Which mini training quad to get

[deejay1947]

I bought the cheapie one to just fly around the house as it gets very hot and windy outside. I took the Hubsan outside and the wind caught it ... it flew over my house roof top and by the time I got to the other side it was gone with the wind. I wanted the cheapie to teach my grandson to fly quads so I was joking that I learned to fly quads on the Phantom but apparently couldn't fly the Hubsan as it "flew away"

 

[Clipper707]

I just got a tiny Cheerson X10 for the office. I think it's the smallest quad on the market. It's a blast to fly/crash.

 

[Mori55]

The little ones are much harder to fly.

 

[Buster2]

I've been flying Phantoms for a while now with minimal issues. I am a strong believer in prop guards and I havent lost any yet upon touch downs in slight wind enough to tip the craft. I found that taking off from the groud is OK, but landing is better done by capture that actually setting it down!

However, I always use prop protectors as a safety measure and stand by them as a must have! I recently became the owner of a 3d printer and dabbled in design of some new prop guards.

 

[Meta4]

i will add this: buy the prop protectors! the phantom has been "tilted over" upon touch down in high winds at least ten times. some say the prop guards "add weight". really? maybe in pylon racing where the purse is $10,000. but not shooting video in windy conditions.

If you are having trouble landing straight ... just hand catch.
The propguards don't add a lot of weight but they do add a lot of windage - they are like sails.
Your Phantom will slide through windy conditions easier without them.

 

[DBeard]

install IOC from day one, learn how to flip the left switch to home lock in case you get disoriented, then pull rt stick back towards you. end of story.
i dont get it. the guy above said he never crashed his phantom then bought a cheapo and crashed it? thought it was supposed to be other way around !
the phantom has been veerrry easy to learn on.

IOC is NOT learning RO. Kick that can a little further you won't have to kick it so often. :?

And no, the smaller quads are generally not easier to fly. However, very fun, very inexpensive way to dip a toe into the water without springing your whole savings.
You learn to fly the acrobatic quad and the Phantom will be a piece of cake. But for goodness sake, learn reverse orientation.

We've got too many noobs running out and buying 350s and flying them, without experience, unsafe. Just opining.

 

[smokiespliff]

The little ones are much harder to fly.

That's the whole point! If you can fly the Hubsan - if you can even manage to hold it in a stationary position - then you are more than able to fly the Phantom.

 

[nedro018]

i will add this: buy the prop protectors! the phantom has been "tilted over" upon touch down in high winds at least ten times. some say the prop guards "add weight". really? maybe in pylon racing where the purse is $10,000. but not shooting video in windy conditions.

If you are having trouble landing straight ... just hand catch.
The propguards don't add a lot of weight but they do add a lot of windage - they are like sails.
Your Phantom will slide through windy conditions easier without them.

yep. im hand launching and catching now.

 

[nedro018]

install IOC from day one, learn how to flip the left switch to home lock in case you get disoriented, then pull rt stick back towards you. end of story.
i dont get it. the guy above said he never crashed his phantom then bought a cheapo and crashed it? thought it was supposed to be other way around !
the phantom has been veerrry easy to learn on.

IOC is NOT learning RO. Kick that can a little further you won't have to kick it so often. :?

And no, the smaller quads are generally not easier to fly. However, very fun, very inexpensive way to dip a toe into the water without springing your whole savings.
You learn to fly the acrobatic quad and the Phantom will be a piece of cake. But for goodness sake, learn reverse orientation.

We've got too many noobs running out and buying 350s and flying them, without experience, unsafe. Just opining.

sigh. no one will change your mind and thats OK.

"IOC is NOT learning RO. Kick that can a little further you won't have to kick it so often..."

got that. loud and clear.

what the "buy the phantom first crowd" is trying to say is that it is a 1 stop shop package...you can fly in protected GPS mode for your first flight out of the box. you can then go thru their flight training program and practice like this, still protected in GPS mode. after all, you just spent $1300, why cant you test it quickly???

quickly, now, you want to learn the fundamentals. then load IOC.

now you can practice in ATTI mode in open areas and have several switches that give you a "way out" and a "way home"...with flip of a switch. now you can regroup and then...go back INTO ATTI mode and practice...safely...again. thanks to IOC no crashes yet.

finally, you can go FULL MANUAL with the phantom.

what other platform offers all these options?

its not bad advice you're offering to buy a cheapo first. and practice.

but at least 2 other posters who still have their phantoms haved crashed their cheapos which they bought FIRST.

i havent crashed mine yet, i just tipped landing in winds so now i hand launch and recover. i have 5 batteries and one was paid for by NOT buying a cheapo model to start with.

the DJI concept was to get people into the hobby without all this complex RC staging prep. i believe.

 

[GoodnNuff]

Certainly anyone can learn to fly using only the Phantom. But why limit yourself to just one quad? You can have a lot of fun with the smaller ones! I currently own 6 quads, from the tiny Proto X up to a Blade 350QX2 and my original Phantom 1. Haven't regretted buying any of them! Each has improved my flying ability.

 

[nedro018]

Certainly anyone can learn to fly using only the Phantom. But why limit yourself to just one quad? You can have a lot of fun with the smaller ones! I currently own 6 quads, from the tiny Proto X up to a Blade 350QX2 and my original Phantom 1. Haven't regretted buying any of them! Each has improved my flying ability.

and a good point. im also thinking about getting one for inside the apt.

but i think the OP was asking should he have to buy 1-2-3 of these before getting the expensive phantom.

i bought the phantom first and with no learning problems thus far (thx to this blog). other posters agree.

now, im thinking about a cheapo.

AFTER i bought the phantom.

the OP was addressing the timeline aspect i believe.

 

[MapMaker53]

It may be easy for many here to learn on a Phantom, but one bad screw-up moment or miscalculation or panic reaction and the expensive Phantom (or even just it's $750 camera) can easily become useless junk for a newbie. I understand why one might want to train a bit on a smaller, cheaper UAV. I've been learning on the Phantom and now must train a couple of others to use it, which increases the likelihood of a crash occurring to this bird as more newbies take control. This makes me very nervous. I'm thinking of letting them start off by playing with a small cheap quad to get used to the stick controls and then have them move up to the phantom. Even after a month of playing with the Phantom, the stick controls to me are not yet second nature and I find myself fumbling in certain situations when anxiety begins to rise -- which is directly related to the price tag.

 

[CYeutter]

I also am a fan of the little quads. They're a lot of fun to fly although ( or because ) they require much more active input. My goal is to commit all the flying moves to muscle memory both forward and reverse orientation so I don't have to think about what lever to move and which direction to move it. It's like driving a car. You don't have to consciously think about what pedal to push or which way to turn the wheel, you just know where you want to go and your muscles provide the proper input to the car. I want my flying ability to be that innate.
Regarding prop guards. I used them for a couple months. My main complaint was that they often dip into the shot when recording.

 

[DBeard]

sigh. no one will change your mind and thats OK.

Pot, meet Kettle.

 

[RIDETOEAT]

I got a Blade 200QX I like to take out and hot rod around the way I do not fly my phantom V+. The + is delicate and one camera/gimbal boo boo is 3-6 of the cheapie's. That said they fly so different there is no comparison but if you get good with the little guys you absolutely will be a safer and more skilled phantom Pilot. I have flown RC since the late 80's and my eyes don't see the little stuff as well. In the old days I wanted maximum .40 size planes cause I could take 3-4 in the back of the truck to the airfield and they were just easy. Later on I liked to take 1 big model so I could see it more easily. Today, if I could have my blade QX200 money back I would buy a straight P2 for my hot doggin and fun fly practice. I like parts commonality and don't need a bird more nimble than the P2.

 

[Werz]

It may be easy for many here to learn on a Phantom, but one bad screw-up moment or miscalculation or panic reaction and the expensive Phantom (or even just it's $750 camera) can easily become useless junk for a newbie. I understand why one might want to train a bit on a smaller, cheaper UAV.

Therein lies my point. The Phantom is very easy to fly. And the most evil thing DJI has ever done is known as the "Quick Start Guide." What takes plenty of reading (and some practice) is knowing what can go wrong, recognizing when it's happening, and knowing what do to remedy or prevent the problem. How many n00bs think that they know everything they need to know after reading the Quick Start Guide, and then proceed to take the Phantom outside and treat it like a stunt aircraft? They are stunned and confused when they crash, but when they start explaining what happened, most of the folks here can guess what they did wrong, and it's nearly always pilot error.

Get the Hubsan. Learn the controls. Learn what it's like trying to stabilize a quad without GPS and an altimeter. Get the stupidity out of your system with something cheap and be prepared to use the proper care in preserving the more expensive Phantom.

 

[Paul K]

It may be easy for many here to learn on a Phantom, but one bad screw-up moment or miscalculation or panic reaction and the expensive Phantom (or even just it's $750 camera) can easily become useless junk for a newbie. I understand why one might want to train a bit on a smaller, cheaper UAV.

Therein lies my point. The Phantom is very easy to fly. And the most evil thing DJI has ever done is known as the "Quick Start Guide." What takes plenty of reading (and some practice) is knowing what can go wrong, recognizing when it's happening, and knowing what do to remedy or prevent the problem. How many n00bs think that they know everything they need to know after reading the Quick Start Guide, and then proceed to take the Phantom outside and treat it like a stunt aircraft? They are stunned and confused when they crash, but when they start explaining what happened, most of the folks here can guess what they did wrong, and it's nearly always pilot error.

Get the Hubsan. Learn the controls. Learn what it's like trying to stabilize a quad without GPS and an altimeter. Get the stupidity out of your system with something cheap and be prepared to use the proper care in preserving the more expensive Phantom.

Perfectly explained

 

[nedro018]

It may be easy for many here to learn on a Phantom, but one bad screw-up moment or miscalculation or panic reaction and the expensive Phantom (or even just it's $750 camera) can easily become useless junk for a newbie. I understand why one might want to train a bit on a smaller, cheaper UAV.

Therein lies my point. The Phantom is very easy to fly. And the most evil thing DJI has ever done is known as the "Quick Start Guide." What takes plenty of reading (and some practice) is knowing what can go wrong, recognizing when it's happening, and knowing what do to remedy or prevent the problem. How many n00bs think that they know everything they need to know after reading the Quick Start Guide, and then proceed to take the Phantom outside and treat it like a stunt aircraft? They are stunned and confused when they crash, but when they start explaining what happened, most of the folks here can guess what they did wrong, and it's nearly always pilot error.

Get the Hubsan. Learn the controls. Learn what it's like trying to stabilize a quad without GPS and an altimeter. Get the stupidity out of your system with something cheap and be prepared to use the proper care in preserving the more expensive Phantom.

Perfectly explained

cant believe how long lived this thread has become. looks like pivot point break has arrived in the experience preferences. ive been in IT my whole life but my grandfather learned iphone in 4 weeks.

dont tell me its not the same thing. technology changes things. DJI changed it too.

"Get the Hubsan. Learn the controls. Learn what it's like trying to stabilize a quad without GPS and an altimeter..."

got that. guess what? you can do that with that phantom! idea! know the difference? with the phantom (out of GPS and at correct practice altitude of course and oh! by the way! you could never practice at such altitudes with the husband), at the correct practice altitude you CAN flip into GPS -if- you get into to trouble. with the pahntom. husband? you know dude. its done.

so what do you do. you buy another one! because youre not trained yet! maybe another.

the phantom out of the box can fly by a noob in a large meadow in moderate winds. out of the box.

later after lots of practice and flying circles and flying in gps thru obstacle course youve setup, you can go to ATTI. then, practice there for a bit.

later, you can go to FULL MANUAL. at a safe altitude. and GUESS WHAT? when you get in a fix you flip a swich. ans start over. not crash.

what the big deal here? losing $1300? no body would be posting here on this site if they could'nt afford to lose $1300. its an aircraft. they crash. why'd you buy it if not prepared to lose it? did you plan to crash your car when you bought it? did you still buy the car?

the OP was simply asking do i NEED to buy a cheapie or alot of cheapies and go thru a training program before i buy the (gasp!) $1300 phantom?

technology has changed. it doesnt take the air forces these days 2-3 years to train their pilots. not anymore. technology has changed that.

DJI thought similar. and no i dont troll sale for them and have only flown 4 hrs flights.

2 posters previously have already said that have phantoms uncrashed, later they bought husbands, and crashed them.

look OP: if you buy a phantom and train in an a REALLY BIG FIELD WITH GRASS and you take our time with basic maneuvers for a couple hours; then, you upload IOC naza-m and know what it does and how it helps you (saves your ***), then you can use these options to bail your *** out when practicing in ATTI and manual modes.

its all in one package guys/gals. its all there. full auto GPS control. ATTI control. manual control. in a platform that can take 20 mph winds and recover.

bottom line is no one should spend money on something they cant afford to lose. if so, train very carefully. or, put it on your insurance. with your car. which you also didnt/dont intend to lose.

 

[Werz]

the OP was simply asking do i NEED to buy a cheapie or alot of cheapies and go thru a training program before i buy the (gasp!) $1300 phantom?

No. That is not what he asked. What he asked was:

I'd like to practice with mini quad like HUBSAN X4 or something BUT it must have the same control layout as phantom as I want to get reverse flying second nature. Maybe there all same as phanton, I've never owned owned.

He has a good idea. That's what I did, and I bought a Phantom less than a month later. Many other people have done the same. The fact that you chose not to do so is a matter of your personal choice. It does not make it the only way to do things.

 

[Soulnet]

I bought a Hubsan X4 before buying the Phantom. I had no prior experience in flying so got a cheapie in case I hated it!

Two weeks later the Phantom was ordered.

Hubsan will teach you a bit of flying in ATTI mode in case satellites disappear on you or you have a malfunction. Hubsan outdoors is just as much fun as indoors just be aware of the wind!