Helicopter kits come in varying shapes and sizes generally the bigger the helicopter the easier and more stable it will be to fly. choose a well known manufacturer as it will be easier to get parts and setup.

As a general rule, try and steer away from cheap Taiwanese helicopters offered on ebay such as: Walkera, Esky, Twister etc. although inexpensive, these helicopters are glorified "toys", they don't particularly fly very well and typically supplied with very basic equipment which can not be re used as you upgrade to bigger and better models. It's also easier to learn on a well known model as other club members will have experience and advice on setup and tips.

Electric Helicopters

Recently with the innovations in battery technology, electric helicopters can offer a credible alternative to a nitro model, although flight time is typically shorter the convenience of "plug and play" flying without all the hassle of engine tuning and starting equipment required for a nitro

Electric helicopter can be seen as the best choice for beginners however here are couple of things you may not have considered with electric helicopters:

Pros
- Plug and fly, you can turn up at the field with helicopter, batteries and transmitter and fly.
- Helicopter is a lot cleaner and quieter than a nitro.
- Less chance of helicopter cutting out in flight
- No ongoing fuel costs

Cons
- Initial upfront investment is higher due to the cost of batteries and chargers rather than an ongoing cost of fuel.
- Batteries don't last forever typically you will get around 200 charge cycles from a lithium polymer battery.
- If you have a hard crash you could potentially destroy a very expensive battery.
- Flight times are up to 7 minutes against charging time of around 1 hour.
- Expensive Li-po batteries can be unstable and "puff up" or fail if not properly cared for.

Nitro Helicopters

Nitro helicopters are good work horses, with new synthetic oils the run a lot cleaner than the old days of mucky castor oil. once the engine is run in and tuned they can provide hassle free flying. fuel costs around £18 gallon which will provide about 11 flight of up to 15 minutes.

Pros
- Lower initial investment than comparable sized electric.
- Longer flight times up to 15 minutes.
- More practical for a whole days flying with less charging.

Cons
- Can be more tricky to get setup and tuned well.
- Starting equipment required including starter, Fuel pump.
- Messier than electric and will required cleaning and more maintenance.
- Fuel is always needed and has recently gone up in price.

Helicopter Sizes

Model Helicopters are now available in varying sizes as a general rule the bigger the helicopter the more stable it will be to fly, larger helicopters handle wind better and are easier to see in overcast conditions, below is a breakdown of the common sizes:

450 size electric - Some members have learnt to fly with models this size (Trex 450, Mini titan), they offer a low cost entry into the hobby however for a beginner at the field, they can be a bit lively especially in a breeze and can be more difficult to see. More experienced pilots can fly these size models in a large garden or sports hall.

500 size electric - 500 size helicopters like the Trex 500 offer a good alternative to a the larger 30 size nitro machine to get started. Bigger and easier to see than the 450 and less affected by the wind. Be mindful if you want to fly all day you will need 3 - 4 batteries (around £80 each) and 2 chargers (around £100 each).

30 size nitro - The 30 size nitro is an excellent beginners helicopter, it allows you a low cost entry into nitro modelling with cheap parts and long flight times. nowadays it's not particularly cost effective to but a brand new 30 size as the price is pretty similar to a 50. but a well looked after 2nd hand Thunder Tiger Raptor 30 is an excellent 1st helicopter and is easily upgrade to a 50 once your skills improve.

50 size nitro - 50 size nitro helicopter are a good choice for a beginner, and will give you a machine that will last as your skills advance, breakable pars such as blades are slightly more expensive than a 30 and they use more fuel but don't let that put you off. The Align Trex 600 sport, Compass Knight Sport & Thunder Tiger Raptor 50 are excellent choices.

600 size electric - Basically the same size as a 50 nitro with a large battery strapped to the front, the 600 electric is a good choice, be mindful if you want to fly all day at the field you will need 3 - 4 batteries (around £160 each) and 2 chargers (around £100 each).

A Helicopter kit is just that a box of bits containing lots of bags with screws, bits of plastic and gears etc, building the helicopter is much like mecano and as a first time builder will take about a week of evenings to put it together.

Helicopter kits are usually supplied as just the "airframe" you will need to add blades, engine, exhaust & radio equipment to finish your new pride and joy.

Blades

Most helicopter kits are supplied without main rotor blades. There are 3 different materials to choose fro

Wood - (Around £20) Wooden blades are the cheapest option and are adequate for a beginners to novice pilots, however wooden blades tend to go out of track between sessions as the wood expands and contracts at different temperatures. This can be frustrating as you may have to adjust the tracking each time you fly.

Wooden blades are the heaviest blade choice which can be good for an inexperienced pilot as they calm the controls down slightly as are cheaper to replace.

Fibreglass - (Around £30) Slightly more expensive than wooden blades, fibreglass blades provide good performance for the novice pilot, unlike wooden blades they do not tend to go out of track so much.

Carbon - (Around £45) If you can afford them them, Carbon blades are the best choice and will give your helicopter crisp control response, just be aware if you crash they will be costly to replace!

Different size helicopters obviously require different size blades, as a general rule 500 size use 42.5cm (425mm) 30 size use 55cm (550mm) and 50 / 600 size use 60cm (600mm).

Tail rotor blades can be purchased in plastic or carbon however as a novice there really is no need for carbon tail rotors, you are likely to land tail heavy at least once and plastic blades will be more forgiving.

Bling!

if you have seen some of our helicopter at the field or looked around the internet you may well have seen "blinged" up helicopters with flashy anodised metal bits, to be brutally honest this is really just jewellery for your helicopter, 9 times out of 10 its not going to make you fly any better and costs you a lot of money.

Most of the time the metal bits make the helicopter more "twitchy" which you don't really want when you are starting off, it's also more expensive to replace when you crash!

As a beginner get a good basic helicopter and spend the money on fuel and or lessons at Paul Heckles flight School, the only thing that will really improve your flying its time with your thumbs on the sticks.

Buying Second Hand

If you are on a tight budget then second hand helicopters can be a cost effective option. Lots of us have found some real bargains and there are many complete setups available on auction sites and free adds, these are often from someone who has been to a model shop and bought the whole lot and then gone to fly and found it wasn't the sport for them.

We don't want you to fall at the first hurdle (it's worth persevering) and would love to help get you started. Come and meet some club members before you invest your hard earned. Many will be happy to impart their wisdom! Obviously when purchasing from auction sites the normal common sense rules apply, check their feedback and whether they can show it flying.

If you can see it flying then you could always ask a club member to come along, if that's not possible then here are a couple of thing to look out for:

1: Check visually that it is clean and tidy, don't go on this alone but it is a good sign it's been looked after.
2: Check for lots of play in the servos.
3: Check for play in the control ball links.
4: Spin the rotor head and listen if there is a lot of transmission or bearing noise
5: Engine running, is there a "whirring" noise coming from the engine (this will usually be rear bearings)
6: Check bolt heads to see if they have been rounded off

Don't read too much into statements like "Never crashed" or "only had 1 gallon of fuel through it" as this is usually untrue! If it has been crashed so long as all the broken or bent bits have been replaced it will be fine.

Another alternative is to buy from one of the club members, you may find someone who has an old helicopter or could be talked into upgrading (at least you have someone to shout at if it goes wrong .

One last piece of second hand buying advice is, buy something you can get spares for, you can't really go wrong with a good Raptor 30 or 50 (V2) or a Hirobo Sceadu.  There are lots of helicopters going cheap this can be because they are not made or  spares are hard to come by, here is a list of a few to steer clear of:

1: Morley Maverick
2: Kalt Barron
3: Robbe Mosquito
4: Robbe Conquest
5: Kyosho Nexus
6: Kyosho Concept
7: Kyosho Caliber
8: MFA Sport
9: Hirobo GPH 346
10: Hirobo Shuttle Z (belt start)
11: Thunder Tiger Raptor V1 (30 or 50)