Tips for a rookie collective pitch pilot?

[Whiskers]

So I'll make this short. Wanted to get into rc flight (I've done land rc for a long time) and picked up a coaxial heli, 4 channel. After that, I got a Gamma 370 plane. The coax got crashed by a friend and killed it. That's another story.

Anyways, I love flying the plane and wanted another heli, but I didn't want another coax. So the logical next step would've been a single blade fixed pitch. Well, I skipped that. And I know I shouldn't have, but I was unsure as to whether I'd be able to afford a new one anytime in the near future if I got bored with the fixed pitch. So I got a Blade mCP x. I've flown it 3 times, the first 2 of which resulted in breaking stuff. Third flight was better. I took my time, put it on low rates, and moved the sticks very gently. Had a good few minutes of just hovering around.

My question to you is, do you have any good tips for a CP newbie? Any help is greatly appreciated.

(Side note: I have a few large open fields near my house to practice. So far though I've only flown it in my confined driveway.)

[Turner]

Check out RADD'S SCHOOL OF ROTARY FLIGHT

After discovering Radd's I decided to skip coax and fixed pitch and went right to CCPM. Couldn't have had much success without the RADD's approach. I went with a Blade SR and though it has features designed especially for a beginner its tail is driven directly by a small motor. This motor has a short life span and some other irritating characteristics. Otherwise I really like the whole package.

I'll be moving to a 450 size next for a slightly larger size and variable pitch tail.

I think the most important thing for a beginner is to get a flight simulator. You can really make a lot of progress getting your brain wired for cyclic/collective rotary flight without destroying lots of hardware.

[newjak]

+1 on Radd's flight school and the sim. I highly recommend Phoenix flight simulator. It is extremely accurate for helis. It also has free upgrades. I would also recommend against flying in confined spaces. Give yourself plenty of room to fly freely. Helis can do a lot of damage. Even a 250 can slice flesh pretty easilly.

[Heli Jim]

I also agree with Radd's

Don't be in a big hurry to actually "fly around"

You have to be able to control the heli and that means lots
of hover practice. This is a nice heli you have but being
such a small one, adds a little to the learning curve.

[zeta30]

Trying to learn to fly a CP heli in a closed space is not the best option. I did it that route with a 450 sized heli and it was a very long process. The first time I took it to the park I was amazed on how much more relaxed I was because I wasn't worried about hitting a tree or a planter etc.

That said the mCPX is an excellent heli for your first one. There are a few tips I can give you. First the Throttle Hold is your friend. If you are about to crash the sooner you hit the TH the better chance you will minimize your damage. I've had some really hard crashes but since I was able to hit the TH before it hit the ground all I did was pick it up and start flying again.

Fly over grass. Grass makes a much softer surface to crash on and will also reduce the amount of damage to your heli.

As others have said don't be in a rush to start flying circuits, you need to learn the basics, meaning hovering in all orientations before you do this.

I also agree with the rest where a simulator is a great tool if used right. You need to fly the sim like you would fly your heli, don't treat it like a game. If money is tight look in the classified section for used ones, you can quite frequently pick up a used one for a great savings.