Remote control technology has improved a hell of a lot over the last few years and there are several reasons why getting a radio controlled helicopter could actually be a very good idea.
Price
Although many helicopters are in fact very pricey indeed there are still a number that you can get for a great price. If price isn’t an worry for you then I would certainly recommend getting one of the higher end ones simply because they will be a lot more high tech and will fly just like the real thing. Which brings be on very nicely to my next point.
Realism
The cheap helicopters that you may perhaps go out and buy for one of your kids do not fly the real things at all. They will often be able to fly in one direction only and take a long time when turning. The more expensive ones are made especially to be just like the real thing. The are on the other hand harder to fly but they do peform in a very similar way to the real life ones.
Building
Many of the RC helicopters have to be built and can take from 5-20 hours to build. Many people seem to think that doing this is a bad thing when if you enjoy it I see nothing wrong with it at all. It can be a great hobby to start up and that first flight makes you feel pretty good because you know you have built it all yourself.
Competition
Although many people will in fact just build these for their own use there are many competitions for these types of things and the advanced form of RC flying is called 3D. This is where the copters will perform stunts to try and win a prize in one of the many competitions held.
Crashing
Finally, there is no need to worry about crashing and losing a part as you can purchase RC helicopter spares for quite a reasonable price and the alternative to the copter is of course RC aircraft.