I decided to buy our MAWA010B2 in red. We sell this helicopter cheaply and I wanted to see how they actually fly. So I thought I’d get one and then I could do a flight review for my clients.

I received the MAW010B2 (for those who don’t know MAW stands for Model Airplane Workroom) and it arrived ready to fly. It had the remote control, AC adapter, rechargeable battery pack (Li-Po), and a proper instruction manual on how to fly this RC. I opened the box and took everything out first. After taking it out I wondered if the blades were broken and tried to straighten them out, then wanted to tighten them up because they seemed so loose. It’s ok, they are loose and can be folded, when you are going to fly this RC helicopter, you don’t have to squeeze these blades, and you shouldn’t squeeze them, they will straighten themselves immediately when you slowly push the throttle forward. Like other Chinese made starter choppers, the instructions are a bit hard to understand in parts, not written by someone who speaks English as their first language, but you get the point. I did not understand how long to charge the helicopter the first time. After the first time, you need to charge the helicopter for 2 hours to get really good flight time.

Once I read everything and charged the battery until it felt pretty hot, which was about 2 hours, I unplugged the charger and connected the battery to the helicopter motor. This RC helicopter is nice because you just pull the front plastic piece forward by undoing the top two hooks and charge the battery while it’s still on the helicopter, and when you’re done it takes ten seconds to hook the battery onto the helicopter and pull it down. of the plastic part so that it can be seen. The remote requires 8 AA batteries to work. Once I had them, it was time to try it out.

Make sure you have the antenna fully extended, as this type of helicopter only has about 30 feet of range anymore. Don’t let this helicopter get out of range, if it goes too high, get under it and SLOWLY lower the throttle, never less than half, and if the helicopter starts to go down, push the throttle up to make the helicopter level off. I learned the hard way that if you let it start falling too fast, going full throttle won’t slow the chopper down enough, and the first thing to break will be the landing skids. Nothing a little super glue, electrical tape, and patience can’t fix, but what a pain. So stay under it and never let it go down too fast. The bottom rails can be unbolted and replaced, though I haven’t figured out how to order additional parts for this particular model yet, so if any of you find out, I’d love to hear about it.

Here’s another tip. The first time I flew this RC helicopter, I was outside and it was a bit windy, I didn’t really notice the wind, but my helicopter did. First time flying this RC, I’d suggest the inside of a gym, or just a wide-open parking lot or grass field, might be even better. The first thing I did was slowly push the throttle up, put the propellers in motion, then, as the instructions say, I pushed it further so that the helicopter would get off the ground and not roll over and break something. However, once you’re airborne, be sure to squeeze the throttle a bit so you don’t fly too high. My suggestion is to take your time the first three or four flights and just keep it about 6-8 feet off the ground, and practice turning it and having it fly in certain directions. Please be patient, that’s why I broke mine, I wasn’t being patient and wanted to “see what I could do” which was obviously a mistake.

When you turn on the remote for the first time. First turn on the helicopter and the red light will come on, which is a bit cool at night, it illuminates the front of the helicopter, which on my red helicopter looked good. But then when it’s on, turn on your remote with the switch. The red light will flash and then turn off again. Slowly push the throttle all the way down once, you’ll notice it still won’t start the helicopter. At the top, full throttle (the left trigger), the light will flash very fast, then lower the throttle to full throttle, and the light will stay on all the way, then flash slower after a minute. You are now calibrated and ready to fly.

Directly to the right of the left trigger is a slider switch, the more you slide it up the more throttle you get in all positions, I set mine to 2/3 of the way. If your chopper is having a hard time getting any higher (no more than 20-30 feet), then get this up. If it goes up too easily, lower it. If you can’t get up easily, also keep in mind that you may run out of batteries and need to recharge. The right trigger is to turn the helicopter to the right or left with the use of the rear propeller. It can also be pushed up to give you a push forward, not much but some movement. It can also be calibrated with all slide switches. I’m not a pro yet so you’ll have to play around with it, but as long as you are, low heights are suggested.

This helicopter can take a 5 or 6 foot drop when you mess up, just immediately turn the throttle all the way off, so the blades don’t catch on the ground if it tips over, I imagine that would break something, but I haven’t had that problem yet.

In a nutshell, the MAW010B2 is a great helicopter for beginners and intermediates, ages 12 and up, although I would suggest those under sixteen have an adult, and you should take the learning curve in stride. The battery, fully charged, will last 10-15 minutes of solid flight. It could charge a little faster, but when it’s ready, you forget about the unpleasant wait. It is one of the most attractive starter models. It has a modern look. I have already received several compliments. With proper care and increased flying skills, I’m sure this particular electric RC helicopter will bring you a lot of fun over time. To make it last longer, always recharge the battery right after the flight is exhausted and then wait 5 minutes before flying again to let the motor cool down. This will help prevent “burning out” of the engine. Also, never leave the battery fully discharged for a long period of time. Storing a discharged Li-Po battery could result in it not being able to hold a charge and having to replace the battery sooner rather than later. Batteries are not cheap. And always, always fly in an area completely free of obstacles to reduce the chance of damage in the event of an accident. If you are patient and do not go out of your range of control, she will last a long time. It will give you a lot of value for your money.

To view an image or purchase the MAW010B2, please visit our site. Also, feel free to check out all of our other electric RC helicopters!