SO WHAT IS THE BEST RC HELICOPTER? SIMPLE, THE ONE THAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU.Deciding on the best RC Helicopter that is right for you can be a daunting task.
Special Note: If you are only interested in Toy RC Helicopters or Micro Coaxial RC Helicopters , you may wish to click onto one of those sections right now. Toy and coaxials are very good for your first introduction into RC helis. The following information is focused around single rotor hobby grade RC helicopters only. My goal is to give you accurate information so you can make your own recommendations on what the best RC helicopter is for your own needs. I will however mention several RC helis that I feel are among the best. WATCH OUT FOR THE MONEY PIT! There are two schools of thought about what is the best RC helicopter to start with when getting into this hobby. I am a strong believer in number 2 for your best RC helicopter. Even if you are a brand newbie to this hobby. WHY? Simple... You won't outgrow a quality collective pitch heli in a few weeks or months or have to spend a small fortune on upgrades. This of course means you will save both time and money. That is one of the nicest benefits with the best RC helicopters. With most other RC vehicles, you generally start with slow and simple then move up to fast and furious. Good RC helicopters are different. You can get a very high performance helicopter and set it up for learning on . Once you have mastered basic flight, you can make changes to your initial set-up to ring out as much performance as possible or keep things tamed down for scale flying. The real benefit... You will have much more enjoyment and fun with a good quality collective pitch heli and equipment. If you read my page on fixed pitch vs. collective pitch , you also now understand that fixed pitched birds (at least larger ones) are harder to control and fly. This hobby is expensive enough as it is. Throwing your money away on poor quality or flashy eye candy that doesn't fly or is next to impossible to control is so frustrating - so many have given up by going for lowest price or the bling. Remember looks don't equal good flight performance. I am a firm believer that once you step into the world of single rotor, a collective pitch bird makes for the best RC helicopter, from beginner to pro. VERY IMPORTANT... Stay away from single rotor collective pitch birds with electric tail rotors - they are rotten to learn on. You need a belt driven or shaft driven tail rotor with variable pitch to react fast enough to correct for the ever changing (at times violent) reactive torque loads from the the main rotor - yes even more so when you're just learning. 
A motor driven tail rotor simply can't respond fast enough to keep the tail steady. The tail holding and control is vague and twitchy at best causing constant tail blow out. On top of that, tail motors are under enormous strain and usually burn out quickly. I explain this in greater detail in my theory section and harp on this point constantly.That said, the new Blade SR 120 and smaller Blade mSR actually break this rule - click those links to find out why. These are very small micro electric helis however, and I am focusing on larger single rotor birds here. If you are looking for a low cost single rotor fixed pitch bird that actually flies well - the Blade mSR and new 120 SR do work. Too many people don't follow this simple advice and are lured in by low pricing, marketing hype, and what I like to call eye candy (flashy colored anodized parts). Welcome to the money pit... Parts start failing and/or are completely inadequate and you find yourself spending way more on up-grades then a quality collective pitch heli with a belt or shaft driven tail would have cost in the first place - please don't make that mistake. In case you are wondering, my first RC helicopter was a X-Cell 40 manufactured by Miniature Aircraft USA . I learned to fly on it. I then learned aerobatics on it. It has been going strong for almost 20 years and I can still get replacement parts for it. Talk about long term value! I saved so much money in the long run by getting a good quality kit to begin with and growing with. I can't sing high enough praises about all of Miniature Aircraft's Helicopters. I personally feel the make some of the highest quality RC helicopters on the market. Another good "bang for buck" brand is Align Helicopters and are currently my heli of choice. I certainly recognize not everyone has the budget to get into a Miniature Aircraft heli when starting out. I had to start with MA because when I got into this hobby 20 years ago, that was the only quality brand my local hobby shop carried. Today there are many more options and costs have come down substantially. For instance... The strongest growth segment right now in the single rotor collective pitch realm of this hobby is the 400 class electrics. This is due mainly to cost (both up front and for parts) and the fact that the good ones work very well for beginner fliers right up to pros... In short - one heli will follow you from your first one inch hop off the ground to your first loop, roll, or even scale fuselage if scale is your ultimate goal. I am so excited about a few of these 400 size electric helicopters because they offer outstanding performance and features at affordable prices. It is very easy to understand why they are so popular. If I was just starting out in the RC heli hobby with a limited budget and was looking for the best RC helicopter - getting a 400 class electric (around 700mm main rotor diameter) is the way I would go for so many reasons. Because of the many e-mails I have received asking me what I consider to be the best RC helicopter and what I would purchase, I decided to do just that. It took some time and research but there are several really good 400 size electrics on the market that you won't go wrong with. 
In my opinion,
E-Flite's Blade 400
is the clear winner if you are watching your pennies. Yes, I purchased one first and put it to the test to see if I could recommend it.
Here is my full review
of it, along with the other "close contenders" and exactly why the Blade 400 is so good. Parts Availability Yes, no matter how careful or good you are, you will need parts. This is something that many people don't consider when making their first helicopter purchase, but you soon find out how important it is. If you can’t get parts or it takes many weeks or months to get parts, your helicopter is nothing more than an expensive paper weight - very frustrating! This is where getting into popular brands really pays big dividends. The more hobby shops that carry your specific brand, the easier it will be getting parts from any source - this also keeps pricing competitive. Stay away from the "unknowns". Sure the store that is selling them might have a good selection of parts, but if that is the only source, the risk is too high. With the basics out of the way, we can now focus on the “nuts and bolts” for your Best RC Helicopter. These are the terms you will come across and must understand. Just click on each topic for a complete explanation, as well as pros and cons of various RC helicopter features.
Wow! Lots of things to consider. Just remember, take your time - Hobbies are suppose to be relaxing too… if you take your time, you will enjoy the hobby more and get more out of it. Hobby grade single rotor RC helicopters are not for everyone. If you want instant success or gratification, stick with toy or micro coaxial helis. On the other hand, if you want a hobby that you can grow with and one that offers a lifetime of rewards and challenges - single rotor hobby grade helis offer so much.
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