Just Starting

Ian Fraser · Jan 5, 2015

Hi Everyone

I don't have my Inspire 1 yet I haven't even ordered it yet. My plan is to buy one from a store front (not online order) in couple of months.

I am waiting see how it goes for all you early adopters and I will use the time to read all I can and to learn as much as I can. This will be my first Quad Copter so I have a lot to learn.

So for the next couple of months I will be lurking around and learning as much as I can.

turbodronepilot · Jan 6, 2015

Hey Ian ..welcome to the forum. .may I suggest getting a trainer quad to practice on before you get you inspire1..I like the dromida ominus . .also I have to tell you about buying through Amazon.com. .you can't go wrong in my opinion. .they will take care of you if you have a problem. .I usually try buy from them directly. .they won't charge you until it ships which might not be for a while..I recived an email today from them wanting to make sure I still wanted it..said delivery might not be until February. .ugh..so order one now and cancel whenever for whatever reason ..

danvet · Jan 6, 2015

turbodronepilot said:
also I have to tell you about buying through Amazon.com. .you can't go wrong in my opinion. .they will take care of you if you have a problem..

Probably good advice. Whatever you do, don't buy direct from DJI. Zero customer service.

Ian Fraser · Jan 6, 2015

turbodronepilot said:
Hey Ian ..welcome to the forum. .may I suggest getting a trainer quad to practice on before you get you inspire1..I like the dromida ominus . .also I have to tell you about buying through Amazon.com. .you can't go wrong in my opinion. .they will take care of you if you have a problem. .I usually try buy from them directly. .they won't charge you until it ships which might not be for a while..I recived an email today from them wanting to make sure I still wanted it..said delivery might not be until February. .ugh..so order one now and cancel whenever for whatever reason ..

I am in Australia so the delivery fees from the USA will be very expensive indeed.

There is a Local store that sells them so I will shop local.

Learning to fly the thing well I will take my time and if I believe what I read they sound easy to fly. I would be interested to hear from any other beginners on how they are going.

Err0xx · Jan 6, 2015

Ian Fraser said:
I am in Australia so the delivery fees from the USA will be very expensive indeed.

There is a Local store that sells them so I will shop local.

Learning to fly the thing well I will take my time and if I believe what I read they sound easy to fly. I would be interested to hear from any other beginners on how they are going.

I'll be honest- anyone with even a small amount of experience playing video games can fly a quad with minimal practice. IMO, buying a quad just to "practice with" is a waste of money. Every "drone" flies differently. They have a different sensitivity, sometimes different controls, different responsiveness, etc. I own 47 different drones (quad, hex, and octa) and I don't think any of my flight experience with those devices helped me fly my Inspire 1 better the first time. First quad I ever flew was a $6000 custom built DSLR quad and it was so easy to fly with me having a background in video games. 9 years later, I've had one crash and it was the result of a Wal-Mart bag being blown into the front 2 propellers, totally out of my control. It's not just me that thinks flying these things is quite simple- my nephew was over at my house 2 days ago and he flew my Inspire 1 all over our yard, around trees, over our house. He's 7 and also an avid video gamer; however, it was his first time with a quad.

The Inspire 1 is super easy to fly- the stability is very, very good. You'll be fine- just don't try to do a barrel roll on the first battery charge. You'll benefit from learning to fly on the drone that'll be your primary aircraft.

turbodronepilot · Jan 6, 2015

Gotcha. .someone recommend I get a trainer first and I'm glad I did,just wish I would have figured out that I had a huge tree in my backyard and avoided it... Haha..

shockwave199 · Jan 6, 2015

Err0xx said:
I'll be honest- anyone with even a small amount of experience playing video games can fly a quad with minimal practice. IMO, buying a quad just to "practice with" is a waste of money. Every "drone" flies differently. They have a different sensitivity, sometimes different controls, different responsiveness, etc. I own 47 different drones (quad, hex, and octa) and I don't think any of my flight experience with those devices helped me fly my Inspire 1 better the first time. First quad I ever flew was a $6000 custom built DSLR quad and it was so easy to fly with me having a background in video games. 9 years later, I've had one crash and it was the result of a Wal-Mart bag being blown into the front 2 propellers, totally out of my control. It's not just me that thinks flying these things is quite simple- my nephew was over at my house 2 days ago and he flew my Inspire 1 all over our yard, around trees, over our house. He's 7 and also an avid video gamer; however, it was his first time with a quad.

The Inspire 1 is super easy to fly- the stability is very, very good. You'll be fine- just don't try to do a barrel roll on the first battery charge. You'll benefit from learning to fly on the drone that'll be your primary aircraft.

Ouch about the walmart bag. And, you're brave and quite mad to let a 7 year old fly a 3k bird, around trees no less. I wouldn't care if the kid was a video gamer developer. Quite mad

Mazz · Jan 6, 2015

Trainers are a great way to start. Anyone who tells you differently..... Oh boy.... Whatever, I shouldn't knock anyone but that advice is poor at best. Buy trainers. Buy small quads. Buy "toys" before you spend $3k on a tool. I have several quads as well (custom building for nine years). Unfortunately I don't own FORTY SEVEN, however I can tell you that I have not only taught adults and kids to fly, but I actually teach classes on UAV control and safety (yes you can make money with these).

Put it this way, would you put a 16 year old with a permit in a Ferrari that can do almost 250mph? No, you start him off in something a bit slower, more fit for a "beginner." Please don't be one of those guys who just buys a brand new inspire and then comes on here telling everyone how bad they are because of your inexperience and pilot error.

I can tell you, from experience in teaching new pilots, the biggest learning curve comes from learning orientation. People who are not used to flying do not easily grasp the concept of watching the quad with your eye while but flying from its perspective.

Syma makes AWESOME $30 indoor quads. I have a small fleet of them. I have given out and sold another dozen to students and friends who love them. They are great for practicing flight orientation as well as throttle control. Granted the inspire and phantoms do not need much throttle control due to the holds, however, I am a keen believer in learning hard ways and worst case scenarios first. Wait a second, that is called safety. Never mind.

shockwave199 · Jan 6, 2015

My trainer has been a bit more expensive, that being the bebop. After hours totalled up and I confidently do box circuits facing away from me and towards me, figure eights, and circuits while standing to the side of it. It's actually a capable little camera shooter as well. Good for fun and learning and gives respectable video. It has been perfect to get my brain oriented for flight. I can't imagine lifting off 3k without having done at least that for a while first.

gwhiz2k · Jan 6, 2015

I used the Parrot AR Drone 2.0 for the last year. That thing can be difficult to control, so hopefully that was good practice for my Inspire (whenever I end up getting it shipped)

AerialJerseyDevil · Jan 6, 2015

I had plenty of RC cars in my life and started on phantom last year at Christmas. I'm definitely ready as I learned what not to do (see my avatar) along with what I can do great!

sdjackaerial · Jan 15, 2015

Mazz said:
Trainers are a great way to start. Anyone who tells you differently..... Oh boy.... Whatever, I shouldn't knock anyone but that advice is poor at best. Buy trainers. Buy small quads. Buy "toys" before you spend $3k on a tool. I have several quads as well (custom building for nine years). Unfortunately I don't own FORTY SEVEN, however I can tell you that I have not only taught adults and kids to fly, but I actually teach classes on UAV control and safety (yes you can make money with these).

Put it this way, would you put a 16 year old with a permit in a Ferrari that can do almost 250mph? No, you start him off in something a bit slower, more fit for a "beginner." Please don't be one of those guys who just buys a brand new inspire and then comes on here telling everyone how bad they are because of your inexperience and pilot error.

I can tell you, from experience in teaching new pilots, the biggest learning curve comes from learning orientation. People who are not used to flying do not easily grasp the concept of watching the quad with your eye while but flying from its perspective.

Syma makes AWESOME $30 indoor quads. I have a small fleet of them. I have given out and sold another dozen to students and friends who love them. They are great for practicing flight orientation as well as throttle control. Granted the inspire and phantoms do not need much throttle control due to the holds, however, I am a keen believer in learning hard ways and worst case scenarios first. Wait a second, that is called safety. Never mind.

Agree completely. I got a cheapo quadcopter at Fry's Electronics (superstore here in CA) for $80. I *don't* have experience with video games and had NO IDEA how to fly a quadcopter. This thing has taught me so much. I've been flying it for a few months indoors and out. I love it. I flew my friends P2 and found it was so easy and stable. I would have never dared fly his P2 without my practice with my toy quad. I fly it every day...practicing for my Inspire.