Nothing fancy, but im wondering if anyone has done much in flying bots.
My Idea is just to get one to up in the air initially (i'd have a string/killswitch of some sort to turn it off or to prevent it from going to high.)
Im curious what weights/power would be needed....what kinds of motors etc.... And it seems like if you had a servo attached to the propeller that "tilted" it backwards/forwards/left/right that you could maybe get some control in direction?
one word
quadcopters
quadrotor
I have seen quiet few people build quadrotor. Guess it’s more stable than heli and more powerful to carry weight.
controlled altitude
It would be really interesting to use some sort of range finder to define how far from the ground it should be.
** I just started a disc type**
I just started a disc type “plane”. I hope it will be a flying bot. 
I would encourage you to check out the “Foamies (Scratchbuilt)” for at rcgroups.com. The particular one I am building is the “Nutball”. These are not helis per se, but they are super light and many designs “prop hang” which means they can be flown straight up at just the right speed and they buzz around like copters. The Nutball will prop hang if the weight versus motor size is right; I hope to test mine in a few days. There are videos of guys flying them around inside their houses in rooms with regular height ceilings and then they take the same plane outside and fly it almost out of sight at high speed. One motor, 2 servos - they call that RET for Rudder, Elevator and Throttle, which is about the easiest control set there is. They are cheap and easy to make, easier to fly than most helis.
Another specific design to
Another specific design to check out if you really want someting that acts more like a heli than a plane with one prop:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoY4s0Oeuv8
a discussion with plans for that are here.
Whoa that thing was friggin
Whoa that thing was friggin awesome!
A couple of other sites to check out
This site (MikeysRC) has a video series on building a reatively inexpensive traditional (not quad) copter and he has some good foam plane plans, including 2 that can carry a load, though they aren’t models that can hover.
This site (DIYDrones) has a lot of good info on UAVs including the Regulatory FAQ (a must read if you want to put a robot in the air outdoors).
The VFL is pretty cool. Don’t get me wrong - quad/hex/octocopters still rule. They are wicked fast, more manueverable and carry a load better. But they are crazy expensive and complex to fly; some people run simulators for months before they try to fly one (and this is strongly recommended by most copter owners). DIY foam planes lower the bar significantly. Less expensive to build/repair and easier to fly. And the VFL even has some coolness factor.
