I’m sure you have been walking through a mall around Christmastime and come across one of those kiosks where someone is flying one of those small Remote Control Helicopters around. Something about flight always gets one’s imagination going. How cool is it to see something hovering around in the air, no strings or wires attached, just the skillful hands of the one holding the transmitter controlling it.
You watch for a while and decide you’ve seen enough, “how much?†you ask, “only $45.00†you are told, so you shell out the money and off you go hardly containing your excitement, your 8 year old child is going to love this, you can’t wait for Christmas morning!
Christmas morning comes and your child opens up the helicopter, charges up the battery and off it goes! Not having any experience he just jams the throttle full and up it goes - right into the ceiling! Then down it comes, broken flybar and blade grips, the first flight lasted all of 3 seconds and now it is broken and grounded.
Oh, not to worry, you remember that there is a Hobby Shop nearby, you can go there tomorrow and get the parts you need to repair it and it will be up and flying again. So, the next day you and your child go to the shop, only to find out that your helicopter is one of a hundred different kinds and the hobby shop can’t possibly stock the parts for so many different types.
Next you try online and you find the parts you need, only $10.00! That’s great! But wait, they are coming from overseas and the shipping will cost $15.00 - $20.00! Oh well, you have to get it fixed so you bite the bullet and click the buy button. So a few weeks later your package arrives, you get the helicopter fixed, but this time you make sure your child is more careful, and maybe you do get several good flights out it, but invariably there will be another crash of some kind resulting in damaged parts which results in more overseas shipping charges and long wait times.
Having worked at a local hobby shop for the last six years I have, unfortunately, seen this scenario played out time and time again. After going through this scenario several times you will find that you have spent the same amount that could have been spent buying a hobby grade helicopter.
What do I mean by a “Hobby Grade†helicopter? I mean a helicopter that has been designed and built by experts in the RC helicopter industry. These are helicopters that have the latest technology incorporated into them so you get the best flying experience possible. Finally, I mean helicopters in which you will find the repair parts available through your local hobby shop! How can you be sure they will have the parts, or at least be able to order them for you? Here is how, it is quite simple - Buy one that is made by a major manufacturer in the industry.
For this reason and because of my experience in the RC hobby industry I recommend the E-Flite Blade Helicopters. After going through several different brands we found this brand to be of the highest quality and durability. The distributor for Blade is in Champaign, IL and supplies thousands of hobby shops throughout the United States. Parts for their helicopters are easily available through your local hobby shop and if not immediately available they should be able to have the parts for you in a few days with no shipping cost to you.
RC Helicopters can be amazingly fun, but only if you can keep them in the air. A broken helicopter sitting on the shelf is no fun at all! So check out the E-flite Blade helicopters and avoid wasting your money on cheaply built helicopters that you find in the malls, big box electronic stores or any place that is only out to sell the helicopter but offers no support for them.
