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ESky offers fun right out of the box in an easy-to-fly and scale-looking small heli. Napo Monasterio — who had never flown a helicopter before — ventures out and puts it to the test.
 
Hobby Lobby ESky Co-Comanche RTF Helicopter Review
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By Spackles94 Spackles94 is offline
Old Jan 22, 2008, 01:45 PM
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The tinted canopy hides the 4-in-1 mixer/controller.
Rotor span: 13.5"
Height: 7"
Length: 17"
Weight: 8.5 oz.
Wing Loading: 3.88 oz/sq. ft.
Servos: Two micro servos, installed
Transmitter: ESky four-channel 72mHz
Mixer/controller: ESky 4-in-1, installed (receiver, mixer, ESC and gyro)
Battery: Two-cell 800mAh 10C LiPo
Charger: AC/DC balancing charger (can charge two- or three-cell LiPos)
Motors: Two brushed motors (one for each rotor)
Manufacturer: ESky
Available From: Hobby-Lobby
Price: $119

How about some honest truths to begin with? I've flown plenty of planes, but I've never flown a helicopter before.

I've been rather intrigued by them though, especially now that they've become more affordable and a lot easier to fly thanks to coaxial rotors and other features that make them more beginner-proof than ever.

Beyond that, I know little to nothing. Gyro? Sounds like a Greek dish to me. Coaxial? Sounds good if it makes it easier to fly. Hover? I know what that is, but I also know I'll eventually figure out how to do it. Durable — and a spare set of blades?

So, when ESky came out with its latest beginner helicopter, I knew it was time to go ahead and try it. The Co-Comanche, while similar under the canopy to its older siblings the Co-Co Lama and Lama V4, does include some upgraded electronics. On the outside, it comes in three different offerings of canopy: desert sand, olive drab or camouflage.

Contents

All the items came neatly packed and safety arranged, and I was surprised at the amount of stuff you can cram into such a small box.

The outside packaging is attractive, but most importantly it protects the contents nicely. Everything fits snugly inside. All you need to do to get this heli running is unpack it, charge the battery, and you're ready to fly.
 

What's included in the kit:

  • Fully assembled helicopter. It has a 4-in-1 mixer/controller (receiver, mixer, ESC and gyro). The motors are installed and so are the servos.
  • Instructions
  • Four-channel, 72 mHz radio. It has channel reversing as well as buddy-box capabilities
  • Eight AA batteries for the transmitter
  • Two-cell 800 mAh 10C LiPo
  • AC/DC balancing charger. It can also charge a 3S LiPo.
  • One spare set of rotor blades. What a relief!
  • USB cable and CD-ROM with FMS flight simulator and instructional videos

What's a review of an RTF model without taking it apart? Here are the two brushed motors, servos and the 4-in-1 mixer/controller. A spare set of blades. I know I'll need them.
 
The LiPo balancing charger can charge both through the wall or through a 12V power source. All the batteries are included in the package.
 
Simple transmitter? Think again. It even has servo reversing and can connect to a buddy box. Along with the instructions come a CD-ROM with instructional videos and a copy of FMS simulator. A USB connector is also included so you can use your transmitter to practice on the computer.
 

Assembly

Assembly? What assembly? I've been building balsa kits for the past few months, and it frankly felt weird to just plug and play (or plug and attempt, or so I thought).

All it takes to get started is putting the batteries in the transmitter and then charging the LiPo. The helicopter comes pretrimmed and tested from the factory, so there's technically no trimming required other than what you do on the receiver.

The charger works extremely well, and I like the safety that a balancing charger like this offers. It's a nice touch that you can also charge it through the included wall wart, especially for a beginner who may not have access to a battery or a 12V power supply. Now, if you want to charge the battery through your charger of choice, you may do so, too: The LiPo comes with a JST connector, and the balancing charger fits any V2 connector. It took about an hour to charge the battery (it charges it at .8A, or 1C for this specific battery).

So, with the battery charged, it was time to head to the field and see if this really was a beginner helicopter!

The Co-Comanche has great scale looks for a beginner helicopter. The tinted canopy hides the 4-in-1 mixer/controller.
 
The Co-Comanche is ready to take to the skies out of the box — the only assembly needed is to unfold the blades. The tail rotor is non-functional, but it still moves freely in the air for a bit more ealistic look.
 
Counter-rotating rotors provide much-needed stability for beginners.
 

Flying

Basics

After doing a range check and making sure each stick was doing its job, it was time to throttle up. Just a tad over half throttle is all I needed to get off of the ground. Anything beyond that, and it was headed skyward quite quickly (though full throttle can be quite the life, er, blade saver in hairy situations). Any less, and it is a victim of gravity.

The radio works wonderfully, and the 4-in-1 controller along with the servos are surprisingly responsive, especially for a beginner model. While other beginner systems may have a bit of a lag, the Co-Comanche is quick to respond.

Flying the Co-Comanche was surprisingly easy: The pitch, roll and yaw rates are rather low, so I didn't have to worry about getting the helicopter into a situation I couldn't get myself out of easily. I found that I had to trim the roll rate a bit, but that was about it.

If there's one thing you want to remember about the Co-Comanche as you head out the door it is this: It doesn't like wind. So, especially on your first few flights, be sure to find a nice, calm day or otherwise find a indoor space. In wind it gets tossed around easily, and it becomes a bit hairy to control.

The pitch rate is nice and gentle, and it won't just lurch forward quickly. Sometimes I found that to be more of a hindrance than a help, but it's a matter of trimming it to your liking.

It looks great in the sky, too. It definitely has a great scale look to it, and I think beginners appreciate flying a realistic-looking kit rather than a model designed for easy flight. It is often a more rewarding experience.

Most importantly, I appreciate that you can fly the Co-Comanche close to you. I found myself flying at above eye level or a bit higher than that and always within a 15-to-20-yard radius outside. I could actually see what I was doing.

Take-offs and landings

The trick to takeoffs is to make sure you do so from a level spot, especially if you're in the grass. With a model this small, you'll often find yourself rolling over, and even more often if you don't have your Co-Comanche fully trimmed.

In the pavement it's just a matter of revving up to about half throttle, and you're in business. It's that easy.

Landings are not hard either though I found that the landing gear is a bit on the flimsy side. I broke the front wheel setups a few times (though they're easy to repair). The rear wheel also can come loose if you're not careful since it's just glued to the fuselage with some CA.

Unfortunately, there are no training balls available, which would help beginner pilots with their landings.

Acrobatic maneuvers

With the counter-rotating blades, the model is as stable as you'd expect, and the travel rates are low enough that you won't be able to do anything aggressive with them, so there are no aerobatics to speak of.

Taking off is a breeze — just increase the throttle about halfway, and you'll be hovering. The Co-Comanche is so easy to fly, even a first-time pilot can fly it.
 
It has scale looks yet it's affordable. What else do you need? The pitch rate is low, but it's plenty for indoor flight.
 
You can fly the Co-Comanche in the smallest of places — a plus for beginners. Counter-rotating blades make hovering extremely easy. You can let to of the controllers, and the helicopter will just stay in place.
 

The great indoors

At first, I was a bit apprehensive of flying the Co-Comanche inside. As a beginner, I thought I would be a bull in a china shop. But, since I was doing this review in the winter, and it had been too windy outside to shoot video for it, I bit the bullet and decided to try the plane indoors.

I straightened out the garage a bit, took the cars outside, and put the heli on the floor. I was ready to take to the (limited) skies.

And boy, was it fun! Indoors is where the Co-Comanche performs best by far, and indoors is where you'll have the most fun as well, especially if you're a beginner.

Think you'll break the heli indoors? No way. Your flights will be a lot more stable so you won't be crashing as much (you won't get tossed around by the wind, either). Think you won't have enough room? No way. You can fly in a living room, a break room, an office — anywhere!

This is where I found out how gentle this heli is. I knew the counter-rotating blades would make this ESky heli way easier to fly, but I didn't know it would be THIS easy. After a while, I was able to let go of the sticks, and the Co-Comanche would just hover in the same spot forever.

You can have a lot of fun with it, too: You can set up obstacle courses, make patterns around the house, you name it. The possibilities are endless.

Is this for a beginner?

If I could fly it, so can you! As a first-time pilot, it only took me a couple of minutes to get my bearings and get used to flying the Co-Comanche. As long as you fly indoors or in calm-wind situations, you'll be able to control this heli easily. The control rates are low enough that you won't be able to get into situations that you won't be able to get out of until you hit the ground.

Damage report

I know what you're thinking right now: "So, Napo, how much did you mangle the heli? Is it even flyable by now?"

So, I must admit... I did break some parts. But it's still flyable, thank you very much.

In the process of writing this review, I flew the Co-Comanche some six times or so. In that time span, I:

  • Broke two sets of blades: Don't even try to repair them, it's not worth it. At the first sign of semiserious cracks, go ahead and replace them (one of my blades snapped half-flight because I didn't care about replacing it when I should have, and so I broke an extra one in the crash)
  • Broke the landing gear: The best way to repair them is to reinforce them with some music wire and CA. It works great for me now.
  • Cracked the fuselage: Unless you completely break it into a million pieces, cracks can be easily fixed with some clear tape, which you can tape on the inside, and that way it will be virtually invisible.

Frankly, I thought I would have broken many more parts, but I was pleasantly surprised at how durable this heli is overall. Should I have started indoors, I think I would have broken fewer parts.

Hobby Lobby plans to carry replacement parts for the Co-Comanche. It already stocks aluminum upgrade parts for it, which are actually heavier. According to Hobby Lobby, these do make the helicopter slightly more stable, but also slightly heavier so run times are a hair shorter.

Flight Video/Photo Gallery

Downloads
Type Name
Size
Flying the Co-Comanche indoors
11.88 MB

Conclusion

Well, I did it. I flew a helicopter. I thought it would take three helicopters in the trash before I could fly one successfully, but I proved myself wrong.

I owe it to the Esky Co-Comanche that I was able to do so without wrecking three models in the process. It's easy to fly, it's forgiving, and it's durable. It looks great, too, which is sure to give beginners even more of a grin of their faces.

This is a great value. And, should you break blades (which, along with landing gears, you more than likely will so go ahead and order a couple of extra sets of them), replacement parts are affordable. For any beginner, that's something worth considering.

The electronics, especially for this price, are great, and they are fully transferrable and upgradable - yet another nod for this great helicopter.

Pluses:

  • Great value.
  • Easy to fly.
  • Great looks.
  • Perfect for indoor flying
  • Ready to fly and pre-trimmed, too
  • Balancing charger works both with a wall wart or a power supply
  • Great electronics for the price
  • Extra set of blades included
  • Affordable replacement parts

Minuses:

  • Landing gear is weak and there's no option to add training balls
  • Quite tricky to fly outdoors, even in very-light-wind situations
  • A second extra set of blades would be nice, too

(Thanks to my wife, Sally, for the flight photos and video!)

Last edited by Angela H; Jan 18, 2008 at 10:08 PM..
 
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Old Jan 22, 2008, 02:47 PM   #2
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I think you did a great job on this article.
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Old Jan 22, 2008, 02:56 PM   #3
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Thanks James, that's really kind of you — I'm glad you enjoyed it!
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Old Jan 22, 2008, 03:04 PM   #4
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Nice Report- I got one for Christmas and probably have 30 flights on it already. I like flying it outside - but the slightest bit of breeze can be problematic - especially for forward flight - I have had to take my end-points to the max to help with that! I got new crystals from helihobby and changed over to my Futaba 9C rather than the stock radio..

My only disappointment is the battery access - you basically can't access the battery very easiliy - so changing out to a spare battery is a pain.... I'll fly it until I have to replace motors etc......then upgrade it!
Last edited by RMEFlyer; Jan 22, 2008 at 03:06 PM. Reason: More info
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Old Jan 22, 2008, 03:13 PM   #5
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Nicely done. You fly better than I do and I have been at it for two years. Neat looking chopper too.
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Old Jan 22, 2008, 03:36 PM   #6
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RMEFlyer,

Yeah, I had quite a bit of trouble going forward in the slightest of breezes, too. That's why I took it to the indoors. That, and it was a lot warmer inside.

It can be tricky getting the battery in and out. Do you just leave it there at all times? I thought about cutting the "hooks" that hold it there and just putting some velcro instead.

78dave,

Thanks for the kind words. We'll just agree to disagree that I'm better than you, though. It's really fun, though, and a nice change of pace from planes.
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Old Jan 22, 2008, 04:39 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Spackles94
RMEFlyer,

Yeah, I had quite a bit of trouble going forward in the slightest of breezes, too. That's why I took it to the indoors. That, and it was a lot warmer inside.

It can be tricky getting the battery in and out. Do you just leave it there at all times? I thought about cutting the "hooks" that hold it there and just putting some velcro instead.

78dave,

Thanks for the kind words. We'll just agree to disagree that I'm better than you, though. It's really fun, though, and a nice change of pace from planes.
That's what I did! I cut the hooks out, CA'd a piece of 1/32 plywood over the mount and put a piece of velcro over that and now battery swap out is a breeze! I use 620 to 800 mah batteries now and it works great! Great little training heli too!

Troy
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Old Jan 22, 2008, 05:40 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by phyxer
That's what I did! I cut the hooks out, CA'd a piece of 1/32 plywood over the mount and put a piece of velcro over that and now battery swap out is a breeze! I use 620 to 800 mah batteries now and it works great! Great little training heli too!

Troy
Good idea, Troy. That way, you have options in the kind of batteries you use.

It's, indeed, a perfect training help -- very stable, and quite forgiving, too.
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Old Jan 22, 2008, 06:05 PM   #9
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I ordered 2 more 800mAh 2S lipos from hobbycity for $8 each.
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Old Jan 22, 2008, 06:27 PM   #10
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Why am I the only one having trouble with this Heli? After reading the "Kind" posts I had to give my two cents worth.......I just posted today my problem in another thread: "Esky Co-comanche Help". I will not re-iterate it here. Suffice to say the review is well done and covers everything one would like to know, Kudos....Battery access is indeed difficult to say the least. I use velcro also as I did on my Lama v4's. First time flying indoors, it went straight backwards, no matter how much forward stick applied. Now what is mentioned in the referenced thread is happening...I guess it's just my luck or something,oh well...Good job anyway spackles94,John
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Old Jan 22, 2008, 06:59 PM   #11
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That's really odd, John -- have you played with the trims on the 4-in-1 controller? I adjusted the yaw rate a bit after a few days of flying. It was minimal, but it still helped.

That's weird that it would do it indoors, though. It's never happened to me, and I've flown it plenty (and crashed it some, too )

Thanks for the nice words about the review, though.
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Old Jan 22, 2008, 07:43 PM   #12
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NO problem spackles, like I said, it's only ME! You did a fantastic job,Kudos again to you. Can't fool with anything now as the rotors do not even turn with fully charged and fresh batteries....All the insides look fine, but my problems are mentioned in another thread, and need not be repeated here. Keep up the good work,John
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Old Jan 22, 2008, 08:07 PM   #13
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Sounds like it's time to ask for a replacement.
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Old Jan 22, 2008, 08:15 PM   #14
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Great Review Napo. I had to chuckle at the "disassembly" shot of the insides of the copter. I admit, I often peek inside to see what makes things work.

By way of ancient history, I started out in the '70s with a Dubro 505 Whirlybird and have progressed through various gas and electric copters to the point where I can hover for 10 to 20 seconds before I have to spend a lot of money for replacement parts. I have trouble hovering a heli on a simulator. I think I may be rotary wing challenged.

Your review has inspired me to try once again, only this time I will try a heli with counter rotating blades. Wish me luck.

Mike McD
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Old Jan 22, 2008, 08:30 PM   #15
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Mike,

Thanks for the kudos -- yeah, I have a big problem with trying to peek inside of a product to check out its guts. Luckily, this one didn't have any screws, so it was an easy reassembly.

I was surprised I could actually fly it, to be honest! But I did, and it flew great!
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