I recently bought a Crux35 which has an Air unit, not 03 yet, but I was absoloutely blown away with the performance and the flight time! I would highly reccommend a 3.5" quad as its easily under 250g and lets you fly in more areas than a 5". I previousy had a cinewhoop which absoloutely sucked compared to this thing. on the exact same batteries (660 & 850mah 4s) I was easily getting 10-15min of freestyle flying! This drone is light enough to not destroy parts in a crash, and lets you progress much faster because of the crazy flight time! Unless you're planning on carrying a hero 11 or something, there's absoloutely no reason to go for a 5", especially with these new rules on drones. It's cheaper, safer for the public, quieter, more power (power to weight and punch vs a 5") and almost double the flight time. You Cannot go wrong!! I have tried many drones from 40mm whoops to 7" high performance cinematic machines, and in my experience the 3.5" takes the cake by a long way! If you're going to try a build, I'd highly reccommend the AOS 3.5 Frame with a budget f405 20x20 FC (it's better to buy 2 cheap FCs than one expensive one, ESPECIALLY if it's your first build.) You really don't need a high end Processor like the F7 for a smaller build and you WILL NOT be able to tell the difference, especially as a new pilot. You can afford to make mistakes and if the worst happens, you have a backup FC to use. If you manage to not make any mistakes and still have both FCs working, you have a backup for when your FC breaks eventually. I'd pare the frame with 2500 - 3500 KV 1404 or similar 4s motors. You can save so much money going for a smaller build. The frame and parts are cheaper, batteries are more than half the price and get you almost twice the flight time and best of all, you feel more relaxed knowing that the drone you're flying can't really hurt someone or damage property too bad. A 5' on the other hand is literally a weapon that can seriously injure or damage property. Now before you think I'm a 5" hater, I own and fly a GepRC Mark 5 (which was also my first 5") and a custom build apex 5". I also fly a custom built AOS 7". For me, my two favorite drones are my 40mm Moblite 7 Whoop and my Crux 35 3.5" toothpick because the'yre so much fun to fly just about anywhere and are so much less intimidating, even to me who's a pretty experienced pilot after flying FPV a lot for just over a year! My biggest advice for building for the first time is: Buy your FC and ESC together as a Stack, dont mix and match different brands as it can get extremely confusing. Buy 6 or even 8 motors at once to make sure you have spares while they're still in stock. I'm sitting herre with a beautiful quad that's grounded because no compatiable spare motors are avaliable in my country. Practice soldering before your stuff arrives, because when it does, all you will want to do is build it, and if you haven't practiced enough with soldering, you could kill your FC without knowing why. I'm speaking all from experience here! If you have any questions I'm more than happy to help where i can!
@@GarethDix I always loved flying, sicne I was little kid. My was flying RC planes, which was cool AF for me, but when I discivered FPV my mind was blow away. I now fly FPV for almost 7 years and I absolutely love it! I wish you many joy with FPV drones, mate!
@@TomicaCZ I remember as a kid being at a show where they were flying RC planes LoS and that blew my mind a little... and then about 7-8 years ago seeing Charpu for the first time and my brain couldn't comprehend the physics of what a quadcopter could do. I get the feeling this hobby will continue to blow my mind for at least the next 7 years!
@@GarethDix Hi. I have absolutely awful image quality from my O3 air unit on Geprc Mark 5. If it sunny it looks like 720p when it’s slightly darker or sunset it literally looks like 480p. It is like that from the begining. No crashes. I come from DJI FPV and footage from the same location, same day, few minutes later from DJI FPV is just insanely better - and O3 was meant to be better than DJI FPV camera that falls off big time in bad weather. This O3 quality on mine is shocking. Obviously all the settings checked multiply times, tried 60fps 4k and 120fps 4k too but same result. No errors, no problems, flies like a charm, not overheating, 6min flies on Tattu 1400 6s, amazing stabilisation everything is perfect - but actual footage is awful. Anyone anything?😞 I beg you.
@nonsenseexplorer do you have any footage uploaded? O3 quality in lowlight is pretty bad, but if it’s really bad in sunlight as well that doesn’t sound right.
I call throttle management "coordinated altitude" and it's a balance between pitch and throttle. increase pitch = increase throttle, decrease pitch = decrease throttle... drifting up a little, pitch forward a little... I have a tutorial on my channel about FPV drills that dives into basic flight theory im sure you'd find the info helpful! Cheers mate! welcome to 5 inch!
That's the kind of review I needed, thanks for sharing your experience! I started with the Mini 3 Pro, then moved to the OG Avata with the motion controller. Now I'm flying the Avata 2 in manual mode, and I'm excited to transition to more powerful 5-inch drones-Mark5 is definitely on my radar!
@@GarethDix i have a self build foxeer auroa v2, 5 inch. i have 30 hours in liftoff because it was super fun and radio took forever to come. so flying works good, but the tricks are super hard. also thottle control for slow flying is a bit iffy,but getting there i think.
Put yourself in a tighter level in the sim, I think in lift off the minus two level is really good because it forces you to fly slower and more controlled otherwise you’ll hit the ceiling. Tricks wise start with yaw spins, split S and power loops, they’re easier and a little more forgiving on the timing of control.
great stuff, practise flying slow around grass and scrub, i think of it as a diff mode, i use throttle to go down and pitch to go up, combining normal 5inch ability with slow stuff through trees is my fav thing.
I do this a lot with my micros and started doing it with my 5inch after that first flight… the struggle with fine control took me by surprise as I’m pretty accurate with the little ones and just wasn’t expecting the power 😂
The baby hawk and the AOS 3.5 keep coming up in the comments... I've seen that Andy Kirby added an O3 and 6s to a baby hawk which makes me want to try that even more!
I saw Andy Kirby's video also. Pretty cool. I have a few quads with the 03 system in it now along with the goggles 2. When I decide to fly a quad with a Vista the difference still blows me away. I can't say enough about the baby hawk 2. It is also extremely quiet.. most 5-inch quads get a lot of attention when you push that left stick up a bit
I have 2 versions of AOS 3.5 and both O3 and original Babyhawk II HD. The Babyhawk is lighter, quieter, and has a MUCH longer flight time. I can't see any benefit in the flight performance of the AOS even though I wanted to. I'm a huge babyhawk ii hd fan.@@GarethDix
I’m glad that we don’t have as many requirements to fly on the US, because it’s nice to be able to get out there and get some flight time. But my son and I are getting our part 1 in the US fairly soon and this was our intent anyways, but it’s nice to have the ability to recreationally fly without as many restrictions. I feel like we are going to have a lot of changes in the near future here in the US, so we’re are just trying to stay one step ahead and have a license.
The rules used to be pretty relaxed in Switzerland but they moved over to the EU version of the rules to be consistent which are a bit more stringent. From experience now the rules really only relate to areas I definitely wouldn’t fly a 5inch anyway because there’s quite a high concentration of people and largely unless you’re doing something dangerous or annoying other people it’s not so bad here. In the U.S. you have remote ID for anything over 250g though right? They changed the rules in the EU recently for the same but in Switzerland this doesn’t apply (yet)
learning a lower camera angle helps, people say jus learn what you are going to use but many quads are fixed angle or different scopes of angle so good to be able to fly any cam angle
This year I've been varying my camera angle depending on the flying... I generally have a 10-15 degree when I'm doing freestyle now, but lower for slow cinematic flying and at about 25-30 degrees for fast flying in a large area
I started out by "hacking" a $100 supermarket drone to make it acro and fpv. That one was super fun at the time. But later on, I built my first 5 inch, and holy crap. It was like going from a moped to a sportbike. The power was incredible. It's fun to see someone else learning the joy of the bigger drones. Have fun out there.🤪
That’s exactly the feeling! And weirdly because of the additional weight it feels soo much more stable at the same time! Hacking a supermarket drone would have been fun… I saw someone do it with a DJI phantom which was hilarious!
@@GarethDix haha, oh yeah i soldered in a new brushed motor acro flight controller, hot glued on the top one of those little camera/VTX combos and got a cheap Eachine set of box goggles. Also with simulators, all of it was a super fun new experience. But when I took off for the first time with my 5 inch 4s alien, it reminded me of when an old roommate let me ride his Honda 1000RR for the first time. Totally different awesome machine. Powerful, stable, and freaking scary as hell in the best way haha.
That sounds amazing 😂😂 you had the fastest “toy” drone on the planet 😂 But yes I think when I’m flying my micros I feel like I’m the one in control and pushing them to go faster… with the 5inch it felt more like it was pushing me to go faster and I had to hold on to slow it down 😂😂
@@GarethDix yeah, make sure you have a uh... "wide birth" while starting out haha. hold off blowing though 1 foot gaps full send with the 5er before a little more practice. it can get expensive quick, believe me lol. (but when you finally make it through those, it's pretty amazing hehe)
I mean I’m useless at controlling it in tight spaces… but going full send through a gap from 100m away for some reason seems much easier 😂 Although I’ve gone through A LOT of props already as a result
Same thing happened to me - I started to do Cinematic FPV and then ended up playing around with Freestyle quite a lot. Now to be fair I mainly due Cinematic stuff now, but yeah, freestyle was quite a rush!
Everytime I go out to fly something cinematic… I start with a couple of runs and then can’t resist going a little crazy and smashing it into the floor 😂
You’re going to love it… just make sure you’re in a large area as it moves way faster… but blip that throttle and flip it upside down and you’ll get why everyone loves a 5inch
@@GarethDix I wonder what makes a 5" drone to stay so floaty upside down in the air... My Cinebot30 goes down like a stone when I flip it during a flight (yes I drop the throttle to 0), so I have to watch it "more closely". :))))
@big7mac I think it’s partially because the additional mass means the momentum keeps going for longer as you fling it… I’m pretty sure if you just flipped upside down it would fall like the cinebot… but then the larger props might slow it a little
😂😂😂 I still look back on that now a few months later wondering what was I thinking! 5inches will make you feel that way… wait that didn’t come out right
I got so good flying by flying tiny whoops....after learning on a sim I went to tiny whoops and now it's unbelievable how good I am at flying 5inch quads....unfortunately remote ID is coming and I'm a sub250g guy so I sold my 5 inch and got a 4inch sub250g and it's crazy how similar it is....imo the rekon 4fr is the best 4inch sub250g quad out!!!!! Its as close to a 5inch you will get and the power to weight ratio is insane! I spank the tish outta this thing and it just amazes me everytime!🤌🏼 Fly crash rebuild✌🏽
I'll take a look, I thought the rekon 4inch was a long range (similar to the flywoo explorer) so initially dismissed it, but does it freestyle like a 5inch? and are you using 4s or 6s with it? but sounds like it can take a hit which is great given how much I like to crash! 😊
Definitely try the Emax Tiny Hawk Freestyle 2… its analogue but you can pick them cheaply.. a small drone but powerful for pro’s & can be forgiving for beginners.. great vid 😀👍
It might be a little too small for me to get the feel of the 5inch but I’ve heard good things about it’s bigger brother the babyhawk 2 so will give that a go when they update it with the O3
It comes eventually… the 5inch just had sooooo much more punch than I was used to with the smaller ones but since filming this I can control it pretty well now
@@LAMB_SAUCE I’ve actually gone back to a linear throttle on my freestyle rates as it’s way more predictable still playing around with it for my cinematic profile
I’ve been looking at getting one of these… they aren’t so easy to find in Switzerland. My biggest concern with it though is not being able to replace the arms (I crash A LOT)
That’s a simulator called Tryp, it’s a lot of fun for cinematic flying but also great for chasing cars, dirt bikes, skiers and skydivers. It only has a few levels, but they are huge! The only issue for me is that the physics are a little off (think moon gravity) but otherwise it’s a good one to play around with
I absolutely have loved my babyhawk2hd. I converted it to the o3 system with crossfire. This is an amazing 3.5 in drone. Its is quiet, fast and feels similar to a 5 inch. Ive heard that emax may come out with an o3 version but i have not seen it yet. But doing a conversion was not too bad. It is by far my favorite drone because i can fly in in small or large areas.
I was literally thinking about buying the babyhawk2 yesterday (although I probably need to finish off the video on the 3inch that I just built first). But yes that was the plan I was going to try it out as so many people have mentioned it... then modify it to an O3 if I liked it. did you keep the aio the same or use a different one? I do hope they come out with an O3 version as here in Switzerland the AOS 3.5 Evo (with replaceable arms) is only a little more expensive with the O3 already installed. I do want to compare both of these to the one I built though, but you're right this size is great for flying around where there isn't as much space
@@GarethDix i kept the AIO. When I first made the conversion to the 03 system., I had a ton of vibration making it into the gyro in the camera. It's an extremely tight fit. I carved the plastic from the front standoffs to give it a little more space. That helped a little, but there were two other things that made the biggest difference. I drilled to new holes for the front standoffs a little back and a little out then took a grinder to the points of the top plate that we're just making it into camera view on the widest setting. Lastly I used rubber grommets when screwing the camera in. With those small modifications the vibrations were no longer an issue and I have Jello free video
Good to know, I would 3d print something for the camera as the O3 doesn't like being hard mounted. I run with a really low camera angle so I doubt the frame will get in the way. But good to hear you kept the same aio, the baby hawk has that weird shelf at the back for the vtx so I'm not sure I could stick a stack in there...
ooo im also living in Switzerland and i just made the a1/a3 training it isnt how do you take the licens with you did you print it out? And i cant currenty fly cus i dont got a Spoter😭
I just keep a digital copy with me, but you can print it out if you think you’ll need it. It’s easier to get someone else into the hobby to be your spotter than to find a random person to help you 🤣
@@GarethDix I have one with 1504 3950kv w/EMAX AVAN, very fast the other using 1404's very smooth also fast. Both under 250 using 650 4s. I will build one more in 6s.
It’s called a Mate X… mine isn’t a standard one but the black one is… they come up secondhand a lot because the amount they’re selling them for new now is ridiculous!
This is a Nomatic Peter McKinnon 25L Everyday backpack. I actually use this as my main camera bag and it’s great… so I repurposed it for FPV… that said as I kept moving between bags I kept forgetting things so I now have a Beyond Earth rucksack which has been great over the last month or so
Here’s the link for the certification website. You don’t need to get separate training for the A1/A3 exam it’s easy enough and the official website gives you all the training you need before the examination so don’t pay someone else for this separately. www.bazl.admin.ch/bazl/en/home/drohnen/uasgate/certificates.html You’ll also have to register yourself a drone operator beforehand and get your operator number here www.bazl.admin.ch/bazl/en/home/drohnen/uasgate/registration.html Let me know if you need any more info!
I actually used about 5 different sims. I would recommend Velocidrone (and get the tiny whoop pack) as it's the most accurate physics but it doesn't have lessons in the simulator. Liftoff is a lot of fun for freestyle and has some tutorials in simulator as well. In order to fly you just need a radio (I use a TBS Tango2 but I believe Radiomaster just released a cheaper alternative called a pocket) and a USB wire, when you plug it in and turn it on it should be detected by the simulator and you're good to go. Do some research on the radios though as if you think you'll fly for real you'll want to make sure you get one that you can use for awhile. I'd recommend getting something with either ELRS or Crossfire which are the two most common standards.
Hi Gareth! What a great video about your journey starting as a fpv pilot..! I’m in the spot you were about a year ago with ~10h in the simulator. I saw that you added a custom GEPRC frame to liftoff simulator (2:22). Where did you get it from? I would love to use something that resembles the Mark5 right from the beginning. Maybe you are willing to share the blueprint? 😶🌫️ Greetings from Germany!
I would love to claim I made it but it's from the steam community workshop by a maker called Rawmilk. You can download it here: steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2851835716 all I've done is change the rates to what I'm used to but straight out it's pretty accurate to how the mark5 feels in real life. If you're going to fly a Mark5 for real though I would recommend a lot more time in the simulator and a wide open grassy area... my little micros I learned to fly with I crashed those soooooo much after only 10 hours in the simulator but being small and not very fast it took awhile before I had to repair anything. The mark5 travels really fast and weighs a lot more so after a few crashes you'll be repairing bits on it.
@@GarethDix Cheers mate! Thanks for your reply and sharing the link along with it..! 💚 Since I can't 'afford' a new hobby right now because I neither have the time nor the money required, I stick with the simulator for now. If I keep it up like this, flying a race or two every evening, I will have 90+ hours in the simulator when summer '24 arrives. At this point I might have some more free time and cash. At least I hope so... 😅 Thanks for your advice! Keep up the good work!
I put the hobby off for about 7 years because I had other priorities and I wish I had done what you were thinking and spent that time in the simulator. By the time you go to fly a real quad it should be second nature to you. There's a few things like Betaflight set up that you'll need to learn and binding the quad to your radio and goggles... but otherwise the main difference is just being less risk taking on the real thing because you have to repair or walk over to retrieve it! My only advice to you, is to learn how to land in the simulator as I just crash landed everything and then when it came to flying the real thing I didn't realise until I was already in the air that I had never practiced it! But good luck and if you need anything the community around FPV is soooooo helpful so any questions feel free to ask!
Oh yea can't go wrong with quadmula. I built one with o3 air unit and it's sub250 pair with a 4s 550mah battery. Fly just like a 5" and not easily affected by wind and gust. I usually fly it with 650mah which just go over by 4g, so can definitely shave off some weight here and there
That’s reassuring, I’m building a 6s one but the 380mah batteries were difficult to get here in Switzerland but I can’t wait to finish it and see how it flies. If I like it I might build a 4s one too as I have a lot of 4s batteries. What stack are you using with it?
@@GarethDix I ended up with the diatone mamba mini stack, have been using diatone stacks for nearly all my quads except some cinewhoop which I use foxeer AIO
I might give that a go, I just used a T-motor mini stack on that build but the diatone stack looks like it’s 1.5g lighter I’m coming in at 242g with the 380mah battery so shaving off that extra weight might let me use something bigger. I have another F3 frame on the way as I’m loving that first build so far
@@GarethDix Samee, thinking to do another F3 build but with 6s this time, really love how small the quad is but the capability is similar to 5". Also much enjoyable to fly around parks even with people around
I’ve been flying it around smaller places that I normally fly my micros so far… I haven’t been able to send it fully yet so I can’t wait to see how far I can push it… I’ll head to one of the areas I use my 5inch first just to make sure but it’s really nice having something with power but still being able to fly locally!
After using most flight sims, which do you recommend for a fellow newbie who wants to graduate from minis to 5” and train on a sim. Sim most similar to reality(and easy learning curve). Sim easiest for newbie. Thanks for your videos!
So the most accurate sim is velocidrone, the physics are pretty close to real life, but there isn’t a beginner tutorial inside the game you kind of have to watch the videos… which are worth watching because you’ll learn how to get the quad off the floor. DRL has probably the best tutorials (although they start you in angle mode making it harder to control when you go full manual later on). The DRL sim is pretty difficult though as you can’t feel the flight of the quad as well. For 5” freestyle fun I like lift off or uncrashed and lift off might even have the quad you have irl. The physics aren’t quite as good as velocidrone and they don’t really have a beginner mode but they are a lot of fun!
Honestly they're pretty comparable and either would be a good 5inch bind and fly. The only thing with he evoque for me is the additional weight of the side plates with LED's I would take those off to save some extra weight
I’ve managed to have a quick flight of one of those but it doesn’t feel like a freestyle quad… that said I may get one of those with the O3 air unit to replace my whoop in the video
I can really recomend getting the Babyhawk 2HD. I fly mine more then my 5" . Be sure to get the nebula pro camera, mine came with the polar but i swapped for the nebula. Tattu R-line 750mah is the sweetspot batterys for it
The babyhawk 2 is on my list, I’m hoping that it’ll get an update shortly to get an O3 in there but I’m considering getting one to fly around and then upgrade it myself
@@GarethDix got the o3 on my chimera and love it. But i prefer keeping the vista on my babyhawk. Its lighter and wont make me cry if i break it in a crash 😆
So true... the O3 on my Quadmula 3inch build has taken a beating so far as is still going... I know at some point it's going to hurt a lot having to replace it. But I'll try and get my hands on a baby hawk 2... maybe I just need to get every sub-250 BNF and do a video on them all haha!
@@GarethDix I’ve just ordered the cinelog25 to replace the one I broke and the mark 5 but freestyle version. I wanted Smart35 but ideally o3. The BabyHawk now has o3 but not crossfire option
I actually ordered my mk5 from a local company here in switzerland so it arrived the next day. My flywoo quads took around 3 weeks to get here with standard delivery. The mk5 is pretty much sold everywhere though so you should be able to find it locally rather than ordering directly from GEPRC.
also watch Joshua bradwell how to 10 FPV tricks where he also explains how to properly orbit, what u was doing i call lagged orbit, where you use momentum from flying straight, and bcs of that u get eggy shape of orbit
Would the baby hawk II HD be a good option for a new fpv pilot? Or is it better just to jump on a Mark5 and learn from that. I have very lil experience. I have an Avata but after several costly crashes cuz of the yaw of death i just stopped flying manual and only use normal/sports mode. I wanna get into real fpv but not sure where to start. I would really appreciate any advice from anyone. Thanks in advance
I’ve seen a lot of people say great things about the babyhawk… I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure how good or bad it is for a beginner. I guess it depends on what you want to do with the quad and whether you have the space to fly something bigger. Flying the 5inch is amazing in the wide open areas and when you throw it around it’s more forgiving because you can get on the throttle late as well as have the hang time to correct yourself. That said it’s powerful, fast and pretty big so can cause some real damage if you hit something with it… …but since that first flight I’ve crashed this a lot and it’s still going strong! I would personally still recommend starting with a cinewhoop, something like the cinelog 35 from GEPRC flies more like a normal quad than a cinewhoop but still has the stability and prop guards to make it a little easier to learn. Even flying my little 2” cinewhoop I didn’t get the yaw of death that the avata suffers from and I throw that around quite a lot… it’s not as fast as the avata though Hopefully others will chime in here too with more options
Someone else mentioned this on here awhile back and I removed the expo and it’s changed my flying completely over the past 4 months it’s so much easier without it!
are you sure completly sure like 100% and no doubt that u had to insure your drone, im not sure about switzerland but in Europe you are obligated IF its over 20kg
Yes in Switzerland you have to pretty much be insured for everything, but for drones anything over 250g requires insurance. You aren't insuring the drone per se, you are insuring yourself against liability for damages. But here we all have to have this as standard... but the policy doesn't typically cover flying drones it's an addendum.
@@NorthIT luckily I just changed my insurance to a provider than included it and it was about the same. Probably worth noting that in order to register as a pilot you also have to put your insurance details in
it has taken me awhile to get it and I do them a lot better now, but not perfect... best way is to think of yourself as flying past what you want to orbit and instead of trying to keep it in the middle try and keep in the left or right third of the goggles... try and do it slower that you think you need to but not too much!
Theoretically you can fly the DJI vista/link (video) 4km away and crossfire (control) around 20km. If you use the DJI O3 version it will go much further (depending on your goggles) The flight time depends on the battery you use and how you fly but typically around 5-6mins is normal, I’ve seen other RUclipsrs get ~9mins. If you fly gently or use a Li-ion pack you get more (but it’s less fun) or live somewhere that isn’t quite as cold as here.
There's a reason why I hadn't uploaded a new video in a year... I went into the rabbit hole of FPV and forgot that I should actually be making videos! The 5inch takes this whole thing to a completely different level though... but yes I think I've spent more on time and money on FPV than I have on photography in the last 12months... which is kinda scary!
I've build a few now and it's really addictive... repairs were fairly easy, especially on a 5inch where it was bigger, repairing those micros was a lot harder!
The 5inch has a weird size motor, it’s a Speedx2 2107.5 1950kv The 6s sub250g 3inch I just build has T-motor 1604 pacers which are extremely lightweight but rip hard
If you think 5" is big.. Just wait until you fly a 7". :) 5" doesn't scare me much.... But 7"... That's a whole different class and THOSE are scary! I have 2 of those built now along with a 6" and three 5" quads. Once you start flying bigger, you want even bigger. :) You stated you have expo.. Do you mean throttle expo too? If so... Try a linear throttle curve. :) Happy flying!
I knew as soon as I posted this someone was going to mention a 7"... I guess that will just have to happen at some point 😂 Although I have a friend who is building a 14" cinelifter... that's when I definitely felt like 5inches wasn't actually that big!
@@GarethDix Oh yeah. The Inspire/2, my pro rig... That thing has an AMAZING sound to it... but I definitely wouldn't want to get hit with those props... Ever. x.x But yeah, if you like 5"... You'll love 7". Until you crash it. :) One 7" (AOS UL7) is purely a camera rig because it's just fragile, the other is a Chimera7... I'll eventually freestyle it, but I don't want to wreck either of them... They're rather spendy and I can't replace anything right now. x.x Happy flying!
@@GarethDix Thanks! :) And I'm kindof the same... I've got them, but really don't want to crack 'em up just yet. I fly both of them rather carefully right now. lol... Working on control before I move to something that can do significant damage on a miscalculated move. x.x :)
My goal was FPV cinematics!! I've been flying for a few years now and have yet to make a trip to the countryside or seaside 🤣.. The UK weather ruins every day trip planned loool.
I hear you! I've taken my micro quads back to the UK with me every time I've been back in the past year... I've managed to have good enough weather to fly TWICE!!! But cinematic flying was something I really wanted when flying in the sim... then the reality of having to trek for an hour down a mountain to retrieve the footage from a quad after crashing it makes me think otherwise!
@@GarethDix I feel you on that one, long range retrieval could get you in all sorts of trouble too.. I have VIFLY lost model alarms on every quad bigger than a tinywhoop.. It saves so much hassle finding the thing.. The UK has some good weather this week, Hopefully the wind holds off and i can get motivated :)
This 5inch is the first one I have with a buzzer… you can see me trying to find it in the first 30secs of the video I would never have found it without the buzzer… I will be adding these to everything… it would have saved me hours already!
@@GarethDix Yeah without that buzzer you would of been looking a while, that grass was pretty long lol. They just seem to disappear in the grass don't they... My last rescue took me 5 hours and i even had to go home and get a pair of garden shears to cut through a blackberry bush..I would lose a quad every time without my lost model alarms.. TuneRC make an extra loud Buzzer with Built-in Driver Circuit, if you ever wanted something a bit louder without the hassle of having an alarm. Resetting the alarm every time you unplug the battery becomes a pain in the back side, and when they randomly go off in the middle of the night the noise is unreal..
5 hours?!! 😂 I think I spent about 2 hours looking for my cinewhoop once… it doesn’t have a buzzer so I had to arm and disarm it and listen out for the motors spinning! But yeah the beeping is pretty painful when it goes off unexpectedly. I’m trying to see if I have enough left in my sub250g build to add one but it might have to be without a battery
I’ve broken about 4 GoPros and 3 insta360’s on this 😂😂 I actually have the O3 upgrade parts for the frame but haven’t been flying it as much after building a 6s 3inch so now not sure if I’ll convert it over
As far as 250g 5inch I think people have ummagawd twofifty with lipo at 250g or under , I had a lightweight build called the rvs smol yeet v2 amd it was 250g maybe with a 750 6s and that thing was zippy till I lost it not having enough power to get back. It had the fettec fm 2104 motors and a light weight 35amp AIO .
I’ll probably build a 2Fiddy at some point, it’s a shame they don’t do the BNF version anymore as I would have included it in the Sub250g test video I did recently. But I am building a 3.5inch at the moment that should feel much more like a 5inch
I'm seriously confused by what you are saying about the drone rules, Switzerland is following EASA regulations that went in place in '21, and as long as you do fpv sub250g doesn't give you much in those
The 5inch quad I'm flying now requires certification to fly as it's over 250g... last year this wasn't required until you reached (I think) 2kg. Switzerland moved over to the EU regulations in January this year, prior to that the rules were a bit more lenient and there's a transitional category now which most FPV drones will fall into. If I use a slightly larger battery because this will take me over the 500g limit I also have do an in person exam (sub 900g - A2)... although this category won't exist in 2024
Hey. Great video. I’m thinking of getting one. I’ve only had avata 2 before. Amongst many gps drones. Is the experience transitioning pretty straight forward ? Also did you find setting it up binding etc easy enough?
if you’re comfortable flying with the avata 2 in full manual it should translate pretty well, but it’ll feel way more freeing. If you’re getting a 5 inch you’ll find it will also have A LOT more power too so go easy on it when you first get it. Setting up the quad isn’t quite as easy as the avata 2 though. If you’re using the DJI goggles + controller you’ll find it fairly easy to bind and it will fly straight out of the box although you’ll even tually want to start tweaking things in betaflight. If you’re using a different controller (and I’d recommend you do) if it’s crossfire binding is easy, for ELRS it’s a little more complicated but nothing a quick Joshua Bardwell video can’t help with. It’s worth it though you’ll love it!
@jamiegarner007 there’s a few reasons from better ergonomics of other radios, longer battery life and being able to fly more bind and flys (the majority come with ELRS now). But the main reason is with the DJI link, if you lose video you also lose control, with a separate receiver/radio you can lose video and still have a link to fly the drone, meaning you can usually climb higher and get the video link back. The only thing with FPV radios is they’re pretty confusing to set up out of the box for the first time if you’ve never done it before. You can always start with the DJI remote and move to a different radio later when you start flying further, and it’s a fairly simple upgrade to the drone (just 4 wires and a receiver)
@@GarethDix Hey Gareth, thanks for getting back to me. is it quite easy to just put a GPS on the drone . was thinking i could do that for time being. is that a hard process ? sorry for all questions . just really want to get this drone like today an be flying it tomorrow
@jamiegarner007 it’s easy to put it on but not so easy to set it up 🤣 I’m currently testing out an inflight Nazgûl Eco with a GPS already installed… it’s good for the additional telemetry but I don’t trust it to fly back to me.
try find people that fly fpv aswell meet up and go fly together its so much better to go fly with people that have the same interest as you do and you got the spotter problem solved aswell
As the great john mc'clane once said "welcome to the party pal" hahaha I run 0.25 throttle mid and 0.4 expo Play with your MID as well bro not just expo Will help alot, what your doing is correct flying low and doing coordinated turns as low as you can is best way to learn how to fly the quad... tricks come after that, or during hah
I’ll have a play around with the mid, I’m on about 0.5 mid and 0.6 expo. But yeah I don’t think I was ready for the power in that first flight, it’s much easier now but yes going back through the motions on every new quad really helps!
@@GarethDix yea just start by flyin low as you are bro i believe 90 percent of fpv control is throttle.... the rest is horizon locking on other axis's but the throttle is most important alot of ppl "bob" after a trick cuz they gas it too much comin out. Its pitch vs throttle
Yeah that bobbing drives me nuts after a trick, that was also the first time i flew on 6s… with my 4s quads you have to really jam the throttle on to stop your serious hitting the floor 😂 But thanks for all the tips, I appreciate it!
Since this flight I’ve moved back to no expo on throttle and it’s much better. But yes on this and a 6s I just built when I’m doing long fast runs in fairly straight lines I increase the camera angle as it helps!
When you only have two packs, have to travel an hour away to fly, no spares and very little flight experience… use the sim first… every new quad I get now I don’t need it, but back then an hour in the sim was the equivalent of 12 packs meaning about 12 hours of travel or 6 different days of flying
To be fair I thought the same last year when I started and then again when the DJI avata was released. Like it or not the dji system has made this way more accessible to people to get started
😂😂😂so if u dont have a spotter your not flying 👍i comend you for following the rules but it your in the middle of nowhere i think you'd be ok ,ive never used a spotter myself and ive been flying for 5 yrs 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲
It’s a little different in the US… Switzerland is big on the rules and I’m a guest here… and the swiss are very outdoorsy so the middle of nowhere still has a lot of people around. But my spotter is really useful for making sure I know where people are so I can stay away from them but that’s usually when I’m in the smalller areas in the city
Any suggestions for a Sub-250g freestyle quad that can fit an O3 air unit?
wait for the new betafpv pavo mini
Is that the tiny avata looking quad?
@@GarethDix yep. It honestly looks good especially for indoors
I'll keep my eyes on it for when it's released, I do want to upgrade my cinewhoop to an O3 as well and this looks like it could be a good option
I recently bought a Crux35 which has an Air unit, not 03 yet, but I was absoloutely blown away with the performance and the flight time! I would highly reccommend a 3.5" quad as its easily under 250g and lets you fly in more areas than a 5". I previousy had a cinewhoop which absoloutely sucked compared to this thing. on the exact same batteries (660 & 850mah 4s) I was easily getting 10-15min of freestyle flying! This drone is light enough to not destroy parts in a crash, and lets you progress much faster because of the crazy flight time!
Unless you're planning on carrying a hero 11 or something, there's absoloutely no reason to go for a 5", especially with these new rules on drones. It's cheaper, safer for the public, quieter, more power (power to weight and punch vs a 5") and almost double the flight time. You Cannot go wrong!! I have tried many drones from 40mm whoops to 7" high performance cinematic machines, and in my experience the 3.5" takes the cake by a long way!
If you're going to try a build, I'd highly reccommend the AOS 3.5 Frame with a budget f405 20x20 FC (it's better to buy 2 cheap FCs than one expensive one, ESPECIALLY if it's your first build.) You really don't need a high end Processor like the F7 for a smaller build and you WILL NOT be able to tell the difference, especially as a new pilot. You can afford to make mistakes and if the worst happens, you have a backup FC to use. If you manage to not make any mistakes and still have both FCs working, you have a backup for when your FC breaks eventually. I'd pare the frame with 2500 - 3500 KV 1404 or similar 4s motors.
You can save so much money going for a smaller build. The frame and parts are cheaper, batteries are more than half the price and get you almost twice the flight time and best of all, you feel more relaxed knowing that the drone you're flying can't really hurt someone or damage property too bad. A 5' on the other hand is literally a weapon that can seriously injure or damage property.
Now before you think I'm a 5" hater, I own and fly a GepRC Mark 5 (which was also my first 5") and a custom build apex 5". I also fly a custom built AOS 7". For me, my two favorite drones are my 40mm Moblite 7 Whoop and my Crux 35 3.5" toothpick because the'yre so much fun to fly just about anywhere and are so much less intimidating, even to me who's a pretty experienced pilot after flying FPV a lot for just over a year!
My biggest advice for building for the first time is: Buy your FC and ESC together as a Stack, dont mix and match different brands as it can get extremely confusing. Buy 6 or even 8 motors at once to make sure you have spares while they're still in stock. I'm sitting herre with a beautiful quad that's grounded because no compatiable spare motors are avaliable in my country. Practice soldering before your stuff arrives, because when it does, all you will want to do is build it, and if you haven't practiced enough with soldering, you could kill your FC without knowing why. I'm speaking all from experience here! If you have any questions I'm more than happy to help where i can!
“Go to the park and whip out my 5 inch”…sounds like a recipe for a court order! 😮 😂
😂😂😂 trying to keep a straight face on every mention of the 5inch was a struggle the whole way through recording this 😂
Nice of you to share that special moment! It's just magic...
Thank you so much! 😊 I hope this will get more people into FPV!
5inch is the best! The ratio of size, weight, power, nimbleness and agility is just spot on. So much fun to fly these things!
I was pretty sure that people were over hyping it... but now I realise why there's so much hype about it... it's incredible!
@@GarethDix I always loved flying, sicne I was little kid. My was flying RC planes, which was cool AF for me, but when I discivered FPV my mind was blow away. I now fly FPV for almost 7 years and I absolutely love it!
I wish you many joy with FPV drones, mate!
@@TomicaCZ I remember as a kid being at a show where they were flying RC planes LoS and that blew my mind a little... and then about 7-8 years ago seeing Charpu for the first time and my brain couldn't comprehend the physics of what a quadcopter could do. I get the feeling this hobby will continue to blow my mind for at least the next 7 years!
@@GarethDix Hi. I have absolutely awful image quality from my O3 air unit on Geprc Mark 5. If it sunny it looks like 720p when it’s slightly darker or sunset it literally looks like 480p. It is like that from the begining. No crashes.
I come from DJI FPV and footage from the same location, same day, few minutes later from DJI FPV is just insanely better - and O3 was meant to be better than DJI FPV camera that falls off big time in bad weather. This O3 quality on mine is shocking. Obviously all the settings checked multiply times, tried 60fps 4k and 120fps 4k too but same result. No errors, no problems, flies like a charm, not overheating, 6min flies on Tattu 1400 6s, amazing stabilisation everything is perfect - but actual footage is awful. Anyone anything?😞 I beg you.
@nonsenseexplorer do you have any footage uploaded? O3 quality in lowlight is pretty bad, but if it’s really bad in sunlight as well that doesn’t sound right.
I call throttle management "coordinated altitude" and it's a balance between pitch and throttle. increase pitch = increase throttle, decrease pitch = decrease throttle... drifting up a little, pitch forward a little... I have a tutorial on my channel about FPV drills that dives into basic flight theory im sure you'd find the info helpful! Cheers mate! welcome to 5 inch!
Thank you 🙏😊
Thinking of it that way makes a lot of sense, I’ll check out your channel thanks!
@@GarethDix Just hoping it helps ya out mate! Learning is such a journey!
We never stop learning! 🙌🏻
That's the kind of review I needed, thanks for sharing your experience! I started with the Mini 3 Pro, then moved to the OG Avata with the motion controller. Now I'm flying the Avata 2 in manual mode, and I'm excited to transition to more powerful 5-inch drones-Mark5 is definitely on my radar!
If you can fly the avata in manual you’ll feel like a 5inch is pure freedom. It’s so much faster and has way more power! Have fun!
Choose a 3.6 Manta its more durabal has almost the same Performance as a 5'' but its more durabel
@@MitsukiHashiba Thanks!
i started like 3 weeks ago and can relate to you. And enjoyed the video. nice work
ahh cool welcome to FPV... what are you currently flying and how are getting on with the first flights?
@@GarethDix i have a self build foxeer auroa v2, 5 inch. i have 30 hours in liftoff because it was super fun and radio took forever to come. so flying works good, but the tricks are super hard. also thottle control for slow flying is a bit iffy,but getting there i think.
Put yourself in a tighter level in the sim, I think in lift off the minus two level is really good because it forces you to fly slower and more controlled otherwise you’ll hit the ceiling.
Tricks wise start with yaw spins, split S and power loops, they’re easier and a little more forgiving on the timing of control.
great stuff, practise flying slow around grass and scrub, i think of it as a diff mode, i use throttle to go down and pitch to go up, combining normal 5inch ability with slow stuff through trees is my fav thing.
I do this a lot with my micros and started doing it with my 5inch after that first flight… the struggle with fine control took me by surprise as I’m pretty accurate with the little ones and just wasn’t expecting the power 😂
thanks for taking us along on your journey! I enjoyed this.. :)
Thank you so much!
Grats on getting flying on 5", its such a great feeling!
it's awesome... it has ruined the rest of FPV for me now though! 😂
I started out with an Avata too and now waiting for my geprc mk5 to arrive tomorrow. Can't wait to fling it around and become an FPV God too.
Film that first flight… your reaction will be priceless coming from the avata!
@@GarethDix good shout.
My 3.5” baby hawk surprised the heck out of me !!! It doesn’t carry quite like the 5 inch but man is that thing snappy !!! And gets you under 250
The baby hawk and the AOS 3.5 keep coming up in the comments... I've seen that Andy Kirby added an O3 and 6s to a baby hawk which makes me want to try that even more!
I saw Andy Kirby's video also. Pretty cool. I have a few quads with the 03 system in it now along with the goggles 2. When I decide to fly a quad with a Vista the difference still blows me away. I can't say enough about the baby hawk 2. It is also extremely quiet.. most 5-inch quads get a lot of attention when you push that left stick up a bit
I have 2 versions of AOS 3.5 and both O3 and original Babyhawk II HD. The Babyhawk is lighter, quieter, and has a MUCH longer flight time. I can't see any benefit in the flight performance of the AOS even though I wanted to. I'm a huge babyhawk ii hd fan.@@GarethDix
Sheesh, I applaud you for following the rules so intently...
When you are a guest living in another country you have to be more careful
@@GarethDix Fair enough; I wasn't saying it as a bad thing at all.
Glad you got your first 5 inch quad!👊🏻👊🏻
Thank you! It’s opened up a whole other side to this hobby! Not that I needed even more of a reason to go down the FPV rabbit hole 😂
I’m glad that we don’t have as many requirements to fly on the US, because it’s nice to be able to get out there and get some flight time. But my son and I are getting our part 1 in the US fairly soon and this was our intent anyways, but it’s nice to have the ability to recreationally fly without as many restrictions. I feel like we are going to have a lot of changes in the near future here in the US, so we’re are just trying to stay one step ahead and have a license.
The rules used to be pretty relaxed in Switzerland but they moved over to the EU version of the rules to be consistent which are a bit more stringent. From experience now the rules really only relate to areas I definitely wouldn’t fly a 5inch anyway because there’s quite a high concentration of people and largely unless you’re doing something dangerous or annoying other people it’s not so bad here. In the U.S. you have remote ID for anything over 250g though right? They changed the rules in the EU recently for the same but in Switzerland this doesn’t apply (yet)
learning a lower camera angle helps, people say jus learn what you are going to use but many quads are fixed angle or different scopes of angle so good to be able to fly any cam angle
This year I've been varying my camera angle depending on the flying... I generally have a 10-15 degree when I'm doing freestyle now, but lower for slow cinematic flying and at about 25-30 degrees for fast flying in a large area
I started out by "hacking" a $100 supermarket drone to make it acro and fpv. That one was super fun at the time. But later on, I built my first 5 inch, and holy crap. It was like going from a moped to a sportbike. The power was incredible. It's fun to see someone else learning the joy of the bigger drones. Have fun out there.🤪
That’s exactly the feeling! And weirdly because of the additional weight it feels soo much more stable at the same time! Hacking a supermarket drone would have been fun… I saw someone do it with a DJI phantom which was hilarious!
@@GarethDix haha, oh yeah i soldered in a new brushed motor acro flight controller, hot glued on the top one of those little camera/VTX combos and got a cheap Eachine set of box goggles. Also with simulators, all of it was a super fun new experience. But when I took off for the first time with my 5 inch 4s alien, it reminded me of when an old roommate let me ride his Honda 1000RR for the first time. Totally different awesome machine. Powerful, stable, and freaking scary as hell in the best way haha.
That sounds amazing 😂😂 you had the fastest “toy” drone on the planet 😂
But yes I think when I’m flying my micros I feel like I’m the one in control and pushing them to go faster… with the 5inch it felt more like it was pushing me to go faster and I had to hold on to slow it down 😂😂
@@GarethDix yeah, make sure you have a uh... "wide birth" while starting out haha. hold off blowing though 1 foot gaps full send with the 5er before a little more practice. it can get expensive quick, believe me lol. (but when you finally make it through those, it's pretty amazing hehe)
I mean I’m useless at controlling it in tight spaces… but going full send through a gap from 100m away for some reason seems much easier 😂
Although I’ve gone through A LOT of props already as a result
I remember you just starting out on the smaller drone. Very cool seeing you bump up to the next level👍That new one is amazingly fast 🏁
Thanks! It’s really fast… Which means it’s also addictive 😂
Same thing happened to me - I started to do Cinematic FPV and then ended up playing around with Freestyle quite a lot. Now to be fair I mainly due Cinematic stuff now, but yeah, freestyle was quite a rush!
Everytime I go out to fly something cinematic… I start with a couple of runs and then can’t resist going a little crazy and smashing it into the floor 😂
I also have Mark 5, but haven’t tried it yet. My first drone was Cinebot30… and i still fly it. Can’t wait until I try 5”
You’re going to love it… just make sure you’re in a large area as it moves way faster… but blip that throttle and flip it upside down and you’ll get why everyone loves a 5inch
@@GarethDix I wonder what makes a 5" drone to stay so floaty upside down in the air... My Cinebot30 goes down like a stone when I flip it during a flight (yes I drop the throttle to 0), so I have to watch it "more closely". :))))
@big7mac I think it’s partially because the additional mass means the momentum keeps going for longer as you fling it… I’m pretty sure if you just flipped upside down it would fall like the cinebot… but then the larger props might slow it a little
You saying your a fpv god has me in stitches 😂 great informative video bro 🙌🏻
😂😂😂 I still look back on that now a few months later wondering what was I thinking! 5inches will make you feel that way… wait that didn’t come out right
I got so good flying by flying tiny whoops....after learning on a sim I went to tiny whoops and now it's unbelievable how good I am at flying 5inch quads....unfortunately remote ID is coming and I'm a sub250g guy so I sold my 5 inch and got a 4inch sub250g and it's crazy how similar it is....imo the rekon 4fr is the best 4inch sub250g quad out!!!!! Its as close to a 5inch you will get and the power to weight ratio is insane! I spank the tish outta this thing and it just amazes me everytime!🤌🏼 Fly crash rebuild✌🏽
I'll take a look, I thought the rekon 4inch was a long range (similar to the flywoo explorer) so initially dismissed it, but does it freestyle like a 5inch? and are you using 4s or 6s with it? but sounds like it can take a hit which is great given how much I like to crash! 😊
Definitely try the Emax Tiny Hawk Freestyle 2… its analogue but you can pick them cheaply.. a small drone but powerful for pro’s & can be forgiving for beginners.. great vid 😀👍
It might be a little too small for me to get the feel of the 5inch but I’ve heard good things about it’s bigger brother the babyhawk 2 so will give that a go when they update it with the O3
I had the same experience with my first flight. The Throttle is really sensitive. Will try to practice some more this week if it stops raining.
It comes eventually… the 5inch just had sooooo much more punch than I was used to with the smaller ones but since filming this I can control it pretty well now
just change the center sensitivity
@@LAMB_SAUCE I’ve actually gone back to a linear throttle on my freestyle rates as it’s way more predictable still playing around with it for my cinematic profile
@@GarethDix what do you mean by linear throttle?
No expo you get the same increase in throttle from 0-100%
A good sub 250 is the GEPRC Smart35, really fun to fly ! Have a nice flight ✈️
I’ve been looking at getting one of these… they aren’t so easy to find in Switzerland. My biggest concern with it though is not being able to replace the arms (I crash A LOT)
@@GarethDix I live in Geneva and order already three of them directly from GEPRC without issues.
Did you get charged import duty though?
@@GarethDix no charge at all
@@olacfpv I’m ordering one tonight!
May I ask you please what simulator is that Ike it’s showing a skier ⛷️ jumping in big jump?
That’s a simulator called Tryp, it’s a lot of fun for cinematic flying but also great for chasing cars, dirt bikes, skiers and skydivers. It only has a few levels, but they are huge! The only issue for me is that the physics are a little off (think moon gravity) but otherwise it’s a good one to play around with
I absolutely have loved my babyhawk2hd. I converted it to the o3 system with crossfire. This is an amazing 3.5 in drone. Its is quiet, fast and feels similar to a 5 inch. Ive heard that emax may come out with an o3 version but i have not seen it yet. But doing a conversion was not too bad. It is by far my favorite drone because i can fly in in small or large areas.
I was literally thinking about buying the babyhawk2 yesterday (although I probably need to finish off the video on the 3inch that I just built first). But yes that was the plan I was going to try it out as so many people have mentioned it... then modify it to an O3 if I liked it. did you keep the aio the same or use a different one? I do hope they come out with an O3 version as here in Switzerland the AOS 3.5 Evo (with replaceable arms) is only a little more expensive with the O3 already installed. I do want to compare both of these to the one I built though, but you're right this size is great for flying around where there isn't as much space
@@GarethDix i kept the AIO. When I first made the conversion to the 03 system., I had a ton of vibration making it into the gyro in the camera. It's an extremely tight fit. I carved the plastic from the front standoffs to give it a little more space. That helped a little, but there were two other things that made the biggest difference. I drilled to new holes for the front standoffs a little back and a little out then took a grinder to the points of the top plate that we're just making it into camera view on the widest setting. Lastly I used rubber grommets when screwing the camera in. With those small modifications the vibrations were no longer an issue and I have Jello free video
Good to know, I would 3d print something for the camera as the O3 doesn't like being hard mounted. I run with a really low camera angle so I doubt the frame will get in the way. But good to hear you kept the same aio, the baby hawk has that weird shelf at the back for the vtx so I'm not sure I could stick a stack in there...
Babyhawk II HD and O3 versions ROCK. I LOOOOOVE them. My friends and I fly a fleet of them@@GarethDix
@danielfordice1668 I’m currently not having the best time with the babyhawk o3 but you’ll see why in my next video
ooo im also living in Switzerland and i just made the a1/a3 training it isnt how do you take the licens with you did you print it out? And i cant currenty fly cus i dont got a Spoter😭
I just keep a digital copy with me, but you can print it out if you think you’ll need it. It’s easier to get someone else into the hobby to be your spotter than to find a random person to help you 🤣
Love your Content! Keep up!
Thank you! I really appreciate it!
AOS 3.5, you will love it. I have 2.
So many people have mentioned the AOS 3.5 in the comments already... I think I'm gonna have to give this a go!
@@GarethDix I have one with 1504 3950kv w/EMAX AVAN, very fast the other using 1404's very smooth also fast. Both under 250 using 650 4s. I will build one more in 6s.
What size 6s battery are you using to keep it under 250g? I just got a few GNB 380’s but it took about 6 weeks to get them delivered (customs).
3:39 Where i can buy this bike? 😅😅😅😅
It’s called a Mate X… mine isn’t a standard one but the black one is… they come up secondhand a lot because the amount they’re selling them for new now is ridiculous!
What brand is your backpack?
This is a Nomatic Peter McKinnon 25L Everyday backpack. I actually use this as my main camera bag and it’s great… so I repurposed it for FPV… that said as I kept moving between bags I kept forgetting things so I now have a Beyond Earth rucksack which has been great over the last month or so
Hello there
Can you please provide the link for the training website, because i also live in Switzerland and i want to get into fpv as well.
Thank you
Here’s the link for the certification website. You don’t need to get separate training for the A1/A3 exam it’s easy enough and the official website gives you all the training you need before the examination so don’t pay someone else for this separately.
www.bazl.admin.ch/bazl/en/home/drohnen/uasgate/certificates.html
You’ll also have to register yourself a drone operator beforehand and get your operator number here www.bazl.admin.ch/bazl/en/home/drohnen/uasgate/registration.html
Let me know if you need any more info!
Gareth, What is the Sim that your on about that you used to practice and what is required to use the sim?
I actually used about 5 different sims. I would recommend Velocidrone (and get the tiny whoop pack) as it's the most accurate physics but it doesn't have lessons in the simulator. Liftoff is a lot of fun for freestyle and has some tutorials in simulator as well. In order to fly you just need a radio (I use a TBS Tango2 but I believe Radiomaster just released a cheaper alternative called a pocket) and a USB wire, when you plug it in and turn it on it should be detected by the simulator and you're good to go. Do some research on the radios though as if you think you'll fly for real you'll want to make sure you get one that you can use for awhile. I'd recommend getting something with either ELRS or Crossfire which are the two most common standards.
@@GarethDix thanks mate , brill 👍🏻 I will look into that . Keep up your great vids
No worries and if you have any issues let me know, I’m happy to help!
Hi Gareth! What a great video about your journey starting as a fpv pilot..! I’m in the spot you were about a year ago with ~10h in the simulator.
I saw that you added a custom GEPRC frame to liftoff simulator (2:22). Where did you get it from? I would love to use something that resembles the Mark5 right from the beginning. Maybe you are willing to share the blueprint? 😶🌫️
Greetings from Germany!
I would love to claim I made it but it's from the steam community workshop by a maker called Rawmilk. You can download it here: steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2851835716 all I've done is change the rates to what I'm used to but straight out it's pretty accurate to how the mark5 feels in real life. If you're going to fly a Mark5 for real though I would recommend a lot more time in the simulator and a wide open grassy area... my little micros I learned to fly with I crashed those soooooo much after only 10 hours in the simulator but being small and not very fast it took awhile before I had to repair anything. The mark5 travels really fast and weighs a lot more so after a few crashes you'll be repairing bits on it.
@@GarethDix Cheers mate! Thanks for your reply and sharing the link along with it..! 💚
Since I can't 'afford' a new hobby right now because I neither have the time nor the money required, I stick with the simulator for now. If I keep it up like this, flying a race or two every evening, I will have 90+ hours in the simulator when summer '24 arrives. At this point I might have some more free time and cash. At least I hope so... 😅
Thanks for your advice! Keep up the good work!
I put the hobby off for about 7 years because I had other priorities and I wish I had done what you were thinking and spent that time in the simulator. By the time you go to fly a real quad it should be second nature to you. There's a few things like Betaflight set up that you'll need to learn and binding the quad to your radio and goggles... but otherwise the main difference is just being less risk taking on the real thing because you have to repair or walk over to retrieve it! My only advice to you, is to learn how to land in the simulator as I just crash landed everything and then when it came to flying the real thing I didn't realise until I was already in the air that I had never practiced it! But good luck and if you need anything the community around FPV is soooooo helpful so any questions feel free to ask!
Oh yea can't go wrong with quadmula. I built one with o3 air unit and it's sub250 pair with a 4s 550mah battery. Fly just like a 5" and not easily affected by wind and gust. I usually fly it with 650mah which just go over by 4g, so can definitely shave off some weight here and there
That’s reassuring, I’m building a 6s one but the 380mah batteries were difficult to get here in Switzerland but I can’t wait to finish it and see how it flies. If I like it I might build a 4s one too as I have a lot of 4s batteries. What stack are you using with it?
@@GarethDix I ended up with the diatone mamba mini stack, have been using diatone stacks for nearly all my quads except some cinewhoop which I use foxeer AIO
I might give that a go, I just used a T-motor mini stack on that build but the diatone stack looks like it’s 1.5g lighter I’m coming in at 242g with the 380mah battery so shaving off that extra weight might let me use something bigger.
I have another F3 frame on the way as I’m loving that first build so far
@@GarethDix Samee, thinking to do another F3 build but with 6s this time, really love how small the quad is but the capability is similar to 5". Also much enjoyable to fly around parks even with people around
I’ve been flying it around smaller places that I normally fly my micros so far… I haven’t been able to send it fully yet so I can’t wait to see how far I can push it… I’ll head to one of the areas I use my 5inch first just to make sure but it’s really nice having something with power but still being able to fly locally!
After using most flight sims, which do you recommend for a fellow newbie who wants to graduate from minis to 5” and train on a sim. Sim most similar to reality(and easy learning curve). Sim easiest for newbie. Thanks for your videos!
So the most accurate sim is velocidrone, the physics are pretty close to real life, but there isn’t a beginner tutorial inside the game you kind of have to watch the videos… which are worth watching because you’ll learn how to get the quad off the floor. DRL has probably the best tutorials (although they start you in angle mode making it harder to control when you go full manual later on). The DRL sim is pretty difficult though as you can’t feel the flight of the quad as well.
For 5” freestyle fun I like lift off or uncrashed and lift off might even have the quad you have irl. The physics aren’t quite as good as velocidrone and they don’t really have a beginner mode but they are a lot of fun!
is it better than nazgul evoque f5d v2 03 air?
Honestly they're pretty comparable and either would be a good 5inch bind and fly. The only thing with he evoque for me is the additional weight of the side plates with LED's I would take those off to save some extra weight
Geprc Cinelog 20 does pretty good freestyle.
I’ve managed to have a quick flight of one of those but it doesn’t feel like a freestyle quad… that said I may get one of those with the O3 air unit to replace my whoop in the video
Also what ard you flying 4-6s ???sounds like 6s ?
It’s a 6s and I’ve just finished my second sub250g build both are 6s too
Is your drone a 4s or 6s?
The 5inch is a 6s the other two are 4s 😀
I can really recomend getting the Babyhawk 2HD. I fly mine more then my 5" . Be sure to get the nebula pro camera, mine came with the polar but i swapped for the nebula. Tattu R-line 750mah is the sweetspot batterys for it
Heres a video of it but im a noob only been flying for a couple of months 😆
ruclips.net/video/qocyHidEbtE/видео.html
The babyhawk 2 is on my list, I’m hoping that it’ll get an update shortly to get an O3 in there but I’m considering getting one to fly around and then upgrade it myself
@@GarethDix got the o3 on my chimera and love it. But i prefer keeping the vista on my babyhawk. Its lighter and wont make me cry if i break it in a crash 😆
So true... the O3 on my Quadmula 3inch build has taken a beating so far as is still going... I know at some point it's going to hurt a lot having to replace it. But I'll try and get my hands on a baby hawk 2... maybe I just need to get every sub-250 BNF and do a video on them all haha!
@@GarethDix you gonna love it, it's superfloaty ultralight with 3.5" and the small 1404 motors, but the power feels really good
Nice video and edit my friend. Subbed to you also. Next step is build your own. That a whole new world lol.
I finished my first build a couple of weeks ago and it’s been amazing!! And I weirdly enjoyed it 😂
What about the SMART 35?
It looks really good a few people have mentioned it… I wonder if I could upgrade it to an o3 air unit
@@GarethDix I’ve just ordered the cinelog25 to replace the one I broke and the mark 5 but freestyle version. I wanted Smart35 but ideally o3. The BabyHawk now has o3 but not crossfire option
Yeah the ELRS only is a kicker on the babyhawk… I could just replace it with a crossfire Rx but it’s slightly annoying they don’t have it as an option
@@GarethDix That's the deal breaker id rather the Smart35 and cost is lower as its not O3 so kinda an advantage
@DimmyV you’ll like a future video I’m working on 😉😉
How long did it take for your drone to arrive? And what kind of delivery did you choose? Thanks a lot
I actually ordered my mk5 from a local company here in switzerland so it arrived the next day. My flywoo quads took around 3 weeks to get here with standard delivery.
The mk5 is pretty much sold everywhere though so you should be able to find it locally rather than ordering directly from GEPRC.
also watch Joshua bradwell how to 10 FPV tricks where he also explains how to properly orbit, what u was doing i call lagged orbit, where you use momentum from flying straight, and bcs of that u get eggy shape of orbit
Thanks I'll check it out!
Would the baby hawk II HD be a good option for a new fpv pilot? Or is it better just to jump on a Mark5 and learn from that. I have very lil experience. I have an Avata but after several costly crashes cuz of the yaw of death i just stopped flying manual and only use normal/sports mode. I wanna get into real fpv but not sure where to start. I would really appreciate any advice from anyone. Thanks in advance
I’ve seen a lot of people say great things about the babyhawk… I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure how good or bad it is for a beginner.
I guess it depends on what you want to do with the quad and whether you have the space to fly something bigger. Flying the 5inch is amazing in the wide open areas and when you throw it around it’s more forgiving because you can get on the throttle late as well as have the hang time to correct yourself. That said it’s powerful, fast and pretty big so can cause some real damage if you hit something with it…
…but since that first flight I’ve crashed this a lot and it’s still going strong!
I would personally still recommend starting with a cinewhoop, something like the cinelog 35 from GEPRC flies more like a normal quad than a cinewhoop but still has the stability and prop guards to make it a little easier to learn.
Even flying my little 2” cinewhoop I didn’t get the yaw of death that the avata suffers from and I throw that around quite a lot… it’s not as fast as the avata though
Hopefully others will chime in here too with more options
If you want to help with throttle control, completely remove expo. Works really well for sticks but is really detrimental for throttle.
Someone else mentioned this on here awhile back and I removed the expo and it’s changed my flying completely over the past 4 months it’s so much easier without it!
@@GarethDix Right on, glad to hear it!
What sim are you using? 🤔
I typically favour velocidrone as it's the most accurate physics wise, but tryp, liftoff and uncrashed are a lot of fun too!
are you sure completly sure like 100% and no doubt that u had to insure your drone, im not sure about switzerland but in Europe you are obligated IF its over 20kg
Yes in Switzerland you have to pretty much be insured for everything, but for drones anything over 250g requires insurance. You aren't insuring the drone per se, you are insuring yourself against liability for damages. But here we all have to have this as standard... but the policy doesn't typically cover flying drones it's an addendum.
@@GarethDix well, I hope it isn't expensive at least
@@NorthIT luckily I just changed my insurance to a provider than included it and it was about the same. Probably worth noting that in order to register as a pilot you also have to put your insurance details in
i find myself struggling to do orbits around objects bot horizontal and very
it has taken me awhile to get it and I do them a lot better now, but not perfect... best way is to think of yourself as flying past what you want to orbit and instead of trying to keep it in the middle try and keep in the left or right third of the goggles... try and do it slower that you think you need to but not too much!
hello what is max flight time and maxdistance flight of this drone
Theoretically you can fly the DJI vista/link (video) 4km away and crossfire (control) around 20km. If you use the DJI O3 version it will go much further (depending on your goggles)
The flight time depends on the battery you use and how you fly but typically around 5-6mins is normal, I’ve seen other RUclipsrs get ~9mins. If you fly gently or use a Li-ion pack you get more (but it’s less fun) or live somewhere that isn’t quite as cold as here.
Do I see a new addict there 🧐😄 Welcome to the club buddy.
Before you'll know it camera gear will become second priority😂
There's a reason why I hadn't uploaded a new video in a year... I went into the rabbit hole of FPV and forgot that I should actually be making videos! The 5inch takes this whole thing to a completely different level though... but yes I think I've spent more on time and money on FPV than I have on photography in the last 12months... which is kinda scary!
@@GarethDix 😄 It is one of the most rewarding addictions though. And compliments on the flying!
So true! And thank you!
Build Your own kwad its a real good way to learn how to fix these guys ✌️🤙✌️🤠
I've build a few now and it's really addictive... repairs were fairly easy, especially on a 5inch where it was bigger, repairing those micros was a lot harder!
You fly very good
Thank you! I can’t wait to get used to the power of this thing and then show what I can do with it ☺️
Looking good 👍
Thank you so much! 😊
@@GarethDix if you need some 5“. I‘ve some, that are just lying around.
I think you should come back to the hobby! When I finish building this new quad we should give you the full digital experience with the O3 air unit
Was this 4s or 6s ?
This was 6s… and I just built a little sub250g 6s because the power is so addictive ☺️
@@GarethDix yea 100%
@@GarethDixwhat motors?
The 5inch has a weird size motor, it’s a Speedx2 2107.5 1950kv
The 6s sub250g 3inch I just build has T-motor 1604 pacers which are extremely lightweight but rip hard
Yes I totally agree 5 inches is the best!! But I think 3 inches is huge and has a good personality
😂😂😂 that should be the title of my next video
Flywoo explorer??
A few people have mentioned this and I might get one for cruising around but as a freestyle quad I’m not sure it’ll last too long (I crash a lot)
It’s hit to be worth a try imo.
If you think 5" is big.. Just wait until you fly a 7". :) 5" doesn't scare me much.... But 7"... That's a whole different class and THOSE are scary! I have 2 of those built now along with a 6" and three 5" quads. Once you start flying bigger, you want even bigger. :) You stated you have expo.. Do you mean throttle expo too? If so... Try a linear throttle curve. :) Happy flying!
I knew as soon as I posted this someone was going to mention a 7"... I guess that will just have to happen at some point 😂 Although I have a friend who is building a 14" cinelifter... that's when I definitely felt like 5inches wasn't actually that big!
@@GarethDix Oh yeah. The Inspire/2, my pro rig... That thing has an AMAZING sound to it... but I definitely wouldn't want to get hit with those props... Ever. x.x But yeah, if you like 5"... You'll love 7". Until you crash it. :) One 7" (AOS UL7) is purely a camera rig because it's just fragile, the other is a Chimera7... I'll eventually freestyle it, but I don't want to wreck either of them... They're rather spendy and I can't replace anything right now. x.x Happy flying!
Maybe I need to get less crash happy before I move to a 7inch 😂😂 I’ve subbed to your channel so I can’t wait to see what you do with it!
@@GarethDix Thanks! :) And I'm kindof the same... I've got them, but really don't want to crack 'em up just yet. I fly both of them rather carefully right now. lol... Working on control before I move to something that can do significant damage on a miscalculated move. x.x :)
That’s how I felt about flying a 5inch so I can imagine how you’re feeling with 7!
My goal was FPV cinematics!! I've been flying for a few years now and have yet to make a trip to the countryside or seaside 🤣.. The UK weather ruins every day trip planned loool.
I hear you! I've taken my micro quads back to the UK with me every time I've been back in the past year... I've managed to have good enough weather to fly TWICE!!! But cinematic flying was something I really wanted when flying in the sim... then the reality of having to trek for an hour down a mountain to retrieve the footage from a quad after crashing it makes me think otherwise!
@@GarethDix I feel you on that one, long range retrieval could get you in all sorts of trouble too.. I have VIFLY lost model alarms on every quad bigger than a tinywhoop.. It saves so much hassle finding the thing.. The UK has some good weather this week, Hopefully the wind holds off and i can get motivated :)
This 5inch is the first one I have with a buzzer… you can see me trying to find it in the first 30secs of the video I would never have found it without the buzzer… I will be adding these to everything… it would have saved me hours already!
@@GarethDix Yeah without that buzzer you would of been looking a while, that grass was pretty long lol. They just seem to disappear in the grass don't they... My last rescue took me 5 hours and i even had to go home and get a pair of garden shears to cut through a blackberry bush..I would lose a quad every time without my lost model alarms..
TuneRC make an extra loud Buzzer with Built-in Driver Circuit, if you ever wanted something a bit louder without the hassle of having an alarm. Resetting the alarm every time you unplug the battery becomes a pain in the back side, and when they randomly go off in the middle of the night the noise is unreal..
5 hours?!! 😂 I think I spent about 2 hours looking for my cinewhoop once… it doesn’t have a buzzer so I had to arm and disarm it and listen out for the motors spinning!
But yeah the beeping is pretty painful when it goes off unexpectedly. I’m trying to see if I have enough left in my sub250g build to add one but it might have to be without a battery
Keep it up brotha!! Get a GoPro for it and you will be set!!
I’ve broken about 4 GoPros and 3 insta360’s on this 😂😂
I actually have the O3 upgrade parts for the frame but haven’t been flying it as much after building a 6s 3inch so now not sure if I’ll convert it over
Sweet video and dialog . Im in my 2nd year of fpv and currently have 48 quadcopters . No really ! Lol , oops.
As far as 250g 5inch I think people have ummagawd twofifty with lipo at 250g or under , I had a lightweight build called the rvs smol yeet v2 amd it was 250g maybe with a 750 6s and that thing was zippy till I lost it not having enough power to get back. It had the fettec fm 2104 motors and a light weight 35amp AIO .
I’ll probably build a 2Fiddy at some point, it’s a shame they don’t do the BNF version anymore as I would have included it in the Sub250g test video I did recently. But I am building a 3.5inch at the moment that should feel much more like a 5inch
I'm seriously confused by what you are saying about the drone rules, Switzerland is following EASA regulations that went in place in '21, and as long as you do fpv sub250g doesn't give you much in those
The 5inch quad I'm flying now requires certification to fly as it's over 250g... last year this wasn't required until you reached (I think) 2kg. Switzerland moved over to the EU regulations in January this year, prior to that the rules were a bit more lenient and there's a transitional category now which most FPV drones will fall into. If I use a slightly larger battery because this will take me over the 500g limit I also have do an in person exam (sub 900g - A2)... although this category won't exist in 2024
The 2Fiddy is a sub 250gm freestyle quad. Go see Tommy.
I wanted to get one as a BNF for the test in my latest video but they don’t come pre built anymore but I have plans to build one in the future
Hello Gareth! We'd like to collaborate with you. Please let us know how we can get in touch with you.
nice vid
Thank you 🙏🏻🙏🏻
Hey. Great video. I’m thinking of getting one. I’ve only had avata 2 before. Amongst many gps drones. Is the experience transitioning pretty straight forward ? Also did you find setting it up binding etc easy enough?
if you’re comfortable flying with the avata 2 in full manual it should translate pretty well, but it’ll feel way more freeing. If you’re getting a 5 inch you’ll find it will also have A LOT more power too so go easy on it when you first get it.
Setting up the quad isn’t quite as easy as the avata 2 though. If you’re using the DJI goggles + controller you’ll find it fairly easy to bind and it will fly straight out of the box although you’ll even tually want to start tweaking things in betaflight.
If you’re using a different controller (and I’d recommend you do) if it’s crossfire binding is easy, for ELRS it’s a little more complicated but nothing a quick Joshua Bardwell video can’t help with.
It’s worth it though you’ll love it!
@ thank you so much for the advice. That’s really handy to know. What’s the story with another controller ?
@jamiegarner007 there’s a few reasons from better ergonomics of other radios, longer battery life and being able to fly more bind and flys (the majority come with ELRS now). But the main reason is with the DJI link, if you lose video you also lose control, with a separate receiver/radio you can lose video and still have a link to fly the drone, meaning you can usually climb higher and get the video link back.
The only thing with FPV radios is they’re pretty confusing to set up out of the box for the first time if you’ve never done it before.
You can always start with the DJI remote and move to a different radio later when you start flying further, and it’s a fairly simple upgrade to the drone (just 4 wires and a receiver)
@@GarethDix Hey Gareth, thanks for getting back to me. is it quite easy to just put a GPS on the drone . was thinking i could do that for time being. is that a hard process ? sorry for all questions . just really want to get this drone like today an be flying it tomorrow
@jamiegarner007 it’s easy to put it on but not so easy to set it up 🤣 I’m currently testing out an inflight Nazgûl Eco with a GPS already installed… it’s good for the additional telemetry but I don’t trust it to fly back to me.
As legend goes I whipped out my 5 inch 😂
I thought I got away without anyone noticing that 😂😂
Next video: whipping out my 3inch because my 5inch was too big 😂
try find people that fly fpv aswell meet up and go fly together
its so much better to go fly with people that have the same interest as you do and you got the spotter problem solved aswell
I've been looking but not many people near me where I live... however I have a plan for that... which will be coming in a future video 😊
As the great john mc'clane once said "welcome to the party pal" hahaha
I run 0.25 throttle mid and 0.4 expo
Play with your MID as well bro not just expo
Will help alot, what your doing is correct flying low and doing coordinated turns as low as you can is best way to learn how to fly the quad... tricks come after that, or during hah
I’ll have a play around with the mid, I’m on about 0.5 mid and 0.6 expo. But yeah I don’t think I was ready for the power in that first flight, it’s much easier now but yes going back through the motions on every new quad really helps!
@@GarethDix yea just start by flyin low as you are bro i believe 90 percent of fpv control is throttle.... the rest is horizon locking on other axis's but the throttle is most important alot of ppl "bob" after a trick cuz they gas it too much comin out.
Its pitch vs throttle
Yeah that bobbing drives me nuts after a trick, that was also the first time i flew on 6s… with my 4s quads you have to really jam the throttle on to stop your serious hitting the floor 😂
But thanks for all the tips, I appreciate it!
@@GarethDix all g welcome to the community its a fun ride!
Frustrating too haha
Happymodel Crux 35.
a couple of people have mentioned this one... I'd never heard of it before but it looks pretty good!
@@GarethDix I believe there is a DJI vision system version that will work with the DJI goggles.
It looks a little light to have the fling of a 5 inch though
@@GarethDix it’s under 250 grams, with a 4s battery. No, it doesn’t compare to a 5”. But, it can be flung around okay.
I think I’ll be trying this one out as well!
its not throttle expo its camera angle too low i guess
Since this flight I’ve moved back to no expo on throttle and it’s much better. But yes on this and a 6s I just built when I’m doing long fast runs in fairly straight lines I increase the camera angle as it helps!
Search Quadmula 3.5. Good luck
you mean like at 8:34? 😁
Yeah, there. Lol. Sorry, man. I was watching at work. Bk & forth. Missed it. BTW, you have to start sometime.
No worries… but that F3 frame looks sooo good I’ve already almost finished it and can’t wait to fly it
Has any one done “that’s what she said” yet?
Hahahaha… my gf is always calling me out of my use of the term “my 5inch”
Attach an invisible helium balloon to the quad at weigh-ins
I'm pretty sure the po po will notice that... maybe for the purposes of my RUclips videos though.... haha
Bro, move to Serbia 😆 big FPV community, race teams, plus everyone speaks English, and cops consider FPV to be toys 😂
I’m on my way right now! 🙌🏻
Here in Ukraine we also have a big fpv communities
I’m moving
Who the hell trains on a sim? I just send it and good every time
When you only have two packs, have to travel an hour away to fly, no spares and very little flight experience… use the sim first… every new quad I get now I don’t need it, but back then an hour in the sim was the equivalent of 12 packs meaning about 12 hours of travel or 6 different days of flying
Why is the entire world clamping down on out FPV hobby at the same time? Isn't that weird?
To be fair I thought the same last year when I started and then again when the DJI avata was released. Like it or not the dji system has made this way more accessible to people to get started
*promosm*
😂😂😂so if u dont have a spotter your not flying 👍i comend you for following the rules but it your in the middle of nowhere i think you'd be ok ,ive never used a spotter myself and ive been flying for 5 yrs 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲
It’s a little different in the US… Switzerland is big on the rules and I’m a guest here… and the swiss are very outdoorsy so the middle of nowhere still has a lot of people around.
But my spotter is really useful for making sure I know where people are so I can stay away from them but that’s usually when I’m in the smalller areas in the city
If only women thought 5" was amazing I'd be king sht with my 6 inch "drone".
Hahahahahaha!! Trying to film this video was a lot of me smirking and laughing at all the innuendo of mentioning my 5inch 😂
try 7 inch
As soon as I posted this I knew the 7inch pilots would chime in 😂😂
@@GarethDix 10 even more fun lol
😂😂 A friend of mine is building a 14” I might need a bit more practice before I try that one 😂😂
Tiny trainer v2
I did look at this a little while ago, but I thought it was only for racing... is it any good for freestyle?
@@GarethDix I believe so. Just out of stock everyware
Just don’t get caught. EZ
Caught = getting deported
these drone rules are getting ridiculous
Just hoping remote ID doesn’t make its way here too
You’re still not into FPV
I know, I need at least another 6 quads before I can say I'm even scratching the surface
@@GarethDix don’t worry I keep it up you’ll be a great RUclipsr in no time