Multirotors are all the rage. I know this because I run RCGroups.com, the world’s largest RC site, and the multirotor section is blowing up with activity.
Another reason I know that multirotors are pretty happening right now is that one of my co-workers, Stephen Cinch (aka “SleepyC,” who runs FlyingGiants.com, specializing in Giant Scale airplanes), has gone practically quadcopter crazy. I’ve been following Sleepy’s progress and reading posts on RCGroups. After a while, the pressure was too much and I had to have one.
I found a local pilot who had a 550-size multirotor and was willing to swap it for one of my airplanes, but the problem is that I know nothing about multirotors other than they have four or more rotors and a board, that they fly similar to a helicopter, and that people like to use them for photography and video.
I decided to talk with SleepyC and get some advice from the quad-crazy man about how to get started in multirotor flying.
JG: What is the best way to get started in the world of multirotors?
SC: Right now, several great manufacturers produce some ready-to-fly smaller quadcopters that are perfect to learn with. They have all the basics of a quadcopter, and they’re actually more agile, so they require your thumbs to really get some training. They’re small enough that if you have a problem, you can simply cut the throttle. They really won’t break. It’s going to give you the opportunity to learn how to fly the machines before you start investing in the bigger ones, so they’re a great place to start. Pretty much every manufacturer is jumping on the trend and putting one out.
The RealFlight flight simulator also has some quadcopters you can fly. This allows you to get your orientation going before you put your real quad in the air.
A generic quadcopter is available in Expansion Pack 8 (sold separately). It has an onboard camera positioned underneath which pans with the knob and tilts with the three-position switch. One cool way to use that is to open up a viewport within the main view and set it to use that camera.
JG: What are the price points on multirotors?
SC: They can be pretty inexpensive if you have your own transmitter, as most of us do. There are some ready-to-fly ones that are approximately $100. Some that are transmitter-ready are roughly $69. They’re relatively affordable considering that most things in my Giant Scale part of the hobby run into the thousands of dollars.
JG: Because I have a 550 size, would it be a good idea to get one of the smaller ones to play with before I start flying the 550 or should I jump right in?
SC: Well, it all depends on your experience. If you’ve flown for quite some time and have a little helicopter experience, you can jump right in. But if you have access to a simulator and practice with a helicopter a little while you learn about the multirotors, you shouldn’t have problems.
JG: Let’s say that I get a little micro quad. What are all the skill sets I need? I’m slightly intimidated by what appears to be a ton of things about which I need to be knowledgeable.
SC: Well, basically, it’s like any other part of the hobby. You’re going to have to do some research and reading. There are so many different ways that you can go with this. There are multiple configurations: quadcopters, hexacopters, octocopters, and Y6-copters. They all fly slightly different, and there are so many different controller boards to choose from.
There are plug-n-play setups where you build the quad up to specs and load the software onto a laptop, and then it’s pretty straightforward. There are also some controller boards that are open source. Groups of designers write programming for them. You really can get into it as deeply as you want.
JG: That’s what I have, but it sounds slightly intimidating, and it makes me want to go to a retailer and buy a preprogrammed board.
SC: That’s one thing that is pretty cool about multirotors. In a docile setting, they are pretty forgiving, and a lot of them will nearly hover by themselves.
You can go as stable as you want or as aggressive as you want. Some of the pilots who are doing aerobatics are doing just the opposite—where it’s so loose that they can do multiple flips 5 inches off the ground. You basically have to be a skilled helicopter pilot for that, though.
JG: What safety issues do I need to be aware of? When I’m setting this up, I have this vision of me strapping it to the table or something.
SC: All you have to do is take the propellers off. You aren’t gonna hurt or burn up anything by starting them up with the propellers off, and it’s recommended that you do that. That way, if the motor starts up you can grab it with your hand and feel if it’s right or wrong, but without the possibility of slicing yourself. That’s the safe way to set it up.
JG: Let’s say that I’m feeling good about everything. What do you do for orientation once that thing gets up in the air? How do you know what’s front and what’s back?
SC: As you get more involved in multirotors, you learn what you can get away with. I started off with some tape on the front. I was flying the X configuration, which means that there are two motors in the front that are facing forward. I put a little tape around those.
When I was flying around and kind of getting the hang of it, it was fine as long as the tape was visible. But when you’ve got one up in the air 20 or 30 feet, and you’re looking into the horizon, it turns into a gray blob.
I put lightweight LED strips on the motors. You can get them nearly anywhere. Most of the quads run on three- or four-cell LiPos, and when you set the LEDs up, all you have to do is plug the LEDs straight into the balance cord of your battery. There’s no extra battery weight, and they’re only going to drain approximately 100 to 200 milliamps.
Set up red in the front, blue in the back, or whatever configuration you like, and it makes all the difference. Even in bright sunlight, at 11.1 volts, you can really see those lit-up LEDs and find the orientation. A bonus is that instantly you have a night-flying rig!
Last week was one of the first times I took mine out, and it was awesome. It was easier to see at night than it was in the day. There’s no mistaking which direction you’re headed.
I hope I have asked the questions that some of you have. This is part one of the multirotor story. Be sure to read my next installment of “Born to Fly” for part two of this fascinating new aspect of the hobby.
Fly it like you stole it![dingbat]
SOURCES:
RCGroups.com
www.rcgroups.com
FlyingGiants.com
www.flyinggiants.com
RealFlight (Great Planes)
(800) 637-7660
www.realflight.com
DJI Innovations (NAZA control module)
[email protected]
www.dji-innovations.com
