For those of you who like their mini RC helicopters more aggressive looking, more warlike, the Bladerunner Black Ghost RC Helicopter has just what you’re looking for. The mini flying machine looks dangerous, almost lethal. It’s reminiscent of the Apache attack chopper, although sadly it doesn’t come equipped with the firepower, so you won’t be able to gun down the cat or launch missiles at the pot plants.

It’s also much smaller, but no less impressive to look at. It’s very small in fact, just 17 cm, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in style and entertainment.

The Bladerunner Black Ghost RC Helicopter is fully functional and very easy to fly, so you won’t need any prior RC model experience to operate the chopper, and should be able to fly it like a master after just a few minutes practise.

You’ll also be able to fly the chopper in very tight spaces, such as a small room in your house. You don’t need to worry about crashing it either, as it’s very tough and can withstand the odd bump into the wall – though it’s best if you don’t start doing that deliberately.

If flying small, indoor RC helicopters doesn’t seem interesting to you, and you’re one of those people who is more into a beast of an RC helicopter that you fly outdoors, the ‘Bladez 3D RC Helicopter’ might be more your thing.

It’s certainly not a small, child’s toy, or an entry level RC helicopter. It’s a man’s toy, for real men. Men who like to fly their RC helicopters outdoors and make a lot of noise, attracting attention to themselves.

Does that sound like you?

Just like the ‘indoor’ RC helicopters, the Bladez 3D is very smooth to fly and easy to control, but unlike the small microcopters the Bladez 3D can be flown outdoors, as a light breeze won’t throw it off its game.

The Bladez comes ready to fly too, so you don’t have to mess around setting it up when you buy it, just open it, charge it and you’re away.

Don’t think this is open for anyone though, because you need a little flight time before you even think of flying the Bladez 3D. It’s more like an old petrol powered RC helicopter than a battery powered microcopter, though you can fly it indoors if you feel brave enough.

If you’re thinking about buying a radio controlled helicopter, then one of the most popular models on the market is the Dragonfly RC helicopter. The Dragonfly has built up a great reputation for quality and precision, and one of the best built RC helicopters you can buy.

The newest Dragonfly RC helicopter comes with a few enhancements over previous versions. For example, the battery life lasts longer on the new version, plus it has a longer flying range, meaning you can get it further away and higher in the air. Plus, the new version has a new aerodynamic design, which means it actually flies faster than previous models.

The frame of the RC helicopter is both lightweight and very sturdy, meaning it can withstand the odd accident. One of the best features of the Dragonfly is that it’s very stable in flight and performs exceptionally well for a micro helicopter.

It is also extremely manoeuvrable, meaning you can perform some incredible stunts with the Dragonfly. You can perform these stunts with no experience, meaning you’ll look like a professional when flying it.

There was a time when flying a radio controlled helicopter was extremely difficult. You needed a lot of patience, a lot of control and fair amount of money too. RC helicopters were big, bulky, heavy and rather expensive. They were powered by petrol, and taking them off and flying them was an exercise in precision for the cautious.

You certainly wouldn’t let your five-year-old have a go and fly your RC helicopter, otherwise you’d end up with a very expensive accident.

These days though RC helicopters have changed. Due to advancements in technology, RC helicopters are much smaller, much lighter, powered by electric and are far easier to fly. You can fly a radio controlled helicopter now with o experience at all, and can whizz them around the skies without knowing what you are doing.

Also, rather than let your five-year-old have a go, you’re more likely to have your five-year-old showing you how they work.

RC helicopters have come a long way from the bulky, expensive machines they used to be, and now much more accessible for all.

If you’re worried that we’re living in what many call a ‘big brother state’ you’ll be even more concerned about the prospect of big brother using RC models to spy on British citizens, but that could be the way the UK is heading, if the Home Office has its way. They have suggested that RC planes and RC helicopters are used to keep track of criminals and to provide evidence in order to save police offices from risky situations.

The plan is to fit RC helicopters and planes with cameras and heat seeking equipment, and then monitoring them from a central location. One advantage that RC helicopters and planes have over their real counterparts is that they are much quieter, as an RC helicopter can be almost silent, whereas a real helicopter tends to be very loud, and easily heard and spotted from the ground.

The plan though is likely to be opposed by civil rights activists who believe that using RC models to keep tabs on people is an invasion of privacy.

The Home Office has described its plan to use RC models to monitor crime in its Science and Innovation Strategy. It reads:

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are likely to become an increasingly useful tool for police in the future, potentially reducing the number of dangerous situations the police may have to enter and also providing evidence for prosecutions and support police operations in ‘real time’.

You’ve probably heard of the clichés of how people would smuggle things into prisons, with the most famous being the file hidden inside the cake. However, today’s prisoners are more in touch with technology, and they use radio controlled models to smuggle goods into prisons.

A radio controlled helicopter was used recently to smuggle drugs into prison, it is believed.

This isn’t some plot from the latest series of Prison Break, nor is it something from a maximum security prison in the USA. This story comes from the Elmley Prison, in Kent.

Guards at the prison noticed an RC helicopter flying over the wall and plotting a course for the accommodation blocks. The radio controlled intruder was seen on CCTV, carrying a load under its fuselage. Guards believe that the package contained drugs.

According to the Sun, a prison guard commented:

Using a mini-helicopter to get contraband into jails is unprecedented. When officers spotted it they nearly fell off their chairs.

It could have been drugs or a mobile phone in the package. It is possible it was a dummy run.

HMP service has confirmed that an incident involving what appeared to be a radio controlled helicopter did indeed occur. A spokesman said:

As a result of this, a search of the prison grounds and an accommodation block were carried out and nothing was found.

There aren’t too many hobbies that actually help you learn skills that could be used in later life, or even help you career wise. For example, you’re not likely to be able to use skills you’ve learned playing with a Hornby train set in any career, nor you likely to call on your experience playing with your Action Man when you want to join the army.

However, radio controlled models such as RC cars and RC helicopters teach you useful skills such as model making, engineering and piloting/driving skills. Many engineers started their love affair with engineering by playing with models such as RC models when they were children. Learning a basic grasp of how things work, how they fit together and how they can be improved can prove hugely beneficial in later life.

Also, the act of using RC models teaches you coordination and driving ability. F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton for example started his racing life by driving radio controlled cars competitively, and is it any wonder he also won many of his races there?

RC models aren’t just toys for entertainment, they’re opportunities to learn vital skills.

Not everyone hates school, some people actually enjoy going (even if it’s not for the lessons). Some schools have various clubs where you can get together at breaktime, lunchtime or after school and share your hobbies and interests. They can vary from sports clubs (such as rugby and football) to more intellectual based clubs (such as maths and chess).

One club that is very popular and exists in some schools is the radio controlled club. RC clubs exist in many schools and are often run by the CDT (craft, design and technology) teachers. In a school RC club children can bring in their radio controlled cars, helicopters and other gadgets to share experiences, swap advice and even make repairs or tweaks to their models to improve performance.

RC clubs often meet once a week and children can race their radio controlled cars in the school playground, or fly their RC helicopters on the football field. It’s a chance to make new friends, share your hobby and learn more about how to use RC models.

Does your school have a radio controlled club? If it doesn’t, perhaps you could help to start one yourself?

If you’re thinking of getting into radio controlled models for the first time, and are looking at the flying variety as opposed to the ground based sort, you’ve got to decide on whether you get a radio controlled helicopter or a radio controlled plane. They both have their advantages and are quite different in terms of flying style and control, so which one is best for you?

Flying a radio controlled helicopter is as close to the experience of flying a real helicopter as you can get, and RC helicopters come in many different sizes, from palm sized Micro copters to large, petrol powered helicopters.

Micro helicopters also come pre-built, so you can just ‘plug and play’ when you buy one. If you want a more in depth experience you can consider a larger petrol powered RC helicopter where you have to build the helicopter yourself.

RC planes are very different, as the take-off procedure requires more land for you to use a runway, and when they’re in flight they cover more ground quickly, so you have to be careful they don’t fly out of range, or hit an obstacle such as a tree.

It just depends on which sounds best suited for you?