If you want to buy a remote controlled helicopter, the first thing to do is find out what you want. There are basically two categories of remote controlled helicopter and each category has two main types.
The first choice is, do you want a battery or petrol powered helicopter and secondly, do you want to buy the helicopter pre-assembled (ready to fly) or do you want a kit? You could also think of size and cost.
Some of the small or mini battery remote controlled helicopters just cost around $30, so you are not taking a lot of risk by buying one sight-unseen.
However, larger petrol or nitro powered models are $1,000 and more, although there are lots of models in the $200 – $500 bracket. So, cost is an crucial factor in how you proceed.
You can buy a $30 Syma micro battery powered helicopter on the Web right away, but if you would like something more up market you will have to do some research first. As always, the first thing, if you are a beginner, is to learn something about the hobby before you go purchasing anything.
Get yourself a micro chopper and learn some of the skills of flying it. Read some magazines and join a few Internet forums. Go along to a club if there is one in your area or enquire at the local hobby shop whether they know other RC fliers in the vicinity.
They may have a couple of models in the shop that you can look at too, but do not spend hundreds of dollars until you are sure of what you like. As you are formulating in your mind a picture of the RC chopper you would like, note the prices that you see it being sold for.
Ignoring the cheap micro choppers, if you are buying your first ‘real’ RC helicopter for, say, $100, buy one that is crash-proof. Nothing is really damage proof, if something drops 30 feet out of the sky, something is going to break, so buy a radio controlled chopper that is stronger rather than beautiful, because, as a greenhorn, you will crash it.
Because you will crash it, be sure that there are spares readily available in your area or on the Internet. You will almost certainly have to replace the rotors, the skids and the canopy from time to time due to crashes. You might also need to replace the motor (or parts of it) and batteries, if you are using them.
Some companies provide, or sell separately, a flight simulation program for your computer. This is a good idea, because you can practice the more awkward manoeuvres without risking damage to your helicopter in a crash. This is one of the questions that you can pose on one of the forums – whether the flight simulator for your model is worth buying.
Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on a number of topics, but is now involved with the Gyro Helicopter S107. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Smart Toys for Kids.