Forum Home
PC World Chat
Thread ID: 128476	2012-12-22 07:21:00	Remote Control Helicopters	Strommer (42)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1319769	2012-12-22 07:21:00	From $30 to $100+, there are many remote control helicopters on sale these days. I have always wondered if one crash would render them useless? Any suggestions on what to get and if they are in fact worthwhile?	Strommer (42)
1319770	2012-12-22 07:56:00	Some don't need even one crash. They are useless straight out of the box. Others are amazing value. The more they spend on advertising the less they spend on the product, but it is about as easy to pick the good ones if you are new as it is to choose your fish in advance on your first fishing trip. If that sounds a bit tricky, you are getting the idea. The WL Toys Beetle quadcopter is pretty good value for a novice - simple to fly on the basic settings but capable of being stroppy and aerobatic on the advanced settings. Fairly rugged and small - light enough to avoid damage to itself or the surroundings when crashed. I haven't seen them for sale locally, but ebay has heaps of sellers.	R2x1 (4628)
1319771	2012-12-22 07:59:00	Husband got a cheap one last year, still goes, batteries run down in 10 minutes. Also hard to control. But hey, for $30 it's done well.	pctek (84)
1319772	2012-12-24 03:29:00	R2x1, pctek - thanks for the info. I do realize that the flying time is quite limited due to battery drain. The other problem is the radio control range of flight - too far and crash! Does anyone else have experience with remote toy helecopters?	Strommer (42)
1319773	2012-12-24 03:38:00	R2x1, pctek - thanks for the info. I do realize that the flying time is quite limited due to battery drain. The other problem is the radio control range of flight - too far and crash! Does anyone else have experience with remote toy helecopters?age group and budget, I have had two. Both been no good outside with a slight breeze. If you have a bit of coin and a android or iOS device shop.jbhifi.co.nz	plod (107)
1319774	2012-12-24 03:39:00	Got a few from china, pretty much the same as the NZ product but cheaper. IR control, not radio so outside can be a tad dicey. Usually they are ok with crashing IMO, never had one break. Then again, they haven't fallen far. Battery drain is the biggest issue really. You'd also want to get one with a gyroscope and good trim control. Mine doesn't have good trim (buttons that increase value but +/-10% sort of thing as opposed to a knob) this makes it hard to trim correctly and by the time you do that the batteries are dying out so the trim keeps changing :p	The Error Guy (14052)
1319775	2012-12-24 08:23:00	I got the one on special from Noel Leemings to fly with my grandkids. It really only flies well inside, away from any breezes, so we have been flying it in the garage. Heaps of crashes thus far, but nothing broken. The rotors are free floating until revved up, so they just fold up in a crash. Lots of fun with the 8 year old but beyond the ability of the 5 and 3 year old. The flight time is about 6 mins, and that requires charging for 50 mins!	John H (8)
1319776	2012-12-24 09:17:00	Son (9) just got one from granparents for birthday (tomorrow :( ) and have been playing with it with him tonight (has a grappling hook that lowers & raises but haven't managed to hook anything yet ...). I also have 2 others, one a couple years old & one last year - all sub $50. Bit of fun and hard to kill (all still go well but a few dents in the rotor blades - have had lots of crashes with the first one). Control is much better on the newer ones. 5-10 mins flying, half hour-ish to charge from USB. Indoor use only so range isn't really a prob.	fred_fish (15241)
1319777	2012-12-24 18:08:00	I saw one in Jaycars that has a camera installed. Big problem is when will it be calm enough to fly it outside.	Bobh (5192)
1319778	2012-12-24 19:07:00	Some heli / muti -copters handle wind quite well, the tiny WL toys units for example can happily accept 10 KMH breezes if the pilot is a bit adept, but most of the c0-axial ones are not so good unless you want to modify things. Broadly, the higher the stability, the less wind they will handle. Removable batteries are very handy, 4 or 5 reserve packs give you a reasonable degree of flight playtime. infra-red control is only useable inside away from large windows, or outside at night. Useful range is about as far as you can throw them. Cheap radio controlled units usually have short range, but since it is difficult to see the orientation of the little ones at a distance range, is not such a big problem. Toaster shop toy copters are not going to hold most people's interest for very long at all.	R2x1 (4628)
1 2