The lad got one that is good fun is you want to go up and down and crash into stuff. Is there anything controllable out there that a small boy (and a 7 year old) could fly with a degree of accuracy?

Husban X4 is supposed to be good.

MsD bought me a U8-S from Red5 for Xmas 🙂 I’m a complete novice but its fun & I haven’t flown it into the Xmas tree yet!

Large open space outside is the way to go. Using them indoors is going to involve many crashes.

Definitely, mine has a turbo setting which is WAY too much for indoors unless you live in a hangar!

One of these

http://www.heliguy.com/rc-helicopters/heliguy/heliguy-atom/heliguy-atom-fp.html

I got a HubsanFPV X4. It’s a titchy thing but I’m loving it! (can’t fly it mind)

Stepson got a Gyros S107G helicopter which seems easier to use.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Syma-Edition-Version-Indoor-Helicopter/dp/B00BFSF66O/

We have ones of these:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00AHECZMA/

It is fairly easy to fly and pretty stable.. My son was 8 when we got it and was happy flying it around with out many crashes, it didn’t take him long to be able to land it on the arm of the sofa. We are actually on our 2nd one as the first developed a throttle problem, so maybe reliabilty isn’t as good as it could be, but the replacement has been faultless.

I find blade helis pretty good.

i had one of these which was pretty good fun.

E-Flite Blade MC-X is co-axial and therefore very stable

http://www.sussex-model-centre.co.uk/shopexd.asp?id=43879

U839

has 3 modes of sensitivity so novice can use 1 etc

got one yesterday and it hasn’t been out of the air in the hands of someone in the family for the last 2 days!

My 8 year old nephew had one of those syma 107s flying around in no time: 1st charge he spent crashing it (seemingly quite a tough little thing), 2nd charge flying around no problems.

Another vote for the syma 107G, great fun, very controllable.

+1 for the Atom…. Good spares availability as well. I should know.

I got a chinook for my 50th, seems very stable and easier to fly than many others

Another vote for Syma S107, it works. All you need to know.

Just got this http://www.smythstoys.com/uk/en-gb/toys/construction-cars/c-412/radio-control-helicopters-planes/p-1001/20cm-3-channel-g-viator-helicopter/

It is ace!

Yep – another vote for the syma 107. My eight year old is now on lego men rescue missions!!!!