Syma S111G 3.5 Channel RC Helicopter with Gyro

I will preface this review by saying that this is the first time I have felt compelled to leave a review on Amazon, although I buy stuff from them all the time. Only after a year of moderate to heavy use with 5 different models do I feel that I have enough evidence to support such a strong recommendation. My experience with Syma helicopters started when my wife got me a Syma S109G for Christmas last year. I've had some toy R/C helicopters before and none of them were very rewarding, so I wasn't expecting to be so surprised. These gyro-based helicopters (note the important letter 'G' at the end of the model name) are amazingly stable in flight. They are REDICULOUSLY FUN. Within a few flights, I had the helicopter landing and taking off from a shoebox. My favorite challenge is to pick an object in the house to land on, or to fly a circuit around the house. I live at high altitude (7000 ft), so my flight times are not as long as they would be at sea level, but I still typically get several minutes of flight. What is great is that they charge off of any USB port within a handful of minutes. I repeatedly tell my wife that this present was truly brilliant. After a few weeks, I wanted more, so I bought this S111G. It was even better, only because the lights are multicolored and change color. These helicopters are surprisingly true to the real full scale version for their price. I found myself comparing the details to pictures of the real thing online, just to find the subtle distinctions which are few and far between. I became an addict, since they are so reasonably priced. At this point I have 5 different Syma helicopters and they are all fun to fly. I have a shelf in my house as a dedicated 'hangar' for my fleet. Each one of them has slightly different flight characteristics and endurance, which make them all slightly different to fly (although all of them are consistently easy to fly). My guess is that the differences in endurance is mostly due to manufacturing variation in the battery capacity. I will say that the S022 Chinook has a very brief flight time (<1 minute), though I'm not sure if that's due to the double rotor or a weak battery. My S107G also has a short flight time (~1 minute), which could be due to the heavier metal structure or a weak battery. I also bought 1 of the Viefly gyro heli's - the 331. The Viefly is not nearly as realistic. Also, it is a bit smaller and has a little too much power which makes it more difficult to control, although on the flip side it does last a bit longer. Don't get me wrong, I still like the Viefly alot, but I personally prefer the Symas. Besides the great flight characteristics, the S109G comes with an additional bonus - some classic Chinglish on the rotor blades: "If blade damage, don't be fly, otherwise it will create the human body or blame damage". I kid you not. That is classic and still puts a smile on my face a year later. None of the other models have quite such good distortions of English. But that warning does bring up another discussion point - reliability. Now, after nearly a year of flying 5 models and crashing them over and over and over again from heights as high as 20 feet, they all still fly like new. Even battery life still seems about like when I bought them. Sure, some of the blades do have significant nicks on their leading edge, but they all fly fine, and I haven't created the human body or blame damage. There are replacement blades on Amazon, but I haven't needed any yet. It looks like some of the blades may be interchangable among models, but I haven't had a need to try yet. In summary, for under $30, these are rediculously fun, easy to maneuver, reliable little heli's. Besides my own collection, I've now given 3 away as gifts to relatives. They are not perfect, and might be a little hit or miss, but in general I can whole-heartedly recommend them to anyone interested in R/C flight indoors.

I have three RC copters now. This one is my new favorite! Looks great and flies easily. The other SYMA I have is the Apache which also looks great and flies well. I like the bright colors of this one and the blades are also white in color. Has a small LED light located at the front of the nose and also one in the front above the helicopter's windshield that turns from red to blue and also one on the underside, rear that turns from red to blue. They look really nice when flying this. It charged in about 50 minutes just like my other Apache from SYMA. I can tell it's durable for what it's worth. Nicely detailed and fun to fly. Seriously I never dreamed I'd enjoy these little copters so much and I intend to purchase a few more when I see one that catches my eye. For $23 it's well worth it! I fly mine inside the house where there's no breeze. My first helicopter I got was for Christmas and my wife paid around $80. In it's defense it is a 2.4 Gig band helicopter and has a larger range for flying. Might be getting the Chinook next. Get them now before it's too late. Last year after October they were sold out it seemed. Flying time was about 8 minutes or more. Seemed to last longer on it's second flight but trust me, that's long enough. Just allow for it to sit after flying for a few minute before recharging. That's why you should get 2 or more. I can fly 3 now back to back. Amazon is the place for getting these. Look for FREE super saver shipping and if you have to join then it's well worth it if you order things throughout the year. Now without any doubts order yourself one!,,,, For the price and fun factor you won't be disappointed.One more thing. I use my electric charger from my Apple Itouch to charge it sometimes. The USB plugs in it and the voltage isn't too much for the copter. Doesn't seem to charge any faster but just in case you wanted another way to charge it without using the controller or USB to a computer. You can buy an electric adapter though extra and that might be a good idea, depending on your interest. The plug going into the heicopter is very small so make sure you get it right before pushing too hard for it to go in. I marked the top side of mine with a black magic marker so I'll do it right everytime.

Flys well, stable, and has good controller like all Syma's do. This S111G model is heavier and slower. Mine flies backward faster than forward. The S108G is faster, more responsive.

I've been flying RC planes and CCPM heli's for many years, these little coaxial heli's from Syma are very impressive, especially considering their price point. I've flown E-Flite Blade MCX heli's that aren't nearly as stable or as fun to fly as these little Syma heli's. I bought this particular Syma S111G Coast Guard style heli because of its scale appearance, it has neat flashing LED lights on the front and rear, and a LED light up front to indicate a successful bind with the IR transmitter.IR transmitter range is line-of-sight, if an object gets between the heli and the transmitter, it could drop from the air, but it's so durable that it doesn't matter much if it falls to the ground, it can take a beating and keep going. I really am hoping my 2 yr. old can fly this in another year or two as he loves RC helicopters.Another solid heli from Syma, and it looks great in flight. Perfect for a beginner or any RC heli enthusiast looking for something simple and rock solid to fly.