In the past, those wanting to get involved with, and enjoy, the hobby of flying radio control helicopters would have had to be very dedicated. It was not just the fact that it was a lot more expensive; flying these valuable contraptions was a highly technical activity and required a certain level of expertise just to work with even the more basic models.
You would need a huge flight are and you would have to make sure nobody else was flying in the same area. The noise and smell these copters generated used to be a million miles away from what they are today.
The technological advancements have meant that most people are now used to walking into their hobby shop, or ordering online, just to pick up their ready-to-fly chopper and before they know it, they are an expert in mastering the controls of the craft.
That is not to say that there are no challenges anymore – far from it – just that the basic models can be flown by just about anyone. They are not toys and you still have to be 14 years or over to fly most models, but you should be thankful; flying RC helicopters can prove to be great value for money and provide many hours of enjoyment these days.