Hi
I'm new to the forum and quadcopter flying. Started with a little Hubsan x4 to give things a go, learn some basic flying and to see if it was something I would be interested in. I am a kitesurfer and what started me off was an interest in ultimately wanting to get to a point of being able to film kitesurfing from the unique perspective that only a quad could give.
So I am hooked and would like progress to a bigger quad but it seems a minefield out there to the beginner (build, spec a custom built or buy a ready to go)!
Upon initial reading one of the DJI Phantoms seemed to fit my needs quite well. However, upon further reading and research there seem to be a LOT of occurences of DJI Phantom 'flyaway'. The £700+ I would need to spend is a lot for something which could just fly off on me one day never to be seen again so I am reluctant to jump in, plus I am obviously concerned about the safety implications.
So I was wondering what experiences people had of flying quads and any 'flyaway' experiences. Is it just one of those things everyone accepts as part of the hobby? Or is it a problem with certain kits / companies / brands? Is it possible a custom build would be less prone to such problems as a result of better parts vs mass produced or is it mostly a case of pilot inexperience / error or not calibrating GPS / compass carefully enough?
Also trying to work out if going for the next level custom build but going for the cheapest I could get (e.g. Naza + DJI Flamewheel) to practice / learn or if something a little better would be a better bet so it has room to expand as my requirements increase, or if a next level complete RTF would be a better option?
Appreciate a lot of questions and no doubt am asking the $64,000 question, but I have spent quite a lot of time reading various forums and postings and thought I would take the plunge and ask.
Any insights, experiences, suggestions welcomed.
Thanks
Shaun
I'm new to the forum and quadcopter flying. Started with a little Hubsan x4 to give things a go, learn some basic flying and to see if it was something I would be interested in. I am a kitesurfer and what started me off was an interest in ultimately wanting to get to a point of being able to film kitesurfing from the unique perspective that only a quad could give.
So I am hooked and would like progress to a bigger quad but it seems a minefield out there to the beginner (build, spec a custom built or buy a ready to go)!
Upon initial reading one of the DJI Phantoms seemed to fit my needs quite well. However, upon further reading and research there seem to be a LOT of occurences of DJI Phantom 'flyaway'. The £700+ I would need to spend is a lot for something which could just fly off on me one day never to be seen again so I am reluctant to jump in, plus I am obviously concerned about the safety implications.
So I was wondering what experiences people had of flying quads and any 'flyaway' experiences. Is it just one of those things everyone accepts as part of the hobby? Or is it a problem with certain kits / companies / brands? Is it possible a custom build would be less prone to such problems as a result of better parts vs mass produced or is it mostly a case of pilot inexperience / error or not calibrating GPS / compass carefully enough?
Also trying to work out if going for the next level custom build but going for the cheapest I could get (e.g. Naza + DJI Flamewheel) to practice / learn or if something a little better would be a better bet so it has room to expand as my requirements increase, or if a next level complete RTF would be a better option?
Appreciate a lot of questions and no doubt am asking the $64,000 question, but I have spent quite a lot of time reading various forums and postings and thought I would take the plunge and ask.
Any insights, experiences, suggestions welcomed.
Thanks
Shaun