yes I certainly would.
They are a great way to test the water and see if RC helis are for you before stepping up to something a bit bigger and better. If you do want to move up then I would seriously reccomend you find a local flying club.
For uk members
www.bmfa.org is a good place to start.
Like all clubs there are good ones and bad. So it pays to check out as many local ones as possible. Most clubs will welcome new members with open arms and are very friendly.
A BMFA registered club should not charge members for teaching you to fly, most will have qualified instructors who will teach you for free (Unless you count membership fees)
Quick guide for 3ch Helis
The 3 CH heli like the one listed above normally come with a gyro and so are quite stable and will hold a hover quite comfortably with little effort. 4CH and 6Ch are a little different and will need much more commitment and a lot more practice (see my reccomendations above)
Find a nice open area to practice in with no distractions. If its grass make sure its quite short.
The trick is (and this was the hardest bit for my stepson lol) to only use very small control movements and keep the heli low to the ground. This way if you bottle goes or you feel like you are loosing control just ease back the throttle and let it drop to the ground without fear of damage.
the left stick is the throttle and controls the climb and decend ease the throttle forwards slowly untill the heli just starts lifting of the ground. Gentle movevemnts of the left stick will be required to hold a hover. Try to hold a hover at about 20 cms and sitting motionless (well rotors rotating anyway lol)
now try climbing and decending pushing the left stick forwards to climb (be warned there is a point at about 30-50cms where the downwash from the blades makes the heli unstable)
Test your hovering skils by climbing, holding the position for a count of 10 then decending and repeating the operation
once you are confident holding a hover and getting the heli up and down move on to turning. easing the right stick left and right will turn the heli, try turning the heli
Whilst holding the hover turn the heli thru 8 points of the compass holding it in a steady hover in each position for a count of 10
Keep practicing the hover as it needs to become second nature
Probably now will be a good time to recharge the battery pack and maybe your underwear lol
Next step is moving forwards
Get up to a comfortable hovering height and then ease the right stick forwards, you might need a llittle more throttle to keep the altitude the same and a little left right movements to keep the heading straight . move the heli forwards a little and the return to the hover position. Ease the stick back now and the heli will reverse move back a little. Again a little extra throttle may be required to maintain altitude.
This is only a basic guide but should be enough to get you going and airbourne. Like anything it does take practice and confidence. I have been flying RC planes for over 10 years but I will still only fly my Fokker DR1 on a buddy line with my old instructor (2 RC TXs linked together)
Anyone serious about getting into RC planes should most certainly invest in a Simulator
FMS is free and a good place to start
those of you who have a 4CH+ radio with a trainer socket should be able to ind a USB lead to suit and can practice using your own controller
Realfly is good for planes but Phoenix RC is better for helicopters. They are not cheap but will pay for themselves when you consider what a plane/heli costs to replace after an accident
Let me know how you get on
