appropriate for learning? As you will learn,,,building these things is as much fun as flying them. If you are serious about this hobby/addiction,,,you most definately will get multiple models,,,or want to upgrade. Something like a BlueRay 450 ready-to-fly heli will be easier to learn on and it will help you in building this heli.

Just a thought. But,,,whatever you decide,,,at your skill level right now,,,get a simulator AND a set of training gear for your heli,,,they will save you money and you won't get discouraged as easily.

If you start feeling frustrated or overwhelmed,,,I think you already see,,there is a bunch of guys here willing to help you!!

GO FLY!!

Randy

i was thinking about getting one a little easier to learn on while working with this one in the mean time. do you guys recommend in a 6 channel or even a 4 channel ready to fly heli that would be good to start out with in preparation for the GAUI 200?




The 4 servos also came. Holy crap these are the cutest servos i have ever seen. The ones on my nitro plane are about the size of the battery pack for the gaui.

Is there any harm in installing the servos before having the transmitter or anything? Obviously i cant adjust anything but im anxious to put them on.

[elkmaster01]

I'd recommend the BlueRay RFT from xheli. It will be basically the same setup as your Gaui but it will be all set up and ready to fly. It will be easier to learn on than the 200,,it is bigger and more stable but still a challenge,,,get training gear on whatever you fly at first.

Go ahead and install the servos,,,all adjustments you'll need to do can be done post-install!!

[mckrackin]

I'm still gonna push the Blade SR RTF for $199

It's a 6ch and super easy to hover and fly.
It comes out in a couple of weeks.