Get Your First Heli Airborne!

So you've been flying fixed wing for years but have had your eye on one of those insane whirly birds. Or maybe you are a noob simply looking for advice on your first model helicopter. Whatever your level of experience is, this article is written for the hobbyist in his adventure of a first helicopter build. 

1) Choose your helicopter and electronics!
   This is by far the most important part of a build. With so many options, it can be very hard to chose which machine will suit you best. So below is a small list of machines for each skill level

   -Beginners with absolutely no experiece:
       Blade CX2 RTF or BNF
       Syma S107G RTF
       Blade Nano Qx RTF or BNF
       CX-10 micro quad

    -Intermediate, capable of flying a coaxial or micro quad:
        Blade Nano CPX RTF or BNF
        Blade 120SR RTF or BNF
        Blade MSR RTF or BNF

   -Learning 3D
        Blade 130x BNF
        Blade 180cfx BNF
        Blade Nano CPX RTF or BNF
        Trex 150 BTF
        Blade MCPX BL

   -First large machine
        Blade 300cfx or 300x BNF
        Blade 450x BNF
        Gaui X3 kit
        Trex or Tarot 450 kit

   If your chosen machine is a kit or requires any assembly then the rest of this article is for you. The next step once choosing your helicopter airframe is to chose your electronics. When choosing electronics it is key to purchase the best components you can afford. The reason for this is that a helicopter is a powerful machine swinging blades that can easily act as knives, and in the event of equipment failure, these machines can become very dangerous. So start right and start safe, choose a quality flybarless controller as it is the "brain" of a model helicopter and a quality one will make that first setup and first flight a thousand times easier. Also, use a quality (preferably digital) tail servo as it will also make flying much easier. The basics of an electronics include:

   -Motor
   -ESC and possibly BEC
   - x4 Servos (3 cyclic, 1 tail)
   -Flybarless controller (if doing a FBL helicopter)
   -Reciever
   -Blades (depends on manufacturer of kit, some kits include blades some do not) 
   -Battery

  For my build I used:

   -Gaui X3 basic kit
   -Scorpion 2520-1880kv 
   -Hobbywing 50A V3
   -x4 KST 215mg 
   -Robird G31
   -Orange RX 6Ch reciever
   -Zeal 350mm Main Blades
   -Pulse 1350mah 6s lipo 

2) Let's get the build going!
   When building a model helicopter it is key to have the correct tools and equipment for assembly. Improper tools will result in a less enjoyable build.

   Screw drivers and allen wrenches are needed when building a heli. For a 450 sized machine (i.e. Gaui X3) they are common in the size of 1.5mm, 2.0mm, and 2.5mm. Phillips head screw drivers in most sizes are also needed.

    Also very important are pliers, vice grips, and wire cutters.

   Tapes, Loctite, zipties, and grease! 
I personally like to use blue and red loctite, double sided foam tape, masking tape, and zipties for keeping things in place. And I use Triflow grease on many of the moving parts-like shafts.

    Begin building! When building something with so many little parts it is key to keep things organized and clean to prevent loss of small objects (i.e. screws, ah! I hate losing screws!). Tips for a build or even rebuild:

    -Keep things clean and well oragnized
    -Build over a towel or cloth, it will keep things from rolling away very easily
    -Use bowls, cups, and/or plates to store small objects like screws during the build
    -Know where your tools are!
    -Keep a magnet close at hand incase of a small metallic object falling to the floor

Here is my workstation before the build begins 

 3) The Build!
    It is time to begin to assemble your machine! This is where the fun begins! Whip out the instruction manual and begin to assemble your helicopter as the manual calls for. Follow each step carefully so as to not miss any important details.
   

    -The main frame
        Here is the main frame build and electrical wiring during the build

    -The Tail
        Unfortunately, I dont have any pictures of the tail becasue I got so carried away in the build that I forgot to take pictures of the tail. But, important to remember, the tail is what will keep your heli from flying correctly and safely. It is the do or die of a build. The tail has many moving parts so thoroughly read the instruction manual and pay attention to every detail.

    -The Rotor head
        The rotorhead is the part of the helicopter that the main blades are attached to and it is the part which controls the helicopters flying. Just like assembling the tail, follow the instruction manual closely. When assembling the head, carefully clean out the ends of your feathering spindle, grease is often inside from the manufacturer. Once the threads have been cleaned, carefully loctite the spindle screws into the spindle and assemble the head per instruction manual.

    4) Electronic Setup!
      The electronic setup is either a love it or hate thing for most builders. I am personally not a big fan of setting up the electronics, however; a heli is only as good as elctronics. The things required for during electronic setup are

     -FBL programming
     -ESC calibration
     -Servo centering
     -TX programming

    Due to the fact that there are so many amazing options for electronics, I will not elaborate on specific programming instructions as I cannot cover all of them in one article.

Programming my Robird G31 via the PC

I hope everyone that read this article enjoyed it and learned that heli building is really not as intimiddating as it looks. Any questions can be posted below and I will be happy to answer them. Any critiscim on this article would be appreciated as this my first attempt. 

Happy flying!

  -Nic
Team Mesa Rc Foam fighters Elite