Electric RC helicopters -
a gateway drug!
Chad Burrington of Chad Douglas Studios, in Seattle, tells of his addiction to electric RC helicopters, particularly the T-Rex 450s...
The first one isn't really free but it's the closest you'll ever get to rational spending as your new addiction of RC helicopters spins out of control.
So many others have gone full throttle with the hobby and often relate similar accounts of "don't do what I did" experiences that, ashamedly, have yet to rival my story. But before you get the sense that this is just another whack at repentance from some bitter middle-aged hobbyist with preachy regret, I'll say it early and often..."electric RC helicopters rock!"
I just don't want to end up smoking it. Instead, this is my attempt to record the initial steps of my recovery....
Clearly number one is admitting you have a problem. When you once winced at 150 bucks on a co-axial indoor sub-micro, you now labor over which of your 9 T-Rex birds 'need' an upgrade most. And every upgrade or repair after chopper 5 was never under $300! No, I don't have 9 helicopters but yes, I have spent as much as $300 on a single modification. Oh wait..., I DO have 9 if you count my first and second models. That doesn't sound like denial, does it? Let's do a re-count...
Helicopter #1 was a whim. A stalled walk through the mall at a kiosk with an experienced salesman watching my eyes lock onto a fixed pitch machine in a box. I said 'why not?'
I bought it for 90 bucks. And it was either up or down, no turning, no control. PLUS a rip-off! The exact same helicopter sells between 30 and 40 bucks online or at any hobby shop. I should've known better, buying from a booth at the mall?? I know they pay a thousand a day to rent the space so of course the mark-up is criminal.
But, just wait, I get dumber... My son and I went to the nearest park and didn't burn through one battery before parts were hanging off the boom. I had to order new blades ($8) and new boom & tail($15), plus shipping was $7.50.
It now hangs like a relic in the garage, next to #2. Oh it still flies. You know, up or down and where the wind blows.
Then came the discovery of online choice at fair prices. Shipping was free over a $100. Ah ha! $168.00 no tax. Sold. I watched the video demo on YouTube over and over. That first delivery gave me the shakes. I was jacked. E-flight Blade CX RTF.
My initial research was complete with the idea that it doesn't make sense to get anything that's not 100% ready to go. Who the hell wants to fumble around with a jillion tiny screws for 8 hours building a bird that won't fly without another 7 hundred bills and 16 more hours??
I remember opening the box knowing I'd be charging the Li-Po and attaching the training gear for the first hour and changing out damaged blades in hour two. Anyway, RTF was a must. ARF meant "Ahhrrff!"! It ain't happening. "Almost Ready" just sounded stupid. What do you mean, 'almost'?! How do you sell something that almost works??
Today, that brown uniform on the dude in the UPS truck will always trigger the thought "Maybe I can compliment the Microheli tail control set with a Hyperion tail case and Duzi grips.... Hmm, I wonder what'll get delivered first? Did I even order the ceramic bearings?"...
Blame it on the CX. It started this whole crazy thing as it became quickly apparent that I'd need a small driver set to make adjustments and repairs, and I'd need it fast. Damn. I'll need a few other tools and gauges too! But this little dude was cool. It was stable, maneuverable and loads of fun. I still don't regret the choice. In fact, doesn't everybody start on the Blade CX?
Then I was looking up parts on the internet for the CX, saw the upgrades, browsed the 3D kits but stared hard at the RTF collective pitch models that cost little more than my Blade.
But it was mods for the micro first. Plunk. Down went 65 dollars on a gear assembly upgrade that lessened blade strike. Sounded smart. What else? It doesn't take a great hobby store salesman or even decent online marketing to sell this stuff. Dang..., it's shiny and got hex screws!
By the time I spent more on repairs and upgrades than its original price, I'd already committed to another helicopter. At that time 3D was so captivating in theory. The idea of rolls, loops and inverted flight just blew me away. I'm sooo getting me one of them!!
Here comes the same guy in the brown clothes carrying a box that I needed to sign for, on that stupid clipboard electronic magnet thingy. WTF? (I don't mean RTF). My signature always looked like gang graffiti on an Etch-A-Sketch. At any rate, helicopter #2 'The Eagle 50' had landed...
I just had to snatch up the training gear, zip tie and I was in the air... Not!
It's been said that flying a CP is like balancing a steel ball on a plate of glass. Hey I can DO that. It was blade set #6 before it hovered above my knees. Handling in the wind? Yeah right. Fart and it would pirouette into the living room wall. Even though the Eagle claimed to be indoor/outdoor, they meant gymnasium, not a 15' by 15' room with large innocent plants nearby. 'Outdoor in Seattle' should have been on the box as a disclaimer location. And I always have gas (my personal disclaimer).
The Eagle took some hard landings in the backyard and took some lengthy repair, but still parts were barely more than shipping & handling.
I got used to knowing which parts get the most attention which is why I stocked up a few at a time. It was becoming clear that flying an electric rc helicopter (CCPM) was anything but easy, so the Real Flight G3 simulator was next. You could put hours of stick time behind a computer screen and crash for free all day long. Can you imagine a time without sims? Jason Krause would have at least one prosthetic limb.
I'll tell you about the subsequent string of T-Rex 450's parked upstairs in the family room/studio, but first for no apparent reason the Eagle 50 is hanging on the shop bench peg board in the garage, next to the $90 (sells for 30) 2 channel FP (POS), and I'm just now realizing the subconscious purpose of that - it's a reminder of how NOT to get into the hobby. And I'm the sucker who paid good money for them. So I leave them hanging there as a grim warning to the townspeople.
Way too late for it to matter, I read an article about the foolishness of buying a real cheap CP chopper as a beginner pilot. An experienced pilot without seeing it first would say "200 bucks?... motorized tail?... I think not." Here's the thing, the Eagle flew (it still flies) like a hummingbird on crack. It even looked paranoid hovering.
But soon, the next stage came with a flick of impulse and flawed reasoning that, as I look back, was the pivotal point to getting where I am today. While still at pre-T-Rex status, I discovered a hobby store somewhat nearby the mall...
With the purpose (excuse) of taking my wife for some shopping before our weekend boat trip, I snuck into the store with intentions of more research, mod parts and questions for the "Heli guy" who was scheduled to work that day. Damn it. He was there. I didn't even toss it around for a minute and boom!, I had Align's T-Rex 450SE V2 in the box, in the car. Yes I was ARF. You heard me. A-R-F. OMG, what a bird!
Imagine the ultimate CF high performance machine next to a pile of scrap that made the AXE CP look like a Logo 500. It was a BIG jump up. And so I carefully assembled the V2 without knowing what ARF truly meant. What's next? A few electronic gizmos I guessed. Let's tally..., $500 for the 450SE kit combo plus, a week later, Rx/Tx, servos, gyro and Li-Po charger/balancer. An easy (choke) 800 bucks. So I'm into it 1300 so far. And strangely I'm ok. Just LOOK at this piece of art!...
The build was incredibly fun. After the flight ready adjustments and tuning, the Spektrum DX7 computerized transmitter took SERIOUS time to dial in but it lifted off just like in the movies - first try, stock. Oh boy I was hooked. It's since had a number of makeovers.
My T-Rex 450SE V2 specs...
AIRFRAME:
- Fiber glass V2 canopy
- Blades: 325 Hyperion CF with CanopyFX decals & holder
- Tail system: Microheli control set & slider/rotor grips
- Adjustable tail servo push rod(Microheli)
- Microheli boom support
- Bump resist skids(upgrade)
- Aluminum anti rotation(upgrade)
- Standard 450SE V2 head & grips with quality dampers
ELECTRONICS
- Motor: 430XL(Align) with Align heat sink
- ESC: Align 35A RCE-BL35X
- JR DS285 digital (3)servos(cycl)
- Futaba S9650 tail (1)servo
- Futaba GY401 gyro
- RX: Spektrum AR6100
- EVO 25 3S 11.1v 2170
Here's where it begins to get interesting. Given the building process was at least half the fun, why not build another? This time I'd go "smart". A 450XL CDE kit. $150 online. Wow, what a deal! And it was, until I packed on the servos, gyro, etc...
Although this helicopter came in at around $450 flight ready, I didn't need a Tx or battery/charger. That's the excuse of every subsequent purchase; the DX7 can be used for as many as 20 different models, including airplanes. Besides, I was afraid to risk the V2 so another justification for the XL was training at lower cost replacement parts.
It was also a joy to assemble. And it flies terrific!
Like the 450SE V2, my 450 XL CDE has also taken some leaps from the original kit - upgraded main gear, MicroHeli tail stabilizer set, new ESC, new metal control head, and the XL inherited the V2's original tail control set.
It's a great handling heli at reasonable upgraded cost. THIS bird won't get listed for sale anytime soon. It's my main flyer. No regrets.
Now on to the T-Rex "Extreme 450" as I call it.
There isn't one sub par part or component anywhere on it. It's loaded and then some. I wanted to build it using the best possible parts and electronics I could find. And I did...
It became, and continues to be, such an addicting challenge. God I love the hobby so much. Hobby's not even the right word. It's a lifestyle!
Alright, back to the healing...
One's too many and hundred's not enough. A couple more won't hurt, right? And so it went...
Each build was a different spin on the same idea, I was always learning more about how to build, tune and fly with each dollar. What used to take hours assembling a rotor head can now be done in minutes. The rest of the fleet came quick...
I was running out of room, staying up late, spending too much, obsessing and neglecting my wife and kids.
So where does it end? How do I find rehabilitation?
Again, accepting and understanding that you've got a problem is key. Then, because RC treatment centers don't yet exist, try embracing a few self-governing rules...
Limit your spending. Try to set goals and allowances. I'm trying to go 2 weeks without a chopper related purchase. Then a month, etc.
Limit your time. Choose the days or hours in the week that don't interfere with work and family. RC clubs usually meet weekly to assist a schedule, assuming you've joined a club.
Balance time spent building and upgrading with practice on the simulator and flights at the field. I was spending countless hours at the shop table and only a few minutes in the air each week. Being a great builder takes months. To be a great pilot takes years. This rule will really help you with the first two!
I titled this the "The Gateway Drug" for a couple reasons. Once you've been bitten you've got to scratch. The door opens to a whole new world of choices with each buy. Align has done something brilliant, they designed an "affordable" high end 450 and 600 while supplying an endless array of options and upgrades for each model.
Align isn't the very best RC helicopter but nobody comes close to parts availability and compatibility. It all leads to larger, more expensive doses of "what's new".
Rumour has it that the new 500 is done and could hit the market hard in the coming weeks before Christmas. For those of us who are a little intimidated by the size and price of the 600, Align, Jason Krause and the rest of the big names on the team are giving us heli-hacks the perfect compromise.
The 500 uses the same batteries as the 450. It's bigger but not huge. Parts will be plentiful you can be sure, and upgrades will slam the market soon after its release. It is for these reasons Align really is the kingpin of RC helicopters today, in my opinion.
I'm sure the 90 is on the table, the Twin Rex already test flying, etc. European designers like Mikado will always be leading the pack in overall superior construction and performance, but good luck finding a good source for replacement parts!
It's the reason Align has become my drug of choice and the gateway to the greatest hobby on earth.
As you work towards recovery, all you can really do is accept that you're an addict, and pray that there's a new Align 500 kit crammed in your stocking this Christmas.
My birthday is late January. I figure upgrades and a slew of parts will be posted on T-Rex-parts.com by then. Helihobby.com and GrandRC.com also carry huge inventory. HeliDirect.com, AlleRC.com, Amainhobbies.com, DeeTeeEnterprises.com..., and so many others - all with my credit card on file!
Chad Burrington
Seattle, WA
Chad[at]ChadDouglasStudios[dot]com
www.chaddouglasstudios.com
