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As a car guy, one of the biggest fears I have when flying is crashing. In the past when I’ve flown, things typically go bad fast and I find myself sweeping the remnants of my heli or plane into a plastic bag and calling it a day. Recently I’ve become more focused in my flying and actually look like I know what I’m doing, however that fear is still in the back of my head. Until now. LaTrax has released a new quad-rotor heli that is geared towards airborne amateurs like me. It’s designed to take some major abuse while making the pilot look like a total pro. Sounds too good to be true? Read on…
AT A GLANCE
MANUFACTURER: LaTrax
PART NUMBER: 6608
PRICE: $149.99
BLADE CIRCLE: 14.78 in (375.3mm)
ROTOR DIAMETER: 5.51 in (140mm)
WEIGHT WITH BATTERY: 3.53 oz (100g)
FLIGHT SYSTEM: Auto-leveling six-axis
BATTERY: 650mAh 1S 3.7v LiPo
CHARGER: USB-powered dual-mode
TRANSMITTER: 4-channel 2.4GHz
THE GOODS
Their release video shows a pilot out in a large football field. He’s flying high, performing barrel roles, front flips, back flips and even diagonal flips. He even takes the Alias and flings it like a ninja throwing star into the sky, only to power up it up and fly it right back to him. To top its unbelievable performance, some kid on a bike rolls over the quad (as it sits on the ground) and the Alias spools up and flies away. After watching this video you’d think that the pilot was some sort of Jedi, but in actuality the Alias is just that easy to fly. I pulled the quad from the box and immediately charged up the LiPo pack (using the included USB dual-mode charger). I did a quick scan through LaTrax’s Quick Start Guide and promptly turned everything on. The controller is set up much like a video game controller, utilizing knurled ‘thumb’ sticks instead of the traditional pilot sticks. A small (but informative) LED display on the controller records stick movement, trims and battery life in both the controller and the quad-copter. After installing the battery, the Alias comes to life complete with red and white flying lights and a blue LED out the back. The controller has a built in ‘arming’ feature that activates the quad once you ‘click in’. This feature keeps your eyes, face, hands or anything else near it safe should you throttle up on accident.
PERFORMANCE
In the air, the Alias is similar to any other quad its size, however, it’s designed to be extremely stable for first time pilots. The blue LED faces the back, so this helps you keep the Alias’ orientation correct for easy learning. The controls (in normal mode) use a low rate input, allowing a ham-fisted surface driver the ability to man-handle the quad without driving it straight into the ground. Once you’ve mastered the basic movements, it’s time to get crazy with the Alias. At first I was a bit skeptical about how easy it was. I set the Alias to Expert Mode and sent it up in the air. In this mode, flight adjustments are much more sensitive and tricks are as easy as gaining a little bit of altitude, clicking the left bumper (you Xbox or Playstation people will know what I mean) and flicking the left control stick in a certain direction. When I say easy, I mean EASY! 30 seconds into the flight I was doing left and right barrel roles, flips and diagonal tricks. The auto-leveling feature works flawlessly and kicks in after each trick, making human-recovery a thing of the past. We didn’t run over our Alias with any bikes but we did send it into the ground quite a few times. It was pretty windy on our test day and each time I tried the ‘ninja-flick’, it would recover but be blown way out of whack. Trying to gain control of it had it smashing into the ground or cinderblock wall a few times. The blades are all scratched up but that’s about it. The chassis and canopy are in good condition as is the plastic gear setup, which is quite surprising after the abuse it received.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you’ve been wanting to get into quads but are reluctant to send $150 straight into the ground, give the Alias a look. It’s incredibly durable, very easy to fly and in about an hour could have you looking like a pro pilot. I’ve even heard that this little guy can haul around a GoPro! I’m already working on a mount for mine!
LINKS
LaTrax latrax.com, (888) TRAXXAS
