SYMA 3 Channel Firey Dragon Radio Control Helicopter

**Further Update 19 November 2011**
Found that even with the aerial fully extended the heli can just occasionally loose power/signal. It occured once outside (even at very close signal range); it came down hard onto the concrete paving but fortunately was not damaged. For this reason I always try to avoid flyng over hard surfaces and objects that would suffer damage from the helicopter.

**Updated 26 October 2011**
Bought this to fly outdoors on very calm days. My S107G flies perfectly indoors, but falls out of infra red range very easily outdoors. Not expecting much of these lightweight `indoor' helis in the big outdoors.

Practice indoors shows that the S032G is certainly wilder than the S107G. In comparison to the S107g, the S032G is twice the size, creates much more draught from the blades (which can affect stability), is not as stable (it tends to drift somewhat), requires a lot more throttle as the flight battery runs down, has much more mass resulting in more momentum during turns. The trim wheel is on the right hand side of the controller which although prone to erroneous touching, is actually very handy to adjust with the palm of the hand during flight.

As others report, it occasionally drops altitude suddenly, usually it recovers immediately but on one occasion it fell 6 feet onto a concrete floor - it survived no problem other than slightly dented main blades; not serious enough to affect performance. I then noticed that EVERY occurrence of power loss occurred with the aerial only partly extended (this is a temptation when using a fairly large heli indoors). There has been no re-occurrence since I have extended the aerial fully. Stability seems to vary somewhat from flight to flight; I fitted a second connect buckle on the balance bar - but not sure it made much difference.

Nevertheless it flies far better than a 4 channel heli that I have that cost three times the price and therefore still represents incredibly good value for what is essentially a rather sophisticated bit of kit. It also stands up to bumps and scrapes better than some other helis - and that's a real bonus.

My S107G can be perfectly controlled with smooth co-ordinated turns (forward plus rudder) in a room no larger than 2.5m wide x 3m long x 2.5m high, even in an effective width of 1.5m in places (due to cabinets/shelves). In careful hands, that very small heli can cope with such small room proportions. However, initial practice with the S032G in such a small space is far too restrictive, hopeless, even perilous (would NOT suggest others try this).

However this got me to the next stage of flying in the garage (5m long x 3m wide x 3m high). It performed much better than in a smaller room, much more stable, probably because it was not adversely affected by its own rotor draught. I can see the potential in this heli in a more appropriately sized setting.

The garage is still not large enough to enjoy the same degree of freedom to achieve smooth flight and turns as the S107G. I reckon you need a room no less than 6m x 6m (18ft x 18ft) which is a sizeable room. The instructions state 6m wide x 3m long which is on the right lines (I don't agree with the 3m). Such rooms would only let you fly basic fairly tight turns/circuits. If you want to fly it with the freedom and fluidity of the S107g you would need an even larger area (7m x 7m or 8m x 8m). If that equates to a large living room be very cautious as the blades are quite powerful and potentially damaging to furniture and TV screens etc (I have chosen not to fly in the living room due to real risk of collateral damage!).

The forward speed is plenty fast enough indoors (in fact I'd prefer it to be slower indoors for greater control). A very short application of forward power indoors results in a continued forward momentum - so easy does it! It's far more challenging to control than the S107G - but good fun all the same.

On a dead calm day first outside flight was AMAZING, gone are the concerns about stability and drift (a real problem in a small area/room) - it's just not a problem in a larger less restrictive area (a large room would be ideal). In a large area, you can fly this heli like it was an S107G, nice large circuits, figure of eights - very impressive. Outdoors full forward power can be used freely, in fact you will need to select the master hand button (faster tail rotor speed) for forward motion.

Second outdoor flight a disaster! Very slight occasional movement in the leaves of trees/shrubs in the garden, but at time of flight all was still with no discernable breeze on the skin! The S032G was pretty much uncontrollable even in incredibly faint air currents - the faster tail rotor speed had little effect. Just managed to recover it and land as soon as possible; toppled onto some stonework and chipped the blades.

Third outdoor flight in absolutely still conditions was better than the first - BRILLIANT.

Conclusion: Not a starter helicopter (get the S107g). Difficult to learn to fly indoors due to large space required. If you persist (without causing serious damage) you will get the control skills - great if you have a large house, barn or indoor gym! The very rare occasion when there is no breeze/air currents WHATSOEVER, an outside flight is very enjoyable to put this heli through its paces. If you want to fly regularly indoors and have a small to moderate dwelling, get the S107G.

Bought this for my boyfriend for christmas, it's brilliant!
Very durable for those first few flights that might end with a
little crash! Great product!

This helicopter is a tonne of fun - period !

The only issue is the battery life which is pretty bad.

The flight time is around 6 minutes and that feels like its gone in 2 minutes (time really does fly when you are having fun).

The package doesn't include any spare blades just the rotor and there is no USB charge cable either, which is a shame.

The helicopter is still a great present for your child though and will make him/her want to have a go at the next step in RC heli's or planes.