First things first: Recommendations for a Newbie

[Anatomist]

Greetings,

I am about 400 days from really getting into FPV. My plan is to have a good setup for LOS plane on my birthday (April 14th), invest about 10 months flying it with on board camera(s) for video and, as experience and money flow allow, get the rest of the gear (maybe even a new plane by then) to start some basic FPV.

So far I am looking for advice on a solid Tx/Rx that I can grow with into the FPV world a year from today. I just purchased a AXN Clouds fly (the Easy Star and respective clones were all sold out, including the Bixler).

Any recommendations? Budget not to exceed US$250.00 for the combo.

Just a reference for those not familiar with this fast cousin of the EZ.

[IBCrazy]

Actually, the clouds fly is even better than the EZ* and Bixler. It has aileron capability and is very durable. Ludo (FPVFlyer) had one of those at the Pecan Patch Fly-in last year.

The technology in this hobby changes rapidly. What works today will obviously work next year, but there might be something better. The real expense is the goggles. The rest is cheap... well it is until you get into flight stabilization, OSD and all the other stuff you can put on an airplane or ground station.

-Alex

[Anatomist]

Thank you for the prompt reply. Talking about stuff you can put on an airplane, is the Skywalker a good plane to have right away or should I acquire more practice before venturing that way?

[Hucker]

I was in a similar situation as you are last year and I can tell you that you don't need 10 months to learn how to fly. I got fms (free model simulator) and a cheap game controller on my PC and flew the easy star model until I could land at my feet every time as well has be at the point where I could feel totally in control upright and inverted. At first this seemed hard as orientation isn't easy at first. After a few hours you get the hang of it. A few more and you won't be able to see why people think it is hard. I flew the simulator 15-30 minutes a day during the time I started getting parts organized for my ez*. By the time I had it built and ready to fly I was very confident.

My first flight ended in a crash (the simulator seems to allow you to fly a little slower than the real plane flys). Glued the nose back on and proceeded to transition to flying the real plane without drama. I just fly a bit faster than the simulator. Most people find someone to help them fly, if you have a local pro to help that is great, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't put your time in on the simulator.

I think your plan is good in that learning step by step is the right way.

[Anatomist]

Thank you Hucker. I am quite good on the computer as of right now. There is a Skywalker from RCGroups for sale within driving distance from me, and I am really trying to find an intellectual excuse to make an emotional purchase. It is assembled, reinforced, with servos installed and landing gear for $140. I am just affraid I am going to bite more than I can chew...

Any advice?

[Hucker]

Buy the thing and get on with it If you have someone with experience to go with you to make sure it is ok that would help but don't over analyze at this point. If the seller could fly it for you a lap around a field that might be good too but I've never bough a built plane so I'm not sure beyond the obvious like looking at damage, making sure servos work, motor works, linkages are good etc.

Get a plane, fly it until you are bored with it and then throw the FPV gear on. It's that easy. Be aware that you will crash and learn to fix things. That is part of it and shouldn't discourage you.

[IBCrazy]

I wouldn't sweat a difficult airframe at all. The SkyWalker is a flying bus. It handles miserably slow but hauls a lot of cargo (battery) and can sustain flight for ridiculous amounts of time. It is also incredibly stable in calm conditions (not so much in wind, though).

Let me explain it like this: I recently hired 2 guys to build my ARF Specter FPV planes. As part of the training program, I had them build their own and go fly it... without instruction of any kind other than the basics of control. They started out under the FPV hood. Buddy box on first flight. Solo flight was flight #2. Flight #3 was loops and rolls. We are still working on the low altitude stuff, but hey we're only on maybe the 6th flight for both of them.

The Specter is incredibly acrobatic and is not what I'd consider a simple plane to fly, but everybody who has ever tried it has been able to fly it easily. Why? Simple: you are flying as a natural pilot, not as a third party observer. Here's a recent video of the airplane. Note the plane with the white tail is being flown by a guy who has maybe 5 flights under his belt. Now note how acrobatic the airplane is. Do you really think a SkyWalker is going to be a problem if a guy who has never flown can handle this thing?


View this video on Vimeo

-Alex

[Anatomist]

On my way to pick up the Skywalker after work. I'll make sure I put some hours on the AXN first though. Might be silly, but I do have hopes to NOT crash the Skywalker D:

[Anatomist]

(still need help with a radio for fpv under US$250 though)

[IBCrazy]

Any 72MHz will do. My video was shot a mile down river from me and I was on 72 MHz. Works great!

-Alex