My first experience was in reading the operator's manual. The English translation of the instructions from their original language was at times humorous and quirky, but also confusing and difficult to follow. The quality control around the manual was the first of many quality issues.

After preparing the craft and charging the batteries (for 3 hours), I took an initial test flight to determine if the counter rotation needed adjustment. It did, but upon touching a screwdriver to the potentiometer, the plastic head fell off and to the floor. I was able to make the necessary adjustments by manipulating the potentiometer directly with a small tipped tool.

I performed several test hops between 1 and 3 feet high, to familiarize myself with the controls. During the second hop a minor crash on the floor caused one of the posts that hold the cowling to snap off. I glued the post back in place and tried again the following day, but the glue never held securely. I may have to use heat to "weld" it back on.

Next to go was one of the two tail fins. The fin was very loosely attached and was lost during a low level encounter with a bush. I am not sure why one fin is well attached and the other is so loose. Controlled Flight seemed to be possible with just one fin

Next, after a "tip over" in the lawn, the main rotor stripped free from its drive post. It would not reseat, requiring me to use more glue (and making future rotor blade changes challenging).

The quality of instructions also left a lot to be desired. First, there were no flight instructions for beginner rotor-craft flying - for a product aimed at age 14+, this would seem important. The instructions warned of flight in high winds. Although "high" was not specified, I discovered that attempting flight even with a 1-5 MPH breeze made control nearly impossible. There may be ways to control the craft in this situation, but the instructions provide no guidance to the novice flyer, even for calm and indoor flying. Without roll controls, the craft moves in unpredictable directions that depend, in part, on rotor speed, requiring constant correction from the tail rotor. The tail rotor seems to run either too fast or too slow when attempting to hover. The angle of the tail is adjustable, as is the angle of the tail rotor. Both adjustments came loose during the first 5 minutes of test flight and without guidance on optimal positions; I had to experiment with their positions.

I am slowly getting a handle on how to fly the "FLY", and I hope that I have experienced the worst of the quality issues. I do not recommend it to anyone.
1 star

This is essentially a well-engineered way to learn basic helicopter functions before moving on to the far more expensive multi-channel machines. The Dragonfly --and it's many clones -- are basic two-channel helicopters, made to do no more than go up and down and rotate on its axis. It's not fanciful; looks just like a real helicopter. If you're new at this, you'll be busy enough just keeping it stable. Of course, the great thing about a helicopter is that it doesn't need to fly forward to remain airborne -- the way an airplane does. So, learning steady control is the key.

Fly outside. Don't fly anywhere near trees or over hard surfaces (or water). It's too big to be flown indoors unless you're in a gym or auditorium. But hey, you're going to crash several times, and outdoor grass or hay softens impacts. And don't fly in wind. The Dragonfly doesn't have controls to fly forward or backward, so you'll always be contending with annoying breezes.

At your initial flight, you'll probably have to adjust the potentiometer knob to modify the tail rotor's effect on the main rotor's torque. Adjust the potentiometer very carefully in increments of 1/16". If you manhandle it, you'll break the knob right off. I know, I did and it took forever to get a replacement. It's one of the flaws in this otherwise good design.

The other flaw is that the helo carries only one permanently mounted rechargeable battery-pack, providing around ten total minutes of flying time. Then the battery needs a two-hour recharge (not from your car's cigarette lighter, either). It's a shame the Chinese manufacturer(s) didn't work out a system whereby two or three charged battery-packs could be easily swapped back and forth. I think it's also a shame that this clever little machine wasn't produced by an American or Japanese manufacturer.

Lastly, the radio controls do not happen smoothly but in "ranges." For example, when advancing the main rotor power, you'll find that it has three ranges: low range where the Dragonfly skitters around but won't lift off; apply more pressure and you'll feel mid-range -- where it wants to lift off, and high-range where it really wants to head skyward. Same is true for the tail rotor power: low range is to work in conjuction with the main rotor's low range and so on.

It's a toss up. If you want to enjoy simple, fun flying indoors for relaxation, consider instead some of the smaller helicopters like the Picoo Z. But this Dragonfly is for learning the rudiments of the more complex outdoor R/C machines. I don't regret buying mine because that's just what I was after.




4 stars

WARNING: This product ONLY flies straight up and down. This is a two-channel helicopter which means it only lifts off and spins in place. You cannot fly left, right, forward or backward. You can buy a similar RC helicopter that actually flies around for roughly the same price if you shop around. Even if you have never flown an RC helicopter before, you will get bored with this product after about 2 hours. It is sturdy enough to handle several crash landings (and you will crash it) so the construction or durability is not an issue. The fact that it is only two channels is the problem. Do yourself a favor and buy something that is 4-channels. 2 stars

These are not new helicopters. These are refurbished. Mine arrived broken. The cockpit was split from previous flights. The bolts holding the rotor blades were not screwed in properly. The screws were stripped and could not be removed. I had to drill them out so I can replace them. I have had several of these choppers. Generally, I think they are great, but this supplier is the wrong place to get them.

If you leave the blades loose, they fly in circles. If the blades are tight, they will only hover. You also need to adjust the center of gravity if you want to changes these flying characteristics.

BUT, buy them somewhere else. They have a New one on here, for $0.30 more. Maybe they are better. 1 star

I bought this for my husband for Christmas, and we tried it out today, it broke on the first try. He is going to try to fix it tomorrow. We would not recommend this helicopter to anyone, it is all plastic, made in China and the instruction manual has really bad English translation. Do your research before buying one of these, apparently there is a lot more to it than I thought. 2 stars