Hello and Thank You Flite Test!!

Dashthemad

Member
Thats definitely a dream. Again, its not far from home, maybe a day drive, but I'm limited by funding ATM. Ive been watching all the flitetest vids and honestly it would be... Just... Well words couldnt describe how awesome... If thats the right word... It would be to be at the flight line. Absolutely a goal. I think my favorite flitefest event is the combat. One reason id love to slap a motor n prop on one of my old paper airplane designs. Ever since my dad was in the Navy and I got to watch an air show complete with a blue angel exhibition right from my back yard, I'd always wanted to fly. Just didnt know it til I successfully flew my drone the other day. I use that term loosely too. It didnt crash *much* and I was able to keep a sustained and trimmed hover for about 2 minutes before I let it get too close to the ceiling. You're right about the crashing is learning too. Ive been absle to recover the drone when this happens at least 70 percent of the time by chopping throttle quickly to remove the vacuum then punching it at about 65% throttle. Drops it to the ground but doesn't cause a crash... Well unless a coffee table's in the way... Or a couch... Or a my little pony doll... Incidently the only problem I have with my current drone , though admittedly a good feature, is the enclosed motor. Its harder to remove hair and hair-like debris caught up and wrapped around the shaft. Did I mention there are four beautiful and *long-haired* girls? Lol
 

Dashthemad

Member
Its a little sleepy town called Rainelle. About an hour from the Virginia border' maybe less as the drone flies lol
 

basslord1124

Master member
That's cool...I live where KY/OH/WV meet. I've been to Charleston on occasion and been to Montgomery once (my ex). Haven't been much beyond that unless we're traveling to the beach and usually pass Bluefield/Beckley.
 

Dashthemad

Member
Id love to get a splash drone a take it out to summersville lake n do some AP. Might even build a big sea duck n get a kayak lol.
 

Dashthemad

Member
Lol so I gathered dont worry. Still lightyears from that. Man this is a great thing you all do! Thank you, a hundred times over. Would have never been able to do this alone!
 

sprzout

Knower of useless information
Mentor
LOL welcome to the flite test family. :)

Just a word of warning with those little LRP drones - they're tiny. As in, "Fit in the palm of your hand" tiny. I had one just like it that I sorta kinda learned to fly, until I ran out of props due to crashing and couldn't fly it anymore. When I was flying it, it would drop out of the sky and end up underneath things, like the sofa, or the large, heavy coffee table with drawers.

The one big problem I found with these is that they're not really much like flying a bigger quad, and you CANNOT fly them outdoors; any sort of wind whatsoever pushes them exactly where you DON'T want them to go, like onto a neighbor's roof, over the fence where a large dog with pointy teeth lives, or into your wife's rosebushes that have tons of thorns.

I would recommend, when you can afford to take the hit, get into something bigger, like an Inductrix FPV BL or Torrent, Newbeedrone Acrobee, or FliteTest Gremlin. These options will still be smaller, but will give you the ability to fly with a real transmitter, as opposed to the smaller "toy" transmitters that are meant for someone with hands only slightly larger than a toddler's. :) In addition, you'll be able to get external battery packs, AND run FPV with the aforementioned models.

The transmitter required for any of those options would also give you the ability to fly planes, whether you build them from a FliteTest kit/foamboard, or purchased a "bind n' fly" from say, Horizon Hobbies, so that's something to consider as well. I understand the cost may be a factor at first; you'll be looking at around $300-$350 for the transmitter, a quadcopter like the Acrobee, battery, charger, and an inexpensive FPV headset like the Quanum Cyclops, but the plus is that you can then take the transmitter to another vehicle, the charger (if you get one that allows you to charge lipo/LiHV batteries with different connections), and FPV headset will be reusable for other vehicles you may build, so you won't have to put out the additional expenses for those items, saving you some money in the long run.

Here's an example (and keep in mind this is just a recommendation, some of these can be swapped out for other equipment if you want something different/i.e., better, or even a little cheaper depending on what you pick):

Newbeedrone Acrobee Basic Kit: $99.99
Spektrum DXe transmitter: $69.99
Hitec RDX1 Pro AC/DC battery charger: $74.99
Quanum Cyclops Diversity Headset: $99.87
250 mAh Lipo batteries for Acrobee: 4 for $20

This is just a suggestion, but this is a good way to start. The Acrobee will give you full flight capabilities, allow you to learn Betaflight tuning capabilities for the drones (which will be useful if you ever move into the racing drone world), and it has additional parts that are cheap, should you break a frame, need replacement motors or upgrades, or want additional props.

The Spektrum DXe radio is the cheapest DSMX radio you can buy. It has the ability to be used for multiple different models, but it has to be programmed via a smartphone app, which can be a little clunky. However, it will allow you to fly 6 channel planes as well as quads, so it's a cheap radio that you can work with if you want DSMX protocol, AND use it for E-Flite bind n' fly planes. There ARE other protocols that you can use Are there other, better, options? Yes, but they are either more expensive, have a steep learning curve to the software, or a manual that was originally written in Chinese and then poorly translated to English.

The Hitec charger - there are other options; this is my personal pick due to size (it's compact and fits nicely into a backpack, doesn't have a wide footprint when you are charging on a table, and fits into an ammo box that doubles as my toolbox and charger for bigger batteries, in case they go up in flames), has a USB charging port (I can use it to charge my cell phone or other USB devices if I need) AND it is AC/DC compatible, which allows me to charge off the wall power at home, connect to the solar power system at the field, or even charge off of my car battery if I'm flying somewhere that they don't have a charging station. There ARE cheaper options; however, some require a power supply from an old computer, or are exclusively DC power. If you're going to get a battery charger, I HIGHLY recommend that you get a charger that is AC/DC. The cost is well worth it, regardless of which brand you pick, simply because of the flexibility it offers.

The Quanum Cyclops Diversity headset is one of the best CHEAP headsets for the buck. It offers diversity antennas (this means it will switch between the strongest signal depending on which antenna is closer or more direct line of sight), and it has a digital video recorder built in to record your flights. It will also fit over glasses, if you are vision impaired like I am. Are there better ones? Yes. I also own a pair of Fatshark Attitude V4 goggles, which are lighter, smaller, and make me look like Geordi Laforge from Star Trek: The Next Generation when I'm wearing them. They're also $400 for a pair, and if you're on a budget, most likely out of your price range. The Quanums are a great starter pair, and should you get some extra money and want to buy the Fatsharks (which are pretty much the gold standard for FPV flight) the Quanums make for a great backup pair for someone who wants to do a "ride along" while you're flying (say, for example, your kids want to see what it's like).

Lastly, the batteries. The prices for the batteries vary depending on what you go with. The batteries required for the Acrobee are 1S (or 1 cell, series batteries) that CAN, in theory, be used with other aircraft, but are usually relegated to ultra micro or UMX models due to weight. Can you find them cheaper? Sure. Amazon has several sets of 6 for $20. I don't recommend buying the cheapest batteries that you can find on Amazon, though - I did, and had them puff up and one of them actually explode due to my charging method. Also, cheaper batteries tend to have lower mAh, lower flight times, and the cheaper JST connections that don't necessarily match with the NewBeeDrone's connector, which is a JST-PH 2.0 connection, and far superior to the 1.0, which has a tendency to fail after 30 or so uses.

Sorry for the long post, but I figure this gives you some info to look up and compare with. Again, these are simply recommendations for equipment; they may change with time, as newer equipment may replace older models, or something superior comes out. You may even find something better that does the job - but these recommendations are a better quality than what you'll find in the toy aisles at Walmart, Best Buy, or Fry's Electronics, and will give you a chance to branch out if you decide that quadcopters aren't really your thing. Maybe you find you're wanting to fly sailplanes, or warbirds, or helicopters; a good portion of this equipment can move with you, and save you some initial startup costs of the switch. :)
 

Dashthemad

Member
Thanks for the info sprzout! Ice been leaning towoard my ultimate goal which is staright fpv for all things rc. But thatll require some serious stick time patience and more money in the budget. Its true money is rough for me at tbe moment. I work minimum wage so my budgets basically the piggy bank and the few bucks I forget I had in my wallet. We got the drones with the last of our tax money, and honestly havent regretted it since. The hobby is fun, if not a bit costly (though still afforable if you do it right) and the kids are anxious to try. Sound like I'm getting a whole family of flight buddies
 

Headbang

Master member
Never worry about the money. One thing about this hobby is there seems to be more people getting out of it at any moment then into it. Lots of stuff for sale out there cheap, some never used. I personally have a habit of just giving away stuff I no longer want or need. There are others like me. You also do not need the best and the newest, you are going to just break it anyways, everyone breaks things all the time in this hobby.
 

Dashthemad

Member
I swear you're watching me right now! I was just talking to my coworker about her husband, who has four or five he just got and has no idea what to do with them all. I begged for pictures and such to see if he was willing to part woth them, if anything, for parts and motors. I could even go back and watch the how to vid on making the hover craft and maybe start my own hovercraft league! Man, possibility upon possibility with rc. Love it!!
 

poor boy 101

Active member
I swear you're watching me right now! I was just talking to my coworker about her husband, who has four or five he just got and has no idea what to do with them all. I begged for pictures and such to see if he was willing to part woth them, if anything, for parts and motors. I could even go back and watch the how to vid on making the hover craft and maybe start my own hovercraft league! Man, possibility upon possibility with rc. Love it!!
LOL welcome to the flite test family. :)

Just a word of warning with those little LRP drones - they're tiny. As in, "Fit in the palm of your hand" tiny. I had one just like it that I sorta kinda learned to fly, until I ran out of props due to crashing and couldn't fly it anymore. When I was flying it, it would drop out of the sky and end up underneath things, like the sofa, or the large, heavy coffee table with drawers.

The one big problem I found with these is that they're not really much like flying a bigger quad, and you CANNOT fly them outdoors; any sort of wind whatsoever pushes them exactly where you DON'T want them to go, like onto a neighbor's roof, over the fence where a large dog with pointy teeth lives, or into your wife's rosebushes that have tons of thorns.

I would recommend, when you can afford to take the hit, get into something bigger, like an Inductrix FPV BL or Torrent, Newbeedrone Acrobee, or FliteTest Gremlin. These options will still be smaller, but will give you the ability to fly with a real transmitter, as opposed to the smaller "toy" transmitters that are meant for someone with hands only slightly larger than a toddler's. :) In addition, you'll be able to get external battery packs, AND run FPV with the aforementioned models.

The transmitter required for any of those options would also give you the ability to fly planes, whether you build them from a FliteTest kit/foamboard, or purchased a "bind n' fly" from say, Horizon Hobbies, so that's something to consider as well. I understand the cost may be a factor at first; you'll be looking at around $300-$350 for the transmitter, a quadcopter like the Acrobee, battery, charger, and an inexpensive FPV headset like the Quanum Cyclops, but the plus is that you can then take the transmitter to another vehicle, the charger (if you get one that allows you to charge lipo/LiHV batteries with different connections), and FPV headset will be reusable for other vehicles you may build, so you won't have to put out the additional expenses for those items, saving you some money in the long run.

Here's an example (and keep in mind this is just a recommendation, some of these can be swapped out for other equipment if you want something different/i.e., better, or even a little cheaper depending on what you pick):

Newbeedrone Acrobee Basic Kit: $99.99
Spektrum DXe transmitter: $69.99
Hitec RDX1 Pro AC/DC battery charger: $74.99
Quanum Cyclops Diversity Headset: $99.87
250 mAh Lipo batteries for Acrobee: 4 for $20

This is just a suggestion, but this is a good way to start. The Acrobee will give you full flight capabilities, allow you to learn Betaflight tuning capabilities for the drones (which will be useful if you ever move into the racing drone world), and it has additional parts that are cheap, should you break a frame, need replacement motors or upgrades, or want additional props.

The Spektrum DXe radio is the cheapest DSMX radio you can buy. It has the ability to be used for multiple different models, but it has to be programmed via a smartphone app, which can be a little clunky. However, it will allow you to fly 6 channel planes as well as quads, so it's a cheap radio that you can work with if you want DSMX protocol, AND use it for E-Flite bind n' fly planes. There ARE other protocols that you can use Are there other, better, options? Yes, but they are either more expensive, have a steep learning curve to the software, or a manual that was originally written in Chinese and then poorly translated to English.

The Hitec charger - there are other options; this is my personal pick due to size (it's compact and fits nicely into a backpack, doesn't have a wide footprint when you are charging on a table, and fits into an ammo box that doubles as my toolbox and charger for bigger batteries, in case they go up in flames), has a USB charging port (I can use it to charge my cell phone or other USB devices if I need) AND it is AC/DC compatible, which allows me to charge off the wall power at home, connect to the solar power system at the field, or even charge off of my car battery if I'm flying somewhere that they don't have a charging station. There ARE cheaper options; however, some require a power supply from an old computer, or are exclusively DC power. If you're going to get a battery charger, I HIGHLY recommend that you get a charger that is AC/DC. The cost is well worth it, regardless of which brand you pick, simply because of the flexibility it offers.

The Quanum Cyclops Diversity headset is one of the best CHEAP headsets for the buck. It offers diversity antennas (this means it will switch between the strongest signal depending on which antenna is closer or more direct line of sight), and it has a digital video recorder built in to record your flights. It will also fit over glasses, if you are vision impaired like I am. Are there better ones? Yes. I also own a pair of Fatshark Attitude V4 goggles, which are lighter, smaller, and make me look like Geordi Laforge from Star Trek: The Next Generation when I'm wearing them. They're also $400 for a pair, and if you're on a budget, most likely out of your price range. The Quanums are a great starter pair, and should you get some extra money and want to buy the Fatsharks (which are pretty much the gold standard for FPV flight) the Quanums make for a great backup pair for someone who wants to do a "ride along" while you're flying (say, for example, your kids want to see what it's like).

Lastly, the batteries. The prices for the batteries vary depending on what you go with. The batteries required for the Acrobee are 1S (or 1 cell, series batteries) that CAN, in theory, be used with other aircraft, but are usually relegated to ultra micro or UMX models due to weight. Can you find them cheaper? Sure. Amazon has several sets of 6 for $20. I don't recommend buying the cheapest batteries that you can find on Amazon, though - I did, and had them puff up and one of them actually explode due to my charging method. Also, cheaper batteries tend to have lower mAh, lower flight times, and the cheaper JST connections that don't necessarily match with the NewBeeDrone's connector, which is a JST-PH 2.0 connection, and far superior to the 1.0, which has a tendency to fail after 30 or so uses.

Sorry for the long post, but I figure this gives you some info to look up and compare with. Again, these are simply recommendations for equipment; they may change with time, as newer equipment may replace older models, or something superior comes out. You may even find something better that does the job - but these recommendations are a better quality than what you'll find in the toy aisles at Walmart, Best Buy, or Fry's Electronics, and will give you a chance to branch out if you decide that quadcopters aren't really your thing. Maybe you find you're wanting to fly sailplanes, or warbirds, or helicopters; a good portion of this equipment can move with you, and save you some initial startup costs of the switch. :)
if you don’t mind spending a few $ Then the ev200ds are great. Look at the shoot out. They do better than the laforge or any of the other fat shark goggles. Also get a simulator. I think that is self explanatory. A x-lite by frsky is probably the best one for the price and holds more than one model. I do like spectrum more but their transmitters are much more expensive than frsky or flysky. If you do have a little more money than get a dx6e or dx6. The dx6 is a better radio because of the antenna diversity and the port that will connect to a computer. That way it is possible to use the sim. There is a wireless doggle that can be bought to connect the dx6e to the sim but at that point it makes more sense to buy the dx6 for the antenna diversity for $10. Here are the links.