Radio controlled Helicopter simulator??
13 December 2002, 08:35 PM
#1
Hi all
After some hard worked overtime I fancy treating myself to an R/C helicopter, I remember seeing a simulator (for training) for the PC. Does anyone know of one, or can reccommend one? I'm sure they are available so you can plug the radio controller to the PC and fly as you would.
Also any advice on buying or from where would be welcome.
I'm currently gonna be getting one from Model World, getting an entry level petrol one it's a Hawk 4 Sport, £179.99 for kit, £499.99 with all you need.
James
After some hard worked overtime I fancy treating myself to an R/C helicopter, I remember seeing a simulator (for training) for the PC. Does anyone know of one, or can reccommend one? I'm sure they are available so you can plug the radio controller to the PC and fly as you would.
Also any advice on buying or from where would be welcome.
I'm currently gonna be getting one from Model World, getting an entry level petrol one it's a Hawk 4 Sport, £179.99 for kit, £499.99 with all you need.
James
13 December 2002, 09:02 PM
#2
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my dad has this trainer for his planes, but i think it has helis also - you just load in the type of aircraft.
if it does helis i can liberate you a copy.
i'll ask him tommorow which software he has.
word of warning - i had a go on the s/ware with a trainer aircrft loaded. absolute doddle. then had a go with the real thing (my dads pride&joy) - tricky to say the least. i imagine helicopters are even harder.
norman namedropper mode: steve mcdonald from corrie has just joined my dads club i think he flies a heli.
if it does helis i can liberate you a copy.
i'll ask him tommorow which software he has.
word of warning - i had a go on the s/ware with a trainer aircrft loaded. absolute doddle. then had a go with the real thing (my dads pride&joy) - tricky to say the least. i imagine helicopters are even harder.
norman namedropper mode: steve mcdonald from corrie has just joined my dads club i think he flies a heli.
14 December 2002, 01:52 PM
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Do you fancy buying my radio gear off me?
My heli has been sat on the shelf here now, looking rather sorry for it's self after it's last fight with the tarmac (tarmac won
)
was £200 notes new.
can take pics if you like
Andy
My heli has been sat on the shelf here now, looking rather sorry for it's self after it's last fight with the tarmac (tarmac won
)was £200 notes new.
can take pics if you like
Andy
14 December 2002, 06:19 PM
#5
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There are a number of flight sims out there, I use CSM Version10 which is about £70 complete with lead to connect to your transmitter (brought from Midland Helicopters at www.modelhelicopters.co.uk )
Graphics are not that good but its very realistic in operation, you can dial in settings that match your own heli.
If it helps you to fly and saves you from a crash its more than paid for itself.
hope this helps
Graphics are not that good but its very realistic in operation, you can dial in settings that match your own heli.
If it helps you to fly and saves you from a crash its more than paid for itself.
hope this helps
14 December 2002, 07:02 PM
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RC helicopters are very hard to fly. Have you thought about being taught properly? The instructor will have dual controls so can take over when you mess it up.
14 December 2002, 07:49 PM
#7
just got in from work, thanks for the replys guys.
Andy, not sure about radio gear, i was gonna buy a deal so I'd be getting it reasonably priced anyway I think, that is unless it's a too good to miss bargain mate?
mark_h, instructor?, boring, that sounds like the sensible thing to do
Any comments on what to get?, I originally was only getting one of these indoor electric ones (£250 all in) and now I'm getting a petrol begginer reccomended one (£499 all in).
James
edited coz I put £25 instead of £250
[Edited by jameswrx - 12/21/2002 11:21:46 AM]
Andy, not sure about radio gear, i was gonna buy a deal so I'd be getting it reasonably priced anyway I think, that is unless it's a too good to miss bargain mate?
mark_h, instructor?, boring, that sounds like the sensible thing to do
Any comments on what to get?, I originally was only getting one of these indoor electric ones (£250 all in) and now I'm getting a petrol begginer reccomended one (£499 all in).
James
edited coz I put £25 instead of £250
[Edited by jameswrx - 12/21/2002 11:21:46 AM]
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15 December 2002, 12:13 AM
#8
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James,
I have got one of these simulators for the pc. I live in Aylesford and if you wish you can borrow it. I also have an indoor one as well that needs a bit of tlc to get it working again. However if you like you can borrow them both and return them to me when you have finished with them.They are a great way of learning to fly without spending millions on repairs (and believe me you will).
Give me a call on 07802 388087 if you are interested.
jason
I have got one of these simulators for the pc. I live in Aylesford and if you wish you can borrow it. I also have an indoor one as well that needs a bit of tlc to get it working again. However if you like you can borrow them both and return them to me when you have finished with them.They are a great way of learning to fly without spending millions on repairs (and believe me you will).
Give me a call on 07802 388087 if you are interested.
jason
16 December 2002, 01:16 PM
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James,
I've been flying radio controlled aircraft and helicopters for the last 10 years or so.
The best suggestion I can give you is to join a local flying club. Most clubs are affiliated with the BMFA, who will give you insurance cover (in case you hit someone/something). Also, some clubs offer the ability to use training equipment free of charge for a couple of goes - so you can see if you will get on with it. This is very handy, as the simulator can't really prepare you for the trouser-filling moments you are likely to experience when you first fly 'for real'!
The BMFA site gives details of the local clubs.
The idea of an instructor being 'boring' is soon forgotten when you have a helicopter aiming at you at full speed! The typical rotor speed of a 30-size helicopter is in excess of 200MPH - a 60-size heli can generate blade-tip speeds of over 600MPH. Trust me - you do not want one of these things to be out of control any where near you. I remember one case where a heli crashed while at full speed - the blade came off, went through both front doors (and airbags) of a Volvo estate, and embeded itself 3ft into the dirt on the other side of the car.
That reminds me of another thing. No matter how high the temptation, DO NOT 'have a go' in your garden (unless your garden happens to be one of these private airstrips everyone on here seems to have ). For a start, the amount of space needed to get one of these things under control once it has gone off on its own is phenominal. Secondly, you will not be insured if you happen to hit anything/anyone with it.
Other than these points, it really is good fun! If you thought maintaining a Scooby was expensive, wait until you get into 60-sized helis! The main blades for these things can cost in excess of £200 a pair, with the whole heli coming in at over £2000 for the top-level beasts. Trust me, you do not want to break one of these very often!
Daniel
[Edited as I had typed it to the wrong person]
[Edited by ScoobyDan - 12/17/2002 9:03:18 AM]
I've been flying radio controlled aircraft and helicopters for the last 10 years or so.
The best suggestion I can give you is to join a local flying club. Most clubs are affiliated with the BMFA, who will give you insurance cover (in case you hit someone/something). Also, some clubs offer the ability to use training equipment free of charge for a couple of goes - so you can see if you will get on with it. This is very handy, as the simulator can't really prepare you for the trouser-filling moments you are likely to experience when you first fly 'for real'!
The BMFA site gives details of the local clubs.The idea of an instructor being 'boring' is soon forgotten when you have a helicopter aiming at you at full speed! The typical rotor speed of a 30-size helicopter is in excess of 200MPH - a 60-size heli can generate blade-tip speeds of over 600MPH. Trust me - you do not want one of these things to be out of control any where near you. I remember one case where a heli crashed while at full speed - the blade came off, went through both front doors (and airbags) of a Volvo estate, and embeded itself 3ft into the dirt on the other side of the car
.That reminds me of another thing. No matter how high the temptation, DO NOT 'have a go' in your garden (unless your garden happens to be one of these private airstrips everyone on here seems to have
). For a start, the amount of space needed to get one of these things under control once it has gone off on its own is phenominal. Secondly, you will not be insured if you happen to hit anything/anyone with it.Other than these points, it really is good fun! If you thought maintaining a Scooby was expensive, wait until you get into 60-sized helis! The main blades for these things can cost in excess of £200 a pair, with the whole heli coming in at over £2000 for the top-level beasts. Trust me, you do not want to break one of these very often!
Daniel
[Edited as I had typed it to the wrong person
][Edited by ScoobyDan - 12/17/2002 9:03:18 AM]
16 December 2002, 01:22 PM
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Oh yeah - in answer to the original question - the simulator is used was Tru-Flite. The graphics are nice and the flight models are very realistic.
I no longer fly models (baby on the way means reduced finances for play-time), so if you want my copy of Tru-Flite, with the dongle for connecting your transmitter to the PC let me know. I'm sure we could do an exchange for a few beer tokens
Daniel
- the simulator is used was Tru-Flite. The graphics are nice and the flight models are very realistic.I no longer fly models (baby on the way means reduced finances for play-time
), so if you want my copy of Tru-Flite, with the dongle for connecting your transmitter to the PC let me know. I'm sure we could do an exchange for a few beer tokens Daniel
16 December 2002, 02:25 PM
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I too have been flying planes and helis for almost 10 years - you can try a free simulator here: http://www.hillcraft.co.za/fms.htm to see how you get on before parting with the pennies...
21 December 2002, 02:45 PM
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In case anyone's interested, I've got a complete trainer plane with a 6-channel radio and accessories for sale. I bought it on a whim and have no idea how to fly it. Paid £350
21 December 2002, 02:46 PM
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How bizarre. In the last 10 seconds I received an email from a company called rcsimulations.com - haven't heard from them in months :O Spooky.
Anyway, here's the blurb:
Christmas Info from www.rcsimulations.com
LAST MINUTE FLIGHT SIM CHRISTMAS PRESENTS!
Unfortuantly, we cannot guarantee delivery of any items sent on Monday December 23rd for Christmas (although you may be very lucky if the couriers/post office get their act together). The next working day is Friday 27th December 2002. Items despatched by courier (Parcelforce, Business Post or ANC) on/or before Friday 20th December, should arrive in time. Royal mail items sent on/before Tuesday 17th December should also arrive in time.
If you are unlucky and need to track a pre-Christmas parcel that hasn't come, please call us on 0117 9715000 as soon as possible on Monday 23rd December. All queries need to be in at the very latest by Monday 23rd @ 12 noon to give them a chance to sort them out. The quicker those are dealt with the better as we don't want anyone disappointed!
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY DATES
RC Simulations will be closed all day Christmas Eve on Tuesday 24th December, right through until we re-open on Thursday 2nd January 2003. During this time, the office will be closed and emails/phonecalls will not be answered. Also, new online orders will not be acknowledged during this time and we will deal with them when we return. Please do not send returns back over Christmas as there won't be anyone here to sign for them or take them in.
CHRISTMAS TECHNICAL SUPPORT
If you need technical support, the manufacturers websites or flight sim enthusiasts websites are usually very good and should answer your questions. However, if you're really not getting anywhere (and it's even worse when it's a wanted for Christmas present!), Bob will be back on the 2nd January, so give him a ring then on 0117 9715000.
We'd like to wish all our customers, new, old and future, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We thank everyone for their support and kind words over the years!
Best Wishes,
Bob, Carol, Mary, Joan & The Dogs!
[Edited by jlanng - 12/21/2002 2:47:31 PM]
Anyway, here's the blurb:
Christmas Info from www.rcsimulations.com
LAST MINUTE FLIGHT SIM CHRISTMAS PRESENTS!
Unfortuantly, we cannot guarantee delivery of any items sent on Monday December 23rd for Christmas (although you may be very lucky if the couriers/post office get their act together). The next working day is Friday 27th December 2002. Items despatched by courier (Parcelforce, Business Post or ANC) on/or before Friday 20th December, should arrive in time. Royal mail items sent on/before Tuesday 17th December should also arrive in time.
If you are unlucky and need to track a pre-Christmas parcel that hasn't come, please call us on 0117 9715000 as soon as possible on Monday 23rd December. All queries need to be in at the very latest by Monday 23rd @ 12 noon to give them a chance to sort them out. The quicker those are dealt with the better as we don't want anyone disappointed!
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY DATES
RC Simulations will be closed all day Christmas Eve on Tuesday 24th December, right through until we re-open on Thursday 2nd January 2003. During this time, the office will be closed and emails/phonecalls will not be answered. Also, new online orders will not be acknowledged during this time and we will deal with them when we return. Please do not send returns back over Christmas as there won't be anyone here to sign for them or take them in.
CHRISTMAS TECHNICAL SUPPORT
If you need technical support, the manufacturers websites or flight sim enthusiasts websites are usually very good and should answer your questions. However, if you're really not getting anywhere (and it's even worse when it's a wanted for Christmas present!), Bob will be back on the 2nd January, so give him a ring then on 0117 9715000.
We'd like to wish all our customers, new, old and future, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We thank everyone for their support and kind words over the years!
Best Wishes,
Bob, Carol, Mary, Joan & The Dogs!
[Edited by jlanng - 12/21/2002 2:47:31 PM]
21 December 2002, 10:31 PM
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Anyone know about RC gliders?
Saw a guy flying one on the South coast this summer - watched it for ages, it was so peaceful. Thought I might get one. Probably not as easy to fly as it looked though.
Where can you get them and how much would a reasonable entry-level one cost?
Saw a guy flying one on the South coast this summer - watched it for ages, it was so peaceful. Thought I might get one. Probably not as easy to fly as it looked though.
Where can you get them and how much would a reasonable entry-level one cost?
23 December 2002, 09:18 AM
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I have an electric glider (cheating a bit) which I sometimes use for aerial photography - SO many options available to you. Try here for starters... http://www.silentflightonline.com
23 December 2002, 12:44 PM
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start electric, much cheaper, and easier,
most people who play around with these hings give up.
they taker a lot fo time and effort, asnd are seriously scary once you get them out of the ground effect zone.
The indoor electric ones are supposedly much more stable than they used to be.
Much less dangerous and probably as much fun.
I only ever flew 30 size. Took me about a year to get to any decent standard and once I realised how much time and money it was costing me and the inconvenience of having problems flying on windy days, I thought it best to give it up, and stick to either indoor electric or just two dimensional cars!
most people who play around with these hings give up.
they taker a lot fo time and effort, asnd are seriously scary once you get them out of the ground effect zone.
The indoor electric ones are supposedly much more stable than they used to be.
Much less dangerous and probably as much fun.
I only ever flew 30 size. Took me about a year to get to any decent standard and once I realised how much time and money it was costing me and the inconvenience of having problems flying on windy days, I thought it best to give it up, and stick to either indoor electric or just two dimensional cars!
23 December 2002, 01:08 PM
#25
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anyone interested in my heli for sale see this :
http://www.scoobynet.co.uk/bbs/threa...hreadID=161404
James wrx will of course have first refusal
Cheers
Andy
http://www.scoobynet.co.uk/bbs/threa...hreadID=161404
James wrx will of course have first refusal
Cheers
Andy
23 December 2002, 03:12 PM
#26
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Once you master flying them, try strapping rockets to them and having a bit of air to air combat, you are welcome to pit your skills against us, see:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/dan.the...cketvideos.htm
anyway I reckon you should start with petrol, if you don't then you will always wish you had, elecric are loads slower and flights are usually under 10 mins.
I took the plunge on my 1st petrol plane a few years ago, borrowed a simulator for a couple of nights then went down the local fields and was away no problems, they say it cant be done but it can, and now we buddy other guys and have moved onto aerobatics and real dogfighting but the local MOD dissapprove slightly so we keep a low profile.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/dan.the...cketvideos.htm
anyway I reckon you should start with petrol, if you don't then you will always wish you had, elecric are loads slower and flights are usually under 10 mins.
I took the plunge on my 1st petrol plane a few years ago, borrowed a simulator for a couple of nights then went down the local fields and was away no problems, they say it cant be done but it can, and now we buddy other guys and have moved onto aerobatics and real dogfighting but the local MOD dissapprove slightly so we keep a low profile.
29 December 2002, 11:03 AM
#27
Thanks for all the help/advice people.
Ok I decided to go for petrol.
I'd like to see someone have this thing from the box ready to fly in 3 1/2 hours like it said on the box.
This is how it looks now, prob be posting the crash damage soon
Just gonna take it to the model shop for a check over and probably adjustment
The thing that puzzled me the most now are the digi controllers, last one I had was a futaba attack gold bout 12 years ago and it was a bit old then. Technology these days...
James
Ok I decided to go for petrol.
I'd like to see someone have this thing from the box ready to fly in 3 1/2 hours like it said on the box.
This is how it looks now, prob be posting the crash damage soon
Just gonna take it to the model shop for a check over and probably adjustment
The thing that puzzled me the most now are the digi controllers, last one I had was a futaba attack gold bout 12 years ago and it was a bit old then. Technology these days...
James
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