Walkera Dragonfly #4
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Walkera helicopters are more common in Asia, Australia and New Zealand and in Europe and the United Kingdom, than in the US. We do see some of them however. They are also sold under the 'Venom' label—perhaps because Walkera is relatively unknown in America, or to sidestep their reputation as fragile with so-so electronics.
The Dragonfly #4 is a ready to fly (RTF) single rotor, fixed pitch (FP) helicopter. It is a crash-resistant trainer that can be used to acquire basic and intermediate flying skills at far less cost than with a collective pitch heli. There is a tradeoff, of course: the Walkera is difficult to fly accurately because it is FP and also because it is prone to 'pendulum effect'—a tendency to swing back and forth—which leaves most beginners guessing where it is going to go next. When you no longer have to 'chase' this helicopter the Blade CP Pro will seem like the most stable heli in the world.
In fact the #4 is a great beginner's heli because you have to concentrate to fly it well. If you are serious about flying helicopters the effort required to master the #4 will not seem excessive. Successive flights devoted to, say, side-in hovering, will shed so much light on that vital maneuver that the RC pilot will realize s/he is finally getting down to brass tacks. The #4 lets you try things you have not done before with relative safety. Crashes usually do little or no damage and parts are cheap, although most people must buy them on-line. When you can't put off learning nose-in and circles any longer the #4 will introduce you to this level of flying with less expense. Of course you will have to translate your FP skills into CP flying. But it beats the heck out of doing these things for the first time with a CP bird.
Many happy Blade CX and Lama pilots are shocked to discover that they cannot take off and hover the Blade CP Pro or Honey Bee CP/2. The Walkera #4 is incrementally easier to take off than CP heli's because it operates at a lower head speed and takes longer to react. Once in the air it requires a deft touch and a bit of subtlety to fly well.
Like any other RC helicopter it has been extensively modified. But not by me. Well maybe a little. My #4 came to me without electronics, so I installed a receiver (Rx) and '3-in-1' mixer (speed controller for main and tail motors and gyro) from a Blade CP. Since I only fly it indoors to practice specific flight maneuvers I fly without a canopy to facilitate changing the battery. For power I use the E-sky 2s 800 mah battery that come with the V3 and V4 Lama. (I have three so flying sessions last almost a half-hour.) The stock battery is a relatively heavy nickle-metal-hydride (ni-mh) battery that gives shorter flights.
If you get a Dragonfly #4 it might be smart to keep a few spare parts on hand:
- Two or three tail motors. When the tail goes out you can install a new one and fly instead of waiting for delivery of the part.
- A set of main rotor blades. Although these are pretty hard to break you can if you try.
- Two sets of landing gear. You are going to break the LG until you learn to land softly. Then you'll break them some more until you learn to power down gradually when you know you are going to lose it instead of abruptly slamming the left stick down and letting it fall.
Heli nuts buy spare parts in advance to get back into the air as quickly as possible when repairs are necessary. Then they can concentrate on the main thing: flying.
The #4 has earned affection from RC pilots the world over because it provides a meaningful introduction to single rotor flying. Its low price and low operating cost makes it a natural choice when it is time to move up to a single rotor helicopter.