How to buy and fly a quadcopter drone: a small guide and flight school
By Roland Büchi
()
About this ebook
Contents:
- Ready-to-fly quadcopters
- Functionality
- How to prepare a flight
- First flight
- Rotating away and first flight figures
- More challenging flight maneuvers
- Speedflight and loops, flips
Roland Büchi
Prof. Dr. Roland Büchi is teaching at Zurich University of Applied Sciences, School of Engineering.
Read more from Roland Büchi
Exercises in Electronics: Operational Amplifier Circuits Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Sensors and GPS for Drones and Quadcopters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDesign Ideas for Drones, Multicopters and Quadcopters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFascination Quadcopter: Edition 2016/2017 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related to How to buy and fly a quadcopter drone
Related ebooks
The Ultimate Guide To Drones Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Drones for Beginners: The Ultimate Guide to Successfully Flying a Drone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Introduction to UAV Systems Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Multi-rotor Platform Based UAV Systems Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBuying and Flying the DJI Phantom Quadcopters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Making Money With Drones, Drones in the Construction Industry. Second Edition.: Making money with drones, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBecome a U.S. Commercial Drone Pilot Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sense and Avoid in UAS: Research and Applications Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Unmanned Aerial Systems: Theoretical Foundation and Applications Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSmall Unmanned Fixed-wing Aircraft Design: A Practical Approach Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRemotely Piloted Aircraft Systems Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRemotely Piloted Aircraft Systems: A Human Systems Integration Perspective Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHelicopter Maneuvers Manual: A step-by-step illustrated guide to performing all helicopter flight operations Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Remote Pilot Airman Certification Standards: FAA-S-ACS-10A, for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMastering Drones - A Beginner's Guide To Start Making Money With Drones Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Guide: Exploring Designs, Operations, Regulations, and Economics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Drone Age: A Primer for Individuals and the Enterprise Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBuilding Multicopter Video Drones Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fighter Pilot Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Six-Word Lessons for the Drone Hobbyist: 100 Lessons to Fly Your Drone Safely with Skill and Confidence Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Drones Commercial UAVs in Utilities Complete Self-Assessment Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAutonomous Drones: Why Autonomous Drones is the Secret Ingredient Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDIY Drones for the Evil Genius: Design, Build, and Customize Your Own Drones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Drones: The Next Generation of Unmanned Flight Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Instrumentation Systems: Flight Testing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAirman Certification Standards: Remote Pilot - Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (2024): FAA-S-ACS-10B Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTaking Off With RC Helicopters: FAQs 102 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFAA §107 Uag Remote Pilot Study Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Technology & Engineering For You
The Art of War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Systems Thinker: Essential Thinking Skills For Solving Problems, Managing Chaos, Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Night to Remember: The Sinking of the Titanic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Big Book of Hacks: 264 Amazing DIY Tech Projects Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epidemic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Invisible Rainbow: A History of Electricity and Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fast Track to Your Technician Class Ham Radio License: For Exams July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2026 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Right Stuff Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The CIA Lockpicking Manual Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Big Book of Maker Skills: Tools & Techniques for Building Great Tech Projects Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 48 Laws of Power in Practice: The 3 Most Powerful Laws & The 4 Indispensable Power Principles Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Summary of Nicolas Cole's The Art and Business of Online Writing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/580/20 Principle: The Secret to Working Less and Making More Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Disappear and Live Off the Grid: A CIA Insider's Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsArtificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Electrical Engineering 101: Everything You Should Have Learned in School...but Probably Didn't Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Selfie: How We Became So Self-Obsessed and What It's Doing to Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Logic Pro X For Dummies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Titanic Chronicles: A Night to Remember and The Night Lives On Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rust: The Longest War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for How to buy and fly a quadcopter drone
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
How to buy and fly a quadcopter drone - Roland Büchi
1. Ready-to-fly quadcopters
Figure 1: RTF- quadcopter.
At the beginning of the development of quadcopters in the early 2000s one had to buy all the components separately. At that time there were only a few complete systems. So you had to assemble the systems by yourself – control electronics, brushless controllers, motors, propellers and frame. Then you had to download the appropriate software for the system. In those days, this kind of construction required a good level of technical knowledge about the function of each component.
But the ongoing development of the electronics in recent years means that quadcopters are today mainly purchased by users as complete systems and RTF (‘ready to fly’). So today, for the pure fun of flying it is no longer absolutely necessary to understand the technology of these fascinating systems to the finest detail. And that’s good because in this way quadcopter systems can be made accessible to many model pilots.
Often there are model pilots from other sectors, e.g. aircraft, helicopter, car or ship model builders, who simply buy and fly such aircraft out of curiosity. Or there are complete newbies who have never previously come into contact with flight models.
The ‘ready to fly’ market goes hand in hand with a substantial price reduction. In the early years of development it was still necessary to pay about the same price for a quadcopter as for a large model helicopter, making many people think twice about whether they really want to start this hobby. Today, however, one sees quadcopters in all sizes and price ranges on the market. They start with the toy quadcopters, which are small and, despite their low price, often surprisingly robust, and finish with big quadcopters with several kilograms of weight and a payload to transport cameras for photo flight.
In this model division, a similar trend can be observed as with helicopter and airplane models. The smaller and cheaper systems are often built as ‘ready to fly’, while larger systems are often available as kits, with the possibility of software downloading and the installation of extensions, e.g. photo flight or GPS systems.
1.1 Indoors - outdoors
Figures 1 and 2 show RTF quadcopters which you can buy for a relatively small amount of money and which promise good fun flight already after a few minutes. You just need to take the quadcopter out of the box and charge the battery, and you’re ready. The size comparison with a credit card shows that even quite small miniature quadcopters can be built. The question of whether such systems can be operated both indoors and outdoors then arises. The situation is similar with model helicopters. In both cases, the smaller systems are more suitable for indoors, because of their small size. They often have too small a thrust to be used outdoors. This causes problems with the wind influences. They will sometimes be completely blown away. As soon as the systems are slightly larger than the smallest format, you can go outside on windless days and risk some test flights. From a propeller size of about 4 inches (about 10 cm) the produced thrust is quite suitable for use outdoors and the quadcopter is also able to withstand light wind influence. Then it is also really interesting for outdoor flights undertaken with built-in cameras.
Figure 2: RTF quadcopters can be quite small – here compared to
a credit-card-sized card.
1.2 Package
Such RTF models can include different features. Mostly, however, it is so that in addition to the completely assembled quadcopter, the radio control and maybe even a small battery charger are also included. Often in very small systems, the battery of the radio control is tapped as a charger to recharge the battery. Many quadcopters can also be charged via a USB cable directly from a PC.
But the packages of RTF models today in many cases also include other accessories. Figure 3 shows a quadcopter with camera and