Quadcopters Are Fun
Quadcopters are fun! I have been flying R/C models for a very long time and sometimes I get bored with it. Finding new things to keep my attention is rare. Quadcopters hold my attention.
Quadcopters are not new. I have been flying Quadcopters since 1998 when I got my first Roswell flyer. The Roswell flyer had 3 mechanical gyroscopes and no accelerometers. it was still pretty easy to fly even with old NiCad batteries. The Roswell flyer may have been the first commercially available Quadcopter in the USA.
Modern Quadcopters are even better. They have shrunk in size and weight over the years and now have very sophisticated navigation systems on them. In fact the smallest quad I have ever seen was slightly smaller than a quarter.
Hero RC H1 X1 Viking Quadcopter
I recently picked up a mini quadcopter to fly in my living room. It is the Hero RC H1 X1 Viking Quadcopter (Syma Space Ship). It came with two batteries a charger and spare rotor blades. The H1 X1 Viking Quadcopter is very inexpensive at $39.95. It is also quite a good flying machine. I took a couple of videos of me having fun with the Viking flying in my shop and in my kitchen. This was the first day flying the Viking and it was a blast.
Radio
The Hero RC H1 X1 Viking Quadcopter comes with a 2.4Ghz 4 channel transmitter. The transmitter has an LCD display and adjustable trims. It includes dual rates (not adjustable) and a special FLIP button which will make the Quad loop through the air automatically, in any direction. With practice, you can get the Viking to Flip indoors.
The Viking comes with a 2.4ghz, 4 channel transmitter with dual rates and flip switch.
Batteries
The package included two 350mah Lipo batteries which last about 8-9 minutes under normal conditions. There is also a larger 600mah battery pack available which will double your flight times. I got a set of Lectron Pro 3.7V, 600mah Li-Poly packs for about $20.
The kit comes with 350mah Lipoly batteries but I purchased some 600mah batteries to double flight times.
In my opinion the Hero RC H1 X1 Viking Quadcopter is a great beginner Quadcopter. It has enough responsiveness and not be boring and enough stability to give you a chance to learn how to fly it. I think it is a great first Quadcopter for flyers of all ages.
I am compiling a page of information about Quadcopters. If you would like to check it out, you can click here. http://makermasters.com/quadcopters
RESOURCES
Aeroquad forum http://aeroquad.com/forum.php
DIY DRONES http://diydrones.com/
R/C Groups http://www.rcgroups.com/aircraft-electric-multirotors-790/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadcopter
