Tenergy Syma S107/S107G R/C Helicopter - Yellow

I had a buddy who wanted one of these things a year ago, he did a lot of research on the web and was really excited about the Syma S107G. So this year I decided that my wife needed some help picking out a Valentines Day present for me and ordered one from Amazon. As usual the shipping was fast and the little chopper came well wrapped, and had all the right markings so I'm sure it's the genuine Syma product. I did get the replacement blade and parts set just in case. I've tried model airplanes before and never had one fly for more than a few seconds before I managed to smash it to bits so I was pretty nervous about this one, and I had purchased a small chopper at the mall a year ago but it had only one set of main blades and a conventional tail rotor....and was extremely hard to control.....avoid those at all costs. So I quickly plugged my little yellow Syma into the USB port, and a while later when the plug started to glow again I knew I was ready to fly. Popped 6 AA batteries into the control unit and started testing it out. Just move the left lever up slowly and see what happens when it tries to take off, mine didn't need any trim adjustments with the center knob so I practiced lifting off and setting it down a few times to get a feel for the collective control. It does tend to be quite a bit more squirrly down close to the floor, kind of a ground effect thing that makes it really scoot and requires quick correction if you don't want to hit something. I found that it's pretty easy to reposition the chopper from a bad landing spot to a more open area just by giving it a bit of lift then turning it and scooting it over to a safer place. Experience with my other chopper tells me that the little tail rotor motor can easily pick up lint or hair fibers that wrap around the shaft and slow it down....you have to get a needle or xacto blade and dig that stuff out if you notice a lack of response to the forward/back controls. Once you get it up off the floor a foot or so these things are AMAZINGLY stable, the gyro is just awesome! Make sure you have a good grip on the control box and don't let your body movements cause unwanted control inputs......at times I found myself accidentally giving it a lot of power and the little bird jumps up and bounces off the ceiling......then you try and react and over correct dropping it to the floor. I am very impressed at the amount of abuse mine has taken and still not a bit of damage or loss of control. I've crashed it into things, even let it get into the hallway when the furnace was running and it got sucked up towards the main air filter intake......hit the ceiling, then the wall, bounced over to the other wall, and hit the floor hard......set it back upright and she flew without a hitch.......a VERY WELL MADE PRODUCT!!!!! So now I'm doing a lot better, can do figure 8's and send it down to the kitchen, buzz the wife (of course) and make it back, I can avoid the ceiling fan chains and wish the dogs would come out so I could torture them. Next thing is to start checking out some of the "Mods" that folks are doing to these things, especially where they put the little keychain video camera underneath and make in-flight movies. I'll be checking into modifying it to be able to quickly change out batteries and have a couple fully charged spares so I can keep playing. For less than $30 bucks you just can't beat all the technology, quality, and durability they've managed to pack into this little gem. I think my next one will be controlled by my iPhone......looks like fun. Happy FLYING!!!!

Did you grow up dreaming of RC helicopters? I know that I did. But when I was a kid they were nothing more than a fantasy in a Popular Mechanics magazine. Sometime in the 1990s RC copters became available, but they were thousands of dollars and out of reach of most people. Then about 5 years ago they started to make affordable ones, costing around $100. These copters always seemed to last about 5 minutes, and then crashed and snapped a wing. Nobody likes that very much. They were also harder to control. Now lets visit the present, where you can get a $20 Syma 107 that is absolutely awesome in every single way. Here are some great attributes from my personal experience: 1. I have crashed the darn thing over 50 times and it has not broken yet. Still flies right and true. 2. It was extremely easy to master the controls after dedicating about 3-5 flights (battery lasts 15 minutes) 3. Easy to control with just 2 joysticks. There is an up and down, and a fly around (there is also a trim tab but I never use it) 4. The battery lasts a solid 15 minutes. This is enough time to keep a grown adult's interest. I fly mine at coffee breaks to curb the monotony of my desk job. 5. It only takes 45 minutes to charge, and the charger has a light indicator to tell you when it is done. Cons: 1. You really cannot complain about this copter. It is an incredible $20 toy. The battery time of 15 minutes initially sounds disappointing, but after you have had it a couple days it is just enough of a "play break". 2. You cannot fly this outside (but so what?). The wind does not favor well with this little guy. You can upgrade to a larger Syma copter for around $50-$100 and get an outdoor one. Getting started: After you are all charged up, find a bedroom or other space indoors where there is still and quiet airspace. This sounds funny, because it is indoors. But I found that there were mini thermal currents in some parts of my house, mainly by my staircase. They actually made the copter a little difficult to control, which amused me. You'll be able to handle these minor air currents once you master the controls. I choose a larger bedroom. The bed provides the perfect place to take off and land (you can also place a large book on the bed as a landing pad). The real advantage of a bedroom is the fact that the air is very still. Make sure your heating or cooling vents are closed and not blasting air currents. I would recommend just making the thing hover at first. Just focus on one of the controls (the left joystick that goes up and down). Don't worry about the direction or steering at first. Just get a feel for up and down, and make it hover. When you have a good feel for that, and can make the thing hover almost completely in place (there will always be some up and down play), then move onto making it steer in different directions. Durability I didn't even have to buy a the blade replacement. This little copter is just that durable. For $20 I am frankly amazed. This is one of the most fun toys I have ever owned, and worth every penny. The battery has lasted over 100 charges with no issues.

This remote helicopter is a great toy for my girlfriend's 9 year old. I know he is younger than the recommended age, but he does well enough with it anyway. As many others said, the charge time is a bit long (30-45 minutes) but it gets about 10 minutes of flying before it just becomes a spinning floor decoration. It was smaller than I thought it would be, but it is perfect for my tiny apartment. I would not trust it outside. Despite what others have suggested, it seems that it is fairly durable. Myself and my kid have smacked it into walls, ceilings, floors, christmas trees, desks, etc. and have not broke a single blade, fin, etc. I bought a spare set of parts just in case, but we have used it for about 3 weeks not on a fairly regular basis (at least once or twice a day) and it is still in good shape. USB charging is really nice, and the ability to charge from the controller is also nice if you want to take it to a friend's house. The controller is a bit bulky, but not too bad. I would like a bit "softer" controls for the left stick (the rotor speed/height). You have to really concentrate sometimes to get it to either not go straight to the ceiling or fall to the floor, and if you let up even a little, the spring is strong, so it will drop out of the air quickly. The blades do sting a bit if you happen to get hit by them, so it is not for kids to chase each other with... plus, I would imagine they would get caught in hair pretty easily. Despite what all of the descriptions say, it is not 3 channel. There is an A and a B channel... Maybe there is a secret third channel that cannot be changed? Bottom line: Great, inexpensive fun. Your kids will love you, and your cat will hate you (both pluses in my book)

Very happy with this purchase. It arrived before the promised date and the machine itself is great fun, and very tough (still flying despite multiple crashes). Had to go on the internet to get some tips on flying. In particular, it will not launch slowly (it just skids sideways and crashes), but needs a good push of the throttle to get it off the ground. And once in the air, it takes a while (at least it took me a while) to develop the right instincts in terms of using the two control toggles. Also, be warned that if there is sunlight in the room, it crashes. Overall, highly recommended.

Great helicopter toy...Very accurate flight which makes the short battery life to be worth it. You enjoy a 15 min flight so much that you have enough until it recharges.

Arrived as advertyised. Flew very well and stable indoors. I balanced front to back with slight adjustment of tail fin position along boom and got vertical lift off and descent. Battery has been excellent and even seems to have increased flight times with careful handling - 15 minute cool down, charge off USB exactly 52 minutes, remove on time so no overcharge.

Didn't last long

This little helicopter is really amazing, I can't believe the level of control you can have with it, especially considering the price. Awesome purchase.