This 450-size, GPS-stabilized heli is a winner
By Fitz Walker | [email protected]
As seen in the June 2025 issue of Model Aviation.
"GET TO THE CHOPPA!" The full-scale Bell UH-1 Huey is likely the most famous of any helicopter ever made, not only for its appearances in countless movies and TV shows but also for its long and storied history in both military and civilian service.
First developed in the 1950s, the aircraft is also known for being the first turbine-powered helicopter in U.S. military service. Modernized variants of the venerable UH-1 are still in production to this day.
Fly Wing offers a small, scalelike version of the ubiquitous UH-1. This 450-class electric helicopter comes as a ready-to-fly package, complete with the transmitter, flight battery, and charger. It features advanced multi-axis gyro stabilization, self-flying modes, and has a GPS-augmented flight controller.
The overall design is straightforward, with a flybarless rotor head and separate main and tail-rotor brushless motors. The core mechanicare mounted in a carbon-fiber subframe with a geared outrunner motor. There is no one-way bearing, but this is not the model with which you want to do autorotations. Metal-geared servos are directly connected to the swashplate. Both the rotor head and swashplate are all metal with almost no slop.
At a Glance
Specifications
Skill level: Beginner
Rotor Diameter: 31.8 inches
Length: 29.5 inches
Weight: 2 pounds, 11 ounces
Battery: 4S 3,000 mAh
Price: $799
Pluses
- Extremely easy to fly.
- Long flight times.
- Scalelike features.
Minuses
- Front windshield is not quite accurate.
Manufacturer/Distributor
Fly Wing
mounted in a carbon-fiber subframe with a geared outrunner motor. There is no one-way bearing, but this is not the model with which you want to do autorotations. Metal-geared servos are directly connected to the swashplate. Both the rotor head and swashplate are all metal with almost no slop.
Onboard electronics consist of a six-channel receiver, flight controller, GPS antenna module, and a 60-amp ESC that is rated for up to six-cell batteries. The battery connector is an industry-standard XT60. Servos are all metal-geared, with the receiver connected to the flight controller via a single data bus cable.
The entire fuselage is made of fiberglass, which has engine, louver, and panel line details embedded on the surface. Although I did notice the front window was a bit un-Huey looking, the overall details are very nice. The skids are plastic, but they seem quite durable. All of the livery is prepainted from the factory. Only the carbon-fiber rotor blades need to be installed by the user.
This is where the only issue I came across appeared. Apparently, the metal rotor-blade grip screws were tightened at the factory a little too tight and the empty blade grips were over-pinched, preventing the rotor blades from fitting into the slot. I needed to pry them apart slightly with a large screwdriver for the blades to slide in. After they were installed, the rotor system looked like its full-scale version.
The rotor head has some interesting details. There are trailing-edge linkages made from a semiflexible material that screw onto the roots of the rotor blades. The same material is used for a nonfunctional flybar that can be bolted to the rotor head and is purely cosmetic. In fact, there are a bunch of optional 3D-printed parts that can be attached to the model to enhance its scalelike looks.
The flight battery is a 4S 3,000 mAh pack that allows for long flight times. The charger is a rather nice, compact A/C charger that charges through the balance port. Its maximum output is limited to three amps, so don’t expect a fast charge. A dead battery will take more than an hour to charge, but it has an alpha-numeric display that shows charge voltage and charge status.
The transmitter is a slick, modern-looking unit with an LCD screen and quite a few more switches and knobs than what are needed for the Huey. It is lightweight and comfortable to hold. For convenience, the mode switches are clearly labeled. Besides a start/stop switch, there are switches for flight modes (Return to Home, GPS, and 3D) and automatic pattern flying.
The throttle/collective stick is smooth and self-centering, indicating its drone-like heritage. Both gimbal stalks have adjustable lengths. Curiously, there are no trim tabs on the transmitter. On the bottom are USB- and DIN-type data ports. Four AA batteries are needed to power the transmitter.
Flying
A latch in the nose releases the large front-quarter section of the fuselage that gives easy access into the interior space. Hook-and-loop material attaches the battery to a wood plate in the front. Interestingly, the start sequence has you plugging in the battery first then turning on the transmitter, although, in practice, the sequence doesn’t matter.
A multicolored status light on the flight controller indicates when a GPS lock has been established. The start sequence has you moving the control sticks to the outer corners, and then flipping the mode switch to "run." If all is deemed good by the heli’s computer, the Huey will then automatically initiate the rotor spool-up sequence.
There was a slightly concerning bit of vibration on the ground during the spool-up, but once the throttle stick was bumped up, the Huey quickly rose into a smooth, stable hover approximately five feet above the ground. At this point, the Huey was happily flying hands off and was very stable in holding its relative position and height, even in the breezy weather.
That’s all good and fine, but I didn’t want to be just a spectator, so I tried a few pirouettes and was rewarded with positive tail controls, and it was the same for the cyclic inputs. The model is surprisingly nimble when flying basic circuits around the field. Because it was in GPS mode, it would automatically stop when controls were neutralized. I was quite humored by how it tilts back rather dramatically when it stops itself from fast-forward flight.
There’s a return-to-home feature that automatically turns on when the battery gets too low, or it can be initiated via a switch. When switched on, the Huey will move to a set altitude, and then turn to a return heading, where it will proceed to fly back and automatically land when it reaches its launch point. It works quite well and is accurate, although it is a little slow in the final landing descent.
If you want to impress your friends without much practice, there are two self-flying, loitering modes that are selectable on the transmitter. The first one flies a horizontal Figure Eight in a relatively small space. The second one performs a fancy nose-in, circling, strafing maneuver. They are engaging to watch and are done completely hands off!
I was curious about the 3D mode (surely, it’s not a 3D-capable scale Huey!). The manual warns about switching to this mode. To quote, "the helicopter will fall down quickly." Yeah, in 3D mode, the center throttle-stick position is no longer the hover position. Flipping the 3D switch on, I immediately needed to add collective because the heli was falling out of the air!
In 3D mode, the rotor speed goes from the normal 1,500 rpm up to roughly 1,700 rpm. The auto-level stabilization is also disabled and there are no angle limits. Yes, that means you can completely flip the Huey over, which gave me an idea. Despite being a scalelike model, was it capable of aerobatics?
Taking the aircraft up a couple mistakes high, I first tried a loop, which it did pretty well. Feeling encouraged, I went on to try some other mild 3D aerobatics, including standing flips and even sustained inverted flight.
There is not a lot of excess power, but those who are smooth on the sticks can have quite a bit of fun. It is certainly not scalelike flying for an army utility helicopter, but most impressive for a scalelike, ready-to-fly 450-class helicopter.
Summary
I’m impressed with the super-easy flight performance of this model in addition to the ability to get a little wild with it. That stated, the Huey is extremely easy to fly in GPS mode, where anyone who has flown a drone would be instantly at home controlling it. I guess you could call it "dronicopter" mode. The controls, however, are still very much like a traditional RC helicopter for those who want to eventually progress to non-stabilized helis.
Its size is large enough to have a presence in the air, with scale looks that are attractive and authentic looking and the battery size offers long flight times.
For those who want to try their hand at flying a scale helicopter with minimal time and effort, it is hard to beat the Fly Wing UH-1 Huey V4.
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