If you would like to begin flying or even making radio controlled choppers, the best way to start is at the beginning and the beginning is with small electric, 7″-8″ long, battery-powered models. These models are very cheap compared to a year ago, when they cost $100-$120 each. Now you can purchase one for $20.
There is practically no assembly work with these small RC helicopters, although you may have to secure the rotors and insert the battery and a child could do that. However, you are not buying this model in order to learn assembly, you are purchasing it in order to learn flight control.
These small remote control helicopters normally have three channel-control, which gives you power more than flight in three vectors: up – down; left – right and forwards – backwards.
This sounds very simple, but you will crash your RC helicopter, because you do not know what you are doing and you are not into any routines. You have almost certainly not worked out how to judge distance and height either.
First, you will crash into things and make rough landings. Second, you will misjudge distances, height and flight time.
These latter are important because, your transmitter and receiver have a working distance of around 30 feet and if you model goes outside that range, you lose control over it – anything could occur!
In addition, the battery will power the chopper for around 5-7 minutes. If the chopper is 25 feet off the ground when the battery fails, you will have a serious crash on your hands.
Luckily, these little models are very sturdy with a metal frame, so you will almost certainly only lose a couple of rotors, which are not costly or difficult to replace. If you trash the whole thing, you have just lost $20, but what if your model cost $500 and you were only starting out? That would be a costly manner to learn flying RC helicopters, would it not?
These small model helicopters will put up with a lot of rough treatment, but you will require spares and these parts can be purchased. Parts are readily available and it is worth buying spare main and rear rotors as you purchase your model. This is doing you good.
If you decide to move up a degree after a while, you will realize how useful your practice with a small RC helicopter has been, even though you may just learn so much from these small helicopters. Larger models, say a six or eight foot model will have far more controls and require far more maintenance, so begin small and learn.
One thing that you will be able to do with your small model will be to use it for photographic purposes. Birds might entirely ignore them, so if you strap a small, lightweight contemporary video camera to it, you will be able to get special footage of local birds. You may even get able to sell aerial photographs of your neighbours’ gardens, with their permission, naturally.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a number of topics, but is now concerned with the Gyro Helicopter S107. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Smart Toys for Kids.