advice on buying a drone

[Pengi]

Want to buy a drone and have no experience of using a drone. What would be the smallest possible drone - with or without video, also needs to be robust as a beginner is likely to crash it often. Any ideas?

[Cazadoom]

Hi Pengi

I suggest the Hubsan X4 as a beginner indoor and outdoor drone,

its a great little piece of kit, for learning, its less stable than the bigger drones but it teaches you how to fly them and not realy on the built in gimbels, having said that this one is stable too

Depends on what you want to do with the drone?

Cheers

Callum

[scotsoft]

PM sent 

[Lankyman]

My advice - Don't. Too easy to invade other people's privacy.

Ron

[scotsoft]

My advice - Don't. Too easy to invade other people's privacy.

Ron

But not all quadcopters have cameras fitted plus there are plenty quadcopters that can be flown indoors safely.

Cheers John.

[Pengi]

My advice - Don't. Too easy to invade other people's privacy.

Ron

You have found me out - want to find out once and for all what is going on in the 'house of sin ' up the road 

P.S. only joking 

[NinOz]

You have found me out - want to find out once and for all what is going on in the 'house of sin ' up the road 

P.S. only joking 

A telescope and a tree hide works great for me.

As for a multicopter- so many options.  A copter with loiter and return to home options make for good beginners unit but not cheap.
I have three quad-copters but none have video attached, just for trying to fly them.

You can get some cheap micro indoor copters to give it a try before laying out 500 or more on a good outdoor unit.

CFJ

[Bealman]

I have two normal helicopters and can't fly either of them 

[austinbob]

I have two normal helicopters and can't fly either of them 

Have you tried one at a time!!

[Bealman]

Yes, he said, even more embarrassingly 

[Steve Brassett]

I have a normal helicopter as well.

Flown it twice.

Crashed it twice.

Broke it twice.

[Bealman]

 

[Railwaygun]

So you want an  N gauge drone?

[broadsword]

So you want an  N gauge drone?

If you want one get in touch with the CIA, there were stories
that they were working on drones the size of houseflies

[B757-236GT]

My advice as a fixed wing and part time quad flyer is to think about it carefully. Indoor ones are fine but they are only any use indoors, they normally have very short ranges and are too affected by the wind. The issue is however with the bigger ones, the BMFA are having real trouble as they can be bought anywhere and people are not aware of the laws involved in flying them. If its your first time i would find a quite field in the middle of no where and just try it there as if it has a camera you are asking for alot of problems flying it in a built up area. Also consider your surroundings as some of the more advanced ones can have ranges up to 3000m away if it has FPV again i think one reason you here the stories about them getting to close to planes.

Also if you put your address on it choose your flying location carefully as there have been cases where they have crashed and caused damage and the owner has been successfully sued for damages to property. There was also a case where  one chap who was flying near Lydd in kent and it crashed into the sea and ended up in a certain nuclear power plant. Needless to say he was up in court pretty quickly. Of course if you take steps to start with about your flying location then this may all be completely moot.

If you take the proper precautions to start with you should be fine. Obviously if you find you like it then i would recommend joining your local flying club and getting BMFA insurance.

Richard