Drones/Planes

[Rainmaker]

My son and I got into the Drone world last summer. We had 5 at one point. but back down to jjust two at the moment: 5 inch custom build, and a BetaFPV Air75, both analog. The tiny whoop Air75 is by far much more fun for us (small neighborhood, small back yard, can fly it indoors). The 5" is super cool, but wereally have to only fly it in bigger areas, which we just don't get out and do often. Future plan is to get a couple HD whoops, DJI o4 lite, and some used DJI goggles.
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[Rainmaker]

The build process was my absolute favorite part... maybe eve more than actually flying

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[ChillswitchEngage]

Want to try and get back into RC flying, specifically with a BetaFPV Meteor75. For now I've just been flying in some sims with a Radiomaster Pocket. I'm decent at flying, but my worry is my attention span. I can typically only go ~5-10min in a sim before I want to switch to something else. Is this common with other people in sims vs flying in real life? I worry it may not actually be for me.

[Reflex0283]

I find that it helps to fly in the sim while also doing another mindless activity like listening to the radio, music, a good video essay, talking with friends, anything. I think that it might help with building that familiarity with flying, kind of like driving a car feels like an extension of your body

[Rainmaker]

Well, you are in luck ChillswitchEngage. A 1S LiHV battery on your Meteor75 is going to last you about 5 to 7 minutes. This works out great for me too, because then I can land and pull the goggles off, fiddle with something or take a drink, and then plug in a new battery for another 5 minutes or so.

[ChillswitchEngage]

Glad to say that I finally bit the bullet and ordered myself a Meteor75 Pro II from BetaFPV🎉. Unfortunately the batteries are coming separately and a bit later than the drone itself but no worries, just gives me all the more time to practice in the sims.

[Reflex0283]

I'm looking to get an air75 soon, I want to be able to fly during the winter and I don't think my university would appreciate flying a 5" indoors

[Chuck E Ducky]

Soon… Blades came damaged unfortunately.

[Chuck E Ducky]

I guess that depends how big your balls are. Probably not going to fly is all that high off the ground not in it anyway. You can fly it remotely. It’s an ultralight eVTOL aircraft under FAA Federal Aviation Regulation, which means it does not require a traditional pilot's license to operate. This classification allows it to be treated as a recreational vehicle rather than a certified aircraft.

[Rainmaker]

Any news on this thing Chuck E Ducky?

[Chuck E Ducky]

Still waiting on the blades they are currently stuck in customs unfortunately. I fixed the ones that came with it but I don't trust them spinning by my face at who knows how many Revolutions Per Minute it takes to lift my fat ass I’m the air lol.

[ChillswitchEngage]

Had my first flight today at a park, was an absolute blast, if a little bit nerve wrecking for the first battery while I got used to it. A better headset is definitely in my near future, I seem to get pretty poor range with them and the 3in screen makes it hard to see much of what's on the ground.

[Rainmaker]

If you swap out those stick antennas with a clover leaf and a patch or a pagoda, your range will get better. Nice to see that you got it flying and had fun!!

[ChillswitchEngage]

Gotcha! I'll have to see about getting new antennas then. For now, I've simply bumped up the VTX power from 25mw to 100mw in the Betaflight config, hoping that helps on my next flight today for video range.

[ChillswitchEngage]

Swapping to a pagoda + cloverleaf on the headset definitely seems to make a difference in the range and average video quality, thanks for the suggestion.Rainmaker

Getting slightly better with it. Man, consistent soft landings are HARD though. I thought the pad would be sufficient size for the tiny drone. Nah, I need a full size tarp for a landing pad lol.

[Rainmaker]

Nice! I'm glad the antennas made a difference.

For landing, i've gotten into the(bad?) habit of just throwing a blanket or a jacket on the ground and more-or-less just crash landing into that. Or sometimes I'll fly while sitting in the car, and i'll just fly it in through the open window and let it crash into whatever. Reasonably soft, i'm not like speeding into the crash or anything. But my Air75 has "landed" this way several dozen times with no damage so far, haha.

[ChillswitchEngage]

Yeah, the extent of most of my "landings" have been from being disarmed while still a few feet off the ground and falling in the grass, or on myself lol. I can see the props getting tiny chips in them but otherwise, the thing seems to be a relative tank all things considered.

[Reflex0283]

image.pngGot a used air65 in the mail yesterday along with some decent analog goggles, unfortunately I don't have any 1S batteries yet so I can't do a whole lot aside from looking at betaflight and going through the previous owner's DVR footage (he forgot to take his microSD out I guess). Also it's FRsky instead of ELRS so I need to solder a different receiver on when I get the chance.

I also knew it'd be small, but I feel like I was expecting it to be at least a little bit bigger. Its footprint is smaller than a single prop on my 5" lmao