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06-20-2016, 10:34 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 24,071
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Trackimo GPS tracking unit ordered, along with prop guards and a triple battery charger. There are some good deals on Amazon.ca right now. I think the Trackimo will be in the truck or boat when not on the drone. Cool unit, may get a few. 
Trackimo is a cool unit, hide it in a truck, bike, quad and track it real time, give the information to the rcmp and get the stolen items back sounds good to me!
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06-20-2016, 10:44 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,382
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Ken, I was fortunate enough to have been given a Phantom 4 for Father's Day, tomorrow I have time to read up a little, right now I'm scared to even take it out of the box! Maybe we can have a little AO drone club in the future.
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06-20-2016, 11:40 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 24,071
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Purple Farmer
Ken, I was fortunate enough to have been given a Phantom 4 for Father's Day, tomorrow I have time to read up a little, right now I'm scared to even take it out of the box! Maybe we can have a little AO drone club in the future.
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Very cool!!!!
Great idea too, a 'fly in' would be a hoot!
I was looking at 4's too, but read they are having trouble with spontaneous lawn darting. Make sure you do a lot of reading, there are some good forums and lots about the incidents online. It appears they packed too much new stuff into it before enough testing was done.
I would look into a parachute, actually I just got one for mine. They are way too expensive to play lawndarts with. 
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06-21-2016, 08:22 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 295
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As someone who has always been interested in R/C toys... I have played and toyed around with a few over the years. I have a T-Maxx that I smash around once in a while and that's it.
We put together some trainer airplanes in highschool and flew them around a couple times. I really enjoyed it.
Since then i've only flown heli's on the computer trainer program at PM Hobby etc. They seem to be VERY difficult to fly and VERY prestigious to fly well. I'd love to get to that point some day, just haven't gotten there yet.
Ken, as someone who's flown both, are the drones really that much fun to fly compared to a heli? Just seems to me that the heli's offer a lot more maneuverability once you've figured out how to fly them... I've never wanted to get into them for this reason - they just don't seem as impressive to me!
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06-21-2016, 08:30 AM
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Gone Fishing
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,802
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My neighbour just lost one in the trees behind my house, I let him climb up on the roof to look around but to no avail. It was quite small but went like stink. He claimed it also has a camera on it but I cant verify the kind or make/model. Sure was fast and even did a flip in the air. On an unrelated note the wife feels a lot safer changing upstairs now.
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06-21-2016, 08:48 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 24,071
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Colin_r6
As someone who has always been interested in R/C toys... I have played and toyed around with a few over the years. I have a T-Maxx that I smash around once in a while and that's it.
We put together some trainer airplanes in highschool and flew them around a couple times. I really enjoyed it.
Since then i've only flown heli's on the computer trainer program at PM Hobby etc. They seem to be VERY difficult to fly and VERY prestigious to fly well. I'd love to get to that point some day, just haven't gotten there yet.
Ken, as someone who's flown both, are the drones really that much fun to fly compared to a heli? Just seems to me that the heli's offer a lot more maneuverability once you've figured out how to fly them... I've never wanted to get into them for this reason - they just don't seem as impressive to me!
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I started flying helis in Edmonton in front of my house on the street without gyros. You had to be super careful or well you know. 
A 3d helicopter with a great pilot after many years of flying and untold thousands of dollars will take your breath away with the insane impossible maneuvers they pull. I never got there.
That said, the new racing drones are extremely fast, unbelievably agile, and with the advent of VR have opened up entirely new doors in r/c.
I have a $20 drone that in 'expert mode' will cover 50 feet as quick as you can blink an eye, and the expensive ones more so. They have come a long long loooong way recently.
I have a Kavan Jet Ranger rc helicopter kit sitting in my office. It is 4' long without rotors. It is a 1974 kit, extremely rare and coveted by RC enthusiasts, new in box and unbuilt 42 years old. I will sell it to get another drone.
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06-21-2016, 08:10 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,382
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette
Very cool!!!!
Great idea too, a 'fly in' would be a hoot!
I was looking at 4's too, but read they are having trouble with spontaneous lawn darting. Make sure you do a lot of reading, there are some good forums and lots about the incidents online. It appears they packed too much new stuff into it before enough testing was done.
I would look into a parachute, actually I just got one for mine. They are way too expensive to play lawndarts with. |
Well, after some research I have decided on more research and I'm looking into the parachute, I really wanted to get it out and fly it around, now I'm scared I'm going to break it 
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06-21-2016, 10:20 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 24,071
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Purple Farmer
Well, after some research I have decided on more research and I'm looking into the parachute, I really wanted to get it out and fly it around, now I'm scared I'm going to break it |
Sorry 
And a trackimo. Gone skyward is as expensive as downward
After the price of the units a couple safety features is not a bad idea.
I take mine out every day it is not pouring rain sideways or howling wind, but am sticking to the 30/30 beginner mode, for now. Over grass. Away from trees roads building people. ...
When I want to cut loose I take a mini into the garage and tear around. I can literally smash 100 of these at $15 each for the price of 1 big one.
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06-22-2016, 07:45 AM
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Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 5,412
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette
Trackimo GPS tracking unit ordered, along with prop guards and a triple battery charger. There are some good deals on Amazon.ca right now. I think the Trackimo will be in the truck or boat when not on the drone. Cool unit, may get a few.
Trackimo is a cool unit, hide it in a truck, bike, quad and track it real time, give the information to the rcmp and get the stolen items back sounds good to me! |
Which model did you choose Ken?
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06-22-2016, 08:52 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 24,071
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06-22-2016, 10:19 AM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Jasper
Posts: 2,004
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Purple Farmer
Well, after some research I have decided on more research and I'm looking into the parachute, I really wanted to get it out and fly it around, now I'm scared I'm going to break it |
Eventually, you are going to have to get the nerve to fly it - mine sat in the house for months before I got brave enough to take it out. Make sure you read the manual and understand all of the controls. Start out in full GPS mode, and take baby steps. Keep an eye on your battery levels, and I never go below 20% battery power. I actually try to swap batteries when they reach 40%, as that is the best level to store them at. Some day you are going to crash - that's just the way it is. Make sure you have some spare props!
I never had any r/c experience, and it is amazing how easy it i to fly the Phantoms. Most of my crashes have been hitting trees while flying with First Person View - it's safer to fly by watching the Phantom itself.
Get her out!
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06-22-2016, 10:39 AM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Jasper
Posts: 2,004
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... also, be very cautious charging those lithium polymer batteries - many houses have been burnt down by them catching fire. Lots of people charge them inside a battery bag. I charge them in a safe place with nothing around them that can catch fire, and don't leave them to charge unattended.
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06-22-2016, 11:01 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 24,071
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Bull
Eventually, you are going to have to get the nerve to fly it - mine sat in the house for months before I got brave enough to take it out. Make sure you read the manual and understand all of the controls. Start out in full GPS mode, and take baby steps. Keep an eye on your battery levels, and I never go below 20% battery power. I actually try to swap batteries when they reach 40%, as that is the best level to store them at. Some day you are going to crash - that's just the way it is. Make sure you have some spare props!
I never had any r/c experience, and it is amazing how easy it i to fly the Phantoms. Most of my crashes have been hitting trees while flying with First Person View - it's safer to fly by watching the Phantom itself.
Get her out!
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Good point!
I waited long enough for about half a charge then out I went. Did a couple patterns, tried doing circuits with the camera always facing forward so had to quickly relearn rudder/aileron mixing, and made some miles!
It was only after I started reading about them I realized how many have crashed. EbAy is full of 'brand new week old signs of light crash needs new camera' ads. 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Bull
... also, be very cautious charging those lithium polymer batteries - many houses have been burnt down by them catching fire. Lots of people charge them inside a battery bag. I charge them in a safe place with nothing around them that can catch fire, and don't leave them to charge unattended.
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Better point!!!
In a battery bag? Um wow.... 
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06-22-2016, 11:04 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Alberta
Posts: 10,937
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Curious, I've never actually owned one.
I imagine the batteries and flight times per charge are getting better? What's the average?
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06-22-2016, 11:21 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 24,071
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20-28 minutes, but you can stretch it out just hanging around and using the camera. Running a profile uses far more battery
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06-24-2016, 07:22 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 24,071
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the wind finally died down to a gentle roar today, so I went out and emptied another couple batteries. I am charging again now, hope to get some nice evening pictures.
The fair is on this weekend, and the fairgrounds are about 3/4 of a mile away. This bird is good for close to 3 miles, if I had the tracker and parachute here I would head it East to check out the park. (away from all people and animals of course)
Get them out flying guys, they really are amazing and fun units. The video is just astounding.
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06-24-2016, 08:13 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 24,071
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Just did my longest highest flight. 55m up and 540m out. I made it almost to the park but did not want to bother anyone or their horses. Little nerve wracking seeing it turn into a tiny dot that far out, but the pic on the display stayed perfect, swept around a little and headed it back into the wind home.
So much fun, so addictive
A couple pics- these are not in any way close to the quality of the video and pics, it is just a video prntscrn on the laptop. The actual video is far better.
Last edited by Ken07AOVette; 06-24-2016 at 08:27 PM.
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06-24-2016, 08:21 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: YEG
Posts: 9,981
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Outstanding !!! 
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06-24-2016, 08:31 PM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Jasper
Posts: 2,004
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Nice "Selfie" in the bottom pic!
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06-24-2016, 08:42 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 24,071
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haha wore that shirt on purpose (2nd pic), so I could find myself with sweat pouring in my eyes panicing thinking 'what did I just do, no parachute, no tracker...' but it was textbook. Too much fun. 3rd was a few days ago
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06-24-2016, 10:12 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 2,208
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette
I have a Kavan Jet Ranger rc helicopter kit sitting in my office. It is 4' long without rotors. It is a 1974 kit, extremely rare and coveted by RC enthusiasts, new in box and unbuilt 42 years old. I will sell it to get another drone.
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Interesting...
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06-24-2016, 11:49 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 24,071
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Quote:
Originally Posted by J0HN_R1
Interesting...
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06-30-2016, 06:55 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 24,071
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Found another Phantom, picking up in Edmonton tomorrow!
Fixing these is a blast, but I guess I better do this before the eyes go completely. Some of the screws in these units are about this big {} so I am truly appreciating hardwood floors
I can tear one of these down and rebuild in a couple hours now, the first few were 3-4.
Liking this new hobby!
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06-30-2016, 06:58 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,051
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Thinking of getting one. Good to know that I know a guy when I break it
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06-30-2016, 10:28 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 24,071
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Quote:
Originally Posted by diamond k
Thinking of getting one. Good to know that I know a guy when I break it |
Any chance you are in Edmonhole tomorrow? I am going drone shopping, should meet up if you have time!
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07-01-2016, 06:53 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Farm land
Posts: 944
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I ordered a Lily drone last year in the start up phase and still waiting for them to produce it and ship..... This drone uses a GPS tracker and follows you while you snowboard, raft, hike, etc!!
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To each their own, as long as you hunt ethically I respect the weapon you choose! I use both bow/gun
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07-01-2016, 07:16 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: McBride/Prince George
Posts: 14,579
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hugenuge
I ordered a Lily drone last year in the start up phase and still waiting for them to produce it and ship..... This drone uses a GPS tracker and follows you while you snowboard, raft, hike, etc!!
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Your wife wants to keep an eye on you eh?
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07-01-2016, 07:22 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Farm land
Posts: 944
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Talking moose
Your wife wants to keep an eye on you eh? |
HAHA ya you bet man! can't go anywhere with out her watching now
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To each their own, as long as you hunt ethically I respect the weapon you choose! I use both bow/gun
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07-01-2016, 07:32 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: High River, AB
Posts: 10,788
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Great thread Ken!
I've subscribed to your thread. I just acquired a DJI Phantom 3 Pro. I did print out the entire 59 page manual and educated myself as much as possible before taking to the air. Also followed Ken's advice about the batteries. I charge mine in one of those metal ammo boxes, in the garage. After having read enough, I took to the air but remain in "Beginner" mode which allows me 30 metres from point of departure. Played around with the RTH feature (return to home) and was blown away by accuracy. Kind of freaked me out a bit when it climbed to 30 meters to avoid obstacles on it's way back, but it's something to get used to. I think that I'm ready to let it go around the corner of my house and out of my sight. Next, I'll fly it around the full perimeter. Baby steps. Here's one of my first pictures. My SIL and myself are the tiny specs behind the house. Further ahead of us is a piece of plywood intended to be the take-off/landing pad.
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07-01-2016, 08:32 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Alberta
Posts: 24,071
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hugenuge
I ordered a Lily drone last year in the start up phase and still waiting for them to produce it and ship..... This drone uses a GPS tracker and follows you while you snowboard, raft, hike, etc!!
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I read the Lily project is in trouble. I was going to go into it too, but at the point had no interest. The worst thing I did was fly an $15 one. They are a gateway drone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gitrdun
I've subscribed to your thread. I just acquired a DJI Phantom 3 Pro. I did print out the entire 59 page manual and educated myself as much as possible before taking to the air. Also followed Ken's advice about the batteries. I charge mine in one of those metal ammo boxes, in the garage. After having read enough, I took to the air but remain in "Beginner" mode which allows me 30 metres from point of departure. Played around with the RTH feature (return to home) and was blown away by accuracy. Kind of freaked me out a bit when it climbed to 30 meters to avoid obstacles on it's way back, but it's something to get used to. I think that I'm ready to let it go around the corner of my house and out of my sight. Next, I'll fly it around the full perimeter. Baby steps. Here's one of my first pictures. My SIL and myself are the tiny specs behind the house. Further ahead of us is a piece of plywood intended to be the take-off/landing pad.
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Just wait until you are half a mile away! They are so much fun lol. I am having a blast flying the one I repaired without the camera, I fly it so much more aggressively because I can fix it and don't care if it lawndarts.
I started a Facebook drone forum after finding a few. If anyone wants to join pm me here or on facebook
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