I would agree with everything Cliff said, except for the part about a Hummingbird not being a good heli to learn on. It may be less stable than the Corona, but I have had my HB less than two weeks, and am hovering quite well in my garage, attic, and the lunchroom at work. I have had my share of crashes, and have had to CA some things back together, but have not had to replace any parts yet. The HB seems quite sturdy.

I second what Cliff said about Pre-Flight. I tried FMS, but it was way too easy to fly. Pre-Flight lets you adjust the simulation speed, so you can set it to slower than normal at first, and gradually increase it to normal speed. I found it helpful to set it to 0.5 which is twice normal speed. It is nearly impossible to fly without crashing that way, but after practicing at double speed, backing down to normal, and actual flying seemed easy. Pre-Flight is also freeware.

I haven't flown outside yet, but it stands to reason that a larger more stable heli like the Corona would handle the wind better. There are tuning blades available for the Picolo that handle the wind better than the stock ones, and are reported to work on the HB. The Corona may be very sturdy, but the Hummingbird is pretty sturdy itself, and you can buy two Hummingbirds for the price of one Corona.


Jeff