Remote control helicopter xmas present?

[Quinn McCarthy]

Hi,

We are thinking about buying a RC helicopter for an "angel tree" kid but don't know where to start. The boy is 14. We don't know anybody that has one. So we googled it and found a ton of information almost too much to sort through. We are looking at spendng about $100. Found anything from 3-6 channels. Are helicopters with gyros better than not? Any brand better than another?

Thanks

Quinn

[Bryan Morgan]

Hi,

We are thinking about buying a RC helicopter for an "angel tree" kid but don't know where to start. The boy is 14. We don't know anybody that has one. So we googled it and found a ton of information almost too much to sort through. We are looking at spendng about $100. Found anything from 3-6 channels. Are helicopters with gyros better than not? Any brand better than another?

Thanks

Quinn

Definitely get one with at least one gyro. Coaxial is your best bet as they are easier to fly. 4 channel is good to start. Something like this http://www.hobbypeople.net/index.php/electric-rc-helicopters-1-heli/electric-helis/coaxial-helis/heli-max-novus-cx-2-4-nano-sized-coaxial-rtf-helicopter.html

Keep in mind most of these small electric helicopters are not so easy to fly outdoors, the wind just blows them away. It really depends if they are serious and want to learn or just want a toy. I've been flying these for awhile and I've heard it described as trying to balance a marble on the backside of a plate in the wind. :)

[John Coloccia]

Bryan's suggestion is a good one. Helicopters, especially small ones, can be very difficult to fly at first. A coaxial is orders of magnitude simpler and will give him a fighting chance of success. Also, anything in the $100 range is not going to have a collective pitch head. Beyond simply being fixed pitch (which people associate with sluggish up/down control, for lack of a better description), the CYCLIC does not control the main rotor blades either, giving an extremely sluggish cyclic response and also contributing to easily induced oscillations which can get very large, very quickly and are uncorrectable by the lagging and sluggish response. It can be quite frustrating to someone who's never done this before

A coaxial will practically hover itself and actually resembles an aircraft that has some semblance of stability....far more than with any other design.

[Dan Hintz]

They sell 4-channel, gyro-stabilized toy copters for around $40 on Amazon... they're essentially the same thing as what Bryan posted (numerous companies are selling them these days) without the extremely high price tag. These things practically fly themselves, and when you let go of the controls, they stay exactly where they are. Don't spend more than $60 on one.

[Kerry Adams]

Good Morning,

Brookstone has one that is 60.00 and it gets great reviews. How do I know this? My husband has it listed on his list!LOL A childhood dream I guess?

Kerry

[Myk Rian]

If a chopper turns out to be a bit much, how about an air-swimmer?
www.airswimmers.com

[John M Wilson]

Hi!

I have first-hand experience with these...

After a ton of research, and advice from my helicopter flying friends, I went with one of the least expensive versions.

It sounds counter-intuitive, but when you spend more, you are buying helicopters that are more life-like, and therefore harder to fly. Much harder. This can lead to intense buyer's remorse.

As it turns out, the less expensive models have a pair of counter-rotating blades, which eliminate the need for the tail rotor to counteract spin. And the ones that are gyro-stabilized will practically hover by themselves, which is a very tough maneuver with the more expensive varieties.

Amazon has the Symo S-107 for about $27, and the thing is amazing. I liked it so much, I bought another when the battery faded on the first one. Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/Syma-S107-S107G-Helicopter-Colors/dp/8499000606/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322409137&sr=8-1
(http://www.amazon.com/Syma-S107-S107G-Helicopter-Colors/dp/8499000606/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322409137&sr=8-1)This is a terrific first helicopter -- easy to learn, easy to fly, lots of replacement parts available on the web for cheap, etc.

One note on battery life: these things are on the ragged edge of having the highest-power, lowest-weight battery technology, and they need a little tender loving care to not kill the battery prematurely. Although it's tough to stifle the impulse to charge-fly-charge-fly as fast as you can, doing it this way will damage the battery in a matter of hours, and by the end of Christmas day, you will be getting flight times of less than 30 seconds, and the battery will be shot forever. Since they are not easily replaced (soldering is involved), you will have sad faces all around, not the joy you had intended to give.

To maximize your battery life, go slow: After you charge the copter, let the battery cool off for a few minutes before flying. After a round of flying (you can expect about 5 min of flight time) let the battery cool for a few minutes before charging. When the battery begins to fade while you are flying, resist the urge to drain every last second of flight time -- stop, let it cool, charge it up, and fly again on a cool battery. This should give you months of happy flying. The battery will eventually fade, and flight times will get shorter, no matter what you do, but taking your time will dramatically extend the life of the battery.

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

[Raymond Fries]

Last Christmas, I got a micro helicopter to fly indoors from this site. It has been a lot of fun. They have many to choose from.

http://www.xheli.com/

[Jamie Buxton]

What about those four- or six-rotor platforms? The rotors are all in one plane, and look more like ducted fans than regular helicopter blades. I see apps to control them from a smart phone. Are they easy to fly?

[Quinn McCarthy]

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions and info. We decided on a Syma 3.5 ch w/ gyro from Amazon. Hope he likes it.

Merry Christmas to All,
Quinn