Hi, I'm looking to purchase my first fixed wing craft. I have been flying quads and I'm looking for longer flight times and a cheaper way of doing aerial mapping.
I plan on using the plane for mainly FPV initially using 2.4 and 5.8 so it would be a short range set up, however in the future I intend to use a fixed wing for aerial mapping (conservation work) and long range FPV (433/1.3) as a hobby.
I realise I will not be able to jump straight to a suitable craft for mapping without some experience first (even if I could I'd rather start smaller to reduce risk/cost of repairs) however I was wondering If I could skip the 'trainer' (such as an AXN/Bixler) and go for a more suitable FPV plane, so that I don't outgrow the bixler.
My ideal plane would be the mini talon, I love the look of it and have read many good points about it. While not being suitable for mapping it would be my ideal Medium-long range FPV craft of choice, so I would see it as a good investment.
My options are currently between the following:
AXN/Bixler 3 - Cheaper, can fit FPV gear with some small mods, ideal starter plane, would last me a good while as I could turn it into a medium range FPV platform if I felt the need to. However I think I'd outgrow it fairly quickly as I wouldn't be able to add much to it without it getting too heavy. (ie larger battery/flight controller/3axis gimbal for head tracking etc)
XUAV Mini Talon - Unsure if this is suitable for a beginner, it does say "great model for beginners" on the HK youtube video though... but I see little discussion about it being used as a first plane. Small enough to fit in my car without taking it apart, plenty of room for extra gear when/if needed. Very efficient for medium/long range. A bit more costly (I'd probably buy better quality electronics off the bat compared to the bixler) Rear prop could be more dangerous than the bixler when hand launching.
Finwing Penguin - I almost bought one as I have heard they make good trainers, similar design to the bixler but larger and more costly. I would also be able to use this plane for both long range FPV and aerial mapping (I'd actually have use for the belly camera hole). However I think the mini talon would be a better plane for FPV and either a Sabre or Airtitan as a dedicated mapper.
Skywalker - Heard many good things about these, and I could actually use one of these for mapping as they have so much room for equipment. Again unsure if this would be suitable for beginners though. Also it is much larger than the above, which isn't a problem - but being able to transport without dismantling it is a plus.
Basically I want to end up with two main planes, one for FPV flight and another for aerial mapping. I was considering Using the same plane for both, but the more I look into it I see the need for having two dedicated air frames, although I could start off with one capable of doing both such as the penguin or Skywalker.
Bellow is how I see my choices and progression, however I'm wondering If I can use one or more options from the tree as a trainer?
Trainer
(Bixler)
(AXN)
FPV plane
(Mini Talon)
(Finwing Penguin)
(Skywalker)
Mapping plane
(Finwing Sabre)
(Finwing Airtitan)
(Full size Talon)
(Finwing Penguin)
(Skywalker)
(Volantex Ranger)
(Bormatec Maja/Explorer)
Looking at that the Penguin or Skywalker would make the most sense as I can use them both as an FPV plane and a mapper. But I think I'd buy a mini talon in the future even if I had one of those two... So I would like to include the mini talon as an option... If it is OK for beginners.
So which one out of the Mini talon, Skywalker and Penguin would make a better trainer, or should I really just stick with the bixler for now?
It may also be worth mentioning that I will be using a flight controller such as the PixHawk.
Thank you for any input,
//Holo
I plan on using the plane for mainly FPV initially using 2.4 and 5.8 so it would be a short range set up, however in the future I intend to use a fixed wing for aerial mapping (conservation work) and long range FPV (433/1.3) as a hobby.
I realise I will not be able to jump straight to a suitable craft for mapping without some experience first (even if I could I'd rather start smaller to reduce risk/cost of repairs) however I was wondering If I could skip the 'trainer' (such as an AXN/Bixler) and go for a more suitable FPV plane, so that I don't outgrow the bixler.
My ideal plane would be the mini talon, I love the look of it and have read many good points about it. While not being suitable for mapping it would be my ideal Medium-long range FPV craft of choice, so I would see it as a good investment.
My options are currently between the following:
AXN/Bixler 3 - Cheaper, can fit FPV gear with some small mods, ideal starter plane, would last me a good while as I could turn it into a medium range FPV platform if I felt the need to. However I think I'd outgrow it fairly quickly as I wouldn't be able to add much to it without it getting too heavy. (ie larger battery/flight controller/3axis gimbal for head tracking etc)
XUAV Mini Talon - Unsure if this is suitable for a beginner, it does say "great model for beginners" on the HK youtube video though... but I see little discussion about it being used as a first plane. Small enough to fit in my car without taking it apart, plenty of room for extra gear when/if needed. Very efficient for medium/long range. A bit more costly (I'd probably buy better quality electronics off the bat compared to the bixler) Rear prop could be more dangerous than the bixler when hand launching.
Finwing Penguin - I almost bought one as I have heard they make good trainers, similar design to the bixler but larger and more costly. I would also be able to use this plane for both long range FPV and aerial mapping (I'd actually have use for the belly camera hole). However I think the mini talon would be a better plane for FPV and either a Sabre or Airtitan as a dedicated mapper.
Skywalker - Heard many good things about these, and I could actually use one of these for mapping as they have so much room for equipment. Again unsure if this would be suitable for beginners though. Also it is much larger than the above, which isn't a problem - but being able to transport without dismantling it is a plus.
Basically I want to end up with two main planes, one for FPV flight and another for aerial mapping. I was considering Using the same plane for both, but the more I look into it I see the need for having two dedicated air frames, although I could start off with one capable of doing both such as the penguin or Skywalker.
Bellow is how I see my choices and progression, however I'm wondering If I can use one or more options from the tree as a trainer?
Trainer
(Bixler)
(AXN)
FPV plane
(Mini Talon)
(Finwing Penguin)
(Skywalker)
Mapping plane
(Finwing Sabre)
(Finwing Airtitan)
(Full size Talon)
(Finwing Penguin)
(Skywalker)
(Volantex Ranger)
(Bormatec Maja/Explorer)
Looking at that the Penguin or Skywalker would make the most sense as I can use them both as an FPV plane and a mapper. But I think I'd buy a mini talon in the future even if I had one of those two... So I would like to include the mini talon as an option... If it is OK for beginners.
So which one out of the Mini talon, Skywalker and Penguin would make a better trainer, or should I really just stick with the bixler for now?
It may also be worth mentioning that I will be using a flight controller such as the PixHawk.
Thank you for any input,
//Holo
