Nano Falcon RC Helicopter review

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I’m not very big on playing with toys, but when Brando offered the Nano Falcon R/C helicopter by Silverlit, it piqued my curiosity.  It’s billed as the World’s smallest, according to the Guiness Book of World Records.  Having never attempted to fly a remote-controlled helicopter, I went for the new experience. What could go wrong?Because of my lack of experience in flying helicopters, I actually read the manual from front to back.  Perhaps this was the one time I shouldn’t have.

Features:

  • Guinness World Records Smallest RC Helicopter
  • Size of just 65mm and weighs just 11g
  • 3 channel indoor heli flies up and down; forward and backward; left and right
  • Built-in Gyro Stabilizer makes flying easier
  • Precise variable speed rotor delivers excellent flying control
  • Pre-selected tri band system
  • Slim design for transmitter

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This is what came in the package.  The bottle cap gives you a sense of the small size.  The plastic bag contains 2 spare tail rotors and the tool to change them.  I guess these get broken. nano3

A close up of the Nano.

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The controller.  It requires 4 AA batteries (not included) to operate.  It also is the charging station for the helicopter.

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After installing the batteries, the next step is to charge the Nano.  You make sure the switch on the helicopter is turned off, and then plug it on the remote controller.  It takes about 30 minutes to charge the battery, which then gives you about 5 minutes of flight time. Now that everything was set, I was ready to make my first flight.

I again read the instruction book, which advised that I should slowly advance the power until the Nano hovered about a meter above the ground.  I did so, and the Nano immediately nosed over and plowed into the table.  OK, so I tried again.  Slowly increased the throttle, and I got the same results.  After about an hour of this frustration, I put the Nano away in anticipation of an upcoming  visit to my good friend Ed.

Ed  has a couple of remote-control helicopters, and he flies them every time we visit.  On top of that he is a retired certified helicopter mechanic, so I thought he could find out what was wrong.  When we arrived on the recent visit, I showed him the Nano, and he asked how to charge it and looked at the controls.  He put the helicopter on a launching pad (a book) and advanced the power a quarter of the way, and lo and behold, the Nano popped in the air.  After adjusting the trim, he was able to fly it around a room with 8′ ceilings.

Ed is actually flying the Nano here.  I’m the one taking the shaky video.

Well, I guess the lesson here is don’t always believe what you read in the manual.  After a little bit of practice, I too was able to hover the Nano and fly around the room.  Now don’t get me wrong.  There is a rather long learning curve, and I still am not able to land the Nano without crashing, although those crashes have become less severe.  Now that I’m back home, I also have the advantage of cathedral ceilings in my living room, which keeps me from hitting them as much.

I’ve been enjoying flying the Nano since I figured out it was pilot error at the beginning.  The fast recharge time makes it easy to get caught up in the fun and time seems to get lost somehow.  A couple of caveats though.  Don’t try to fly the Nano outside or where there is an air current, like over heat registers.  The helicopter is very light and the slightest breeze will destabilize it.  It will take practice to make it work.  I did as the manual suggested and initially concentrated on maneuvering up and down.  Once I got that down, I then worked on my lateral controls.  And don’t get this for a child.  It takes concentration to master.  The manufacturer suggests for 10 and above, but I’m not sure a 10-year-old has the patience.  On the other hand, if you buy it for a 10-year-old and it doesn’t work out, you then have a new toy!

 

Product Information

Price:$39.90
Manufacturer:Silverlit
Retailer:Brando
Requirements:
  • A place to fly indoors
Pros:
  • Extreme fun
  • Requires only standard AA batteries for operation
  • Inexpensive entertainment
Cons:
  • None

16 thoughts on “Nano Falcon RC Helicopter review”




  1. Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
  2. Age is relevant, I know 6 years old’s that could handle this with patients, and 16 year old’s that couldn’t. Heck I know 35 year old’s that shouldn’t be allowed these.

  3. It’s extremely fun. I fly helicopters as a hobby and although this is a toy, it was such a novel thing I had to have some. I fly it all the time now and will have them charged up one by one so I don’t have too much down time. If you love indoor helicopters, any serious hobbyist will suggest the Blade MCX2 (ready to fly version). That’s hands down the best with replacement parts for everything not that you really need any with something that good. Anyways, I LOVE flying the Nano Falcon 😀

  4. just got mine in yesterday but after flying it for a while, the helicopter became weak and fell on the ground. i thought that it was out of batteries and charged it but unfortunately it won’t work anymore. Does anyone know why? bit upset since it was not cheap ;/ could it be because i didn’t wait 10minutes before charging?
    please help me 🙁

  5. Daniel,

    You’ve probably already done this, but replace the AA batteries in the controller on the chance that they’re bad. If you do that and let the helicopter charge for the time required, I’d see if the vendor will replace the unit. I’ve found out belatedly, that the helicopters are not repairable. I crashed mine once too often and broke a main rotor blade. I emailed the company and found out my only option was to buy another complete set. Aside from the included tail rotor blades, there are no replacement parts.

  6. My dad brought nano falcon from korea since it was flying very good but today when i took it to fly it was first it was flying very go stopod but after it. started whirrling so i put it on charge but after charge it didnt work and the led light down use to blink for few second but now it doesnt please help me i am very sad

  7. Rugved,

    If you’ve replaced the batteries in the controller, my guess is it’s broken. As there are no repair parts, your only option, if you still want one, is to buy another.

  8. No i have not done it so but in the remote there are rechargeable batteries. When the rechargeable batteries were brought on the box it was written that charge it for15 hr or till the time the led doesnt get off i didnt waited ,so they would be not charge fullyso it would be the problem???

  9. Rugved,

    Apparently you have a different version than was reviewed. The version in the article used AA disposable batteries in the remote/charger. I guess you could try and charge the batteries for the 15 hrs recommended and see what happens.

  10. i just picked one up today and it is extremely fun im kinda using it to learn on before i jump into larger scale choppers

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