Flywing vs FLISHRC: which scale RC helicopter should you start with?

Flywing and FLISHRC are two of the three scale-helicopter brands we stock, and they share a philosophy: a ready-to-fly scale machine with GPS-assisted stabilisation, so the electronics help you rather than fighting you. The difference is where they sit. Flywing is the affordable way in, from around £449 to £730. FLISHRC is the premium 500-size range, from about £1,440 to £1,925. That price gap buys you real things — size, detail and a more capable flight-control system — but not everyone needs them.

Here's how to choose.

The same idea, two price tiers

Both brands hand you a scale fibreglass helicopter that flies out of the box with a GPS-capable flight controller doing the stabilising. Neither asks you to source a flybarless unit or wire your own gyro — that's the ARF world of Roban, and it's a different commitment.

What separates them is everything the extra money pays for:

• Size. Flywing's scale ships are compact; FLISHRC's FL500 V2 machines are 500-size — noticeably bigger, with more presence in the air and on the stand.
• Detail. Flywing gives you a convincing scale impression; FLISHRC gives you hand-painted liveries, four-blade heads, cockpit detail and rivet lines.
• The brain. Both stabilise, but FLISHRC's FL500 V2 with the L7 GPS controller is the more sophisticated system — GPS hold, governor, one-button rescue — as covered in our FL500 V2 review.

Flywing: the affordable entry

Flywing is where most people should start with scale. The range is ready-to-fly and gentle on the wallet:

• Flywing BO-105 — the air-rescue flagship, from around £449 (grey) to £730 (we reviewed it in our Flywing BO-105 review)
• Flywing Huey V4 — the classic UH-1 at around £599
• Flywing Bell 206 — the civilian JetRanger, around £649
• Flywing FW450L-V3 — a 450-size sport machine, around £589, for faster, more aerobatic flying

The full picture is in our Flywing range guide.

FLISHRC: the step up

FLISHRC is what you buy when you've decided scale is for you and you want the size, the detail and the better electronics:

• FLISHRC BO105 in orange — the same aircraft as the Flywing BO-105, but 500-size, four-blade and hand-finished, around £1,601
• FLISHRC UH-60 BlackHawk — the utility classic, around £1,750
• FLISHRC EC135 — the air-ambulance shape in HEMS and police liveries, around £1,541
• FLISHRC AH-1 Cobra — the flagship gunship, around £1,925

The FLISHRC range guide covers the lot.

The same helicopter, both ways

The BO-105 makes the choice obvious: the Flywing BO-105 at £449–£730 and the FLISHRC BO105 at ~£1,601 are the same iconic air-rescue aircraft. The Flywing is the "I want a scale ship that flies today, without a big outlay" pick. The FLISHRC is the "I want the bigger, more detailed version with the better brain, and I'll pay for it" pick.

Which should you buy?

• First scale helicopter, or a tight budget: Flywing. It flies well, looks the part, and won't hurt if you're still finding your feet with scale. It's also the low-risk way to find out whether slow scale flying is your thing.
• You've flown scale, know you love it, and want size, detail and the best stabilisation: FLISHRC FL500 V2. The extra money is real, and so is what it buys.
• Neither, if this is your very first helicopter of any kind. Learn to hover on something small and cheap from our best under £150 list, and read your first hover first.

Whichever you choose, a scale machine wants a proper field and insurance — see BMFA membership and where to fly. And when you eventually want the biggest scale ships of all, that's where Roban's ARF range comes in.