My interest in RC flying vehicles hasn’t stopped at helicopters. My wife bought me a ParkZone Night Vapor
The first day that I tried to fly it, I had very little success; I flew it in the living room and was not able to maneuver it to turn it. A few weeks later, my father, son, and I spent a few hours flying in my garage (it’s a great place to fly when both cars are removed) and I started to get the hang of the Night Vapor. Since then I’ve spent more time flying and have gotten quite good at making turns in tight places. Today I flew it outside and managed not to crash it too much! My only slight problem is that I almost landed it in the pool, but other than that, I was doing pretty well. Of course, flying an RC plane is a lot different from helicopters. Planes need more space, has no reverse, and can’t turn on a dime. It is taking me a bit of practice to go from frustration to having fun. The hardest part for me is to remember that if I want the plane to dive, I need to push the right stick forward and not back.
While I’ve crashed the plane quite a bit, I’ve only had to do minor repairs on it. I had to replace the main motor (I think it was defective from the factory) and one of the gears. In addition, my dog wasn’t too happy when it flew close to him and he bit it ripping a small hole in it; clear packing tape fixed it right up. I’m quite surprised how durable it is despite having cellophane wings.
Pros
- Very durable.
- Flies in small places.
- Flies well outside.
- Not too hard to control once you get a hang of it.
- Long battery life compared to the helicopters (I can get about 15 minutes out of a battery)
Cons
- None
Summary
The Night Vapor is a lot of fun to fly indoors and out. I’m not sure that there are too many RC planes that can fly in relatively small rooms or a garage. The plane takes a little getting used tobe, but after a few flights, it gets a lot easier to handle. While I really enjoy flying the helicopters, flying this plane is a different experience that has its own joys. The extended flight time (about 2.5 times longer than the helicopters) is probably the biggest reason I’ve been flying it more. I have multiple batteries, but having to stop and change the batteries takes some of the fun out of the helicopters. Beginners might get a little turned off when they crash and get afraid of destroying it, but once they get over this, this plane can probably be flown by beginners.