Greeting from Canandaigua, NY

[PYarnall]

Truth be told I am writing this from a warm spot in Florida, but I will be back in NY in a week or two.

I have been watching the multi-rotors from the sidelines for a while now and have been thinking about the possibilities for still photography and video. Although I am still a working engineer, (half time, mechanical design), I am a fairly serious photographer, (www.imagesbypyarnall.com).

I watched a casual demo of an DJI F550, did some perhaps inadequate research, and somewhat impulsively jumped into the deep end and bought the 550 kit. My ultimate goal is to fly a Sony RX100. Given my photo goals the GoPros simply don't cut it.

I am discovering that the road to a flying machine is a very convoluted one. Mind numbing choices and dozens of abbreviations and acronyms that are nearly indecipherable.

My choice of gear and my goals may be incompatible, but the shop said it would work. We will see. I am going to start by building up the 550, getting it flyable, and learning to fly it. Then I will tackle the issues of a gimble for the Sony, figuring out how to control it, etc.

Pretty steep learning curve ahead!

I have no previous RC experience, but have built multiple real aircraft and am a pilot, so I am assuming that with patience and practice I will get there.

I have yet to see what sort of multi-rotor activity exists in the Finger Lakes area of Upstate NY, but I hope I can find others that I may learn from.

Sorry, no wise cracks, but I am grateful to find this community on line!

PYarnall

 

[jbrumberg]

Welcome PYarnall. Yes there will be a pretty steep learning curve ahead. It might be to your advantage to get a flight simulator and/or a small "toy" grade trainer quad to get some practice flying in. These things are a little more difficult to fly than one would imagine and the "toy" grades are fun to fly and much cheaper and their parts are much cheaper to repair and replace. The flying skillsets learned are transferable to the bigger builds.

Just my $.02USD

 

[PYarnall]

Thanks, Jbrumberg. I had an earnest conversation with a knowledgeable F550 pilot and he pointed out that the "toy" Phantoms utilize the same NAZA module, the heart of the stabilization system, and flight characteristics will not be substantially different. I will take my chances. If the cost of repairs exceeds the cost of a "trainer", (which might also require repairs), then your advice may prove to be prudent. I'll let you know in hindsight!

 

[jbrumberg]

Get some extra props; just in case. And good luck. I would not be in any rush to return home either. The weather up here in the NE CONUS really has not supported much outdoor flying. I still have ~1' in the open areas. It has been a long Winter here; enjoy the warmth in FL.