What is a quadcopter?
A quadcopter is basically a helicopter with propellers. You can also get hexacopters, octocopters, and tricopters. Here, we will share with you, quadcopters that are easy to fly, and are perfect for complete beginners.But before that, you would want to know what to look for in a starter quadcopter …
Tips For Choosing Your First Quadcopter
Those expensive quads with Go Pro cameras sure look very appealing, but you would not want to buy one of those if you have never ever flown a quadcopter before.Crashes are inevitable
They do happen – a lot – when you are just starting out, and you most certainly would not want to crash a $500+ quad if you cannot afford to do so.Even a single crash might mean expensive repairs and replacement parts … so you really need to master flying before you try your hand at those expensive craft.
Here are a few tips that should help you make the best choice when you are just starting out …
Study all you can
Take the time to understand how quads work and the components that go into building them. That should help you a great deal if you are really serious about taking this as up a hobby.You will certainly not go wrong even if you were to spend a few weeks researching quadcopters. You will want to study guides, watch scores of reviews on Youtube and other sites, sign up for forums and ask lots of questions. Get to know all you can. This is the best way to get started with this hobby.
This can be a very addictive hobby, and if you are not adequately prepared, it can turn very expensive as well. Parts and accessories are not cheap and you will need to get a working understanding of how everything works together in a drone. If you have at best a hazy idea of how a quad really works, you will make mistakes while buying parts – and consequently you will not enjoy the hobby to the fullest.
Buy a micro or mini – inexpensive models to start with
Buying a model that’s expensive might not be the best thing to do for reasons already stated.Don’t spend more than $50 to $100 on your first quad. Master it and then move to a higher model.
Everyone seems to want a camera quad right away. But that may not be the best thing to do. You really do not need gimbals and camera mounts or cameras when you are just starting out. Believe it or not, quadcopters are not easy to fly. More so for someone who is just getting started. These are very complex machines, and unless you have a working knowledge of aeronautics, meteorology and have spent at least a hundred hours honing your flying skills, you should not attempt to fly bigger, 8 channel drones.
Your goal with a starter quadcopter should be to use it to learn flying. Get a few hours of flying experience under your belt and you will be ready for the more sophisticated models.
Cameras can be heavy as well. Lesser payload means a lighter craft and more flight time – which is exactly what you want as a beginner.
you can read
best QUADCOPTER under 50$ on amazon
to have best choice for youDon’t buy a model that’s super stabilized
Expensive quadcopters are designed such that they are automatically stabilized using at least 3 PID controllers, These get data continuously from the sensors and make tiny adjustments to each of the four rotors to keep the craft stable. While this is a good thing, it’s not very good when you are learning to fly. They make flying too easy for you and you get a false sense of confidence in your abilities.Don’t buy a model that’s too easy to fly. You want to train your body to fly a quad much like you trained your body to ride a bike. If you buy a model that’s too easy to handle, you might have a hard time flying when something unexpected happens – and you will not have the skills to act right and take control of the situation.
Start small
Some folks want to buy expensive quads and try stunts right away, but this definitely isn’t a good idea. Learn the controls first. Learn to hover, land, control pitch, roll and yaw. And do this with an inexpensive quad.Don’t care about cameras and gimbals: Your primary objective with a starter quad is to lean flying, not aerial photography. So don’t worry if a otherwise good starter model has no cameras – or the picture quality is very low. You couldn’t care less about these things – they do not matter now.
Use a simulator
It’s very surprising more people do not learn the more complex skills required to handle a larger craft on a simulator. A quadcopter may seem like a toy, but it’s still a flying machine. The large, 8 channel quads are really complex flying machines.There’s a reason pilots training to fly commercial and military aircraft spend hundreds of hours training on simulators before they actually sit in the cockpit of the aircraft. Training with a simulator actually helps shorten the learning curve, prepares you for a very wide variety of possible scenarios – and helps avoid expensive and messy mistakes.
For these very reasons, you will want to use a simulator as well. Once you can fly a micro quad very comfortably, you will want to train on a simulator for several hours. Some of these simulators are very realistic. You can use a simulator to familiarize yourself with the controls, navigation, basic and even advanced maneuvers, practice flying in bad weather with poor ambient light and more. You can even get yourself a basic working knowledge of aeronautics and meteorology with simulators.
A simulator can really help you here. Use one before you graduate to a $1000+ quad and you will be glad you did.
Whatever you do, do not start off with a very large quad unless you have mastered flying micros and minis. Crashing a large quad can be expensive to fix – but that’s not all. If you lose control and impact someone, the consequences will not likely be pretty. Quadcopters – unless they are stabilized – are inherently unstable and hard to fly. Which is why you will want to learn with th less expensive models first.
You would want to buy a model that’s a match for your skill level. If you buy something that’s far too hard for a beginner to handle, crashes and expensive, time consuming repairs are inevitable. There’s no way you can get around that. Which is why you would want to buy a model that costs less than $100 when you are just starting out. Hone your flying skills and then buy a more sophisticated quad. That may not sound very exciting for some people, but that’s the best course of action.
Basic Flying Skills
You want to use your micro quad to master basic flying skills that will stand you in good stead when you have to fly a much bigger drone.Master basic controls
You want to master the basic controls –left, right, up and down. You certainly would not want to try rolls and other aerobatic tricks until you have practiced for a few months at least. And you always want to fly in broad daylight under very calm weather – not in windy conditions. At least, not until you have months of experience.Windy Conditions
If there are 10 to 20 miles of winds you certainly would not want to fly. Winds can make your craft highly unstable and very, very hard to control. Even seasoned professionals sometimes have a very tough time controlling a quadcopter in strong winds. Some advanced quads can autonomously make adjustments and fly even in strong winds by controlling the pitch – but it’s not what beginner quadcopters are equipped to do.But in case you are caught unawares by a string wind while you are flying outdoors, your best bet would be to try fly into the wind and counteract it. If the wind is pushing your craft from the right, your best option will be to fly into it. But try to land the quad as soon as possible.
Strong winds can pull your quad out of your controller’s range and before you know it, it will have crashed. Which is why you will always want to keep an eye on the wind when you are flying.
Hovering
This is perhaps the most critical skill that you will want to master while still using a micro quad, once you have mastered the basic controls. Mastering hovering is not easily done. And to make matters more complicated, with some quads you cannot control the pitch.Learn exactly how you should crash
This might seem a tad too ridiculous, but it’s not. You should learn how to crash so as to minimize the damage to your quad. Crashes can and do happen – perhaps more frequently than you would want to believe. There may be times when, despite of your best efforts, you know a crash is inevitable. Then, your only sane course of action is …Cut the throttle in an instant. Doing this cuts power to the propellers and might save them from breaking. This also minimizes chances of the motors getting damaged.
But when you will be flying more sophisticated, bigger quads you will want to use propeller guards. Propeller guards are one of the best safeguards you can use. They give you more time to react when a crash is imminent and keep the props from hitting any objects, thus saving them and the motors as well.
You can afford to practice this important skill of cutting the throttle at the right moment with a mini quad that’s well built and does not break easily. This vital skill might save the day when you are flying a expensive quad and things get out of control. For more tips, you may want to check these 5 quadcopter tips for beginners.
No comments :
Post a Comment