On the other hand, if you are already into radio controlled aircraft and have an aircraft radio, and an aircraft engine in the range that would fit a non-collective machine, this route may be desired to drastically reduce the start-up cost and to get you involved in the sport with less money. Once hooked however, you are bound to want to move up to a collective pitch machine. I am going to assume you are starting from scratch and will continue with the idea of starting with a collective pitch helicopter.
Unlike aircraft where there are specific trainer models geared solely for the first time kit, the differences between helicopters is more suttle with the major difference being size and precision. The larger and more precision a machine is, the better it will fly. These machines would make great training helicopters but they are usually alot more expensive, with high precision parts, and would be very costly to repair in the case of a crash. They are better suited toward competition and the experienced modeler where accidents are usually minimal.
Keep in mind, when learning to fly a helicopter you are bound to have a crash or two and parts are going to have to be replaced. Replacing parts on a precision machine could really run you a bill! A good place to start would be a machine designed for a .30 size engine, a stable flyer with collective pitch, and one with a good avialability of parts.
The Engine
The helicopter engine is similar to a 2-cycle aircraft glow engine except that it has a larger heat sink head for better cooling, and a carburettor with improved mid-range adjustment. When purchasing the helicopter engine, the muffler is not included. Usually the muffler comes with the helicopter kit. Different motors facilitate different starting methods. Some come with a pull start system for very simple starting. Others use a cone start where an electric starter is used in a manner similar to starting an aircraft. Still others use an electric starter and a belt for starting.
The Radio
As mentioned earlier in this introduction, a proper helicopter radio differs from a standard aircraft radio. There are certain functions that must be mixed electronically and these are found only in radios designed for this purpose. More and more often, one is able to find radio systems that have functions suitable to both aircraft and helicopters. If you think you may be involved in both aspects of the hobby, you may wish to choose one of these for your system.

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