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 get for $30?, you might be wondering. Something powered by rubber bands? Well, no, you would be surprised. Contemporary micro 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 tail rotor.

Three mini motors supply lots 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 alloy construction, so they are not as delicate as you might imagine. Despite the strength of these micro radio controlled choppers, they are subject to air currents, so they are first and foremost for indoor use.

Having said that these micro remote controlled helicopter are principally for use indoors, you can use them outside on a beautiful day, because the signals from the RC transmitter will carry for around 30 feet.

The rechargeable battery in the helicopter will power six or seven minutes of continuous flight. That does not appear long, but the battery can be recharged very easily in 30 minutes.

The batteries in the mini radio controlled choppers can be charged in three ways: 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 controller and take enough energy to fly your helicopter again.

The hand set normally takes four AA batteries, which themselves may be of the rechargeable variety in order to keep costs down as low as possible. The controller has three channels to control the flight of your micro radio controlled helicopter: up and down; forwards and backwards and left and right. This permits you to place your mini helicopter through some fairly tight manoeuvres.

Two important parts of the innards of the mini radio controlled helicopter are the 32-step speed controller and the gyroscope. The speed controller and the gyroscope automatically synchronize 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 breakages, because there is a full assortment of spares for the majority of model helicopters – you can buy the whole lot from spare rotors to motors and batteries. These micro radio controlled helicopters are entry-level remote controlled toys, but are great fun for individuals of all ages.

Flying a micro radio controlled helicopter is also a decent way of finding out whether you would like to take up flying bigger radio controlled choppers later on

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, 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.