If you’re looking for a basic, trouble free, ready-to-fly radio controlled helicopter that flies right out of the box, check out the Night Ranger 3D by Venom.

Radio controlled helicopters come in three forms. They are: “Almost Ready to Fly” (ARF) kits, Ready to Fly (RTF) kits, and build it yourself kits. Their flying abilities are basically of two types; either it’s a more basic board flight only design, or in aerobatic, 3-D-capable machine. Helicopters that use a fixed pitch blade system that relies only on throttle inputs to control descent and lift are the more basic design, while collective pitch helicopters can alter the blades’ pitch as they rotate to create lift.

The Night Ranger 3-D is in the “ready to fly” category, and is actually a pretty utilitarian helicopter, suitable for a broad range of people. Anyone from a novice to an experienced 3-D pilot can use it. Because it’s a collective pitch helicopter, it’s a bit of a handful when it comes to novices, but it can perform at just about any level very capably, meaning that even advanced 3-D pilots can have fun with it in the air. However, because 3-D flights are pretty rigorous, the helicopter itself has to be much more stable, which is certainly true of the Night Ranger 3-D

All of the heli’s molded parts fit together well, with minimal slop out of the box. The Venom 3D Control Unit is the heart of the electronic system, handling the duties of the receiver, CCPM controller, gyro, and speed control all in one. The Night Ranger 3D package also includes a 6-channel FM radio, a 650 mAh NiMH pack, a wall charger, and even 8 pre-packaged AA batteries for the transmitter.

The instructions tell you mostly how to set up the helicopter and perform a variety of flight maneuvers, from the fanciest of 3-D moves like inverted flight and loops, to basic forward flight. It also leads you through checking the blades’ tracking, adjusting the trim on the transmitter, balancing, and other preflight suggestions.

One of its tricks that allows it to fly 3-D is a separate “Flight Mode” that holds the motor’s RPM constant so that the helicopter stays in the air. When this mode is activated, you can move the throttle stick to full down position to give it the same effect as being at full throttle, but with negative pitch. This is inverted flight’s key, which is to say the negative pitch creates lift when the helicopter is upside down. As with most helicopters, when the helicopter is in the air at a proper height, you can change to Flight Mode 1 by flipping the switch on the radio and begin 3-D flight.

If you’ve never flown a helicopter before, try spending some time on a simulator before you fly for “real” at first, so that you can get comfortable with the controls if at all possible, but the Night Ranger 3-D will suit you just fine as a beginner if you take it slow and easy. If you’re an intermediate pilot and want a first aerobatic helicopter, the Night Ranger is also right for you, and it’s also suitable for you if you are a nitro pilot and want to give electric a go without breaking your bank.