Hi jmsihy,
Yes RC helis were a small community, i know the model type you are speaking about, i once built an X-cell gasser for a friend & test flew it for him too, I was fortunate that many liked to fly in the club i was in but didn't really enjoy building & setup ( can be a bit intimidating in build & TX setup modes) which i adored to do freely( lucky me!) Nice model but being heavier then a 2stroke eng model i realized it would probably do autos a lot more realistic to a real helicopter then the lighter 3D 60s & 90s were. I used my Real Flight simulator several times before i flew it to get that feel ya know we need & did an auto so he would know its all setup on the transmitter. Man i enjoyed that model no mess to cleanup afterwards and BIG.
Sorry to hear about that ist flight disaster, that is serious disappointment and expensive. Texas is known well for its heli flyins, my area sadly not much going on here & now everything has gone all electric now anyway and why i left the hobby i liked gas models 10 fold more.........Anyway nice to share a common past time of memories. I hope you have many yrs. of happy reefing, im loving it & honestly its easier to share with others also!