Syma S107/S107G R/C Helicopter with Gyro- Red

I originally purchased the Yellow S107G from Amazon. I still have that and it flies GREAT! It's so easy to fly that my 6-year old grandson can fly it. He kept using mine, so I bought him this red one for himself.This review will be similar to my review on the Yellow S107G. However, in that review, I make a comparison to the Air Hogs Sharp Shooter that I used to own. If interested in the comparison, you can look at my other reviews.NOTE: There are "fake" S107s sold by some companies, so I am happy to report that this one fulfilled by Amazon is the REAL thing!PROS of just S107G:* 3-channel (can fly backwards)* Gryo makes hovering and flight dead solid easy* Very powerful, great lift, reacts quickly to input* Durable - almost impossible to break* BEST THING: There are LOTS of replacement parts available at fair prices (nearly ever part of the helicopter)* Has pretty long flight time for a small bettery-powered heli (about 8-minutes per flight)* Very inexpensive for such quality - less than $30 delivered!* Can be charged via USB cord from computer or AC/USB wall charger (saves batteries in radio)CONS of the S107G:* It takes 40-50 minutes per charge - that's longer then other small helicopters.* Not very fast. Once you get used to flying it, you wish it would fly forward much faster.Here are some things I learned from forums and have verified in my own flights:* Don't fly the helicopter right up to when the battery completely dies - the LIPO batteries don't like to be run dry.* Turn the controller on FIRST, then turn on the helicopter.* IMPORTANT: Hold the helicopter totally still for a couple seconds after turning it on - that stabilizes the gyro.* IMPORTANT: The first time you press the left stick for throttle, nothing will happen...* Not to worry, that's because the controller is registering it's channel to the helicopter.* Don't turn off the controller - just try it again and it will work fine.* On the first flight, don't even touch the right stick - just lift to a hover with the left stick. Now you're ready to fly in all directions.* Imagine yourself in the cockpit - that makes the controls more intuitive when flying towards you.* When done flying, turn off the helicopter first, then turn off the controller (it has something to do with the gyro).* The little propeller on the tail only runs when you press forward or reverse, so don' worry that it doesn't always run.* The small rotor tips the helicopter slightly either forward or reverse causing it to fly that direction (slowly).* The S107G is not fast, but it's stable as hell. That makes it great for first time flyers or for kids.* My 6-year old grandson flies it perfectly. It makes a great toy for a young boy (plus an old boy like me!)BUY ONE AND HAVE A BLAST!!

This is easily the best remote control helicopter I've ever owned. Others I have owned have a poor way to adjust the trim (two buttons and no indication of where you are, so you spend a few minutes every flight adjusting the trim), while this one has a simple dial that adjusts in seconds; but out of the box I didn't have to touch the trim. I put batteries in the controller and took off.Upon first takeoff I immediately noticed the power of the main rotors; it produced air similar to a small fan; this says a little bit about how much power is being drawn during flight, which explains the 40-50 minute charge time that the instructions suggest. The flight controls are as simple as you could ask: left hand controls altitude, right hand controls yaw and limited pitch. Pressing the right stick to the right will turn the helicopter to the right. Simple. Pressing forward on the right stick will move the helo forward. Simple. The left altitude stick can be a little tricky to control due to its sensitivity, but after a little practice, you'll figure it out. I crashed several times, once into a slow moving ceiling fan, with absolutely no damage. But if you do damage the rotors or anything, really: Full Set Replacement Parts for Syma S107 RC Helicopter, Main Blades, Tail Decorations, Tail Props, Balance Bar, -Red Set- - cheap.The charge to fly time ratio hurts a little. The instructions say that for a 6-7 minute flight, you need approximately a 40-50 minute charge. At first, I found this a little appalling since 6 AA batteries power the controller, and most small radio helicopters I've used charge through the controller; however, there is a USB cable included that allows you to charge your helicopter through and USB compatible device (computer, laptop, wall plug, etc). For my first flight I charged it for about 15 minutes and got close to 10 minutes out of it. Perhaps it was a fluke, or it already had a full charge out of the box. Let me tell you, after playing with it for 10 minutes, I was not ready to put it down for 50!As for the controller: The controls are very simple, two sticks, an on switch, and a channel switch so two helicopters can be in flight at the same time. One of the handgrips slides to reveal a charging cable, in case you don't have a USB charging source anywhere. The one thing I did not like about the controller was the screw on the battery compartment. I understand it's a good thing for security and so you don't lose the panel or batteries, but I find it more inconvenient than anything else.The last thing I'd like to say about this helicopter is that it's so incredibly cheap for the quality you get. I highly recommend purchasing one, even if you don't like helicopters because they are so fun to play with! I bought two as Christmas presents, and will be purchasing another for myself soon!ProsFantastic flight controlControls are very simple to useComes with a USB charging cord so you don't have to use the controllers AA'sRotors are fairly powerfulEasy trim controlHas balancing barLow costCan purchase replacement partsDurableConsInstructions in box say 40-50 minutes of charge time for 6-7 minutes of flight time (I squeezed more fly out of less charge, but I'm not sure if that's typical or accidental)Screw holding the battery compartment