Is this your first RC experience?

[hrosee]

I am just curious how many people flying Quads have been in RC before. Myself I have flown RC airplanes and helicopters for over 40 years so I am a little dated.

I see lots of comments here, especially on flyaways or other problems, that lead me to believe that most people flying Quads are new to RC. I have been in the local hobby shops and see people everyday that have these that have no idea what they really have. What concerns me is how the lack of RC knowledge may lead to what a lot call flyaways or other problems. All that said I have been in situations that I would have called a flyways had I not had the since to regain control from a mistake I had made.

My question is for those of you here; Is this your first RC experience or have you flow something else before?

 

[LuvMyTJ]

Been in RC's of one kind or another for many, many years. Cars, trucks, helicopters, planes, nitro powered and battery powered. My first plane was a Cox CL Comanche. As far as my current stable of flying machines I have a couple of heli's and 3 quads. The quads are a HeliMax 1si, a Phantom 2 and a scratch built X525 with a KK2 board, needless to say, it is not a bird for beginners.

I understand completely what you are saying. It is not just hobbyist buying them these days. Making a RTF quad that is as simple to fly as the Phantom, where anyone with money can get one is bound to have some negative results.

 

[locoworks]

I am just curious how many people flying Quads have been in RC before. Myself I have flown RC airplanes and helicopters for over 40 years so I am a little dated.

I see lots of comments here, especially on flyaways or other problems, that lead me to believe that most people flying Quads are new to RC. I have been in the local hobby shops and see people everyday that have these that have no idea what they really have. What concerns me is how the lack of RC knowledge may lead to what a lot call flyaways or other problems. All that said I have been in situations that I would have called a flyways had I not had the since to regain control from a mistake I had made.

My question is for those of you here; Is this your first RC experience or have you flow something else before?

+1/2 as i'm only a 20 year veteran.

i think the flyaways you read about aren't necessarilly down to pilot error,some may be so, but the drone in GPS mode ( out the box ) is 'held in place' in the sky by what it gets from the gps unit. it reads sometimes like the gps has a fit and off she goes. there are quite a few stories on the internet of the DJI s800 having a mind of it's own and flipping itself to death. i think that like PC's sometimes the electronics let people down for know apparent reason. even on 35 mhz i had receivers pack up. the more electronics there are the better chance of failure somewhere. i never had a control line aircraft fly away!

on the subject of GPS, sometimes my phone ( galaxy S4 ) using gps on the map screen will show me in the middle of the irish sea 30 miles from land when i'm actuall on dry land. i think GPS can be glitchy, sometimes, rarely, but when you have 1 in a 100 go wrong ( guessed numbers ) and only hear from the 1's it might sound like a bigger risk than it is, but without knowing the WHY, it isn't predictable or fixable, it could just be down to the vibration of the airframe upsetting a solder joint after 20 hours of use?? maybe the electronic componets should be mounted on dampers like the camera to cut out vibration?? we wrap our receivers in foam to shield them from vibrations on our planes and helis, who knows the real causes or causes? not me, but i still fly anyway.

 

[Happyflyer]

I just started this year with an X4. Worthless and useless device. Saw a big quad on TV with GPS and was hooked. Something that you don't have to spend EVERY fraction of a second "working" controls is not what I call fun. My P2V that "floats" in almost one place gives me the time to take nice video and pictures. Read and watched videos on operation long before I received mine. As for being as safe as can be, I will not fly in about 70-75% of the places I see many people with their quads. I just don't want anyone to be watching when/if it ever crashes.

 

[GoodnNuff]

I am just curious how many people flying Quads have been in RC before. Myself I have flown RC airplanes and helicopters for over 40 years so I am a little dated.

I see lots of comments here, especially on flyaways or other problems, that lead me to believe that most people flying Quads are new to RC. I have been in the local hobby shops and see people everyday that have these that have no idea what they really have. What concerns me is how the lack of RC knowledge may lead to what a lot call flyaways or other problems. All that said I have been in situations that I would have called a flyways had I not had the since to regain control from a mistake I had made.

My question is for those of you here; Is this your first RC experience or have you flow something else before?

Experienced RC pilot here as well. Been flying my Phantom 1 for several years, never had a problem.

My theory has been the same as yours. When I see new owners posting for help because they can't get their motors to initialize (because they haven't read their manual), I have to conclude that a fair share of flyaways are the result of pilot ignorance or inexperience.

 

[hrosee]

Experienced RC pilot here as well. Been flying my Phantom 1 for several years, never had a problem.

My theory has been the same as yours. When I see new owners posting for help because they can't get their motors to initialize (because they haven't read their manual), I have to conclude that a fair share of flyaways are the result of pilot ignorance or inexperience.

These things can do strange things even when you think you have everything right. Yesterday I thought my course lock and home lock were set when I took off but I guess not. I was flying in the backyard at about 60 feet and the battery went to 20 percent with the rears flashing slow reds. It was supposed to do a RTH and land in front of me. It did start the RTH but took off in a direction I wasn't expecting. I have no idea why but I suspect I didn't have home set as I thought. My point is I calmly knew what to do and was able to fly the Phantom not caring what direction it was in. In my case I just flipped the right switch a couple of times to cancel the RTH and flew it back.

I just wonder how many newer people would have got confused as it flew over their head and lost it calling it a flyaway.

There is nothing wrong with being new but there is something wrong with depending on the GPS modes to fly these things. That's my main point in posting this question. It seems too many folks are flying these successfully until something like GPS satellite lose happens and then they get in trouble.

IMO, one should become proficient at flying something like a LaTraxx Alias. It has gyros but the rest is up to you. If you can fly a quad with gyros only then you have no business flying a full featured quad like a Phantom.

We already see people flying these in all sorts of bad ways that give these things a bad name but sooner or later, if it hasn't already happened, someone is going to gte hurt and then we will be done for.

I talked to my local shop about setting up classes for all the new folks but he said he didn't want to take on the liability. So, what's the answer?

 

[FreeFlyer]

Hi guys... i'm a new Phantom pilot and this is my very first experience on flying an RC. I have read the Phantom manual and the NAZA-M V2 manual so many time that i can almost re-write them using my memory. I have viewed many video tutorials and read many post on different forums... i think that now i understand almost good how this thing fly BUT... although i had almost 12 fly sessions, when i read one of you "Masters of RC" saying that someone like me can't fly this thing safely, i feel really scared because i think that there is something that i can't understand and that only you "Masters" know. This hold me from enjoy my Phantom and is a very bad feeling.

I know that experience has a certain weight in everything... but... i think that even a guy unexperencied like me should have a chance to enjoy this hobby.

I'm sorry, i know that the purpose of hrosee is to aware guys like me to pay attention on what they do... but... i wanted to report my feeling since i think i'm not the only one that is feeling like that.

Anyway... this forum is great!

 

[Buckaye]

been into RC for a while - wasn't GREAT at heli's (like no 3D) but could fly one around upright pretty proficiently - maybe 5 years or so?

 

[RIDETOEAT]

Rc cars in the late 80's, helis and planes in the early 90's, dad and i bought sturdy birdie airplanes by the 6 pack from Tower to teach us how to fly at first, moved into general aviation for 10 years. Now the quad has caused a big up tic in my interest level, kind of a new world when the video comes into play. I have just ordered a v+ so new to DJI quads. Started to buy a blade 350qx but research brought me here instead.

 

[RipperFox]

I just started this year with an X4. Worthless and useless device. Saw a big quad on TV with GPS and was hooked. Something that you don't have to spend EVERY fraction of a second "working" controls is not what I call fun. My P2V that "floats" in almost one place gives me the time to take nice video and pictures. Read and watched videos on operation long before I received mine. As for being as safe as can be, I will not fly in about 70-75% of the places I see many people with their quads. I just don't want anyone to be watching when/if it ever crashes.

Bravo. Well said. Exactly where I am.

Also always been too poor for planes, helo's etc. R/C cars. This is my first airborne attempt.

 

[captej26]

First "flying" machine.. Been racing cars for 35yrs.

http://youtu.be/btXWCw-zEm4

 

[planedr]

No, a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away, I had one of these.



And I've had cars and trucks. Had a couple of those microlite airplanes but this is my first quad.

 

[Pickeringchris]

My phantom 2 is my first rc anything. Lol. I'm 41. Watched videos for months before buying. Only 1 hour of flight time so far but no mishaps. Really enjoying it.

 

[UrAwFuL]

Been playing with RCs since birth. :lol:

My first hobby RC are these though. Anyone remember these?

Then the helicopters and clones sort of came in years after..

My first quadcopter is an AR.Drone 2.0 though. :lol:

Before buying my AR.Drone, I seriously thought it flies easily around the house between rooms and up and down hallways since it was advertised to work "indoors", but boy was I totally wrong. You need the space of an empty banquet hall to fly that indoors. :lol:

Second quad is the DJI Phantom 1.1.1 which I immediately sold after shorting the auxiliary wiring for the gimbal. It was a really good choice because I love my setup as of now. :lol:

 

[mobile8ed]

Started at 15.., 61 now Been flying a tiny toy quad copter, loads of fun, looking to move up and want to be able to video. Kinda exciting.

 

[Greyfox51]

Yes, this is my first real involvement in rc as a hobby. My son, now approaching 40, has flown fixed-wing model aircraft since he was 10 years old. He enjoys the build almost as much as flying the aircraft once it is completed. But if I had just ONE crash like the many he has suffered, I'd don't think I'd bother with it again. But it doesn't seem to phase him. He likes to push the limits with the aircraft that he builds, be they gliders or powered, and he knows the risks.

Having an interest in photography anyway, the Phantom V2 met all my requirements. Yes, it is easy to operate ( note, I use the word 'operate' rather than 'fly', because I think there is a clear difference) but it is most certainly not a toy. I, like quite a few others on this board, watched all the Youtube tutorials that were available on the product, and researched and downloaded all the available apps before purchasing, just to be sure I knew what I was getting into. I even downloaded and studied the owners manual. As a direct consequence, all things so far, including more than 40 missions, have gone faultlessly. That said, I work within my own self imposed limits.

I really love this hobby, and can't help fearing for its future, being vulnerable as it is to a few thoughtless idiots. That being the case, I have every intention of enjoying the thrill of flying this quite incredible bit of kit for as long as I am able.

 

[WPSPETE]

I was into cars, trucks and rock crawlers. Then park zone planes, and one small eflite coaxial heli. Sold them all last year then started missing the hobby. All I have now is the p2 and it is by far the funniest rc I have ever had. I have zero plans to have anything else. Awesome setup.

 

[lake_flyer]

It feels like I was born with wings. I always was obsessed with aircraft since I could talk.

I too started my RC experience with a glow plug Cox Mustang line control back in '69-'70, so some 45 years ago.
Have been flying RC motor planes, fuel and electro, gliders, boats, cars and later a .46 Kyosho helicopter ever since then, be it with intervals of a couple of years.
My Last non Phantom RC thing was a RC Logger Eye Xtreme Quad. With all my experience, I still lost it over the lake within 2 weeks. The 2 weeks of non GPS quad flying was a totally new experience, not to compare with anything I ever flown before.

The obvious extra sense and coordination, people develop after a lifetime RC flying, helped me to recognise and counter the first and only 'flyaway' (simply bad battery contacts), the second ever flight with my first Phantom. Because it reset itself in the air, it switched to Atti or even Manual (since it went sideways with a steep downward angle straight to and over the lake). But I instinctively countered it with opposite pitches and managed to bring it back over the beach and 'land' it softly in the hedges with no damage at all. I recognised the manual flight mode immediately because of my earlier manual quad experience.

You can fly these things with little or no experience at all. But when the trouble starts, you're on your own and have to rely on your own skills entirely. Without assistance from GPS or Altitude hold (Atti), basically it's going to be the same as flying a manual RC craft and it comes down to nothing else but your stick inputs.

And let's be honest, a technical or user failure is in anyones future, just wait for it. With no RC experience you loose your quad for sure, unless you're lucky and it happens close to and over the ground (not water).

[Edit] what also helpes me a lot is knowing a bit about aviation, navigation, weather and physiology, after completing private pilot training course some 20 years ago.