Hello folks,

If it is okay to ask about it here, then I should resume. If it is prohibited, could the admins delete this thread or tell me to do it, then I'd like to apologize.

I am thinking of getting an entry level (budget drone) for my son. The drone shouldn't travel high and far, a 100m distance and a few meters altitude will be fine. It'll be nice if it has a decent camera and a live feed to our mobile device will be a great feature.

There are two advantages in having a budget drone for my side:
1. My son can get used to the basics of flying a drone
2. My training of fine memory muscles (I will secretly borrow the bird from him, he he he)

Any thoughts or inputs are much appreciated. I'm asking here since most of you goodfellas are RC gurus. Cheers!

Hans

Any from amazon? Hubsan, Echine, Syma many others...  Now, if u want something fpv, then it will take u a step.. but really everything is pretty much same class, so just find what you want and go for it... The only think i would suggest is make sure spare parts are available, mainly props and motors.. or it's cheap enough where you just crash and buy a new one....
I made sure i got headless mode for the ones for my kids, but that is actually not the best teaching tool, as headless mode is not something you'd use on an FPV device later....
Also whatever you get, clearly get a radio controlled, not infrared.
Good luck on that.

Phantomski Posted at 2016-6-9 21:56
Any from amazon? Hubsan, Echine, Syma many others...  Now, if u want something fpv, then it will tak ...

Awesome!

Yup I've read some reviews on amazon etc, but I'm sure I'm asking for a recommendation at the right place which is here.

Thanks Phantomski for the advice! Take care now.

Hans

How old is the kid? I have found that my son had a break through when he turned 4, when it comes to rc car, not sure what age the break happens on flying things.. but at certain age they simply CANNOT comprehend that it takes fine controls, not all the way to the left all the way to the right and so on...
I have also user clearview simulator (it's like $40) and like a $20 usb RC controller for sims. This sim does not have many quads, but whether is a heli, airplane or a multirotor, it is good for training muscle memory.. and.. bonus! No crashes and lost equipment!

I think u will get more advice if u specify if u want fpv or not.. or is that part of the advice u r looking for?
Oh, and I do notice you are in Inodonesia.. so me being in the US I am quite spoiled on how great Amazon works here.. over there, you may be better buyin local, in case u got issues.. If u fly, then u will be able to give it a try and see how well it flies before u buy...

Good luck!

SYMA X5C are great beginner drones, lots of fun and take a beating. I just bought one for my 12 year old son, I have my own. The Husban X4 is good but a little on the smalll size. The SYMA is a mini Phantom and handles great too.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/produc ... 1?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Just get  a good simulator to start with , go visit the Hobby store in your area  ( if you have one )  you could also use it to improve flying skills.   I never seen pilots get so good so fast as when good quality Simulators came out, it changed  and improved the learning curve drastically.  

I would just buy a used DJI system and let him start with it, for the Money  DJI gives the Most reliable product in my eyes .  Get a used  Phantom advanced .


donnie

Phantomski Posted at 2016-6-9 21:56
Any from amazon? Hubsan, Echine, Syma many others...  Now, if u want something fpv, then it will tak ...

My son just turned 9 yesterday, and just like your kid he's been into rc cars since he was a toddler. He's been watching me flying our P4 and I know he really really wants to fly that bird. I know it'll be super duper dangerous for the surrounding area (that includes the lives of human beings, on top of my priority) if a nine year old would fly a Phantom. So I thought a close-range budget rc aircraft will teach him a lot of lessons within our own backyard. FPV on a mobile device is much needed to be able to advance to a higher spec aircraft in a later stage, and again for me to train muscle memory in relation to operating the P4.

It is a great idea about the clearview sim and the usb rc! I know that my son is getting bored fiddling with aircraft games and sims available on the ipad, many with limited and dull graphics and endless in-app purchases for types of aircraft and scenes. But I'm sure the simulator that you told me will be put into good use :-)

By the way, this should be a simple and easy topic for us to discuss, but thank you so much for taking your time and the thoughts that you gave. I sincerely appreciate everything.

PS: living here is a bummer when it comes to technology.
PS 2: I can't even find-purchase a bl**dy 8" tablet called the Shield K1.
PS 3: DJI online store doesn't ship their stuff here, and I'll have to wait for the dealers here to stock up whenever they want, or going through ebay and hoping that the delivered package will consist of a genuine and normally operating product. Sigh.
PS 4: I kind of envy you.

Cheers, Phantomski! You're a champ!

Hans :-)

Roombo Posted at 2016-6-9 23:18
SYMA X5C are great beginner drones, lots of fun and take a beating. I just bought one for my 12 year ...

Thanks, Roombo! Yeah we do have some shops having the X5C, and the parts are cheap!!

Thanks for the advice!

Hans

Donnie Posted at 2016-6-9 23:27
Just get  a good simulator to start with , go visit the Hobby store in your area  ( if you have one  ...

Hi Donnie,

I remember like 10-15 years ago when I stopped playing the Microsoft Flight Simulator. I didn't know that I'd be flying a Phantom today. Yep thanks for the advice, a flight sim will help big time!

By the way, how did you go with the super sun hood? Is it handy in terms of operating the rc sticks?

PS: I don't live in the middle of the arctic, and we do have hobby shops here

Cheers,
Hans

vandruten Posted at 2016-6-9 11:45
Hi Donnie,

I remember like 10-15 years ago when I stopped playing the Microsoft Flight Simulator. ...

    Hans : It's from  "The Hoodman" and I love it, I wrote  a bit of a review with links and am just thrilled with it.

The only negative is on a real Hot day , when you have your face in the "mask" it can get a little bit hot. But I tell you in sunny weather it is a God send .

As far as using the sticks it is no problem, I usually sit down when I use the Hoodman and have the RC in my hands but my arms are resting on my legs and my lap  .  I find this to most comfortable and you can get somewhat dis- oriented when standing and looking into the mask for long periods of time .  

Have fun, get your son  started off early , they are like sponges and will develop those muscle memory and fine motor skills.  My daughter flies also, it is not her passion  like mine , but she can do it.

link  below for Hoodman review and links

Cheers -donnie

vandruten Posted at 2016-6-9 11:45
Hi Donnie,

I remember like 10-15 years ago when I stopped playing the Microsoft Flight Simulator. ...

http://forum.dji.com/thread-50214-1-1.html

Donnie Posted at 2016-6-9 23:54
Hans : It's from  "The Hoodman" and I love it, I wrote  a bit of a review with links and am jus ...

Glad to hear that the Hoodman works well for you. I hope I can find one for myself. A great review you did there!

I found a link on rc to tripod connector if you want to put your rc on a tripod, this I think will be a perfect match for the Hodman. It works for the P2,3,4 and Ispire rc's.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DJI-phan ... ector-/291730008918

Yeah it's amazing isn't it how kids can absorb knowledge and habits like a sponge! Best wishes to you and the kids :-)

Cheers,
Hans

Your ok to post your concerns here.
Honestly the Syma is a great way to start if you do not want to step right into a DJI or other manufacture entry level multirotor in our price range.

Feel free to download the DJI GO app and from the home page you tap the top right icon (graduation hat) and that will take you into the Academy section of any of the aircraft you choose (select aircraft type first) and all the manuals and tutorial videos are there.
Watch the videos, study the manual and when you feel comfortable make the leap to a amazing product.

DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-6-10 00:18
Your ok to post your concerns here.
Honestly the Syma is a great way to start if you do not want to  ...

Thank you, Sir, for the green light.

It is my intention to look for products that would complement the operation of our phantom for my son and I. Well at least in a later stage for my son, as he is only 9. If he's interested, I want him to be a good rc pilot when he grow up. As for myself, I need to train on muscle memory. In the contrary, it is the memory in my brain that I find very difficult to train. (Silly).

The advice that I get from you and from other friends here have been valuable. Thank you :-)

Hans

vandruten Posted at 2016-6-9 12:07
Glad to hear that the Hoodman works well for you. I hope I can find one for myself. A great review  ...

Oh that is a great product ! thanks for sharing , i just might buy that now that I have another tranmitter on the way

thanks for the tip !
donnie

vandruten Posted at 2016-6-10 01:29
Thank you, Sir, for the green light.

It is my intention to look for products that would complemen ...

No problem at all, whichever route you go if you get a DJI product myself and other members here will jump in and assist you.

My son is twelve, and I picked him up the Micro Drone at a trade show for about £79.00. This is the one:
http://amzn.to/1rfQJoR
Its great to learn with, will not damage the house when flying inside, and can handle light wind OK outside. Make sure you get at least 4 batteries, and a few sets of spare blades

However to be fair, he mastered it very quickly, and able to do complicated manoeuvres with in a day. )I guess PS4 time pays off !)
So about to bite the bullet and go for a this, assuming he hasn't lost interest, seems a good Fathers day deal at the moment from DJI : http://click.dji.com/Mhw3cB2-LOH5phOF?pm=link

Donnie Posted at 2016-6-10 01:31
Oh that is a great product ! thanks for sharing , i just might buy that now that I have another tr ...

Off topic, I'm thinking about simple mod for Hoodman hood: small fan powered by 1000mAh LiPo battery. Indeed it can be really uncomfortable with face inside hot and humid chamber. The idea came after this feature on Shark goggles. I'll experiment with mocked hood and various hardware configurations first, posting my findings here ASAP...

Cheers, Brother.

db050800 Posted at 2016-6-10 12:59
My son is twelve, and I picked him up the Micro Drone at a trade show for about £79.00. This is the ...

Cheers, db! Great idea with the mini drone! And yea they're lucky to experience the playstations hey! I could just wish for a 4-bit game back then ha ha

www.realflight.com should be a major consideration, with or without an actual drone.
There are many micro drones on the market, that will help teach basic piloting skills and muscle memory.
Are you guys going to be pinchers or thumbers, on the RC sticks?


RedHotPoker

dobmatt Posted at 2016-6-10 13:16
Off topic, I'm thinking about simple mod for Hoodman hood: small fan powered by 1000mAh LiPo batte ...

dobmatt that's fantastic idea! Let's see how you going with it. All the best brother!

RedHotPoker Posted at 2016-6-10 15:22
www.realflight.com should be a major consideration, with or without an actual drone.
There are many  ...

Will check it out for sure, Poker!

Yea pinchers or thumbers, I'm still not firm on any. Do you reckon one should be a personal taste or would really help during flight?

Thanks!

Pinching is more precise especially if you lengthen the RC sticks.
But personally I find using my thumbs more conformable for my style of flying.
RealFlight have a drone specific edition out now, that might be just, what you both would benefit greatly from.

RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 2016-6-10 16:13
Pinching is more precise especially if you lengthen the RC sticks.
But personally I find using my th ...

I appreciate the tips, Mr. Scary Mickey!!

dobmatt Posted at 2016-6-10 01:16
Off topic, I'm thinking about simple mod for Hoodman hood: small fan powered by 1000mAh LiPo batte ...

Dob , That is a brilliant Idea, I had thought about that as well.

Great Minds Think Alike I Guess !

Donnie

vandruten Posted at 2016-6-10 06:33
I appreciate the tips, Mr. Scary Mickey!!

Poker  for the love of all things Holy , please change your Mickey from Walking dead Avatar, You dont have to have one as Sugary (Sweet )  as mine, but some-where in between .

Maybe I should use reverse Psychology on you :  "Poker I Love that Avatar, bet you cant top that one............"

donnie

vandruten Posted at 2016-6-10 06:33
I appreciate the tips, Mr. Scary Mickey!!

That Avatar gives me nightmares !  He wont change it just to spite ol' donnie boy ,  SCARY Mickey is right  -

RHP is a good egg, that Avatar is my Nemisis though !!

Donnie Posted at 2016-6-10 19:00
Poker  for the love of all things Holy , please change your Mickey from Walking dead Avatar, You do ...

Oh Donnie now you're confusing me as to which type of avatar I'm gonna use despite of my classy Symbian. Yours or Poker's??

(It's always nice to have your own thread, you can goof around in it and no one's complaining. Until you get banned.)

vandruten Posted at 2016-6-10 07:12
Oh Donnie now you're confusing me as to which type of avatar I'm gonna use despite of my classy Sy ...

You can go with go  DJI  Angel ( That would be me )  Or DJI demon (RHP ) Your choice !

Of course the Avatar I used  was whenI was 27, I look more like Mickey now at 52 anyway !  LOL

Donnie Posted at 2016-6-10 19:25
You can go with go  DJI  Angel ( That would be me )  Or DJI demon (RHP ) Your choice

Ha ha I really enjoy this forum!

To be fair, then I shall go with my own :-p

vandruten Posted at 2016-6-10 01:29
Thank you, Sir, for the green light.

It is my intention to look for products that would complemen ...

It certainly depends on your budget, but DJI has an inventory of refurbished Phantoms including the Phantom Standard for $419 (US). Just a consideration...

terrylewis Posted at 2016-6-10 19:57
It certainly depends on your budget, but DJI has an inventory of refurbished Phantoms including th ...

Thank Terry, I appreciate it.

Why don't you get the least expensive Phantom. A thought of wisdom here. If you buy something inexpensive and have all kinds of problems both you and your son will become very discouraged and both of you will be missing out on a ton of fun.
The DJI Moderators will not bother you, they have thick skin and at times they really need it!

vandruten Posted at 2016-6-10 00:36
My son just turned 9 yesterday, and just like your kid he's been into rc cars since he was a toddl ...

Hi Vandruten

It's a great idea to get the young ones into the hobby. Your son is almost the same age as mine - 9 years old, and soon turning 10.

My son got into the hobby quite early and was confidently flying solo handling a Hubsan X4 by the time he was 6.
Now he easily handles my P3 and can fly ATTI unaided, in fact he finds the P3 a bit boring because he is into Racing FPV Drones, the f1 of the droning world...., yes the the carbon fibre built ones with ballistic performance that fly at amazing speeds - I custom build them for him (cut out our own props, build our own clover leaf antenna, reprogram the ESC's, flight controllers, etc.) to tune out for max performance and he flies them much better then I can. He has his own pair of FatShark FPV goggles. It is totally amazing how much more quickly the young ones learn when compared to us old timers.

As you are in the same hemisphere/part of the world as I am, buying from Amazon will probably kill you on shipping costs. One of the best suppliers of smaller quads I've found that ships reliably (so far for me, and I've been using them for many years)  is BangGood.com. I get lots of quad parts, FPV gear , esc's, flight controllers, etc.. From them. Shipping and delivery is a bit slow but they are good on on price and free shipping, although you do have to know exactly what you want when you shop from them. Check out their Quad page at: http://www.banggood.com/Wholesale-RC-Quadcopters-c-1848.html

Check out this one, it looks interesting, but I don't think it's released yet and may be a bit pricy. http://www.banggood.com/Hubsan-X ... -RTF-p-1037296.html
The others in this thread have given good suggestions on quads so I won't go there again. Also look at the reviews on bang good they are usually accurate

Wish you all the best, if you have any questions let me know.

I was up very late this morning. Watching the Queen Elithabeth 90th birthday celebrations from the cathedral.
So beginning my day today, with huge belly laugh has been My distinct pleasure. Thank you~Mucho Gracias!!

How can a postage stamp sized avatar, create so much animosity between my respected forum brothers and sisters? Ha
So you all want a delightful change of character? Ok, Let me see, if the forum avatar genies, are available today... ;-)

RedHotPoker

Donnie Posted at 2016-6-10 06:00
Poker  for the love of all things Holy , please change your Mickey from Walking dead Avatar, You do ...

There's one for one. Hahaha
Careful what you wish for, you might receive it in spades... ;-)


RedHotPoker

Ok, as requested I have finally Changed my forum avatar, but it only shows up when it wants to... ;-)
The forum truly needs amother summer update.


RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 2016-6-10 13:47
Ok, as requested I have finally Changed my forum avatar, but it only shows up when it wants to... ;- ...

I noticed mine took about a week for some strange reason.

You do know I am not that upset about the Avatar Correct ?  ( Just some forum jousting )  It does give me the shivers though!

Cheers RHP

RedHotPoker Posted at 2016-6-10 11:47
Ok, as requested I have finally Changed my forum avatar, but it only shows up when it wants to... ;- ...

I agree.  Some of you guys have avatars that are nightmare fuel.

rodger Posted at 2016-6-10 21:13
Why don't you get the least expensive Phantom. A thought of wisdom here. If you buy something inexpe ...

The thing is everything is kind of expensive here, with all the import duties etc. The cheapest new P3S is still aroud $500 mark, with the battery around $180. The P2 around $400, battery around $150. I can get two small symas with the price of a P2 battery! Ha ha (laughing while crying)

Well you're darn right about getting all the downsides of cheap quads, but my son and I will get the fun bits from our P4

Thanks Rodger for the kind thoughts!