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Buyers Guide
I guess before we talk about how to go about buying or rather setting up in R/C helicopters it might be worth briefly looking at the history of helicopters and some of the reasons why you might want to get involved in the sport in the first place.
I personally have been interested in aviation for as long as I can remember so it was a natural move for me to start flying R/C models. For someone oblivious to the science or rather art of flying the attraction my not be so instinctive.
The History
I'm by no means alone in my love of aviation. The concept of the helicopter goes back hundreds of years, and at the dawn of powered flight at the start of the 20th century, aviation pioneers believed that rotary-wing aircraft were right around the corner. In fact, while fixed-wing aircraft were quickly refined and improved, it wasn't until the mid-1930s that the helicopter began to emerge as a practical flying machine.
The basic idea of a helicopter -flight through rotating horizontal wings or "rotors" - goes back at least 1,500 years, through a simple invention known as the "Chinese top" that still survives today in various forms. This is a toy with a rotor blade mounted on a stick, by spinning the stick between the palms of the hands or by pulling a string wound around it causes it to soar into the air. The toy eventually made its way from China to Europe, where it appeared in paintings dating as far back as 1463. Not long after that, in 1483, Leonardo da Vinci illustrated a more sophisticated "rotary-wing" toy in his famous notebooks. However, building a rotary-wing aircraft that was any more than a toy was beyond the technology of the time, and remained so for centuries.
In the 1870s, a Frenchman, Alphonse Penaud, devised helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft toys powered by wound-up rubber bands, a scheme that is still used for flying toys today. Some of Penaud's models flew elegantly, but he was unable to find a power source adequate for larger flying machines. Penaud, frustrated and ridiculed, suffered more than he could bear, and unfortunately shot himself at age 30.
Fortunately for us the frustrations that Penaud faced are no longer an issue for the modern aviator.
Why Fly R/C Helicopters
Following on from the paragraph above the first point to make is that none of our helicopters should be considered toys. Whilst the more entry level indoor helicopters permit only traditional methods of flight they are still a challenge to master and a joy to fly. The Helicopters such as the T-Rex range which are fully 3D or acrobatic can only be described as a marvel of modern technology. They seem to have absolutely no limits, summersaults, backwards flight, upside down flight, loops, rolls... the list goes on and on and on limited only by the pilot which commands them.
The technology and engineering that has been invested in these helicopters is truly immense. The cost of a full scale military or commercial helicopter capable of even half of what these helicopters can do would run you in to the hundreds of millions and certainly not achievable for most of us.
When you're starting out and you're confronted with your first take off the excitement and nerves can only be described as raw. The amount of focus and concentration required should not be underestimated and the desire to master the hobby or love of flight seems to take an instant hold of all those who are exposed to it. These machines command instant respect not only for their precision engineered designs, their sleek presentation and the unique turbine like sound but moreover for their totally refined agility and sheer brut power.
You will be hard pushed to find a more responsive vehicle R/C or other wise which has as many axis of motion open to it as a helicopter. This unique blend of movement and power can only truly be appreciated first hand. I am yet to see when flying a passerby resist the temptation to stop for a least a few minutes to behold the wonder of these awesome machines which epitomise modern consumer technology in a glorious display of precision, power and skill from the person in control.
"My soul is in the sky." - William Shakespeare, 'A Midsummer Night's Dream
The Buyers Guide
This is a difficult section to write because we are rarely all in the same position financially or with the amount of time we have to commit to our hobbies or passions in life. If everybody was free from such limitations then our advice would still not be generic but specific to the individual. Probably the best way for us to advise you would be on an individual basis over the phone. We are open Monday to Saturday from 9:00 to 6:00 so please feel free to call us during these hours. Having said that we will continue to offer some general advice and points to consider under the heading - The Buyers Guide.
Think about where you are likely to want to fly your helicopter, some of the entry level helicopters are designed and limited to indoor use only whereas others can be used indoor and out. Are you looking for something that you can take out the box, charge and fly or are you more interested in the technology side and want something that requires building? Indoor helicopters still require a good size obstruction free area in order to get the most out of them but are ultimately more convenient as their use is not dependant on the weather. Indoor helicopters tend to be smaller and therefore lighter so whilst they do not necessarily run for longer they are quicker to charge. Although you can purchase (and we are soon to sell them) indoor helicopters capable of acrobatic flight they need larger areas still.
I guess the biggest consideration between indoor and out door helicopters is the purchase cost along with the availability of somewhere suitable to fly outdoors. Outdoor helicopters are larger and ultimately stronger, quicker and more impressive than indoor ones but these improvements are unsurprisingly at a premium.
Where Can I fly Them? - The best source of information on this subject is the British Model Flying Association or BMFA for short. We would recommend you join the BMFA as they offer liability insurance as part of the membership fee and most flying sites and events will demand proof of such insurance. I have spoken to the BMFA about the use of outdoor helicopters and where it is permissible and covered by their insurance scheme. The official answer is "anywhere that you have land owners permission" Please don't take this as carte blanche to start flying your helicopter round the school/works canteen because the dinner lady/ or shift manager said it was ok. For clear legal advice on this matter we suggest you speak to the BMFA, their web address is http://www.bmfa.org/ and you can get their phone number from the site. Certain areas are dangerous such as under electrical pylons for example, we are not an authority on this subject and as such do not accept any responsibility or liability for it. I'm lucky because a friend has a large house without neighbours on the greenbelt with a few acres of land and he loves to see my Heli flying.
The T-rex size Helicopters are suitable for both indoor (sports hall) and outdoor use. The suitability of use is determined by the helicopters size and subsequent ability to resist interfearance from weather conditions such as wind.
What Do I Need to Get Started? - We have broken our Helicopter kits down in to two categories, Ready to Fly and Almost Ready to fly & kits.
Ready to fly (RTF) are exactly that, they have been factory assembled and tested, all you need to do is unpack them, charge them and fly them. This is assuming of course you can fly and have enough experience to do so in a safe and controlled way. Some of the Ready to fly kits such as the Mini Predator (Mini Pred) include absolutely everything you initially need, pre assembled Helicopter setup and configured, flying simulator to practice before you fly, training undercarriage to minimise those imperfect landings, charger, radio, everything basically. This is a really good starting point if you're looking to put a toe in as they also command decent second hand prices and are very desirable machines.
Almost ready to Fly (ARTF) are again just as you would expect partly or more often 70%+ assembled. They usually require installation of electrical items such as radio equipment, speed controller and motor. The physical installation of electrical equipment is relatively straight forward but the subsequent configuration and setup of radio equipment can be complex and you're likely to need the assistance of someone who has done it before or at the very least internet access. There are fortunately loads and loads of resources on the web to assist you in setting up your Helicopter and whilst we do not currently offer this service it's something we will offer very shortly. We are always available to help should you hit difficulties.
Kits are pretty much just bits and pieces that need assembling. I would say the average time to build something like a T-Rex 450 Heli bought in kit form is around 12 hours. This can obviously be spread over a number of days so it can be built as quickly as you can afford the time to do it.
Kits and ARTF models typically do not include many items such as radio equipment, Gyro, batteries..... Kits are commonly superior to the RTF as they use better quality light weight parts such as aluminium and carbon fibre. This is why they also cost a great deal more and often run in to hundreds of pounds.
In terms of choice of helicopter it might be easiest to start from a budgeting perspective, we have a number of package deals available as well as ready to fly kits so it's easy to get an idea of cost. If you're still struggling or would like to talk over your decision making process then please just pick up the phone and call us.
Chosen my Helicopter So Now What? - Well before you even consider taking your helicopter on it's maiden voyage we would strongly recommend some well spent hours on a Flight Simulator before hand. Flight Simulators are the only way to gain experience before taking to the real thing and incidentally is exactly how professional pilots learn to fly the real thing.
Flight Sims come in various forms, some come with mock up radio sets (transmitters) and some allow you to plug your own transmitters in. Some use fantastic photo realistic graphics with hundreds of options to build and customise your chosen helicopter (and planes) and some are box standard. The majority of Flight Sims and certainly the ones we sell and endorse even have instructor led flying lessons which are a fantastic resource to have.
We can not enforsise enough the value Flight Simulators present to the R/C helicopter pilot. Be under no illusions flying advanced Helicopters is no walk in the park and every hour you spend on the simulator will pay off ten fold in money saved on parts from crash damage. You could in that respect say that Flight Simulators pay for themselves very quickly and are in many ways free in the long run. Flight Sims also give your friends the opportunity to have a go, believe me when you're flying your heli around your friends are going to want to have a go. Once you understand the insanity of their request you will no doubt find it laughable. Flight Sims are not cheap but they are certainly a great deal cheaper than replacing an entire helicopter and you can use them anytime of day or night. Some Sims even allow you to fly with friends online which can be good fun and an alternative to moaning whilst twiddling your thumbs because of the typhoon outside.
Final Points to consider - Hopefully this section of our website has given you some food for thought.
Wherever you choose to buy your helicopter from be it from us or somewhere else it's essential that you have access to a readily available stockpile of spare parts and quality after sales service. We do not take on Helicopter brands unless the distributors can provide a full and complete parts backup and we hold huge amounts of stock ourselves for each and every brand we sell.
With the possible exception of writing your Helicopter off entirely (which isn't that common really) nothing is more frustrating than hanging around grounded because you can't get the parts you need.
It's easy for companies selling on the web to build huge lists of products at bargain prices which they do not have in stock just to part you with you money and then use your cash to buy what ever it is you have ordered. We work the opposite way round, we only advertise and promote products we have already purchased and 9 times out of 10 it's sat on a shelf waiting to be delivered to you our customer.
When choosing your helicopter check around on the net and make sure it's a popular and well respected brand. We have seen countless instances of people buying the cheapest helicopter they can find only to hit brick walls when trying to get parts and support. The T-Rex range of Helicopters is one the worlds best selling brands for its class and size. You can find countless websites dedicated to the T-Rex range full of information and advice on setup, upgrades, maintenance, clubs, videos, pictures......
A Quick Note On Using Our Site - You can use the navigation menu which is always on the left of your screen to access any area of our product catalogue. Once you have found what you're looking for by using the search facility of Navigation menu you can go in to the product details of that particular item. You will then find four tabs, Description, Technical Details, Basic Terms and Images. If your new to the sport then can we suggest you always check the ‘Basic Terms' tab as this section has been designed for you.
Write a Product Review For Us - Once you have purchased and used your product please remember to log in to your account and tell us how you got on. You can write reviews on any product you buy from us and all reviews are published on our site (provided they are all above board, clean and non offensive). To write a product review log in to your account, select "view order history" and select rate product from the product description.
We wish you all the best our sport can bring you regardless of how or where you get involved.
Matt Russell
SimplyT-Rex
