Friday, August 3, 2018

Flying the SYMA X5C quad, loads of fun for $35.

I have owned several Phantom pros and a Mavic pro, but I would still highly recommend that anyone thrilled by flying drones invest in a $35 Syma X5C or similar toy drone!   No GPS, no altitude hold, no position hold and no headless mode.  Just fun flying!



Durable too!   It is so lightweight that when it falls from the sky and lands on anything semi-soft like grass, weeds or even dirt, it doesn't get hurt.  I've clipped guy wires, powerlines, trees and branches and the worst damage that I've incurred was a cracked body.  A bit of Bondic and it's back up flying again!

The worst danger for your Syma X5c is losing it in the wind. There is no position hold and contrary to what some have said, that the Syma shouldn't be flown in the wind, I find flying it on a windy day especially fun!  I have had it out flying (in high speed mode) in winds up to 25mph, both steady and gusty winds.  High speed mode is a necessity so have the control available to counteract the wind, but don't get distracted or disoriented or you can count on needing to take a bit of a walk to retrieve the thing, it will zoom off downwind pretty quickly!

I've bent a few propeller drive shafts and worn out some plastic gears, and I just retrieved one that has been stuck in the top of one of my trees outside for nearly 3 weeks, and that during some real downpours.  It was at least 35 feet in the topmost branch, hooked solidly in the leaves and small branches of the upper limb.  I tried 3 different methods to retrieve it, casting a line (too small a target), a 40' pole to dislodge it (too bendy to have any effect), and finally, my 17 year old son climbing as high as he safely could and passing him a 10' pole.  He just knocked it down.  After 3 weeks and a few rain storms, I put in a new battery, recalibrated it and it flew like a champ!  

This is a pretty fun little toy and a good drone trainer, you know, in case you lose both GPS and Glonass, and altitude hold, RTH and FPV on your Phantom 4 pro, you'll still be able to fly it home again.  

You never know...

Thursday, January 4, 2018

What's going on in my backyard???

I notice a HUGE pile of dirt appearing on my southern horizon this winter. Flying the drone south, I notice a really large pit appearing that looks the the beginnings of a landfill.  I'll keep you informed.  There will be lot's of people affected in the southern part of Weld County of Colorado