RE: small electric helis?
Hi bhouckzz,
Yes, many of the small electric helis are suitable for a first heli.
Knowing which one to recommend requires that we have more information from you.
Are you looking to fly indoors or outdoors? Most helis that are big enough to handle mild breezes outdoors are too big to fly indoors.
Do you have prior RC experience/equipment? Things like a heli capable transmitter, or Lithium Polymer battery chargers will give us an indication of what support equipment you would need to purchase.
What is your budget like? Heli's are not inexpensive. There are cheap models, but that is more a reflection of quality than cost. Knowing what you have to spend will help us recommend a suitable model.
Does your budget include enough for a Simulator? Realflight G2 (in the $100 neighborhood), realflight G3 and Reflex are all fantastic simulators. The all require a newer computer with a 3D video card. There are other less expensive (or free - FMS) sims available.
Models I recommend:
Hirobo XRB SR Lama - $300 for everything you need. On the toyish side, but uses all the same flight inputs that the bigger helis do. Take it out of the box and fly. Almost guarenteed success. Easily the most stable heli I have flown. Indoors only.
Piccolo or Hummingbird - Both fixed pitch helis suitable for indoor flight. Both are quite sensative to proper setup, so you will be forced into becoming a heli mechanic.
Corona - Reported to be the most robust outdoor electric heli. Fixed Pitch.
T-Rex. Outdoor. Not a good first heli unless you dedicate a lot of time on the sim. Collective pitch, so there is more that needs to be tweaked to get proper behavior.