Moving up from "Mall Helicopter"

[robbro9]

Little background, I had always wanted a remote control airplane or helicopter as a boy, I'm 40 now. The other day I bought a cheapo $40 walmart special. It is/was fun, but as I've read, they do not do forward/backward very well and I think the gears are already stripping so its not long for this world. Also, I have 7 and 8 year old daughters, they absolutely loved flying it and trying to control and make it land certain places etc... I would much rather them be interested in something like this this summer than a tablet/game/tv....

Anyway, to what I want... I had debated between this helicopter and a quad, went with the copter that is now dying. Ready to move up to something better and still debating between the 2. When I first got this my girls asked if it had a camera, they had seen drones with cameras and thought that was really neat. My dad owns a farm and htye wanted to go down there and fly up and see things from above, along with several other uses. Additionally, I had thought getting 2 flying things (copter or quad) on different channels and setting up little obstacle courses and let them compete some (well I gotta admit I would mix it up with them as well). And to do that I need something fairly mobile (ie not the mall special I had). And finally they are responsible, but they are still 7 and 8, so nothing fancy/expensive, probably in the 100 to $150 range (150 if i do 2 vehicles for them to race). So, my list, and I dont need to get them all, but if i can it would be great:

1. Affordable
2. Decently mobile, much better than the cheapo
3. A camera will be a plus
4. Something I can get on 2 frequencies for racing if possible
5. Copter or quad (either one)

Any ideas or suggestions that will get me the most?

[FR4-Pilot]

You might want to check out Blade (http://www.bladehelis.com/Aircraft/).

They have LOTs of options for newcomers and are available just about everywhere. And they're true hobby grade which means replacement parts are readily available.

They have beginner helis and quads, some with cameras. They also have intermediate and advanced aircraft so lots of future choices too.

-John

[Imzzaudae]

Going from a $40.00 mall helicopter to something like you describe can cost considerably more than you are budgeting.

Consider investing in a Nano CPS with a DX6i or DX6.
NANO CPX SERVICE AND FLYING LINKS FOR NEWBIES
https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=596574
Everything in the Nano tutorial is relevant to Nano CPS

You mentioned your interest is both fixed wing as well as Helicopter.
If you don't find a suitable helicopter combination check out.
http://experimentalairlines.com/

You may get a kick out of building with foam board.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClk...yh9R_FzwSPjXmA

I also scratch build and fly many of the Flight Test foam board models.

https://www.flitetest.com/

They are all great flyers and the best part of all is, most of Flight Test models have free Phoenix simulator models. Just download them and put them in the simulator.
http://forum.flitetest.com/showthrea...-(Model-Index)

Oh ya for racing
In the simulator check out the Test nnMig3 Build with no gear the real thing is performance compatible.

Check out the mini F22 it's easy to build.
Easy to fly and a blast to fly.

Hope this helps.
Ron

[BrokeDad]

Think about a cheap RTF quad to learn orientation too like a Blade Inductrix. It's something the kids can even fly inside. You can use the same lipos in a Nano CPS heli if you decide to do CP helis. It's good for indoor stability mode flying without frustration.

After that you can move up to a Blade 230S or something yourself if you decide to continue. Starting out just breaking stuff will make you want to quit so these are good choices. They can take a lot of abuse and just pick back up and fly.

Invest in a good radio after that also like a DX6 or DX8 to go with the 230S.

[Wargamer]

For racing, or a camera, or both, you definitely want a quad. Check out the Blade Nano QX or Inductrix (BrokeDad mentioned...) as examples, although there are a million other choices out there.

For FPV racing, you might want to visit a local AMA club and get some help with good entry options that folks will be willing to help you with. As Ron mentioned, that path will be considerably more expensive than your envisioned budget.

Even with quads, which are considerably easier to fly than single rotors, you may find that the girls don't have the patience to stick with it. Getting good enough to race around an obstacle course takes practice.

I'm not trying to turn you off; it's a great hobby. But it does take some patience and an investment of time. If you can hook the girls, that will be fantastic. My daughter had no interest in fixed wing when she was growing up. At 27, she decided helis were a cool diversion when visiting home.

[CostaRicaHeli]

For what you want it for (kids, racing, camera) it is definitely a RTF Quad.