Cheapie helicopters

[dlminehart]

I've noticed a lot of little remote-controlled helicopters for sale this Xmas, $30-$50. Anyone tried any of these? Any that are worth the money? How about those cheap remote-controlled airplanes that HF sells?

[MBG]

I've noticed a lot of little remote-controlled helicopters for sale this Xmas, $30-$50. Anyone tried any of these? Any that are worth the money? How about those cheap remote-controlled airplanes that HF sells?

My olders son bought one "air-hog" for $15. It takes 15-20 to charge, 5-min flight, and around 10 min cool down. Gets boering since it only goes up/down and spins around i.e. no control to go forward/backward.

[iceman61]

My olders son bought one "air-hog" for $15. It takes 15-20 to charge, 5-min flight, and around 10 min cool down. Gets boering since it only goes up/down and spins around i.e. no control to go forward/backward.

Thanks for the info. I was going to buy my son one of these. I guess since they don't really go anywhere but up & down, I'll look into something else.

[crokett]

A couple of the guys here at work have Air Hog-type ones that do go forward and back. They park them on the ceiling fan then dive bomb the cat/dog. So if you have pets it can be fun.

[paulstenlund]

My LOML got me an air hog a couple of Chrismas's ago. Mine recharged pretty quickly, (<5-10min) and you can steer it. You bring it to a hover then use the throttle (torque) to turn it in the direction you want to go and give'r H*ll. Pretty tough little guy survived fences, blacktop, trees etc. And it floats DAMHIKT - Gave it to the grand kids after a while they still use it once in a while. The pet thing is truly where it shines.

Paul

[LCHIEN]

I asked about them a month or two ago.

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread...ght=helicopter

[Knottscott]

My 12YO is getting an inexpensive Airhog Spinmaster "Havoc" for Christmas....it's supposed to be full function, but I"ll let you know sometime in early January!

[lrogers]

I bought the Havoc and was VERY disappointed. Of course, I'm used to flying the much more expensive ones. The Havoc lasted about four battery charges and the motor went south and would no longer spool up fast enough to lift off. The "thrusters" on the side are momnetary on/off so they don't offer as much control as you would expect.

A friend got me a cheapy Apache co-axial as an early Christmas present. It's very heavy, and the controls were reversed, but once I did the "surgury" on the transmitter and got the controls set like "real r/c helicopters" it was a blast. I brought it to work, landed on the conference table, blew papers all over the place and chased a co-worker back into his office! I was able to do slow circuits and figure 8's. Yes, this one was actually controllable! Much more so than the Havoc and not too much more money.

I guess I just expect too much from these little ones. For someone that just wants to play, they can be fun, just don't expect them to fly like they do in the TV ads.

Now a word of warning! If you do enjoy one of these little ones and decide to go bigger, your shop time and tool budget will take a serious hit! Most of your projects will revolve around projects for the helos. The LOYL will growl everytime she walks by one of "babies" and everytime time you drive by an open field you will be checking it out as a potenial flying site!

[ironhat]

I just knew that you would chime in on this one, Larry, and I was anxious to get your slant. BTW, have done any more R&D on your 'chopper crib' for use in SUVs, vans, etc? Inquiring minds...

[lrogers]

Hey Iron Hat!
Actually, I have and right now a buddy and I are working on a design for a small, light weight utility trailer for hauling the birds around. My friend is looking for a "retirement job" that will keep him out of trouble and he's considering custom built trailers. I've helped him build a couple and he builds NICE stuff. Mine will be the prototype and advertizing medium.

We'll be getting started on it after the first of the year, so stay tuned!

As for the rack I built, it has been working out really well and allows me to safely transport the helos and the support gear. I've got to figure a way to modify it so I can haul a Sea King model (getting one for Christmas) that has wheels instead of skids.

[germdoc]

I hate to ask this, with my history of "addictions" (woodworking, plane collecting, guitars, Apple computers, etc.), but if one wanted to get into RC helicopters in a small way, what would be a good place to start? I.e., can you suggest a starter copter?

[leehljp]

I hate to ask this, with my history of "addictions" (woodworking, plane collecting, guitars, Apple computers, etc.), but if one wanted to get into RC helicopters in a small way, what would be a good place to start? I.e., can you suggest a starter copter?

You would want a collective pitch if you want good control.

I usually by from Hobby Lobby INC outside of Nashville TN.

Three lower end priced ones are:
1. http://www.hobby-lobby.com/honeybeeking2.htm
2. http://www.hobby-lobby.com/falcon.htm
3. http://www.hobby-lobby.com/honeybee3.htm

The last one, I would personally stay away from because I am not sure the way it is worded, if it is a CP (Collective Pitch) model. If someone knows for sure that it is, then it would be the cheapest and a good one to start with.

Something else to be aware of: Helicopters are not the same as RC cars or planes for that matter. It takes considerable control and patience to gain the experience to operate a CP helicopter. Not something for a beginner without patience. There are beginner sets that include "ping pong" balls on the skids for help in stabilizing the take off and landing.

Another thing is that the larger it is, the easier it is to control. Unfortunately, the larger the helo, the more it costs and often the more difficult it is to set up (trim out) for a beginner.

The bottom line is that considerable experience with a radio hand set greatly benefits the transition to CP helos.

[dkerfoot]

http://www.buy.com/prod/Mini-R-C-Hel...206461221.html

I just bought a 2nd one. Obviously just a toy, but it is so lightweight that it is very crashable - in a good way. You can fly them indoors and not worry about hurting stuff. They are also surprisingly good at sustaining repeated crashes without damage. You need to take a little time setting the trim and then it is fairly controllable.

Lotta fun for $16

[lrogers]

The best way to get started in r/c helicopters is NOT by buying a helicopter! Your money is MUCH better spent buying one of the current generation simulators. The flight dynamics are very realistic and learning to hover is MUCH cheaper!!!! My first afternoon with the sim, I destroyed about $8,000 worth of helos! I was just about to think helos weren't for me when it "clicked" and I was able to "not crash" (notice I didn't say fly) for a full fuel load. After that it was just practice. When the time came for my first flight with a real model, I was nervous, but handled it well. The good thing about the sim, if you decide helos aren't for you, you can put the sim up on ebay and get a good portion of your purchase price back.

If, you make it through sim training and decide you want to fly helos, by all means get a collective pitch machine like Hank suggested. If you have some local help, check www.pilotlocator.net or your local hobby shop, the Century Hawk Pro is a good, inexpensive (realitive term) helo. The problem is that the manual is lacking, especially in the set-up area. www.centuryheli.com has some nice combos for this bird. www.heliproz.com also has very nice combos. For a 30-50 size machine, you can bank on spending between $1,000-$1,800 for helo, radio, gyro and support gear.

The smaller 400 class electric helos fly nice, but are a lot twitchier than their larger cousins. Cost wise, by the time you add a couple of battery packs, you are getting to the lower end of the 30-50 class nitro birds. On the plus side, they are quiet, need less space, are fairly cheap to repair and leave no oil residue. E-flight has a new helo coming out called the Blade 400 that looks interesting and comes complete for a bit under $400. I haven't seen one fly yet, but it is causing a bit of a stir locally.

That's a quick overview, if you (or any of the rest of you) have specific questions, or just want to chat about them, drop me an e-mail or PM. I love my helos and will talk about them all day! Also, I have a new project about to start (soon as Santa gets here), a scale Sea King. It's either going to be done up as Marine One (president's helo) or a USCG bird.