How I Got Started

At this point I had no experience of model helicopters whatsoever but just knew I had to have one, as it happened I Heard about a guy who had a second-hand outfit for sale so after sweet-talking my lovely wife, cash exchanged hands and the deal was done.
I was now the proud owner of a Concept 30SR helicopter and a Field Force 7 computer radio.

I was very keen to get started so off I went to my local hobby shop Alans Model Shop for some starting equipment, fuel and other bits and pieces I was told I would need, it was at this point I realised that this was an expensive hobby. The helicopter and radio had cost me £370.00 and then I had spent about another £150.00 at the model shop then BMFA fees which I think was about £30.00 at the time so that was £550.00 and the helicopter hadn't even flown yet or at least not by me.
It was strange but I couldn't shut the guy up about the helicopter until I parted with my cash then he didn't want to know anymore and the same thing has happened to a couple of friends of mine.
It's a shame that people should be like this with newcomers as they need all the help they can get in the early days, thankfully not all experienced fliers are like this once they have got the money from a sale, most helicopter pilots are genuine, friendly and more than willing to help a newcomer to this challenging hobby.

As I was to find out learning to fly a model helicopter was anything but easy!
A fine Sunday arrived so down to the field I went and unpacked everything. The helicopter was fuelled up and checked and carried out to the flight-line. Now, I had been briefed on what to do on the early attempts so off I went. I started to increase the throttle and the model became light on the training gear and started to drift to the right so I put in left cyclic to correct the movement but nothing seemed to be happening so I put in a bit more which resulted in the helicopter tipping over smashing one blade and damaging the other and bending the flybar.
My first attempt had lasted less than five minutes and now the model was broken, I left the field feeling very disappointed at my pride and joy being smashed.
I was determined that I was going to learn to fly my helicopter so the replacement parts were obtained from the model shop on Monday afternoon after work and I spent the following week getting the new parts fitted and the model checked over ready for the next weekend.

When I got to the field there was another guy flying a helicopter so I watched him for a while before having my second attempt, as it happened I might as well have stayed at home as the same thing happened again on this time the helicopter was drifting forward and I got confused and tipped it over again. I was so disappointed again but at least this time I had been able to control the helicopter a little longer and had managed to more or less get it back in front of me after a sideways drift before the accident.
This was the second weekend the model was going home in bits and to be honest I had a lot of wreckage whilst learning to fly the model but I can still remeber the feeling and sense of achievement when I hovered the helicopter for the very first time, ok it only lasted a few seconds and wasn't very stable but it sure made up for all the disappointing earlier flights.
At last I was starting to get somewhere and I was doing it with little or no help from anyone.

I purchased everything I could find to help me learn more about model helicopters and how they worked, I got about four videos and a couple of books and these have proved invaluable over the years in helping me to learn to fly.
As I said that was about ten years ago and of course I can fly helicopters very well now, it has become second nature to me now as it will to all newcomers but you haven't got to be put off by crashes. A model helicopter is a very complex and challenging machine to master not helped by the fact that it simply does not want to fly in the first place let alone be controlled!

I would say to all beginners in the hobby stick at it and your patience and willing to learn will pay off, once you get that first hover under your belt there will be no turning back and you will be well and truly hooked just as I was.