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(More customer reviews)I ordered an S031G Jumbo helicopter by Syma at the end of 2010 and flew it about six times before hanging it in a tree and smoking (literally) the circuit board and rear motor that drives the lower rotor. The offending component on the circuit board (STD150NH02L-1 MOSFET) would have been easy to replace, but it is not available from the common electronics suppliers in quantities under 3000. Soooo, I am buying parts from the hobby-estore for my rebuild.
This copter is really quite large and I don't think a typical 14 year old (recommended age) would get much out of it before crashing it badly and rendering it unusable. That said, it could make an outstanding learning tool for troubleshooting damage and repairing the device to functional status. This is a great way to learn some mechanical and electronic repair skills.
On my first flight, I was doing superbly until I flew too close to a power line and the copter cut out and plunged about 30' to the ground. It received a crack in the head cover and one of the tabs for connecting the head cover to the base broke off. Some electrician's tape and hot glue and I was back flying in about 10 minutes. I had another cut-out at about 30' height on about the fourth flight which did more damage to the base and head cover, but the copter kept going. The real disaster came on about the sixth flight when I was flying at tree-top height and a breeze came up and wafted the copter into a tree top. Now, I am to blame because I had changed the copter balance with a Mini DV video camera I had taped to the copter which causes the copter to lose a fair amount of forward power. I couldn't drive the copter hard enough into the breeze to get away from the tree and I got stuck up there. Even without my camera, I wouldn't recomend flying this copter in any wind if you can feel it. It will "fly like the wind" and crash somewhere downwind.
Now HERE IS THE IMPORTANT PART. I attempted to use the transmitter to wiggle the rotors on the copter to dislodge it from the tree. Unfortunately, the electronics on the copter have no load capacity beyond driving the rotors in free air. The rear motor overheated and the load on the STD150NH02L-1 MOSFET on the circuit board caused the component to fry. The rear motor got so hot that the wire leads to the tail motor and rear LED's melted and stuck to the motor. The power connection to the rear motor got so hot it melted the solder on the circuit board! The long and short of this is DO NOT DRIVE THE MOTORS OF THIS COPTER IF THEY ARE CONTACTING ANYTHING! If you get hung in a tree, tie a 3/4" nut to some light poly bailing twine and use a sling shot to lob the nut and string over the branches above the copter. Gather both ends of the twine and yank hard and repeatedly until you shake the copter out of the tree. This worked very well for me.
As for contacting your body, this thing can really give you a whack. I haven't broken my skin with it, but have given myself some nasty hits by accidentally engaging the transmitter while carrying the copter for a re-launch. Small children and pets could be injured, especially if hit in the eyes. My wife prohibits me from even turning it on in the house. You really could do some damage inside with it (not to mention the copter).
I would recommend this product to anyone looking to get into radio control model aircraft flying. Stay away from radio interference and give yourself LOTS of maneuvering room. A football field may not even be big enough the first few times out. If you want to take some air photos once you know your copter, get a MINI DV camera and tape it to it. You'll need solid daylight for good video, but I a fully impressed by what this tiny camera can do.
Given its size (about 2 feet long), this copter has much more momentum than the mini copters like its little cousin the S107G. Everything about the motion of the S031G is multiplied by at least the scale factor from the S107G. Go slow to start and not too high until you get the hang of it and you'll be crashing into trees and buildings and buying spare parts in no time!!
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Product size:24" Long , 18" Blade Diameter, Height: 10" Flying time:approx 12min Flying height:approx 150' Control range:300'Charging time:150-180 min Battery:9.6v 800mah Li-Po Battery (Charger Included) Transmitter Requires:4 x AA (not included) 2 forward SpeedsFrequency:27mhz/40mhz/49mhz Test report:CE/ROHS/FCC/ASTM Age:14+ Net weight:1.7kg
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