[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9w2V5a-3m8[/ame] i want this to be my next heli .....when ive gotten better at flying
Welcome! Were the binocs for looking into deep water, or for far away fish I imagine? Love that video and heli. Here's another awesome jet-heli (that probably cost more than my Ferrari...) fire lit at 1:45 [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEJYAYX9PJk[/ame] shorter video, more extreme maneuvers, but you have to deal with German commentators going "WHO-AAAA!!!!!" Just realized that there's both the RC and full-sized Red Bull Cobra in this vid. Can't tell which is which! [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIigQbK2vPs[/ame] I'd love to have a 120-sized electric 4-channel, flybarless Cobra, Huey, or Hughes. At the speed RC technology is progressing shouldn't be long.
Cool thread! I have a Hobbyzone Super Cub electric park flyer that has been sitting in the box since February 2008! That's 3-1/2 years! Haven't been able to make time to fly it. But it sits in my office every day, taunting me. I also have one of those Air Hogs Havoc 2-ch micro-copters. Don't waste your money. It is not much fun to fly, very hard to control. So now, after seeing Kurt's videos, I just ordered a pair of Syma 3-ch micro-copters from Amazon.com (Amazon was less expensive than any I could find on ebay and you don't have to deal with a Chinese vendor if something goes wrong). A S108G Cobra like Kurt's and a S107G that looks like some of those sitting on Kurt's table. They were under $20 each, $39.30 for the pair including shipping. Can't wait for them to arrive! P.S. - a real CH-47 Chinook flew over my house at about 300' altitude as I was typing this post That never happens here, must be a sign!
Hey Jeff - Yep I should have mentioned that Amazon is a great place to buy the little guys. When it comes to 3-channel helis (perfect for little or big kids) the Syma brands are tough to beat. The other day I ordered an S111g "Augusta" Coast Guard one for $19: http://www.amazon.com/Rescue-Helicopter-Infrared-Controlled-S111G/dp/B004QZR4LI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319491419&sr=8-1 The S108g Cobra is $20: http://www.amazon.com/S108G-Infrared-Controlled-Marine-Helicopter/dp/B004IBPQEW/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1319668798&sr=1-1 All of these Symas (including the Apache and Blackhawk) have the same internals as the S107g (g indicates it has a gyro, you want this) that's been out for about 1-1/2 years. The flyover by the Chinook was a sign that you gotta get one of these: http://www.amazon.com/SYMA-S026-CH-47-CHINOOK-HELICOPTER/dp/B001QEIVI2/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1319668600&sr=1-1 Gave these out as x-mas gifts last year to my nephews and father. All three of them couldn't put em down... [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VjkavZq2tA[/ame] Just be sure to baby the lipo batteries. Don't run them so far down that they no longer have lift. I fly for ~5 minutes, let them cool for 5-10, charge using the USB, cool for 5-10, then repeat. If you abuse the LiPos they'll puff up and die within very few flights. Take care of them (i.e. buy 2-3 choppers+ and rotate flights) they can last for well over 100 flights. Then you just replace the LiPo for a few bucks and a soldering gun. have fun!
Hey Kurt, I had about 10 of those little Syma guys in my Amazon cart at one point! But I figured I would start with 2, so I could rotate them like you said. I know those LiPo batteries need care to last. Plus I can always get more little helicopters Seems like a great toy for 20 bucks whenever boredom sets in over winter.
Used them for far away. Not too powerful to get you dizzy. Just enough to extend your range twice. Used polarized glasses to spot, see thru glare. Ed
That they are. BTW - wonder where that Chinook you saw today was off to. If it took off from Mitchell I'm surprised I didn't hear it, our house is less than 2 miles away. Tried to get the airfield in the video I took with the S022 Chinook and keychain cam, but probably needed to go at least 20' higher to see it. Nice. I want to get a polarized filter for my camera to takes some nice pics of our koi in the pond.
The Chinook was flying due south roughly along the Lake Michigan shore line and I'm about 15 miles north of Mitchell. As far as I know that aircraft type isn't based in WI, from what I could find the closest unit is an Army Guard unit based in Peoria. Amazon just shipped my copters today, should have them by this time next week.
hes gettin a bit of flex in that tail.......i wonder if he made it himself , might cause problems later
Wow! I just got myself the new ultra micro F-17Q from Parkzone. If this thing isn't the most fun I've had flying, its darn close. The flight envelope is astonishing. It is extremely fast (maybe 50-55mph or so) and tracks like a razor on the top end, but if you throttle back it will go into almost a walking speed high-alpha and just mush along and still has excellent control authority. Has enough power for near unlimited vertical. It has no real bad habits. No tip stalls or anything. Only weighs 2 ounces, but it handles wind better than any micro I've flown. About the only downside for me it that it has to be hand launched and belly land, and take off/landing is probably my favorite part of RC flying, I guess because it is the most challenging. But this thing is so much fun in the air, it makes you forget all about that. Don't have any pics or vids of mine, but here are a few stock pics. There are some good vids on youtube too. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Got my Syma S107G (yellow one) and S108G (Cobra) microcopters a couple days ago. Fast shipping from Amazon.com. They are pretty easy to fly, but not as easy as Kurt makes it look! After a couple flying sessions and about a hundred crashes, I'm getting better. The yellow one is easier to fly than the Cobra, I think because the yellow one is a little heavier so not as twitchy or sensitive to small control movements. Good news is both seem to be pretty sturdy. I've smashed them into the ceiling, floor, walls, lamps, furniture, the cat, the dog, and my head. Most of the time they fall to a hardwood floor from 6-8 feet altitude, so far no nicks or damage whatsoever. WAY better than the stupid Air Hogs 2-channel helicopter. That thing makes me want to smash it with my foot every time I try to fly it. These Syma copters are fun, not frustrating. It takes about 20 minutes or so to charge them up using a USB port on my computer. Then I get about 8 minutes of flight time on that charge. These are incredible toys for 20 bucks a pop, now the hard part is going to be not buying one of every model they make. Got my eyes on the little Chinook... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Currently, I'm flying most of the Eflite series of Helis. These are very fun to fly. I have some videos somewhere..... My helis need some work currently, which I'll get to once the snow starts to fly. I'm jonesing to pick up an ultra micro F-17Q from Parkzone. I"ve seen the videos and this thing looks fun!!! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Anybody doing FPV piloting. Was just surfing YouTube. Seems to be a lot of that stuff going on. Looks like it's catching on. I'm interested in the equipment, camera, transmitters etc. Lots of powered gliders which makes sense. Low wing loading To carry the added weight. Inputs appreciated. Thanks, Ed
Ed - I haven't done FPV, but much looking forward to someday. You've probably seen Ali ShaMao's FPV videos? He gets a lot of free stuff for doing reviews - probably $1500+ worth of gear for this really well done video: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar2lUhrFkLM[/ame] Before too long there will probably be hi-def 3D FPV systems for a few hundred bucks. That's when I'll jump in I really love my Blade MSR. HH should be releasing a flybarless SR120 sometime in the next year, will definitely get one. All those quarters spent in arcades paid off for something The S111g Augusta arrived this week. Flies just as smoothly as the S107, but wow each new one Syma releases has more and more detail. The Augusta is gorgeous. BTW If you want to get some more forward speed out of the S107 you can always take off the rear tail and tailboom supports (not needed, boom is held in the frame quite firmly). You can also remove the two inner aluminum chassis plates to save a couple grams and get better lift and flight times. I still have one 100% stock S107, and several ones modded (plenty of time to play around during the winter!) This S107M (for "Modificato" ) has a larger tail motor, tail prop, lightened frame and lighter canopy. She still zips around, and has probably more crashes than any other, with no broken parts. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOwuyxNUwEA[/ame] Definitely get the S026 Chinook - she's a beautiful flier! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Dude.....DO IT! I was on the fence a bit myself.....I tend to like scale warbirds and such and was not immediately drawn to an "imaginary" jet fighter-ish looking aircraft. About 4 seconds into my first flight, all that went right out the window. The thing is AMAZING. It has the speed and tracks-on-rails feel of a fast EDF jet, but unlike a ducted fan, it will slow WAY down and not lose control authority , and it also will not lose a lot of altitude in tight turns like jets tend to do.
www.hobbywireless.com is a good one-stop shop. I am itching to pull the FPV trigger too. One part of me says I better hurry up befoe the gov't decides to outlaw it "for my own protection". The other part of me wants to wait a while for the systems to get even lighter, better, and cheaper. If I do it, I want to be able to go long range, like 5-10 miles. But to do that currently is difficult and still pretty expensive. If you want to stay in close (.5-1 mile or so), those systems are pretty darn cheap and reliable nowadays.
Kurt, Thanks for the input. 3D would definitely be cool. Specially if the makers could put a directional sensor in the Head set so the camera would turn in the direction you turn your head too i.e. Look left, look right, up, down capability. Going flybarless would definitely ratchet up those scale model looks.... 3 or 4 bladed ones. Still teetering on this Nathan but definitely moving in that direction.. I can already feel my wallet getting lighter.LOL.
They already have head tracking units used with video goggles, with the camera in the plane mounted on a moveable platform. http://fpvpilot.com/HeadTracking.aspx BTW that is another good fpv website. Also try http://www.nghobbies.com
I plan on getting into helis as soon as I master them in Realfight. Right now I have a Parkzone Sukhoi SU-26xp binded to my DX6i and trying to scratch build an Ultimate Bipe from plans.
Vortex Extreme is one. Have no experience with it though. Maybe some else will chime in. Agree it's a great hobby to share with your kid/kids. Nothing beats a scene, than seeing both father and son with a smile on their face.
