Model helicopters and Flying Things

Since around 2005, I’ve had a fascination with model helicopters. The interest goes back to before that year, but I finally acquired my first remote controlled helicopter around then.

I’ve since accumulated a small collection of helicopters, both as gifts and personal purchases:

(This page is presently more of a placeholder since I referenced it in my recent article about the HF9V antenna assembly and installation.)

Thunder Tiger Mini-Titan E-325 (gift)
This was my first actual helicopter. Coming it a little more than a metre in length, it is a 450 class electric model.
Generic radio controlled medium sized 3 channel helicopter (gift)
This was my second helicopter, also given as a gift. I never got very good at flying it. It's a very large 3 channel model (almost as large as the Thunder Tiger Mini-Titan), but lacks full yaw control making it difficult to fly in anything but calm weather.
Blade mCX2 (bought)
This little guy is my second smallest helicopter and is one of two coaxial rotators in my "fleet". Since it is small, slow moving and very hardy, pretty much anyone who wanted to fly one of my helicopters got to fly this little one. It has survived 4 year old children who thought it was fun to watch it crash, so it keeps hanging around for others to play with.
Generic IR controlled mini helicopter (gift exchange)
At a Christmas gift exchange, it was suggested I "may like what is in this bag" by one of the participants. So, I opened it, and found one of the infrared controlled 3.5 channel coaxial helicopters. It is fun to run around the house and kitchen with, so long as I don't go around too many corners.
Blade XCP2 (bought)
After the Christmas gift exchange, it renewed my interest in flying things around the house, but I wanted something that had collective pitch and a lot more response than (my now two) coaxial designs. I went and picked up the Blade XCP2 and some spare batteries. I then proceeded to tear new holes in the drywall throughout the house with it. It is a fun little indoor helicopter, most certainly.
Parrot AR.Drone version 1 (bought)
This is less of a helicopter and more of a gadget. It is actually a quad-rotor aircraft with self-stabilization systems and two video cameras. It is controlled by a mobile device, like an iPad, iPhone or Android phone. You can record the videos from this for the entire flight and share those around. It takes some getting used to when you're used to correcting the flight patterns of a regular collective pitch craft.

I also have a single model airplane, a Flat-Outs Red Bull 3D foam airplane. It flew once before meeting its doom with the neighbours fence. I never got around to repairing it.