Hey Roadking!
Glad that you're having fun!
Reading through these posts I had a couple of thoughts:
I know everyone says not to fly in stabilized mode, BUT, indoors, I fly in stabilized mode most of the time, and outdoors I am in air/acro mode all the time. I will switch to air mode inside sometimes, but it's fun to shoot TINY gaps in stabilized mode and I don't tend to slam into heirlooms (as much).
Please note that although my indoor quad (Happymodel Snapper 7) flies great outside, I try to keep it inside. I tend to fly it way slower inside so it gets less "trauma" when I hammer it into things. In addition, when it gets lost in the grass, or heaven forbid the woods, it's REALLY hard to find. I have a bigger, but still sub 250g, outdoor drone, the Leader 3SE, and i LOVE it.
Regarding the camera popping out/wiggling around after a crash, I had the same problem. Strategic use of hot glue totally eliminated the problem. If you or a family member crafts, you already have the glue gun. If not, they are very cheap at department/box/craft stores.if you screw up you can easily peel the glue off.
I use FPV Freerider as a simulator and I have been happy with it.
On the topic of LOS vs FPV, I RARELY fly without the goggles. Line of sight in acro/air mode is VERY hard for me, so I don't even bother. FPV is a blast. As far as safety goes, if I significantly lose the video signal I'm cutting power immediately, so I really don't have a reason for LOS.
Keep having fun and let us know about your next drone purchase because you are already addicted. There is no 7 step process for FPV flight so you just have to ride the dragon until you totally run out of money!
Happy Flying!
Peter T
ps - Do you own a soldering station yet? If not, you will soon!
Hi pftarch,
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. I sincerely appreciate everyone's help.
I've been flying my Tinyhawk inside and outdoors because up until now it's the only quad I own. Inside is still a challenge because I have been only flying in acro mode. I'll give your suggestion a try for indoor flying.
I like the Tinyhawk because I can try more daring moves without too much worry of totally destroying it or killing anyone. The camera popping out has become my gauge. It rarely pops out these days, so I must be getting better.
Plus I'm an expert popping it back in. I was think that for indoor flying I'll try putting it in the first notch so it's at less of an angel too. It may help me fly slower.I too mostly fly with goggles, although I still duck and move when I'm flying through things. I have to learn to stay still.
I ordered my next quad. It's a GEPRC Phantom, which is a toothpick size quad (some would say a large toothpick, but well under 250 grms). I also bought the Hitec Black Edition charger that was recommended on this site and a bunch of batteries for it.
Yes, I'm addicted.
I sold some stuff from my last hobby. My wife just shakes her head but is nice enough to come with me to the field everyday to critique my flying and provide coaching.I use Velocidrone as the simulator. I also have Air 2 but don't care for it as much. It also makes my laptop really hot for some reason. I try moves on the sim, then on the TH, and going forward ultimately on the toothpick.
Bottom line, I think more stick time will be the most helpful. It seems that muscle memory and making moves instinctively is the key. If I have to think about how to bail out of a move it will probably be too late.
Thanks again. I'm not sure how far I would have gotten without everyone's tips and suggestions.
