Buying remote controlled aircraft is always a bit of a crapshoot. Even though I always wanted one as a kid, I’ve quickly realized that in many cases you get what you pay for. Flight wasn’t exactly a science that was easily mastered, and a cheapie remote controlled craft tend to have a very difficult time with it. This motion sensing remote controlled jet, however, promises to rid you of the problems of its clumsy predecessors.
The fighter jet is designed to respond to the motion of the controller’s joystick. This allows the craft to emulate the yoke of a real fighter cockpit. As such, slight tilts to the left or right will turn the jet in flight, hopefully making it a bit more exciting for your youngster (or me, or any nerdy adult that still likes to play with toys) to experience. If you squeeze the throttle trigger, you’ll boost up speed and altitude. If you’d prefer to lay off the fancy stuff and keep it simple, the jet can also be guided by traditional manual controls (the manufacturer describes it as similar to video game controls, but I’m not so sure.
The fighter has a range of 150 feet and maxes out at a top speed of 25 miles an hour. Propulsion is powered by two propellers in the rear of the aircraft. There’s also a trim knob to ensure that you don’t go careening off into the side of that brick building just over yonder. Unfortunately, this also comes at a cost to flight time. You’ll only have your jet zooming around for 7-10 minutes on a 30 minute charge. That seems rather low considering the $69.95 price tag. I’m also curious as to how the jet holds up in crashes. Sure, it has detachable landing gear, but will it be able to take a rough go on the concrete? Maybe, maybe not. If you’re interested in some other RC fun, there’s always the 21 RC Toys we presented before, this remote controlled scorpion or for something a bit more exotic the wooden quadrocopter.
