Ralphw
Key Veteran
Location: Spring, TX
| I general, I agree with Greg. There are a couple of areas that I disagree with a little bit though (just a little  nothing major at all).
First, while I agree totally with the Gyro (and his warning about location..mine is mounted aft of the main mast on top of the frame), I would give serious consideration to a much lighter servo. I use, and I know a very large group of VE flyers use the Hitec HS 81 on the tail(MG or nylon gear...your choice). These are light weight and reasonably fast (.11 sec @ 4.8v). I've not tried the Digitals, so they may be good all the way around (again, I use Hitecs on the swash...this time the HS 85's). The VE tends to be tail heavy in stock trim so anything you can do limit the weight aft will be an improvement.
For batt's, Greg is right...go with 8 cells and I would also use the 3300 NiMH's. As he said, they'll work for the forseeable future and are a good starting point with a brushless.
On the pitch and throttle curves...for pitch, go with the manual. For throttle, use a curve that puts the motor at the high end of it's rpm range for all your flying. For example, I use 0-20-90-90-100 in Normal and a straight 90% on all points in Idle-Up 1 & 2. The normal mode is used to spool up the blades and I fly using Idle-Up 1 or 2 (depending on type of flying). The higher value will allow the motor to operate at it's most efficient levels, giving the most flight time for a given battery type.
As for TX and RX, take a look at the new 6102 from JR. This is the follow-up to the 662. It has 5 point curves and some additional features the 662 didn't. The 8103 is great (again it's what I use) and if you don't mind the extra bucks, it will serve you well for a LONG time. For the RX, the R700 is in both my helis and in my one plank.
One other consideration. When I bought my VE, I picked up a set of Carbon frames right from the start. Not for the "cool" value, but for the weight savings and strength. I still use them today and they have been through some serious crunches  . The Hitec servos fit right in and the weight savings will pay off with increased flight time.
The heli WILL fly on the stock motor if you keep it light and use 8 cells. Once you've worn a few sets of brushes, then start looking at the brushless option.
Ralph W.
"Life's Short, Fly Fast"
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