Dji f550

[Alxste]

Hi, I'm Alex, I'm fairly new to this but I was hoping I could have a question answered about the DJI F550.

It's a 6 rotor helicopter. It costs £219.00 and I can't work out what else I will need. At the bottom of the order page it has some addition items to add... These are "kit specification" (kit / ready to fly), "battery option" , "charger option" , "autopilot" , "transmitter" and "receiver". Now I understand I will need the battery, charger, transmitter and receiver in order to get it flying but what I am unsure of is the GPS system or "autopilot". I intend to use the F550 for fun purposes and filmography / photography. I want to get some smooth areal panoramas, pans and other kinds of shots of areas such as BMX dirt jumps, racing events and beaches etc...

I do t really want to have to spend a minimum of £200 pounds on a GPS system if I can get away without seeing as I'm young and the funding of already £400 is going to be coming out of a Saturday job around school times so £600 is going to be serious money for me. My main question is, is the GPS a crucial element in multi rotor flying or can I get away without?

Thanks a lot guys, Alex.

 

[Beachbum55]

Yes, you can get away without the GPS, but you better be flawless with your control. I would suggest waiting (and keep working) till you can afford the GPS. Be patient, and good luck.

 

[Benjamin Kenobi]

Hi there. If your just beginning then GPS is a great tool for learning. If you lose sight of it or lose video just stop and the craft sits there waiting for you to finish your cup of tea. It's not essential though and you can start without GPS and get it later. It would help you down the road getting some manual mode flying at the start as its a good skill to have.

Cool?

 

[PeteDee]

Cost wise it is best to get the GPS as part of the Naza package rather than buying it later, the pricing on GPS only seems to be completely stupid.

GPS is not strictly needed but as you are getting a hex I assume you plan on getting a gimbal and doing aerial photography, if not then grab yourself a 450 quad and a Naza Lite with GPS, cheaper package and is hard to beat in terms of ease of setup, requirements for battery packs is way less than the 550 hex as well.

Cheers

Pete

 

[Roger Ramjet]

Hi Alex,

By the look of things, you seem to display similar caracteristics as we probably all did when we got into this great hobby: you want it all, you want it cheap and you want it now!

Nothing wrong with this but I found that it just not work quite this way...

Even if I put all you want in front of you right now, you will need TIME to understand, assemble, adjust, develop your flying skills and air picture (aerial orientation) before you begin to do all you want to do with your multirotor. This type of flying machine is MUCH easier to fly than conventional R/C devices that did not benefit the assistance of 3 axis autolevelling capacity BUT you still have to acquire and develop your flying skills.

My suggestion for you would be to get into a F450 (QUAD) type multirotor with a NAZA lite and GPS. From this, your cost would be minimum and most of the equipment can be transfer to a F550 later on at minimum cost if money is an issue for now. This way you will be able to learn to fly with a less expensive craft and mistakes will likely be easier and cheaper to repair. Furthermore, when you get the feel of the machine and become a more experience pilot, you can do some pictures/video with your F450 quite easily. This would be the first step I would suggest for you. Lots of fun Learning and minimum cost.

When you have mastered your F450, all your skills can be used for a bigger ships such as the F550 or even more. In fact the F550 is only required because the F450 could no longer lift all your toys....brushless gimbal, strobe lights, landing gears, bigger batteries, airborne telemetry, video downlink, FPV camera, etc.... This should be for much later my friend in my honest opinion. It is not because you start with all the toys that you will become a better pilot... Only cost more when you crash....

By the way, this is the exact route I have taken and I am really happy I did.....

Good luck!

 

[ChrisViperM]

Hi Alex,

By the look of things, you seem to display similar caracteristics as we probably all did when we got into this great hobby: you want it all, you want it cheap and you want it now!

Nothing wrong with this but I found that it just not work quite this way...

Even if I put all you want in front of you right now, you will need TIME to understand, assemble, adjust, develop your flying skills and air picture (aerial orientation) before you begin to do all you want to do with your multirotor. This type of flying machine is MUCH easier to fly than conventional R/C devices that did not benefit the assistance of 3 axis autolevelling capacity BUT you still have to acquire and develop your flying skills.

My suggestion for you would be to get into a F450 (QUAD) type multirotor with a NAZA lite and GPS. From this, your cost would be minimum and most of the equipment can be transfer to a F550 later on at minimum cost if money is an issue for now. This way you will be able to learn to fly with a less expensive craft and mistakes will likely be easier and cheaper to repair. Furthermore, when you get the feel of the machine and become a more experience pilot, you can do some pictures/video with your F450 quite easily. This would be the first step I would suggest for you. Lots of fun Learning and minimum cost.

When you have mastered your F450, all your skills can be used for a bigger ships such as the F550 or even more. In fact the F550 is only required because the F450 could no longer lift all your toys....brushless gimbal, strobe lights, landing gears, bigger batteries, airborne telemetry, video downlink, FPV camera, etc.... This should be for much later my friend in my honest opinion. It is not because you start with all the toys that you will become a better pilot... Only cost more when you crash....

By the way, this is the exact route I have taken and I am really happy I did.....

Good luck!

+1 Great advice....listen to it.


Chris