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How did you get your start in flying drones?

How did you start flying?

  • Straight to GPS based drones

    Votes: 15 53.6%
  • Model aircraft

    Votes: 13 46.4%

  • Total voters
    28

Fadelight

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Joined
Apr 10, 2017
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Age
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I've been reading a lot of posts around here that have me wondering how everyone got their start to flying drones. Reading through the threads, it would seem like most of the people here had zero experience prior to flying GPS based drones.

So, what's your story?
 
I started in this hobby with a Blade MSR and then moved to a Blade Nano QX. Photography is what led me to purchasing the Mavic as there are just some perspectives that you cannot get from the ground. So far I'm loving it!
 
Always wanted to do RC vehicle stuff. I got an el cheapo RC Truck from Walmart. Loved it. So I stepped up to a Helion Select 4TR. What a beast. My next stop was on a lake so I got a Helion Rivos and a brushless kit. Another high performance fun thing. Of course when you dig around RC you are bound to see Quadcopters. I picked up a deal on Amazon for a Syma 5 on sale. Played a little with that and decided that Quadcopters could be a real fun thing too. So I started to shop and found a Phantom 3 on sale by DJI. I got it and some accessories. Flew it a few times. When I got a case and packed it up, it was a pretty large package. My lifestyle is very compact. So I started looking around some more and the Mavic seemed to be just right. I found a hardly used one and purchased it. I am hooked now. Everything for my Mavic fits in the little shoulder bag. Four batteries and all. That bag is smaller than the Phantom alone. The Mavic is just so much better than the Phantom. And not just more compact. The Phantom controllers are not intuitive at all. And the white on white marking signifying nothing just S1 or S2 and not a clue like the Mavic LCD is not newbie friendly. Plus no way to hold a phone or tablet unless you get an add on. Then the phone or tablet is over the controls so you have to reach behind. And don't get me started on the Lightbridge Occusync stuff. As soon as I can afford the latest fixes for the Mavic, it will be perfection itself.
 
Before buying my Mavic a few weeks ago I had zero experience in any rc device, except for a train set when I was 8 years old. A bestbuy mailer showcased the Mavic, and I jumped on it like ducks on a june bug. Big mistake buying from bestbuy.ca with literally no support/refund/exchange once the seal was broken, but thankfully I didn't need to.
 
Started at seven on an air hogs plane, moved up to a syma s107g, then a syma quad. Then airplanes distracted me and I flew a Dynam hawk sky (first hobby grade aircraft). Then I delved into the world of 250 racing quads and did it for four-five years. I have a photographic interest and I always wanted to try a Phantom. When the Mavic came out I jumped on it and found it perfect (although I do miss my 250 sometimes). -CF
 
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I volunteer with the local rescue squad. Another member had a P3A and convinced the membership to start a drone team. I very quickly got hooked. Members of the team have helped with searches and did post tornado damage assessment.
 
Was working FIFO all around Australia and about 5 years ago and came across a fella with a QAV250 racing quad with FPV. It blew me away! He suggested I get hold of a Hubsan X4 to practice up on. That night I ordered one online and it was sitting at home waiting for me when I returned from that swing. I flew that little thing all over Australia for a few months and loved it! Being a sparky I thought I would buy all the bits to build my own racer with FPV. So I did that and raced around with that thing for a few years. About a year ago I got into the DSLR game for fun. So naturally I wanted a drone with a camera on it. Was looking at the phantoms for quite a while but never pulled the trigger on one. As soon as I saw the Mavic I had to have one. And I love it!
I have always wanted to dabble with a fixed wing, so that is going to be my next purchase I reckon. I love the idea of 3hr plus flights with FPV using dragon link.
 
I've been reading a lot of posts around here that have me wondering how everyone got their start to flying drones. Reading through the threads, it would seem like most of the people here had zero experience prior to flying GPS based drones.

So, what's your story?

Can you add model RC copters :D
 
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I used to fly cheep choppers then
last year i got a couple of
UDI 818A
then in april I was visiting my brother before he passed He pulled out a Phantom4 and flew it I was hooked......
on 6/24/17 my wife gave me Mavic pro for a 31st anny....
.
(RIP Ralph)
.

.
.
My mavic
.
 

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Can you add model RC copters :D

RC Copters are still model aircraft. ;)


These are some of mine...

10849035_1385913938386074_111517139609047_o.jpg
 
What got me interested in drones was a YouTube video of someone flying a waypoint mission over a baseball field on a Phantom 2. It blew my mind.

After that I got a few toy grade quadcopters and starting saving up. This one in particular (I realise it's a hexacopter) was so much fun to fly:

1460359188647315.jpg



I got the hang of flying them pretty quickly and eventually splashed out for a Phantom 3 Advanced (couldn't afford the Professional :p), and I've never looked back!

Since then I sold that to part-fund buying the Mavic Pro.
 
I started out over 25 years ago in R/C cars. First the BigWig, then the Clod Buster, then Turbo Optima Mid SE. Those kept me quite entertained.

Many years later, I got a nitro truck; HPI Savage.

Since moving g to Hong Kong, R/C cars are tough to come by, unless they are the toys r us junk.

My first drone was the Mavic. I originally went to the DJI store for a Phantom.

And the rest is modern history.
 
I start with car models... electric first, endothermic engine late! After 20 years I buy an ARdrone2.0... after 6 months and a lot of modified on the drone I sell it and buy a yuneek typhoon... I use it for 1 year, sell it and now I'm a MP flyer :)
 
Started 25 years ago with a Team Associated RC10GT for my son. We've been into RC ever since. Cars, trucks, rock crawlers, helicopters then drones. Now the Mavic. It very unnerving to hit the the RTH button and have this thing operate itself. In all my years in this hobby having the vehicle operate on its own is a first.
 
Been in RC for 45 years. Started messing with quadcopter before they were commercially available. Made them from carbon fiber tubes, electric airplane motors, Sensor from Wii controllers and Arduino processors and sensors. They certainly come a long way in a short time[emoji4]
 
I'm very late to the hobby, relatively speaking. I saw some videos on Youtube footage of a model airplane with a camera attached, I thought the footage from above was pretty cool, but never purchased anything. A few months later, saw some footage from a drone, thought that was really cool. Was flipping through the channels and saw a Yuneec Typhoon Q500+, and decided to finally take the plunge in February 2016.

Weather was pretty bad, so had my first flight early March 2016. I was hooked immediately. Also bought a Parrot Bebop 2 on Ebay (great price at the time) about a month later. Was flying those 2 drones until I saw the DJI Mavic. Was saving up to buy a DJI Phantom 4, but luckily the Mavic came out and bought that instead. I've been obsessed with drones since February 2016 now.
 
Started with an Airhogs single rotor heli that only had throttle and yaw control, which was really weird and nearly impossible to fly. Moved to a Blade SR, which involved training gear, lots of crashing, and lots of rebuilding. Once I got the hang of that, everything else was a piece of cake.
 
I never had the patience or inclination for model aircraft and got interested in drones when a friend bought a DJI FC40 which I found far more fun to fly than I thought it would be.

I originally liked the look of the Karma for its modular design but after the initial recall I gave up on it and bought a Mavic. It's not a serious hobby for me but something fun I can add to existing hobbies.

John
 
Ive been flying drones since they came about in 2009. But I cut my teeth in RC Cars and Helis
 
Always had rc cars since I was a kid, everything from 1/12 supastox upto my 1/5 Baja, always loved anything like that, my other passion is photography so the idea of having a rc with a camera appealed,
 
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