So you've got a new drone.....

[Bartman]

So you've got a new "drone", you've found us here at MultiRotorForums.com, and you're wondering what to do next????

You've found the right place, now let's answer a few quick questions.

Technically, it's a multi-rotor helicopter because of the multiple propeller blades (aka rotors) that enable the aircraft to fly. We're learning to accept the word "drone" to describe what it is we're discussing but just be patient with us, it's a hard word to get used to!

There's probably a manual included with your new "drone", take some time to read it. Chances are there might even be an expanded version online with more info, if you're really ambitious take a minute to go to the manufacturer's website to see what's there.

Careful!! The batteries with your new "drone" are Lithium Polymer and if they're damaged or show signs of puffing (where they start to plump up like they're being inflated) then they're not safe to use and shouldn't be kept in your house! LiPo fires are very intense and there's a ton of toxic smoke released.

You are going to fly your new "drone" into everything within eyesight.....plants, walls, the dog, maybe your own body, trees, etc.......to survive these inadvertent encounters with fixed objects be sure to reduce the power (probably the forward/backward motion of the left stick on your controller) to zero just before you hit something. If the motors aren't making power when you hit something then the motors are less likely to be damaged by the impact. Props also are less likely to break.

Do not fly too far or too high from where you're standing. IT IS VERY EASY TO LOSE TRACK OF FRONT-BACK, LEFT-RIGHT and once you lose track of which way is forward or backward you're probably just a few seconds away from a crash.....it happens that quickly!


Let's hear what other members of the site have to say about simple suggestions to make the first few days of "drone" ownership go as smoothly as possible.

Welcome to MultiRotorForums.com! Celebrating five years as the world's leading resource for new "drone" owners!!!

 

[ProfEngr]

I can't stress enough that whatever MR craft you received.... it takes practice, practice, practice to get decent at flying it. I would recommend searching for tutorials on youtube but be careful of the source. There are a lot out there that don't follow basic safety precautions; Quadcopter101 has some good how-to videos on there.

Take things slow until you get a feel for how the craft responds to stick movements. You'll hopefully be developing muscle-memory during your flight sessions. Eventually you'll be able to react to a situation instead of having to think... 'which stick do I move which way to make it... oops.'

Basically,

1. keep the thing under 400ft above ground ("toy" class won't usually have the range anyway)
   
2. don't fly near roads or other people, in Fed Parks or within 5mi of an airport
3. wear eye protection in case of a close encounter you can't dodge quickly enough
4. don't fly beyond your ability to tell which way it's pointing (easier for larger craft)
5. don't go snooping around other people's windows/property
6. if all else fails, cut the throttle. Better a hard landing than to crash into someone.

I'm sure I've missed a few, but this community will surely pick up the slack eventually. I might even get corrected since I'm a novice myself.

 

[Motopreserve]

As @Bartman mentioned, so easy to make subtle mistakes in the beginning which can quickly turn into serious failure. Take it slow and practice the basic stick moves to become VERY familiar with how they effect orientation.

Head over to the new member area, introduce yourself and feel free to ask questions. Plenty of folks here willing to help - and it could save you frustration, time and money.

 

[John Doecliff]

The media really hyped the drone thing prior to Christmas. They claimed that the sky would be full of them by now with rookie pilots being irresponsible and downright foolish. What they failed to recognize is that probably 90% of those "Drones" would fall into the toy category or what I call a "house drone". My wife even bought me a little Syma with an FPV camera on it. If you take your house drone outside you should stay within the confines of your yard, if you take it to the park you shouldn't let it go more than 25 yards away from you. It's not likely you will hurt anyone with it but it can and has happened so don't try to impress anyone with your awesome piloting skills. If you have anything more substantial than a house drone like a mini 250 racer or larger then admit to yourself that your not an expert and fly super conservative. That means staying away from others while you learn and not trying to do things beyond the limit of the craft. Realize that your radio output isn't that great and you cannot fly very far away and you especially cant fly behind a building or something and still expect it to work. Like most things in life there's the perception of what they are and the reality of what they are. The perception is that these drones can do amazing things like fly miles away and stay aloft for hours or fly with extreme precision, The reality is far from that. Leave the cat alone, don't chase the dog and don't go over water. Don't try to get a breaking news story with your FPV system. But still have fun.

 

[Bartman]

c'mon guys, where are all of those little bits of wisdom that keep everything flying?

i still think the best bit of advice when getting started is to chop the power to zero right before you hit something. little RTF quads of the Nano class can be flown into a wall and will fly again if they're not making power when they hit.

 

[Fred Flintstone]

Here is some advice from a newbie to this hobby - Things I've learned over the past month - My experience is limited to house flyers, so this is geared towards these little machines.

This is in no particular order..

1. Don't leave your machine or batteries charging unattended. When the charge cycle is complete, unplug it.
2. Start slow. Most machines have different flying modes - read the book and make sure you are on the easiest mode.
3. Don't take it outside if there is a breeze. Most indoor micro's are too light to fly in a breeze.
4. Buy extra batteries and a charger if possible. Its tough to wait 30+ min to charge for a 5 min flight.
5. Don't go over you recommended flying time for the battery you are using. LiPo batteries don't like to be discharged to far. If you aren't going to be using your mr for some time, don't leave it charged. Read the LiPo battery sticky thread.
6. Don't get frustrated. Take time to learn the controls while hovering.
7. Chasing cats around the house can be fun. Just don't hit them or start the props while they are attacking it -
8. Fuzz, dust bunnies, hair can get wrapped around the motor shaft and be difficult to see. If your mr isn't flying steady, pull the props off and check for any fuzz wrapped around the motor shaft.
9. Props/motors spin in different directions. Don't take all the props off at once.
10. Find a local hobby store - they can be a great source for replacement parts, upgrades, etc.

 

[Bartman]

great list "Fred" and thanks for taking the time to map it out.

here's another that hasn't been mentioned yet.....

when you're not sure, come here and ask someone for help! we're happy to have people asking questions about basic stuff!

 

[Bartman]

FWIW, today's micro quad tinkerer could be tomorrow's next-gen prototype building multi-rotor master!

 

[Fred Flintstone]

FWIW, today's micro quad tinkerer could be tomorrow's next-gen prototype building multi-rotor master!

I'm having a blast with the micros. Just ordered parts to build my first. I'll post a build thread it as I go along in the Micro group.

 

[Hoki]

I CAN'T WAIT! I JUST ORDERED PROP GUARDS AND A BIG LANDING SKID FOR WHEN I BUILD MINE, JUST WAITING FOR A FEW MORE PARTS FROM CHINA.

 

[Jonas104]

I was about to start my own thread from my experience, but here's my list from when I started with a Dromida Vista about 3 months ago to recently finishing building my FPV race quad.

1) Check all nuts and bolts before every flight no matter how excited you are!
2) Get a battery voltage meter/alarm before you even fly, don't risk damaging a brand new Lipo (Min=3.3v/cell - Max = 4.2v/cell)
3) Wear your Tx lanyard, if you for some crazy reason you try to catch your mulitrotor before it hits the ground and use one hand, your other hand may hit the throttle and cause the propellers to cut your hand (yes, speaking from experience)
4) Avoid flying on or around commercial/business parking lots or fields, people really hate when you fly on their property, even on a Sunday.
5) Think of how much room you may need to learn flying, now times that by 5, that's how much open area you'll probably need.
6) FPV? times that number by 10, it's so easy to get disoriented if you're twisting and turning trying to avoid trees while trying to figure out where you are.
7) If there's cement around, you're probably gonna crash into it. R.I.P. GoPro #1 (thank goodness for accidental damage protection plans) Which leads me to my next two points.
8) If it's going on the multirotor and you can buy a protection plan for it, buy the plan.
9) If it's your first time flying in a new area, fly with extreme caution! In goggles or a monitor, you cannot see random branches protruding from a tree until it's too late.
10) Figure out a way to strap your battery onto your frame in the event of a hard crash. You don't want your battery leads, or worse, your PBD to break.
11) Practice flying standing behind it - Walking the Dog... "LEFT? RIGHT? FRONT? BACK? *CRASH!*" You've read it a billion times already, crashes happen in seconds or less.
12) Have enough props for the day? No you don't. You should have more props than you know what to do with at all times. If you're learning, use 5030 ABS props.
13) Tightly secure all cables away from propellers. I almost cut through a battery lead once.
14) Install a buzzer for you multirotor, I lost my quad in some bushes for about 20 minutes and all I could think of was how I just lost a few hundred dollars worth of preciousness I just hand built over that past few weeks.

For those building their own
1) Make sure all your motors/ESCs are meant to run on whatever battery (3S/4S) you've decided to run with.
2) Never looks for PIDs to use. Be patient and experiment with what you've learned/researched.
3) Buy an SMA extension cable for you're FPV video Tx. ($70 down the drain because I was impatient and didn't listen to advice)
4) I can almost guarantee you're going to break your budget.

I might add more later, but I hope this saves some of you guys trouble. And if you don't head these warnings, I hope you think of this thread and the exact sentence you read when something happens to you. I don't mean that in a sinister way, just please listen.

Oh ya, have fun and be safe. This hobby as people know it is hanging by a thread. But mainly have fun!