Went to Target with my son (4yrs) and instead of the planes he was into the helicopters. Are there any micro helicopters that are very easy to fly and somewhat durable? What about the gyro havoc? It looks like a helicopter but it is really a plane somehow?
He was looking at the helis connected by a rod too (the ones that just go around and around on a little control area). Are those worth it? I remember wanting one when i was a kid, but seems to me that they might get boring after a while.

Any advice would be great. If helis are out I'll just get an Aero Ace. They are on clearance at Target, but the two stores I went to did not have any on the shelves (even though the computer at one store said they should have 7!!)

The AirHogs mini heli is a lot of fun. I've seen other mini-helis from other manufacturers that look similar but are almost impossible to fly. However, be aware that the mini-heli requires very precise throttle control. I think that your son will have a hard time with it. My 5 year old grandson tried to fly mine and could not keep it level; either too high and hit the ceiling or too low and down to the floor. His mother (my daughter) and my wife also tried it with similar results. However, its practically indestructable and he had a lot of fun trying to fly it. For the price, its worth a try. You can always return it if it turns out to be too hard for him. Last year we got my grandson the heli that is connected to the stick and he had a great time with it. Its like a mini helicopter version of a control line plane. The number of variables is reduced, making it much easier to control. Its not indestructable but is a lot of fun and well worth the cost.

Thanks for the feedback. Target had some mini control line helis for like $10, so maybe I'll get one of those for him. The larger ones are $30, so I'll start with the mini and maybe an Aero Ace to see what he likes the best. If he really loves the mini, then maybe I'll get a larger control line heli or wait a few years to get him a remote control one.

At age four it is a tuff choice!! My niece "almost 3" loves to crash my two channel model. She will last about 5 minutes before breaking somthing!! Although the micro helicopters available now are extremely stable and easy to fly, the recommended age is 8+, but we all know what that means, "a six year old can probably figure it out. Reguarding the models available at Target, I believe there is better quality and selection elsewhere. Please feel free to check out our site at www.TheHobbyCompany.com where we have many micro helicopters to choose from. Oh, yeah about the heli that only will go in circles. I bought a appache type for my nephew last year and it was the life of the party, All of the kids loved it!!![link=http://TheHobbyCompany.com]TheHobbyCompany[/link]

Those AirHogs Havoc helis are a blast to fly. They fly pretty well in living rooms. And just about all of the micro helis I've flown all fly about the same, and use the same rotor head, and tail rotor.

They can be learned in about 2-3 flights, and you can fly them all day. Be warned though, you might have too much fun flying through obstacles, and you might run the radio batteries down

Also, after a while, the tailrotor begins to die, as in it doesn't perform like it should, and takes about the whole flight to adjust it so that the heli flies straight.

These are good little TOYs to fly around, but once you get bored of them you might want to stop by a local hobby shop (google can be your fiend there), and check out the trainer aircraft they have. Those will be more exciting than a havoc heli OH, and follow their advice too. Ask any questions you may have here.