Best RC Helicopters of 2019

1. Hero RC H911

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Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5

A light helicopter that’s suitable for indoor and outdoor use is the HERO RC H911. It’s ideal for the beginners among you that have never had much flight experience with RC helicopters. The unit comes with a 2.4Ghz transmitter equipped with an LCD screen. The screen is the pilot’s best friend as information about the trim settings is displayed.

The H911 is an electric RC helicopter that can be charged via USB or via an adaptor using the electricity supply at home. Once the batteries are charged you’ll need just a couple of minutes to set it up. It’s a great buy for those with little patience for fiddling around.

The visual aesthetics of the HERO RC H911 are playful, as the face is a shark. It’s certainly one of the meaner looking RC helicopters on the market. Kids in particular will enjoy the cool design. The H911 is a great first model to learn the ropes – before advancing to a more difficult unit.

The Conclusion

The price of this unit is at around $50, so it’s at the budget end of the marketplace. For the price you’re getting great functionality and performance. You’ll struggle to find another RC helicopter at this price point that brings the same level of performance to the table.

2. Blade Nano CP S BNF

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Editor’s Rating: 4.7/5

As the name suggests the Blade Nano CP S BNF is a small RC helicopter. It weighs just 32 grams and can fit in the palm of your hands. Due to the small size and low weight, any impact results in minimal damage. The same mistakes with bigger helicopters would not be as forgiving.

There are 3 flight modes, which are stability, agility and 3D. The 3D mode is especially impressive as you can execute flips and inverted flying. There is enough freedom here to keep the advanced RC helicopter hobbyists among you happy.

Trying out the advanced 3D manoeuvres can be tricky to pull off – a lot of trial and error will be required. Since this model doesn’t damage easily it’s an ideal one to learn with. Once complicated manoeuvres are mastered, you can execute them on bigger and more expensive RC helicopters.

Additionally, there is a beginner friendly feature called “panic recovery mode”. This is great when orientation is lost and you want to recover a safe level altitude. All you have to do is press a panic button to achieve that.

The Conclusion

The price for this model is at around $100, which is great value for the heaps of fun you’ll be getting. It’s a small unit, but comes packed full of advanced features that are typically found on designs much more expensive.

3. Blade 120 SR RTF

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Editor’s Rating: 4.3/5

The Blade 120 SR RTF is a sub-micro size weighing just 2 pounds. This model is aimed at pilots who want a challenge because of the single rotor design. A coaxial RC helicopter is easier to fly than a single rotor model. The challenge might be frustrating or provide an added layer of fun. It all depends on what you want out of a RC helicopter flying experience.

Aesthetically, the Blade 120 SR RTF design is a rather simple mix of green, black and white. The “ready to fly” setup means you can get going right away without having to assemble anything. Also, each unit is tested at the factory, which means you can have the peace of mind that it’s going to fly as described.

The control has a 5-in-1 design, which includes the receiver, mixer, gyro, electronic speed controls and proportional servos. It’s a low cost, yet stable design that’s interference-free. It also comes with the Phoenix Simulator. It’s great software that emulates the feel of real flying conditions.

The Conclusion

The Blade 120 SR RTF is a well-crafted RC helicopter that’s very small in size. You’ll need to have some patience whilst figuring out how to control the single rotor RC helicopter. However, it’s a lot of fun and one of the more popular RC helicopters on the market today.

4. UDI U13A 3

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Editor’s Rating: 4.4/5

The stand out feature of the UDI U13A 3 is that it has a camera. This adds an exciting new dimension to the experience. You can get cool aerial videos of your neighbourhood whilst taking the RC helicopter out for a spin.

It can also take pictures, but don’t expect the same quality as the latest iPhone on the market. After all, this is a $50 product. For the price the value here is excellent. 3 channels are present for manoeuvrability in 6 directions. This includes up, down, forward, backward, clockwise turns and anti-clockwise turns. Consequently, the UDI U13A 3 is straightforward to control.

The UDI RC helicopter is also easy to hover. This allows you to take videos and photos without struggling to get the shot you want. Additionally, the easy to handle controls makes it suitable for a novice RC helicopter pilot.

The combination of the metal alloy frame and elastic blades ensures damage from crashes is kept to a minimum. Therefore, you can enjoy the flying experience without worrying about minor collisions with obstacles and the ground.

The Conclusion

the UDI U13A 3 RC helicopter is one of the best cost to performance choices in the marketplace. The combination of a sturdy design, great manoeuvrability and camera means there is plenty to get excited about here.

5. Blade mCX2 RTF

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Editor’s Rating: 4.8/5

The Blade mCX2 RTF has a simple visual design where the main colors are red, white and black. It’s a helicopter for the beginner that’s trying to learn how to fly an RC helicopter. The length is 7.9 inches and height at 4.7 inches. Therefore, it is one of the smaller helicopters that can conveniently be taken to the local park for some flying fun.

Included is a 5-in-1 control that comes with a gyro, mixer main motor ESC’s, fully-proportional servos and a 2.4Ghz DSM2 compatible receiver. The controls are an important aspect of the flying experience. Inefficient controls can lead to a frustrating time with your Blade RC helicopter.

The controls can easily be changed to suit the style of the pilot. The general feedback is that the controls are easy to learn for the average user – even beginners.

The flight time of 15 minutes is competitive when compared to the other entries on this list. It means you can be immersed in the fun for longer before a charging break is required.

The Conclusion

The flashing LED lights adds to the look of the RC helicopter. It also makes it easier to see when flying in conditions with poor visibility. For a RC helicopter priced at around $100, you’re getting a bunch of features implemented well.

6. Syma S109G

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Editor’s Rating: 4.2/5

The Syma S109G is the model that resembles a toy the most because of the design. Priced at around $30 it’s the cheapest RC helicopter on our list. It’s a great present for a kid on their birthday or Christmas. Kids will love it because of the aggressive military based design.

The controls are beginner friendly. The coaxial design means flying will be stable, and it supports a 3.5 channel design with a gyro. The flight control channels include up and down, left/right and forward/backwards.

One of the limiting factors of the Syma S109G RC helicopter is that it’s only suited for indoor use. The Infrared controls mean you need to be close to the RC helicopter for it to receive the signal.

The design is flexible plastic so there is a cheap feel to the product, but it is priced at the low end of the market. The advantage of the flexible plastic is the ability to withstand crashes. You won’t be ordering a replacement any time soon.

However, if you do damage some parts replacement parts are cheap. You can buy a set of rotor blades, which are easy to swap over. It’s also an electric RC helicopter with a charging time of around 30 minutes. Once fully charged you’ll get 5-8 minutes of flying time.

The Conclusion

Overall, the Syma S109G is an excellent purchase for the budget shopper. The combination of a cool army look, easy to handle controls and damage resistant plastic means it is beginner friendly. Learn the basics of becoming an RC helicopter pilot with this unit before moving onto bigger challenges.

7. GoolRC WL V911 Single Rotor

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Editor’s Rating: 4.4/5

For an RC helicopter that’s perfect for practising new stunts, the GoolRC WL V911 Single Rotor is a great choice. The colors here are mainly black, red, orange and yellow – also the size is small. This makes it practical to take to the local park where more freedom is available to fly the RC helicopter.

This is the 2nd version of the model, with a new and improved design. However, if you had a battery from the first version of this product, then be aware that it will not fit into the second version. Fortunately, the product comes with two batteries, which equates to a long flight time of up to 14 minutes in total.

The GoolRC WL V911 is a single rotor design. Therefore, it should be significantly harder to fly than a double rotor model. However, it’s relatively easy to fly compared with other single rotor RC helicopters. You can even carry out some advanced flying tricks with this RC helicopter. It allows creative pilots to show off their skills.

The elastic flybar, low weight and sturdy body means damage will be at a minimal during crashes. That’s another beginner friendly feature that improves the longevity of this product. There is an all in one 2.4Ghz receiver for accurate controls. Also, the left landing skid is slightly higher, which assists with the taking off.

The Conclusion

The GoolRC WL V911 RC helicopter is a lightweight performer that’s well worth the price at around $40. You’re getting a highly manoeuvrable helicopter with a beginner friendly design. Also, it’s built to last so you don’t have to worry about replacing it anytime soon.