Hey, I've been watching alot of FliteTest lately and its really gotten me motivated to get into this hobby! I've always loved the idea of flying and my end goal is to be able to fly an FPV craft. my question however, is where do I start??? I know nothing past what I've watched in the various episodes of Flite Test and I'm having trouble finding just where to begin! If anybody can help I'd be willing to listen!
Just getting started, where do I begin???
Welcome to FT.
Get a cheap, plastic toy to learn on.
The Zyma X1 is what I learned on, I have heard of people using the Nano as well as some other copters. Check out this thread and follow some links. http://forum.flitetest.com/showthread.php?6213-What-would-be-the-best-beginner-trainer-multirotor
The little plastic copters can fly indoors. This allows you to learn without dealing with wind. The little plastic copters are hard to break, break less of what they crash into and are cheap to replace.
You will crash. You will utterly destroy a copter or two while you learn. Learn on the cheap. When you getting frustrated that you cant modify or repair the little plastic toys, build a Knuckle H Quad (the toughest, simplest I have seen).
This hobby is addictive. You will fly and you will crash. You will rebuild. You will push the envelope and you will crash again. The better you get at rebuilding the less you will worry about crashes and the harder you will push the limits. The more you push your limits, the more you will learn and the better you will fly and that means more pushing, more crashes and more rebuild.
Get a cheap, plastic toy to learn on.
The Zyma X1 is what I learned on, I have heard of people using the Nano as well as some other copters. Check out this thread and follow some links. http://forum.flitetest.com/showthread.php?6213-What-would-be-the-best-beginner-trainer-multirotor
The little plastic copters can fly indoors. This allows you to learn without dealing with wind. The little plastic copters are hard to break, break less of what they crash into and are cheap to replace.
You will crash. You will utterly destroy a copter or two while you learn. Learn on the cheap. When you getting frustrated that you cant modify or repair the little plastic toys, build a Knuckle H Quad (the toughest, simplest I have seen).
This hobby is addictive. You will fly and you will crash. You will rebuild. You will push the envelope and you will crash again. The better you get at rebuilding the less you will worry about crashes and the harder you will push the limits. The more you push your limits, the more you will learn and the better you will fly and that means more pushing, more crashes and more rebuild.
eagle4
Member
Hey mate, welcome to the forum, and welcome to the hobby 
There are a couple of places for you to begin. Firstly, I think you've gotten off on the right foot, buy watching flitetest and asking questions.
now the 2 options you can go with would be to get yourself an RTF plane like the bixler from hobbyking, this has the option of being a stable plane, very little effort goes into putting it together and getting it in the sky.
Or you could go down the route of starting off with scratch building. if this is the case I'd suggest starting off with the FT-Flyer. its a great stable little plane. the benefits of scratch building is that you know the whole airframe, so its easy to repair when you crash.
Oh yeah, forgot to mention, you will crash. Everyone crashes. when that happens just hang in there, your next flight will be better.
To help you out i'd suggest getting a simulator, its much better to crash in a simulator than your actual plane.
As for getting into FPV, hold off on that for a moment, focus on learning how to fly first, then you can start playing with all the cool toys the hobby has to offer
Do you have a preference for which way you'd like to go? are you the kind of person who loves tinkering in his shed building all sorts of things, or are you really not handy at all, and would prefer minimal construction?
There are a couple of places for you to begin. Firstly, I think you've gotten off on the right foot, buy watching flitetest and asking questions.
now the 2 options you can go with would be to get yourself an RTF plane like the bixler from hobbyking, this has the option of being a stable plane, very little effort goes into putting it together and getting it in the sky.
Or you could go down the route of starting off with scratch building. if this is the case I'd suggest starting off with the FT-Flyer. its a great stable little plane. the benefits of scratch building is that you know the whole airframe, so its easy to repair when you crash.
Oh yeah, forgot to mention, you will crash. Everyone crashes. when that happens just hang in there, your next flight will be better.
To help you out i'd suggest getting a simulator, its much better to crash in a simulator than your actual plane.
As for getting into FPV, hold off on that for a moment, focus on learning how to fly first, then you can start playing with all the cool toys the hobby has to offer
Do you have a preference for which way you'd like to go? are you the kind of person who loves tinkering in his shed building all sorts of things, or are you really not handy at all, and would prefer minimal construction?
There are a lot of different opinions on the best way to get started. If you have the budget, buying an RTF (ready to fly) is probably the easiest way. They come with everything you need to get in the air.
The problem with RTFs in my opinion is the radio that comes with them. They are usually pretty rudimentary, and some can't be used with other airplanes at all. I prefer buying the radio separately, and then getting an ARF (almost ready to fly). It is a bit more effort, but you won't have a radio sitting unused on the shelf because you've outgrown it.
If I were to start over, I'd go with a Bixler ARF and a Turnigy 9x. You'll also need batteries and a charger.
So a big part of the question is your budget. I started as cheaply as I could with a 9x and then scratch building. I think I would have been farther along if I had started with a trainer like the Bixler.
The problem with RTFs in my opinion is the radio that comes with them. They are usually pretty rudimentary, and some can't be used with other airplanes at all. I prefer buying the radio separately, and then getting an ARF (almost ready to fly). It is a bit more effort, but you won't have a radio sitting unused on the shelf because you've outgrown it.
If I were to start over, I'd go with a Bixler ARF and a Turnigy 9x. You'll also need batteries and a charger.
So a big part of the question is your budget. I started as cheaply as I could with a 9x and then scratch building. I think I would have been farther along if I had started with a trainer like the Bixler.
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rockets4kids
Senior Member
Watching this series is far and away the best way to get started:
http://makezine.com/makerhangar/
Given that the Flite Test series has only just started it is difficult to compare the two, but so far I think the Maker Hanger series packs more information into less space, and does a better job of it.
http://makezine.com/makerhangar/
Given that the Flite Test series has only just started it is difficult to compare the two, but so far I think the Maker Hanger series packs more information into less space, and does a better job of it.
Wow thanks for the all the responses so far, ill definitely take all this into consideration. and Eagle4, for me its less about skill (im fairly handy) and more about time I have to spend building. i don't want to start something, then have to put it down and pick it back up the next day. I work a late night shift so I think starting off with something cheap thats RTF just to get the hang of actually flying, then move on to building a scratch build or getting a build kit. Ill definitely look into all this advise thanks everybody
Flat4
Senior Member
I would second RoyBro's recommendation of snagging a turnigy 9x along with a Bind and Fly(BnF) trainer style plane like the Bixler. It may be a bit more up front cost, but trust me you will quickly outgrow any radio that comes with an RTF airplane, and have to dish out some cash for a better computer style radio.
If you are anything like me you will quickly outgrow a standard 3 channel(throttle,rudder,elevator) trainer plane, so getting something like the bixler with the 4th channel(ailerons) will give you a bit more future proofing from your first purchase. Also starting out with the turnigy 9x transmitter will allow you to keep using it with future plane purchases, instead of being forced to keep buying RTF models to have a controller that will be on the same frequency as the plane. Thus resulting in a stockpile of useless transmitters.
I wish I searched and received the same advice when I first started, would have saved me a good deal of time and money. Let me know if there is anything else I can better clarify for you, and keep asking questions, best way to learn.
If you are anything like me you will quickly outgrow a standard 3 channel(throttle,rudder,elevator) trainer plane, so getting something like the bixler with the 4th channel(ailerons) will give you a bit more future proofing from your first purchase. Also starting out with the turnigy 9x transmitter will allow you to keep using it with future plane purchases, instead of being forced to keep buying RTF models to have a controller that will be on the same frequency as the plane. Thus resulting in a stockpile of useless transmitters.
I wish I searched and received the same advice when I first started, would have saved me a good deal of time and money. Let me know if there is anything else I can better clarify for you, and keep asking questions, best way to learn.
