Some time back in 1999 a gentleman by the name of Ikarus ECO Piccolo developed an electric RTF RC helicopter and mass produced it. The helicopter was a huge success.
The RTF (ready-to-fly) RC (radio-control) helicopter was so popular because you could buy one and take it out of the box and fly it indoors. No construction required, no waiting for the glue to dry just install and charge the batteries and you are flying.
RTF RC Helicopters Became an Immediate Success
It did not take long for other model manufacturers to capitalize on this success. Today they are everywhere online in the Hobby Shops and department stores.
Since the start of this new exciting hobby has taken off we have gone through the Electronic Revolution with new technologies and advancements hitting the markets every day. What this meant for the RTF RC helicopter industry was incredible. The new electronics has become miniaturized with very small powerful electric motors, battery packs, receivers, servos, gyros, and transmitters. What this has meant to the industry is very small and low-cost RTF RC Helicopters that fit every age group and price range. These new helicopters are very easy to fly with increasing levels of difficulty to suit the hobbyist.
Ready to Fly RTF RC Helicopters – What does That Mean?
Today it is a new acronym that actually means just what it sounds like. Ready-to-fly radio-control helicopters bought at a low price and when you get it home you take it out of the box and install the batteries and go flying. Don’t mistake RTF with ARF or the (almost-ready-to-fly) which requires some simple construction before you can fly it. In the past, RTF would include some models that were not quite ready to fly but not any longer.
With such competition from all the manufacturers, it is not very hard to find out who is selling high-quality RTF RC helicopters. You can still find Hobby Shops that go the extra mile by providing full service to their customers. But the biggest market today is the Internet online store.
You might ask how you can tell if the RTF RC helicopter the online store is selling is really any good. You can still run into some that might be selling low-quality merchandise but not very often. Here is why! Take a big company like Amazon they provide customer reviews and customer feedback and they are right on target more often than not. With a smaller e-store, it is still not very difficult to find out about them as well. Sure they may provide customer feedback and reviews but look for their Facebook and Twitter accounts and see what people are saying about them and their products.
Facebook and Twitter do not give bad stores any break at all if they do not provide good service and provide quality products you will find out very fast. If they are not members of the social networks you may still be able to find out about them by just doing a Google search will reveal what is going on.
The great part to remember is that electric RTF RC helicopters today are available to the masses. The affordable prices of helicopters will suit everyone’s needs. The old days of difficult RC helicopters to fly are long gone which is terrific news for the industry which was long overdue.
High-quality helicopters are available all over the globe and they are selling large numbers making many satisfied customers. The major selling points are the fact that the RTF RC Helicopters have very gentle flying characteristics making the hobby open to everyone at affordable prices.
by Sidney Lagrand
