If you are ever stuck for a gift for someone, consider a mini remote controlled helicopter. They sound very expensive and a decade ago they almost certainly were, but they have come down a great deal in cost. I am sure that you will be surprised to know that you can buy a mini radio controlled helicopter for about $30.
What type of RC helicopter can you buy for $30?, you may be asking yourself. Something powered by rubber bands? Well, no, you would be surprised. Contemporary mini radio controlled helicopter have three electric motors. Two of these electric motors drive twin large rotors on top of the helicopter and one drives the rear rotor.
Three micro motors provide plenty of power for these small, 20 centimeter (eight inch) wonders. They are very light, weighing merely a couple of ounces, although they are of metal construction, so they are not as fragile as you might think. Despite the strength of these mini radio controlled choppers, they are subject to air currents, so they are principally for indoor use.
Having said that these micro radio controlled helicopter are primarily for use indoors, you can play with them outside on a fine day, because the signals from the RC transmitter will carry for around 30 feet.
The rechargeable battery in the chopper will drive six or seven minutes of sustained flight. That does not appear long, but the battery can be recharged very easily in 30 minutes.
The batteries in the micro radio controlled helicopters can be charged by three methods: by mains electricity with the AC charger or via the USB cable that is delivered with the chopper. This USB cable will plug into any computer and even into the hand set transmitter and take enough power to fly your helicopter again.
The hand set normally takes four AA batteries, which themselves may be of the rechargeable type in order to hold costs down as low as possible. The transmitter has three channels to control the flight of your mini remote controlled helicopter: up and down; forwards and backwards and left and right. This permits you to place your micro helicopter through some pretty tight manoeuvres.
Two important parts of the innards of the micro remote controlled helicopter are the 32-step speed controller and the gyroscope. The speed controller and the gyroscope automatically coordinate the pitch and speed of the rotors to make flight more stable.
These are great technological devices which make flying the mini radio controlled helicopter easier without detracting from the skill required to fly it in the correct manner.
There is no need to worry about crashing, because there is a full range of spares for the majority of model helicopters - you can purchase everything from spare rotors to motors and batteries. These mini remote controlled choppers are entry-level remote controlled playthings, but are great fun for individuals of all ages.
Flying a mini remote controlled helicopter is also a decent way of finding out whether you would like to take up flying larger radio controlled choppers later on
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a variety of subjects, 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.