Personal computing discussed
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SpotTheCat wrote:heli's are harder to learn, more expensive, and they break easier.
Looking for Knowledge wrote:When drunk.....
I want to have sex, but find I am more likely to be shot down than when I am sober.
Angie1313 wrote:in all honestly, how much would it cost to get involved with something like this? My nephew is talking about getting into RC airplanes but I think the helicopters are much neater.
Heiwashin wrote:SpotTheCat wrote:heli's are harder to learn, more expensive, and they break easier.
Yea i tried that free sim for a bit, and the clearview. I'll get one of the controllers ya'll pointed out probly next week, but using a normal controller was interesting. Clearview was several factors more difficult than the free one though. Are these things really all that dependable?
SecretSquirrel wrote:Well, I crashed my Blade 400 this evening. I was practicing hovering nose in and it got away from me and "nosed in". It wasn't a particularly bad crash, only about 4ft off the ground. For those who are considering flying heli's, here is a run down of what I damaged in a minor crash and what it is going to cost to fix.
Main Blades - $12.99
Flybar - $3.99
Main shaft - $4.99
Tail boom - $6.99
Canopy mount rod - $2.49
Feathering shaft - $5.49
Servo gear set - $2.99
Canopy - $15.99
Pushrod set - $3.99
Ball link set - $3.99
Hardware set (screws and such) - $11.49
Total - $74.39
To be fair, several items come in multiple quantities even though I only need one (flybar, main shaft, feathering shaft, tail boom, etc) so I won't have to spend as much next time I bang it up. I don't have to fix the canopy. I nosed in and the battery tried to go through the front of the canopy cracking it a bit, but it is still serviceable. I'll get a 10% discount from the hobby shop since I bought the heli there.
Still, this should give you an idea of the expense involved. I haven't even included the hour and a half spent tearing down the whole helicopter get the bent parts out. Tomorrow after I pick up replacements, I'll have to put it back together and re-trim everything -- another two hours at least, probably three.
Lots of time and money... and LOTS of fun.
--SS
mattsteg wrote:Anything that eats time and money like that had better be fun
SecretSquirrel wrote:mattsteg wrote:Anything that eats time and money like that had better be fun
You mean like tinkering with computers?
--SS
SecretSquirrel wrote:mattsteg wrote:Anything that eats time and money like that had better be fun
You mean like tinkering with computers?
--SS
mattsteg wrote:There's a bit less breakage and repair involved there.
Usacomp2k3 wrote:Sure, but you generally have to either do something stupid or have really bad luck for those to happen. They don't break as part of the normal learning curve of learning to use a computer. Also, not a lot of need for $300 motherboards or $150 PSUs. Sure, you can throw money at things however much you want, but you do so because you choose to, not because an extremely high probability (inevitability?) forces you to.mattsteg wrote:There's a bit less breakage and repair involved there.
..but when said breakage occurs, it is generally more expensive. $300 mobo, $150 PSU, $200 CPU...
Angie1313 wrote:I'd start him the same way I did (and the same way I learned to fly for real) -- with a glider. You can get one with a 2 axis controller for not much money, and they tend not to crash very violently. There are some pretty good ones pre-built, of if he's into the whole balsa-and-glue thing there are some nice kits for beginners (more work, but you know how to fix them when you break something). You can get started just hand tossing it in a field or park area, getting it trimmed, learning how to reverse the rudder when it's coming towards you, etc. Then you can move on to either high-starts (using surgical tubing to catapult launch) or, if you have a ridge around with steady wind, he can ridge soar. From there you can move onto something with that spinning noisemaker on it. Many places have an RC club or a lose grouping of people centered on a hobby shop, and they tend to be very helpful with getting you up and flying.in all honestly, how much would it cost to get involved with something like this? My nephew is talking about getting into RC airplanes but I think the helicopters are much neater.
UberGerbil wrote:Yeah, definitely planes before helicopters (unless you're talking about those extremely limited indoor-only ultralight coax jobs). Yeah, I could get behind a slow powered a/c like that. Stuff like that wasn't available when I was kid, plus I really liked gliding (just like I always liked sailboats more than power boats).
Hance wrote:Sounds like you could soar it -- take it out on a parking lot on a hot day and find thermals to circle in. You could probably fly it all afternoon without using the engine beyond the initial climb.I have one of the Slo-V's and its a neat little plane. It will fly at not much more than walking speed and could be flown in a space the size of a baseball infield if the pilot was experienced. It is so light that it will act a lot like a glider does.
Yeah, that can happen on the real gear too. (Those links probably not for the white-knuckle fliers among us). Excessive control input above maneuvering speed tends not to end well.At the bottom point of a loop one day I heard the wing flutter then a crack and then watched the wing fold in half and the plane fall like a rock. The high load I put on the wing broke it.
Hance wrote:SecretSquirrel I just got done putting a replacement feathering shaft in my Blade 400 ( I used the TRex 450 V1 feathering shaft) make sure if you get them that you put a few extra shims in the head block when you put it back together. The shaft is to long but atleast they can be found at most hobby shops and will work with the extra shims. Now if the stupid wind would quit blowing I could go fly. I am going to try and get a video of me hovering and hopefully not crashing to post this weekend.
Hance wrote:Just so you are aware of it there are absolutely NO feathering shafts anywhere for the B400 so you are out of luck getting a replacement. It just so happens though that the Trex 450 feathering shafts will work as long as the are the V1 shafts. The V2's will not work they are to big around.
SecretSquirrel wrote:Hance wrote:Just so you are aware of it there are absolutely NO feathering shafts anywhere for the B400 so you are out of luck getting a replacement. It just so happens though that the Trex 450 feathering shafts will work as long as the are the V1 shafts. The V2's will not work they are to big around.
The hobby shop I go to to fly and hang out on the weekends has a whole bunch in stock, perhaps a dozen or more sets. Do I need to pick a few up for you and ship them your way?
*edit*
The place I go fly is Mike's Hobby Shop (http://www.mikeshobbyshop.com) in Carrollton, TX. Fun place on the weekends. The track cams available on the website are pretty cool too (http://www.mikeshobbyshop.com/camera/tclrg.htm).
--SS
Hance wrote:SecretSquirrel wrote:Hance wrote:Just so you are aware of it there are absolutely NO feathering shafts anywhere for the B400 so you are out of luck getting a replacement. It just so happens though that the Trex 450 feathering shafts will work as long as the are the V1 shafts. The V2's will not work they are to big around.
The hobby shop I go to to fly and hang out on the weekends has a whole bunch in stock, perhaps a dozen or more sets. Do I need to pick a few up for you and ship them your way?
*edit*
The place I go fly is Mike's Hobby Shop (http://www.mikeshobbyshop.com) in Carrollton, TX. Fun place on the weekends. The track cams available on the website are pretty cool too (http://www.mikeshobbyshop.com/camera/tclrg.htm).
--SS
I picked up a couple of packs of the TREX 450 featherings shafts and am flying on them. If I trash them all I will keep you in mind though thanks for the offer.
I picked up Real Flight G4 today. I figure a bunch of sim time will probably save me money in the long run versus repair costs from crashing. If I can avoid one crash like SS had that cost him 75 bucks I have paid for 1/3 of the price of the sim.
Looking for Knowledge wrote:When drunk.....
I want to have sex, but find I am more likely to be shot down than when I am sober.
Heiwashin wrote:I think i'll postpone jumping into this hobby for a while longer, maybe once i've paid off my car so in a good couple months.