A cheap practice drone?

[kakao]

How come there is a prop strike on the front left ?

Ah, that was my 10yrs old daughter's wall mark ..
We are both going to a nearby cricket ground to practice in the afternoon (as its +37 right now)!

 

[eastsidedronr]

Syma x5c-1. Will tech u how to fly. No auto anything and its fun too! Er just not in wind!

 

[corriendodelospacos]

Here are some other practice drones to consider:

• Cheerson CX-10
• Syma X12

Hi,

Do these toys work like the mavic (left: z/yaw; right: x/y)? Can they be used to work on stabilisation with light wind (like 5 knots)?

 

[msinger]

Those two are strictly for indoor flying. They would do okay outdoors in no wind.

 

[ac0j]

I think it bears mentioning, There is NO discount drone that fly's like the Mavic. If you haven't flown a Mavic, dont let one of these toys lead you to believe it is the same experience as the Mavic.
The Mavic almost fly's itself. They are an absolute joy to fly, just get it to where you want it, and let go of the sticks and there she stays. These "starter drones" will give you some basic drone control skills, but not in any way simulate a properly working Mavic as they require almost continuous stick inputs to stay in control. But practicing with one of these toys will give you a better chance to recover from a major error with a Mavic.

 

[Sector9]

Looks like the Tello is coming soon! I'm also looking for a near indestructible practice drone that won't damage or hurt people. I want to get one that I can fly around obstacles and crash without worries.

 

[Red Baron]

The protocol Kaptur is good for $100 gps is hard to connect so your flying by the seat of your pants and I liked it. After two months got the air love it.

 

[Tinmania]

I have had several toy or “toyish” drones and I agree they don’t fly like a Mavic.

But the Tello I bought a week or so ago does feel like it flies similar to MP—or at least close enough to fool me. Works surprisingly well indoors (or outside with very little or no wind).

I think I’m in the minority in that I don’t think a toy drone that needs trimming and flies all over the place does much to help learn about flying a Mavic. Now make no mistake: You will get better on that toy drone the more you practice. But a lot of that practice is making it look like the thing is not one second away from being out of control. And that can be a lot of fun. But you won’t need much of what you learned when flying the Mavic.

I’d recommend something stable like the Tello, and then practice, repetitively, basic patterns to get used to flying towards you and away from you, such as a rectangular pattern. You can do that easily with a Tello. You can do that with most cheap toy drones too but first you have to master flying it controllably, and that’s the part you won’t really need with a Mavic. Indeed if you return to that toy drone after not flying it for six months you might have to actually re-learn those motor skills to keep it under control (because you will not use those particular skills when flying a Mavic).

Instead of spending time learning how to tame a toy drone I think the time would be better spent reading up on or watching YT videos of all aspects of the Mavic, such as learning and understanding the Go 4 app, RTH functionality, preflight checks, and how to handle the unexpected such as dropping into ATTI mode.

Sorry for rambling on for so long.

 

[LTWATCH]

I have had several toy or “toyish” drones and I agree they don’t fly like a Mavic.

But the Tello I bought a week or so ago does feel like it flies similar to MP—or at least close enough to fool me. Works surprisingly well indoors (or outside with very little or no wind).

I think I’m in the minority in that I don’t think a toy drone that needs trimming and flies all over the place does much to help learn about flying a Mavic. Now make no mistake: You will get better on that toy drone the more you practice. But a lot of that practice is making it look like the thing is not one second away from being out of control. And that can be a lot of fun. But you won’t need much of what you learned when flying the Mavic.

I’d recommend something stable like the Tello, and then practice, repetitively, basic patterns to get used to flying towards you and away from you, such as a rectangular pattern. You can do that easily with a Tello. You can do that with most cheap toy drones too but first you have to master flying it controllably, and that’s the part you won’t really need with a Mavic. Indeed if you return to that toy drone after not flying it for six months you might have to actually re-learn those motor skills to keep it under control (because you will not use those particular skills when flying a Mavic).

Instead of spending time learning how to tame a toy drone I think the time would be better spent reading up on or watching YT videos of all aspects of the Mavic, such as learning and understanding the Go 4 app, RTH functionality, preflight checks, and how to handle the unexpected such as dropping into ATTI mode.

Sorry for rambling on for so long.

I finally got to try my cheap "toy" drone today. I do hope the MP flies much better!! A good thing I flew R/C as a kid, because steering into the dip (for wings) was a valuble lesson as this little E58 had a mind of it's own, plus a bit of wind, and a small yard....First thing I thought was I hope the Mavic isn't so erratic. And I believe you touched on that. I need to label controls, or just spend a little more time before I break out the $1000 toy. I have some clients with big lawns, so I may go there before I go to a public field. I'll look into the Tello, but money is flying away faster than that toy drone tried to. Glad I learned the "instant landing button" quickly. I did get a bird in my yard yelling at me. He must of thought it (E58) was another bird...
I do follow what you mean, it is like apples to oranges, as the MP should be much more stable. But more power and a bigger machine could mean a real bad crash as opposed to a toy that bounces.

Thank you for the privilege of your time and knowledge. I do need support, as this was a whim, but may prove to be a job???

 

[FL1H1]

Wow, thanks!!

I got the Tello too, largely for the exact same reason, and 9 days of rain out of 11. Tello is great, almost indestructible.

 

[Tinmania]

I finally got to try my cheap "toy" drone today. I do hope the MP flies much better!! A good thing I flew R/C as a kid, because steering into the dip (for wings) was a valuble lesson as this little E58 had a mind of it's own, plus a bit of wind, and a small yard....First thing I thought was I hope the Mavic isn't so erratic. And I believe you touched on that. I need to label controls, or just spend a little more time before I break out the $1000 toy. I have some clients with big lawns, so I may go there before I go to a public field. I'll look into the Tello, but money is flying away faster than that toy drone tried to. Glad I learned the "instant landing button" quickly. I did get a bird in my yard yelling at me. He must of thought it (E58) was another bird...
I do follow what you mean, it is like apples to oranges, as the MP should be much more stable. But more power and a bigger machine could mean a real bad crash as opposed to a toy that bounces.

Thank you for the privilege of your time and knowledge. I do need support, as this was a whim, but may prove to be a job???

Good luck! With that drone it is best to just start by mastering hovering. Then you can trying moving it. Baby steps.



Mike

 

[LTWATCH]

Good luck! With that drone it is best to just start by mastering hovering. Then you can trying moving it. Baby steps.



Mike

Thanks Mike, that was thing I learned real quick....small intermittent stick moves. I just saw a Holystone or Graystone? on sale at Amazon for cheap ($179). Wonder if it would be a good second step before the full on MP??

 

[microlinux]

I finally got to try my cheap "toy" drone today. I do hope the MP flies much better!!

A cheap toy drone has almost no flight characteristics in common with a Mavic, the Mavic will fly night and day better! You don't need to manually hold position or adjust trajectory (unless you're flying in terrible conditions or the Mavic is operating abnormally). The flight controller is good enough that it's essentially an RC car in the sky.

That being said, outside of the direct "flying" part, it is important to fully understand the Mavic's operation and limits.

 

[LTWATCH]

So kind of like driving a 20 year old Miata compared to a 2018 Corvette??

 

[microlinux]

So kind of like driving a 20 year old Miata compared to a 2018 Corvette??

Add that the Miata is missing a wheel and has shot tie rods!

You'll be blown away.

 

[LTWATCH]

Ok, so basically there is very little comparison. I'll start reading up on the Mavic, and also watch some youtube vids on it (good to watch while falling asleep When I do get brave enough to start with my Mavic, I'll be in a much larger field. Did I hear someone here earlier talking about a $60 insurance policy for a drone? I'm dealing with my agent now on cars, so it might be a good (or ridiculous) question. Wonder if I should forego the second step drone I saw on Amazon, the HolyStone HS100? $179, but is that throw away money? or does is that a better beginners drone. And to think, 35 years ago I was flying full scale aircraft. But BizJets scared me when I was doing solo's....Before TCAS, and even a controlled field, they just drop in front of you...Never mind the shadow of a G3 coming over the top you at 200knots, he completely destroys your air. Sorry off topic...Back to models, harder to kill yourself with them. LOL

 

[msinger]

Wonder if I should forego the second step drone I saw on Amazon, the HolyStone HS100? $179, but is that throw away money? or does is that a better beginners drone.

If you want something that flies like a Mavic, then get a Spark. I think you could safely skip it and go right to the Mavic if you do the following:

• Fully read and understand the Mavic manual
• Find a large open area to fly (with absolutely no trees or other nearby obstacles)
• Fly in beginner mode
• Fly on a day when the wind is calm

If you do all of those things, there is really little that could go wrong.

 

[microlinux]

Ok, so basically there is very little comparison.

Virtually none, @msinger's advice is spot on.

the HolyStone HS100? $179, but is that throw away money?

That would be much better spent on two Mavic batteries!

Did I hear someone here earlier talking about a $60 insurance policy for a drone?

For recreational use, State Farm will cover the drone itself under a Personal Articles Policy in many parts of the US, no deductible. Liability might be covered by a homeowner's or renter's policy, check with your agent.

 

[FL1H1]

A cheap toy drone has almost no flight characteristics in common with a Mavic, the Mavic will fly night and day better! You don't need to manually hold position or adjust trajectory (unless you're flying in terrible conditions or the Mavic is operating abnormally). The flight controller is good enough that it's essentially an RC car in the sky.

That being said, outside of the direct "flying" part, it is important to fully understand the Mavic's operation and limits.

True, the Tello and Mavic are worlds apart but I really don't think the Mavic should be flown indoors, not in people's houses. Huge hotel foyer OK but it's not a drone for every place so I don't consider the Tello a waste of money. It's great for $99.

 

[ifly2high]

I picked up a Tello recently and have to say, its a heck of a lot of fun flying around the house from my couch...makes those windy/rainy days much easier to endure