For many years, RC planes (Remote Controlled Model Airplanes) and RC Helicopters were searched for on the Internet with equal interest. Then, in 2009 around Christmas time, that changed, and a huge spike in search volume for RC Helicopter happened. It happened again in 2010 around the same time, Christmas. Interest in the remote-controlled aircraft hobby has always spiked during holiday season each year for many years now, and always at Christmas time.
There are many reasons for this, most having to do with the fact that controlling a remote-controlled helicopter is far easier than a remote-controlled airplane. This makes it easier to get started in for young folks that might be daunted by the prospect of learning how to control something that is zipping around at 30 or 40 miles per hour and could collide with a tree or a window. In fact, for that reason most people will not try it unless they find a field where the hobby is practiced. There are not too many of them, and usually they are filled with seasoned professionals. It is a little like deciding to lose weight and going to a body builder gym. Kids find it hard to have fun it those environments.
Easier and More Fun
There is nothing wrong with a gateway version of a hobby like RC modeling. RC cars are big business and fly off the shelves every year, and they spike on the Internet just like RC helicopters every year. Without RC cars, the fun of remote-controlled vehicles would be beyond the reach of casual young people who just want to have a little fun. However, taking to the air is very tempting. The RC helicopter is the perfect compromise. You get to fly in the sky but on terms that allow the novice to do so without the fear of crashing, or the parents’ fear of what they might crash into.
Being mostly electric, RC helicopters have the advantage of being less costly than full on RC planes. This is another decided advantage for both the hobbyist and the gift giver. If the novice hobbyist does crash their RC helicopter, it is more likely to be fixable than an RC plane as they are smaller and have plastic bodies. There is one other thing to consider; cameras. Over the last few years, people have discovered that you can attach a wireless camera (relatively new technology) to an RC helicopter and “See” what it is like to fly.
