New and looking for my first drone

[Tehlib]

Hello all,

So, I had my first experience with a drone and needless to say I'm hooked. My friend has a tiny Rage RC RGRNAND01 from Amazon.ca that I toyed around with, its small and basic but it was fun.

I am looking to buy my first and was hoping to get some help on suggested models. Money wise, I'd like to keep it under 150 Canadian, preferably closer to $100. Other than that i'm all ears. I learn quickly and would like something that can have some decent speed.

I am pretty sure from what I have read there are different "genres" or purposes etc of quadcopters. Some are for high end video, others are say FPV race drones that dont have the high end camera etc.

At this point I don't think I can afford a high end unit for 4K video etc, and would like something that is more quick, nimble and fun to fly. Ideally getting in to FPV with even goggles etc. However goggles will likely add price, which is most likely down the road for me?

There's so many, I came across a SYMA X5C, but I have no idea.

Thanks.

 

[ChrisRL]

Hi and welcome!
Chris here.
Hmm.

Start with the Syma x5c, it's great, I've recommended it, or the U818A, which is bigger but also rock steady, or the Hubsan X4 (I started on this one, still have it) or the Nano QX. Then fly the heck out of it. Buy at least 6 batteries and this charger: http://amzn.to/2lKhenb , then learn the difference between nose-out and nose-in flying, pitch/roll/yaw, and all the other basics of piloting an aircraft. Stay indoors if you can, probably the room with the least amount of breakable things in it - mine turned out to be our bedroom - and do at least one battery a day, every day.

Speed of learning isn't an issue - nobody knows, cares, or notices how long you took to learn how to walk, or if you crawled a lot on the way, but they sure notice if you don't walk right. You have to burn the correct techniques in at the body core level, because you need to develop the correct instincts that will get you out of trouble (and of course you have to be able to recognize potential sources of trouble before they ever get going and knock them on the head).

There's no amount of reading that will let you be able to do, say, a pirouette or a backflip by yourself, perfectly, the first time. This is that kind of thing. Every action needs to be repeated a minimum of 66 times in order to transfer the body knowledge from the conscious part of the brain, the forebrain (cerebrum) to the unconscious, automatic part of the brain (the medulla oblongata). Like walking, talking. Speaking a new language. Driving a car. The FAA has found that it takes around 12 hours in the air for a new pilot to be confident and able enough to fly solo, and most young pilots take twice that amount of stick time. That's only one full day, but that's a day in the air, counted per 10th of an hour (6 minutes), in the air.

If a drone battery lasts for 12 minutes, let's say, that's 5 flights per hour, and so 60 battery-charge-flights for 12 hours. Like I said, around 66 times to get good at the basics. That's a battery a day for around two months.

That's without exception. Even Einstein couldn't just stand up and walk, first time. Every human has this limitation in body learning. This is a physical skill, and like any skill, let's take riding a bicycle, it's easy come easy go until that magical 66 times. After that, the body never forgets, and one can still ride a bike immediately, after years of not. But it takes that many repetitions (60, plus or minus 10%) to burn the knowledge in there. We've known about this for a very long time, it's just that folk throughout time seem to want to believe the movies that say they're The Chosen One, and take the helicopter-pill and voila - instant pilot. They get a thing right one time, and think they've nailed it, for life.

Well, they're wrong.

Think about the number of exams you've crammed for. Think of all the answers you once knew for long enough to pass those exams, but have now forgotten again, and how fast you forgot them.

Then think of what you still remember, years or decades after you learned it. Think of the difference between the fleeting knowledge and the permanent one.

If you're going to be flying something, better not make that the fleeting type of knowledge. Better burn it in, properly, once and for all. Quality stick time, pilots call it.

Try for precision, not speed. Start simple, but precise. just spend a battery hovering, nose-out, at eye height. plus or minus a foot. Then plus or minus six inches. Then three inches. Then open a window and do the same thing. Then do it nose in (the aircraft pointed back at you) and then nose to the left, then to the right.

Move on from there, to translations, landings and takeoffs (touch-and-go's), and then start "walking the dog" to get into coordinated turns. Then do it nose-in. Then run the dog, forwards, and then backwards.

That's about a couple weeks' quality stick time, minimum, to get anywhere near right, right there.

There's lots of Youtube videos, online tutorials and even live coaches and mentors to be had. Get into it, read and watch them all, do the basics, and go with what you feel is right for you.

Or don't - get a coach. I did, when I started, just a couple of lessons to get me started on the right path, save me stumbling around in the beginning. Money well spent, bad stick time saved.

HTH
JM2c
YMMV etc

Best
Chris

 

[Tehlib]

I think I am going to go with a Hubsan X4. There are a view versions of the H107 though?

Also is a battery and charger pack like these ok instead?

https://www.amazon.ca/Keenstone-Upg...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=AGP2EYZWSCA0SA1S7RHZ

 

[ChrisRL]

The batteries may be okay, but the charger definitely is not.
What I mean by that is, your drone's lifeline is the battery.
LiPo's aren't like lithium batteries, they have a very high discharge rate compared to the rest of the designs, and that's why we use them in aircraft - very high power to very low weight.
However, if you just charge them up with a 5v charger at whatever C rate it comes with, you're not going to be getting the max. power from each battery, especially over time (i.e. more than 250 or so cycles). If you're okay with throwing your batteries away after that time and buying new, and doing that again and again, then sure, the cheaper charger is just fine. Just be prepared for your batteries to a) not last as long in flight, and b) not have as many recharge cycles before they fail completely.
The idea behind getting a charger like the one I recommended is a) you can dial in the C rate of charging. Typically if the battery is, say, 1000mAh, (i.e. C is 1000mAh) you're going to want to charge at 1/10C, which is 100mAh, but you can get the battery to take up to its full charge if you charge it slower, say 50mAh or 1/20C.
Also, if your battery shows signs of aging and needs refreshing, a more expensive charger will sense that and go into a charge/discharge cycle to try and get the battery up to full performance again. Not all chargers are like this, but not all chargers are born equal either.
I'm using YunSi iChargers for my work - they're more than $280 per charger, and they require specialized power supply transformers to work. That's because the 5S 1P 8000 to 16000mAh batteries I'm using cost over $150 apiece (two needed to fly for 15 minutes or so), and so I'm not going to use a cheap charger for those. They get more complicated when there is more than one cell involved per battery, because all the cells need balancing internally between them, which is why the bigger batteries have two cables coming from them - a main power cable, with a + and - as one would expect, and a balance cable, with one - on a multiple terminal balance plug, and one + for each of the cells inside. The more expensive battery chargers will balance the charges of each cell as it charges the battery as a whole, and they will monitor the IR (internal resistance) of each cell to determine battery health as well. This is how come a charger can cost so much, way more than a regular auto car battery.
HTH
Best
Chris

 

[Keiren Edwin]

Hi and welcome!
Chris here.
Hmm.

Start with the Syma x5c, it's great, I've recommended it, or the U818A, which is bigger but also rock steady, or the Hubsan X4 (I started on this one, still have it) or the Nano QX. Then fly the heck out of it. Buy at least 6 batteries and this charger: http://amzn.to/2lKhenb , then learn the difference between nose-out and nose-in flying, pitch/roll/yaw, and all the other basics of piloting an aircraft. Stay indoors if you can, probably the room with the least amount of breakable things in it - mine turned out to be our bedroom - and do at least one battery a day, every day.

Speed of learning isn't an issue - nobody knows, cares, or notices how long you took to learn how to walk, or if you crawled a lot on the way, but they sure notice if you don't walk right. You have to burn the correct techniques in at the body core level, because you need to develop the correct instincts that will get you out of trouble (and of course you have to be able to recognize potential sources of trouble before they ever get going and knock them on the head).

There's no amount of reading that will let you be able to do, say, a pirouette or a backflip by yourself, perfectly, the first time. This is that kind of thing. Every action needs to be repeated a minimum of 66 times in order to transfer the body knowledge from the conscious part of the brain, the forebrain (cerebrum) to the unconscious, automatic part of the brain (the medulla oblongata). Like walking, talking. Speaking a new language. Driving a car. The FAA has found that it takes around 12 hours in the air for a new pilot to be confident and able enough to fly solo, and most young pilots take twice that amount of stick time. That's only one full day, but that's a day in the air, counted per 10th of an hour (6 minutes), in the air.

If a drone battery lasts for 12 minutes, let's say, that's 5 flights per hour, and so 60 battery-charge-flights for 12 hours. Like I said, around 66 times to get good at the basics. That's a battery a day for around two months.

That's without exception. Even Einstein couldn't just stand up and walk, first time. Every human has this limitation in body learning. This is a physical skill, and like any skill, let's take riding a bicycle, it's easy come easy go until that magical 66 times. After that, the body never forgets, and one can still ride a bike immediately, after years of not. But it takes that many repetitions (60, plus or minus 10%) to burn the knowledge in there. We've known about this for a very long time, it's just that folk throughout time seem to want to believe the movies that say they're The Chosen One, and take the helicopter-pill and voila - instant pilot. They get a thing right one time, and think they've nailed it, for life.

Well, they're wrong.

Think about the number of exams you've crammed for. Think of all the answers you once knew for long enough to pass those exams, but have now forgotten again, and how fast you forgot them.

Then think of what you still remember, years or decades after you learned it. Think of the difference between the fleeting knowledge and the permanent one.

If you're going to be flying something, better not make that the fleeting type of knowledge. Better burn it in, properly, once and for all. Quality stick time, pilots call it.

Try for precision, not speed. Start simple, but precise. just spend a battery hovering, nose-out, at eye height. plus or minus a foot. Then plus or minus six inches. Then three inches. Then open a window and do the same thing. Then do it nose in (the aircraft pointed back at you) and then nose to the left, then to the right.

Move on from there, to translations, landings and takeoffs (touch-and-go's), and then start "walking the dog" to get into coordinated turns. Then do it nose-in. Then run the dog, forwards, and then backwards.

That's about a couple weeks' quality stick time, minimum, to get anywhere near right, right there.

There's lots of Youtube videos, online tutorials and even live coaches and mentors to be had. Get into it, read and watch them all, do the basics, and go with what you feel is right for you.

Or don't - get a coach. I did, when I started, just a couple of lessons to get me started on the right path, save me stumbling around in the beginning. Money well spent, bad stick time saved.

HTH
JM2c
YMMV etc

Best
Chris

What a great comment with really good advice. I am a retired flight instructor.
I am about to buy my first Drone, Yuneec Typhoon G . I read, searched, watched videos and asked questions.
My price range is $500 - $600; I have a GoPro 3 Black. I am getting a spare battery and spare set of props.
I certainly will be putting in the stick time till the penny drops.
Q: do you think that the Typhoon G is a good choice ? Should I be looking at any other spares ?
best regards,
Keiren

 

[ChrisRL]

Keiren, hello and greetings!
Welcome to our merry band of maniacs!
The Yuneec is a great drone, as far as the drone itself goes. It flies well, good stability, good flight control system. Where it falls short is the optical quality of the built-in camera, and perhaps the software, if you don't go the Litchi route (which most do). So if you're thinking of using it as a principal photography or videography camera, have a closer look at the camera system.
And of course, do go ahead and get a mini Hubsan anyway, because they're great for stick time when you're stuck indoors. Unless you have a great big back yard or somewhere very near by to fly out of into Class G airspace (we're not all that lucky!)
Best
Chris

 

[Keiren Edwin]

Hi and welcome!
Chris here.
Hmm.

Start with the Syma x5c, it's great, I've recommended it, or the U818A, which is bigger but also rock steady, or the Hubsan X4 (I started on this one, still have it) or the Nano QX. Then fly the heck out of it. Buy at least 6 batteries and this charger: http://amzn.to/2lKhenb , then learn the difference between nose-out and nose-in flying, pitch/roll/yaw, and all the other basics of piloting an aircraft. Stay indoors if you can, probably the room with the least amount of breakable things in it - mine turned out to be our bedroom - and do at least one battery a day, every day.

Speed of learning isn't an issue - nobody knows, cares, or notices how long you took to learn how to walk, or if you crawled a lot on the way, but they sure notice if you don't walk right. You have to burn the correct techniques in at the body core level, because you need to develop the correct instincts that will get you out of trouble (and of course you have to be able to recognize potential sources of trouble before they ever get going and knock them on the head).

There's no amount of reading that will let you be able to do, say, a pirouette or a backflip by yourself, perfectly, the first time. This is that kind of thing. Every action needs to be repeated a minimum of 66 times in order to transfer the body knowledge from the conscious part of the brain, the forebrain (cerebrum) to the unconscious, automatic part of the brain (the medulla oblongata). Like walking, talking. Speaking a new language. Driving a car. The FAA has found that it takes around 12 hours in the air for a new pilot to be confident and able enough to fly solo, and most young pilots take twice that amount of stick time. That's only one full day, but that's a day in the air, counted per 10th of an hour (6 minutes), in the air.

If a drone battery lasts for 12 minutes, let's say, that's 5 flights per hour, and so 60 battery-charge-flights for 12 hours. Like I said, around 66 times to get good at the basics. That's a battery a day for around two months.

That's without exception. Even Einstein couldn't just stand up and walk, first time. Every human has this limitation in body learning. This is a physical skill, and like any skill, let's take riding a bicycle, it's easy come easy go until that magical 66 times. After that, the body never forgets, and one can still ride a bike immediately, after years of not. But it takes that many repetitions (60, plus or minus 10%) to burn the knowledge in there. We've known about this for a very long time, it's just that folk throughout time seem to want to believe the movies that say they're The Chosen One, and take the helicopter-pill and voila - instant pilot. They get a thing right one time, and think they've nailed it, for life.

Well, they're wrong.

Think about the number of exams you've crammed for. Think of all the answers you once knew for long enough to pass those exams, but have now forgotten again, and how fast you forgot them.

Then think of what you still remember, years or decades after you learned it. Think of the difference between the fleeting knowledge and the permanent one.

If you're going to be flying something, better not make that the fleeting type of knowledge. Better burn it in, properly, once and for all. Quality stick time, pilots call it.

Try for precision, not speed. Start simple, but precise. just spend a battery hovering, nose-out, at eye height. plus or minus a foot. Then plus or minus six inches. Then three inches. Then open a window and do the same thing. Then do it nose in (the aircraft pointed back at you) and then nose to the left, then to the right.

Move on from there, to translations, landings and takeoffs (touch-and-go's), and then start "walking the dog" to get into coordinated turns. Then do it nose-in. Then run the dog, forwards, and then backwards.

That's about a couple weeks' quality stick time, minimum, to get anywhere near right, right there.

There's lots of Youtube videos, online tutorials and even live coaches and mentors to be had. Get into it, read and watch them all, do the basics, and go with what you feel is right for you.

Or don't - get a coach. I did, when I started, just a couple of lessons to get me started on the right path, save me stumbling around in the beginning. Money well spent, bad stick time saved.

HTH
JM2c
YMMV etc

Best
Chris

Keiren, hello and greetings!
Welcome to our merry band of maniacs!
The Yuneec is a great drone, as far as the drone itself goes. It flies well, good stability, good flight control system. Where it falls short is the optical quality of the built-in camera, and perhaps the software, if you don't go the Litchi route (which most do). So if you're thinking of using it as a principal photography or videography camera, have a closer look at the camera system.
And of course, do go ahead and get a mini Hubsan anyway, because they're great for stick time when you're stuck indoors. Unless you have a great big back yard or somewhere very near by to fly out of into Class G airspace (we're not all that lucky!)
Best
Chris

Hi Chris,
Great reply and thanks.
Luckily for me I already have a GoPro 3 Black so I will be using that on the new Yuneec Typhoon G RTF ST10 + GB203. Sounds like I have done my homework reasonably well ! Always good to check with experts ! I am a cautious flyer but never scared to learn new activities.
I am currently living in Italy and have a huge area of open grass land (lots of mowing in summer), well protected from winds due to very tall trees several hundred yards away, also huge farm buildings (barns). My practice area will be perfect.
Are there any important extras I should be looking at to purchase, if not now but in the future (when cash is available !).
best regards,
Keiren

 

[ChrisRL]

Keiren, hello!
Well the best thing you can do in the meantime is practice!
Yes, that means a flight simulator. There are several ones to choose from that are drone friendly, depending on what computer platform you're on. I use droneSim Pro on a PC tablet with an X Box USB games controller, and have had that for awhile now, since I started back with no money and since that time have mainly used the sims that come with the drones (DJI for instance has its own sim programs).

The next thing is, download and read all the manuals, and make lots of notes.

Essentially you're going to make your own POH (pilot's operating handbook), pre- and post-flight and maintenance checklists. Use Excel or something similar, and work through every step of maintenance, prep, flight and post flight on your spreadsheet. The LiPos are all pretty persnickety as well, compared to other battery types, so I'd get into studying about them as well, think about intelligent battery chargers/dischargers/storage chargers/balance chargers (all in one thing called an 'intelligent charger') and if your Yuneec's one is good enough for you. Since I fly a lot, my batteries run expensive, and many. I'm talking over $150 per battery, two per flight, 8 pairs per job. These last between 6 and 12 months depending on use, and then I discard and buy new. And keep records of every charge and resulting flight time on every battery pair I use. I actually use the real A/C maintenance log books, pilot's log books etc., to keep those records, since I'm flying commercially. At least we can be our very own A&P mechanics, and sign off on our own work!

No, seriously, the rationale behind that is pretty much the same as for full sized A/C as far as the FAA and the NTSB are concerned. Hopefully you'll never have to use them in a court, but if you ever find yourself even coming close to a situation like an A/C incident that needs reporting, having a full set of log books is going to stand you pretty much in the same stead as a pilot and owner/operator in real life facing the same incident. Most useful, in that eventuality, to prove to anybody who cares to take a look that you've gone over and above the call as far as an sUAS is concerned, and almost everybody, save the FAA and the NTSB or their equivalents in Italy or wherever, will think you're crazy. The authorities will think you're thorough and professional, and that's what we want.

Next, get into all of the forums and user's groups to get to know the owner operators, and read their praises, gripes, tips and tricks. RC Forums is the biggest rec forum, I think, and it's one of the oldest. This one here's very cool, slightly higher end than RCF and drone specialized. I think I'm a member of over a dozen drone forums, two or three for each type of drone I fly. Before I think of buying, selling, upgrading or just working with a particular drone, I'll do a quick trip around the appropriate forum to see what's up, any recalls, mandatory fixes, etc..

You know all of this from flying real aircraft, I'm not doing anything that different, just applying what I already know into the drone world.

Finally, pre-visualize your test/taxi/hover flight sequences, when you finally get your drone. Think about what you might need beforehand, then put it up on a forum and see who salutes, and why. Essentially, since you'll be creating your own POH, you're also going to be test piloting, to an extent, and establishing W&B data (at least a quick and dirty way to make sure/double check that your CG is somewhere close to where it needs to be), flight times v. battery charges, all of that. So set up a schedule of short taxi/hover/test flights, and don't forget to do your IMU (internal measurement unit) and compass calibrations, as well as your GPS acquisition and warm-up idles on your pre-flight and runup lists. Also download the equivalent of Airmap, UAV Forecast and Windy for your flight area, the former tells you about any restricted airspace in your area, assuming that you don't have a sectional map of your local flight operations area (I do), and the latter two being basically your very own low-altitude AWOS and winds-aloft reports. Pay special attention to pK, which is to do with the sun's EM interference due to sun flares. If this value is more than 3-5, fly GPS with care. This is because the GPS satellite system overhead will partially shut down as the sunflare's EM wave passes through, and you'll lose GPS lock if you're not careful. Not a big deal in itself, if you've learned to fly manually as I've mentioned in a previous pose.

I think that's about all that comes to mind, for the moment!

Best
Chris

 

[Keiren Edwin]

Keiren, hello!
Well the best thing you can do in the meantime is practice!
Yes, that means a flight simulator. There are several ones to choose from that are drone friendly, depending on what computer platform you're on. I use droneSim Pro on a PC tablet with an X Box USB games controller, and have had that for awhile now, since I started back with no money and since that time have mainly used the sims that come with the drones (DJI for instance has its own sim programs).

The next thing is, download and read all the manuals, and make lots of notes.

Essentially you're going to make your own POH (pilot's operating handbook), pre- and post-flight and maintenance checklists. Use Excel or something similar, and work through every step of maintenance, prep, flight and post flight on your spreadsheet. The LiPos are all pretty persnickety as well, compared to other battery types, so I'd get into studying about them as well, think about intelligent battery chargers/dischargers/storage chargers/balance chargers (all in one thing called an 'intelligent charger') and if your Yuneec's one is good enough for you. Since I fly a lot, my batteries run expensive, and many. I'm talking over $150 per battery, two per flight, 8 pairs per job. These last between 6 and 12 months depending on use, and then I discard and buy new. And keep records of every charge and resulting flight time on every battery pair I use. I actually use the real A/C maintenance log books, pilot's log books etc., to keep those records, since I'm flying commercially. At least we can be our very own A&P mechanics, and sign off on our own work!

No, seriously, the rationale behind that is pretty much the same as for full sized A/C as far as the FAA and the NTSB are concerned. Hopefully you'll never have to use them in a court, but if you ever find yourself even coming close to a situation like an A/C incident that needs reporting, having a full set of log books is going to stand you pretty much in the same stead as a pilot and owner/operator in real life facing the same incident. Most useful, in that eventuality, to prove to anybody who cares to take a look that you've gone over and above the call as far as an sUAS is concerned, and almost everybody, save the FAA and the NTSB or their equivalents in Italy or wherever, will think you're crazy. The authorities will think you're thorough and professional, and that's what we want.

Next, get into all of the forums and user's groups to get to know the owner operators, and read their praises, gripes, tips and tricks. RC Forums is the biggest rec forum, I think, and it's one of the oldest. This one here's very cool, slightly higher end than RCF and drone specialized. I think I'm a member of over a dozen drone forums, two or three for each type of drone I fly. Before I think of buying, selling, upgrading or just working with a particular drone, I'll do a quick trip around the appropriate forum to see what's up, any recalls, mandatory fixes, etc..

You know all of this from flying real aircraft, I'm not doing anything that different, just applying what I already know into the drone world.

Finally, pre-visualize your test/taxi/hover flight sequences, when you finally get your drone. Think about what you might need beforehand, then put it up on a forum and see who salutes, and why. Essentially, since you'll be creating your own POH, you're also going to be test piloting, to an extent, and establishing W&B data (at least a quick and dirty way to make sure/double check that your CG is somewhere close to where it needs to be), flight times v. battery charges, all of that. So set up a schedule of short taxi/hover/test flights, and don't forget to do your IMU (internal measurement unit) and compass calibrations, as well as your GPS acquisition and warm-up idles on your pre-flight and runup lists. Also download the equivalent of Airmap, UAV Forecast and Windy for your flight area, the former tells you about any restricted airspace in your area, assuming that you don't have a sectional map of your local flight operations area (I do), and the latter two being basically your very own low-altitude AWOS and winds-aloft reports. Pay special attention to pK, which is to do with the sun's EM interference due to sun flares. If this value is more than 3-5, fly GPS with care. This is because the GPS satellite system overhead will partially shut down as the sunflare's EM wave passes through, and you'll lose GPS lock if you're not careful. Not a big deal in itself, if you've learned to fly manually as I've mentioned in a previous pose.

I think that's about all that comes to mind, for the moment!

Best
Chris

Hi Chris,
First, I would like to thank you most sincerely for taking so much time and effort to reply. You are a very genuine teacher.
The reason I teach is because I love sharing knowledge with others. As an instructor, the day, when one passes a student, is such a buzz.
As I said, I am retired as an FI and am only interested in the hobby; but will keep the door open ......... ?
"I use droneSim Pro on a PC tablet with an X Box USB games controller" ... I have none of this equipment. My life has been/is most unusual. I have traveled and lived in so many countries. Only the essential items; if it is not possible to carry, it does not come !! Makes one realize what is really important.
"manuals. The LiPos are all pretty persnickety " I certainly will be reading; the Li Pos; I need to learn. I am OK with basic electrics....planes, cars, m/bikes, h/crafts etc... but little experience with Li Pos.
"drone forums" excellent advice
"I actually use the real A/C maintenance log books, pilot's log books etc." completely understand why. In my 25 years as an FI never had a reportable incident, but had all my records and is therefore perceived to be highly efficient. (Your part of the world has lost the art of dialogue and common sense; it is immediately off to the lawyers !!); please do not take this the wrong way.
"Pay special attention to pK, which is to do with the sun's EM interference due to sun flares. If this value is more than 3-5, fly GPS with care"
I tried to find information re pK .... Radio Blackouts are classified by a five-level NOAA scale based on the solar flare X-ray scale ?
I will be flying manually, as soon as I feel qualified !
Once again, many thanks for your time and trouble.
cheers, Keiren.

 

[ChrisRL]

"I use droneSim Pro on a PC tablet with an X Box USB games controller" ... I have none of this equipment. My life has been/is most unusual. I have traveled and lived in so many countries. Only the essential items; if it is not possible to carry, it does not come !! Makes one realize what is really important.

"Pay special attention to pK, which is to do with the sun's EM interference due to sun flares. If this value is more than 3-5, fly GPS with care"
I tried to find information re pK .... Radio Blackouts are classified by a five-level NOAA scale based on the solar flare X-ray scale ?
I will be flying manually, as soon as I feel qualified !
Once again, many thanks for your time and trouble.
cheers, Keiren.

Keiren, hello!
You're very welcome!
Yes, the dronSim pro is just a downloaded app/program, pretty useful in the beginning when you don't have a drone to fly, a little like the old Microsoft Flight Sim programs of yore.... but with no fpv experience, because the whole point of the sim is that when you're actually flying a drone you're not actually in the drone, you're on the ground, looking at it, and that's what makes it so hard, especially when it's nose-in, i.e. flying facing you, with its controls inverted with respect to you (i.e. you give it right aileron, it goes left, etc). That's one of the skills you have to acquire, along with having the drone be at odd angles to the operator, and being able to "see" how the controls resolve with respect to the operator.

Yes, that's the pK I was talking about. The X-Rays are what knock out the GPS satellites, potentially. So in order to protect themselves from the X-rays, the satellites close down or go into some kind of self-protect mode, and drop off the grid. And that's what then becomes relevant to R/C fliers using GPS.

Most of the so-called "self flying" drones rely on the GPS system to orient themselves, return to home, all of that. So on a potentially high pK day, the number of GPS satellites that are active will actually fluctuate enough that one loses periodically the GPS signal, thus causing the drone to initiate its GPS-loss-of-signal routine, which in and of itself isn't much of a factor - if one has taken the time to learn one's manual stick and rudder technique properly. If not, then usually panic sets in... : )

All the best
Chris

 

[Drone1]

I guess by now you have purchased your first drone but this could have heped!

The little Cheerson quads for $20 from eBay give you the chance to develop the muscle-memory to control a multi-rotor. Once you have a feel and can be sure you wont trash the model, you can move on to the expencive stuff.
Don't spend a lot of money on the first one, you will not likely use it again. The bigger they get the more fragile and expencive they become. Mini Quads from 250 down are farely tough but they get broken and you need to know how to repare them. Stuff like Phantoms etc are great for aerial imaging but boring as bat poo, to fly.
FPV is awsome and you will need to buy expencive stuff to do it successfully. That WiFi crap will waiste your money and frustrate. You can't use your phone it's stupid and useless and a con. I did a blog on this "http://rctrix.com/?page_id=15" if your interested.
DJI, 3DR,Walkera, Typhoon and othes,r make good GPS stablised imaging platforms that are really simple to fly for someone with little experience. They hide in cupboards all over the world. You mostly will take some interesting video with one of these but nothing you could sell. Maybe a realestate video ;(