New and wanting to get into quads

[Vampyrehntrd]

Hello all.

I am wanting to get into the hobby just started watching FT recently and love the guys and the content. I been wanting to get into drones more importantly the DIY Gremlin.

I am wanting to know if this is a good starter drone or should I go for something more ready to fly?

 

[BS projects inc.]

Building a quad usually isn't the greatest way to jump into the hobby. I would recommend getting a BNF quad similar to the gremlin. The mantis85 is what I learned to fly on and it flew great. What transmitter do you have if any?

 

[Vampyrehntrd]

Building a quad usually isn't the greatest way to jump into the hobby. I would recommend getting a BNF quad similar to the gremlin. The mantis85 is what I learned to fly on and it flew great. What transmitter do you have if any?

none 100% new getting into the hobby.

 

[BS projects inc.]

none 100% new getting into the hobby.

hmmmm....... You might actually start off with a tiny whoop. Much easier to learn to fly on and upgrading from a tiny whoop to a larger quad is a breeze. Plus is price-point friendly and difficult to break. You can log a lot more time on a tiny whoop a lot quicker. My friend is teaching himself how to fly with one and he is getting much better rapidly.

 

[Vampyrehntrd]

hmmmm....... You might actually start off with a tiny whoop. Much easier to learn to fly on and upgrading from a tiny whoop to a larger quad is a breeze. Plus is price-point friendly and difficult to break. You can log a lot more time on a tiny whoop a lot quicker. My friend is teaching himself how to fly with one and he is getting much better rapidly.

Nice so look on FT web store for the RTF tiny whoop?

 

[PsyBorg]

That plan will be ok if you don't fly in assisted mode and fly in acro mode. If not you will only train bad habits and muscle memory.

If you really want to learn get a mid level transmitter and fly simulators over the winter.

That not only trains you up better then flying whoops in self level mode but also gives you time to learn more about the hobby.

It also gives you more time to better research gear and come up with a plan that allows you to fly and be a pilot instead of throwing money at the hobby as most entry level gear is total garbage.

That said.. there is also a level of fun needed to motivate yourself to learn and a whoop would fill that need.

 

[sprzout]

Nice so look on FT web store for the RTF tiny whoop?

Yes, and if you do not find what you are looking for there, try Newbeedrone.com or TinyWhoop.com.

 

[BS projects inc.]

That plan will be ok if you don't fly in assisted mode and fly in acro mode. If not you will only train bad habits and muscle memory.

If you really want to learn get a mid level transmitter and fly simulators over the winter.

That not only trains you up better then flying whoops in self level mode but also gives you time to learn more about the hobby.

It also gives you more time to better research gear and come up with a plan that allows you to fly and be a pilot instead of throwing money at the hobby as most entry level gear is total garbage.

That said.. there is also a level of fun needed to motivate yourself to learn and a whoop would fill that need.

I disagree. I have flown both simulators and the real deal and I see a significant difference. A simulator assumes there are perfect flight conditions and that the quad was built by a god. I had no issue with the transition from a tiny whoop to a mini quad. Most mini quads have stability mode as well as acro just like the tiny whoop.

 

[ElectriSean]

I disagree. I have flown both simulators and the real deal and I see a significant difference. A simulator assumes there are perfect flight conditions and that the quad was built by a god. I had no issue with the transition from a tiny whoop to a mini quad. Most mini quads have stability mode as well as acro just like the tiny whoop.

The point of a sim isn't to perfectly replicate flying, but to teach muscle memory and technique. Self-leveling modes on a miniquad are not something I would recommend for anyone. Learn acro/rate mode in the sim, and get your first thousand crashes out of the way without paying a penny in repair parts. Whoops are definitely fun, and are a great first quad, but even they break sometimes. Nothing beats a good sim for learning initially, or for practicing new moves.

 

[sprzout]

I disagree. I have flown both simulators and the real deal and I see a significant difference. A simulator assumes there are perfect flight conditions and that the quad was built by a god. I had no issue with the transition from a tiny whoop to a mini quad. Most mini quads have stability mode as well as acro just like the tiny whoop.

A Simulator is not a bad way to get yourself prepped for flying, though. Sure, it's not perfect; it won't teach you how to deal with wind gusts, or avoiding the rampant, pissed off hummingbird or occasional crow. But I CERTAINLY wouldn't throw out the value of muscle memory through a simulator. I put in 40+ hours of stick time before I flew my first drone, and I surprised the heck out of my father, who said, "I think this is a bad idea to start off with....It's going to be an expensive repair when you crash." First flight, I ended up doing basic circling of the runway, just getting the feel for the sticks, but I had good, level flight, and no issues whatsoever flying to start off with FPV.

 

[PsyBorg]

It's not so much how the sims fly. Its how you fly in the sim. Yes conditions will be different but the coordination to make it fly is the same. You also get to see what messing up looks like as well as what proper corrections look and act like as well.

Auto level trains exactly NONE of that as the fc fights every input you do thus NEVER reacting as a quad in acro does.

I am not shooting down anyone's opinions or accomplishment just putting out real world things that even a good portion of pro pilots advocate.

I know exactly zero mid level to pro level pilots that advocate auto level to learn. Even an aerial photography pilot needs to learn and to be able to fly unassisted in case of failures or outside factors effecting their gear.

 

[BS projects inc.]

A Simulator is not a bad way to get yourself prepped for flying, though. Sure, it's not perfect; it won't teach you how to deal with wind gusts, or avoiding the rampant, pissed off hummingbird or occasional crow. But I CERTAINLY wouldn't throw out the value of muscle memory through a simulator. I put in 40+ hours of stick time before I flew my first drone, and I surprised the heck out of my father, who said, "I think this is a bad idea to start off with....It's going to be an expensive repair when you crash." First flight, I ended up doing basic circling of the runway, just getting the feel for the sticks, but I had good, level flight, and no issues whatsoever flying to start off with FPV.

Another big issue I have with sims is the cost of getting one does not outweigh the costs of a tiny whoop crash. The most a person would ever have to pay to fix a whoop would be a new motor set and that's if you really screw up. But 9/10 crashes don't result in having to buy new parts and even if they do its mainly just props and frames which does not come close to the price of a quality sim.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

Not to go shilling items in the Flite Test store, but...

https://store.flitetest.com/blade-i...ess-electric-quadcopter-drone-blh8850/p800166

You'll need a transmitter, and some sort of viewing system (goggles or monitor) and batteries and a charger, but you'd need that with pretty much any route you'd go.

This is all the awesome of the tiny whoop, but brushless. I have one on order, and hope to have it next week. I'll try to remember to come and post my thoughts on it.

 

[ElectriSean]

Another big issue I have with sims is the cost of getting one does not outweigh the costs of a tiny whoop crash. The most a person would ever have to pay to fix a whoop would be a new motor set and that's if you really screw up. But 9/10 crashes don't result in having to buy new parts and even if they do its mainly just props and frames which does not come close to the price of a quality sim.

Velocidrone is £15.99, Liftoff is $21.99CDN (about $15USD). 0/10 crashes in a sim result in damages, or a walk of shame, or anything more than pressing the reset button.

 

[Vampyrehntrd]

Ok thank you all for the remarks. What I have gathered was:

1. Tiny whoop RTF or PNF or inductrix BNF.
2. Get a transmitter. would DXe or DX6e work?
3. Get a simulator program. What would you all recommend?

I am not trying to go cheap but dont want to drop hundreds on something that i could not fly or learn on.

 

[BS projects inc.]

Personally I think that the Mantis85 is better than the ft gremlins. It gets the same range, flies just as well, and comes in BNF at a better price point.

 

[ElectriSean]

Ok thank you all for the remarks. What I have gathered was:

1. Tiny whoop RTF or PNF or inductrix BNF.
2. Get a transmitter. would DXe or DX6e work?
3. Get a simulator program. What would you all recommend?

I am not trying to go cheap but dont want to drop hundreds on something that i could not fly or learn on.

I would avoid any of the e type Spektrum radios, especially the DXe. I'd actually recommend a Taranis QX7, but that debate is everywhere on this forum

For a sim, I love Velocidrone. It's fairly realistic (the physics get better every patch) and it uses the Betaflight rate system, which translates perfectly to the 'real world'.

 

[PsyBorg]

Velocidrone is £15.99, Liftoff is $21.99CDN (about $15USD). 0/10 crashes in a sim result in damages, or a walk of shame, or anything more than pressing the reset button.

FPV Freerider doesnt even need a reset button.

The physics to me blow away drl sim and hot props. I have not tried velocidrone or lift off. Frankly gfx did not impress me. Too much like a video game.

Freerider now has all the multigp time trial courses as well as the final course for this year. It also has several freestyle boards.

MY only issue is the quad seems much larger then a 5 inch in scale with the gates or landscaping. That does however force you to be more accurate when shooting gaps or gates.

 

[Vampyrehntrd]

so would this be good?
https://store.flitetest.com/blade-i...o-electric-quadcopter-drone-blh9600ha/p734513

 

[sprzout]

Another big issue I have with sims is the cost of getting one does not outweigh the costs of a tiny whoop crash. The most a person would ever have to pay to fix a whoop would be a new motor set and that's if you really screw up. But 9/10 crashes don't result in having to buy new parts and even if they do its mainly just props and frames which does not come close to the price of a quality sim.

Liftoff - $20 via Steam. Quality simulator.

Motors from NewBeeDrone - $10.

And you're figuring on just motors being replaced. Figure in what happens if you deep six a Tiny Whoop in a toilet or other body of water. Don't laugh; I've come around a corner indoors only to have it fly out of control and rimshot right in off the back of the toilet lid, into the Ty-D-Bowl. Water and flight controllers do NOT mix.

So, new FC?

BeeBrain v2 - $59.99
Inductrix - $35
BetaFPV F3 - $45

I'd say that the simulator is still cheaper than a new FC...Again, they may not be "perfect", but they've gotten pretty good. And if you don't like Liftoff, there's Velocidrone, FPV Freerider, DRL Racing, all ranging from $5-25.