Smith - Quadcopters and Drones: A Beginners Guide to Successfully Flying and Choosing the Right Drone

Quadcopters and Drones

A Beginner's Guide to Successfully Flying and Choosing the Right Drone

By Mark Smith

Copyright 2015 and BeyondAll Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced, copied, or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author.

Table of Contents

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Introduction

Have you ever wanted to get a bird's eye view of the world around you? Have you ever wondered what our fascinating planet must look like through the eyes of an eagle as it soars effortlessly through the big blue skies? Yeah, me too and guess what? Me and you or you and I ( Grandma always said proper English was important) are not the only ones itching to fly either.

Just about every person has wondered or even dreamed about what it must be like to fly. I can remember specific dreams where all I had to do was jump three times to fly. The first jump was your average normal jump. Not being the athletic type, this meant the first jump would launch me a few inches from the ground.

The second jump would get me a little further from the ground, but nothing truly breathtaking. The third jump though, that was when things got crazy. That third jump would break the force of gravity and send me screaming through the air like a jet.

Of course, when the dream ended I awoke with a huge smile on my face but was inevitably grounded just like every other person on the planet. The euphoric rush of flying was short lived and I always wanted just a few seconds more.

The reality is simple. We are not built to fly. I have yet to meet a person who has the natural ability to fly. Do you know anyone with wings? I sure don't. That leaves us humans with very few flying options.

Airplanes, helicopters, gliders, ultralights, jet packs and the good old lawn mower engine welded to an industrial sized fan blade that straps to your back using nothing more than Velcro. I don't know about you, but I am not strapping a lawn mower engine with a large industrial sized fan blade to my back. Nope, not going to happen.

That leaves airplanes, helicopters, gliders, ultralights and jet packs and unfortunately very few of us have our own private jet, helicopter or glider sitting on some secret launch pad high atop the Swiss Alps. Who can afford those types of toys anyways? I know I can't, and neither can anyone I know. Maybe I am just socializing with the wrong people.

Just five short years ago, if I was to tell you there was an easier, more affordable way to get your flying fix while keeping your feet firmly planted on the ground; you and everyone else would laugh and say I was crazy. Heck, there are people who still do that today but that's what happens when I go outside wearing a clown suit.

All joking aside, technology has now made it possible for you and I to finally get our flying fix without owning a jet, helicopter, glider or a jet pack. And just completely forget about the whole lawn mower engine industrial fan blade thing.

For the cost of your average meal at a nice restaurant, you could be flying a drone, and let me tell you a little secret. Flying one of these aerial machines is totally awesome. From the small nano-drones, to the mutli-engine hexacopters that allow you to strap a high definition 4k camera to a completely stable 3-axis gimbal in order to see everything in real time, and capture the footage in glorious high definition as you fly your eye in the sky is nothing short of a technological miracle. Not to mention, it is an adrenaline rush filled experience like none other.

Yes, there are drones that magically beam a live camera feed right back to you on the ground with next to no lag or latency in the video feed. That bird's eye view is finally yours. Think about that for second. Talk about getting a different perspective on things, this is it my friend! You have the ability to fly!

Why Do You Want to Fly?

We all want to fly for the same basic reason. Because it is fun, but knowing the honest answer to this question could save you a lot of time, frustration and money. Here's why. There are several very different drones on the market today. These drones range in price, size, technological advances and designed usage.

When I say designed usage, I simply mean some drones are designed with a specific purpose in mind. They all fly and that is a huge part of the attraction here, but some of these flying machines can race across the sky at speeds exceeding 80 miles per hour or 128 kilometers per hour.

Would this be the right drone for a newbie who is looking to get off the ground? Of course not. In fact, choosing a racing drone as your very first flying machine would be a disastrous mistake that could very well end up with someone getting seriously hurt. Think your first drone purchase through. This is one hobby where fools and their money are soon parted or even hurt.

Knowing what you want to get from your flying experience will help you choose the right flying machine the first time. There are drones designed for aerial photography, FPV flying (first person view), racing, long distance flights and the general hobbyist. Don't worry, I will cover each type of drone in more detail a little later in this book.

The initial idea here is to go outside and have fun. Don't over complicate things by getting a flying machine with too many buttons, options or features. Some of these flying machines are extremely high tech and if you are not the type that easily fits into modern technology, then owning a fancy drone with all the bells and whistles might not be for you.

Remember, these things go in the air and when you make a mistake be it a tree, a power line or a herd of cattle, your drone will come crashing to the ground in multiple pieces. Gravity is unforgiving and so is an impact with the ground from as little as 10 feet or 3 meters in the air.

You will crash your drone. It is not a matter of if, but a matter of when it happens. I don't say this to discourage you. I am telling you the truth because I would hate for anyone to spend a lot of money on a drone only to have it fall from the sky like a lead balloon.

BOOM! Your investment is now in pieces and you may or may not have tears streaming from your eyes as you clutch what is left of your high dollar flying machine in your trembling hands.

Your first drone should be simple, easy to use and come with a relatively small price tag unless of course you don't mind throwing your money away, and if that's the case I have some great beach front property for sale in Nevada. Email me for more info!

My First Time Flying

It didn't take much convincing for me to want to fly a drone. Before I even had a controller in my hand, I knew it was something I would really enjoy. The main attraction for me was the ability to record high definition video and take photographs from a different perspective.

I would finally be able to see the world just like a bird, but I wasn't going to jump headfirst into flying until I had a better understanding of everything involved. I didn't want to spend a thousand bucks on a drone only to see it magically fly away or come crashing to the ground. I needed to feel secure before I could shell out that kind of money.

You might feel the same way. That's what this book is for. It is here to help you choose the right drone and most importantly, how to safely fly the thing without crashing!

I decided to start out small and I would highly suggest you do the same. I purchased two small nanodrones from Amazon for about $20.00 each. I could give one drone to my kids and I could pilot the other.

I figured we could learn how to fly together and maybe we could even start some type of drone wars around the house. I'm sure my wife would love to have one of these tiny little flying machines come crashing down on her head. I wonder how badly it would get tangled in her hair. Let's not find out.