You are on page 1of 92

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014

M
U
L
T
I
R
O
T
O
R

P
I
L
O
T

V
O
L

3

O
C
T
O
B
E
R
/
N
O
V
E
M
B
E
R

2
0
1
4



B
L
A
D
E

3
5
0

Q
X
2

A
P

C
O
M
B
O



G
R
Y
P
H
O
N

D
Y
N
A
M
I
C
S

X
8



X

A
I
R
C
R
A
F
T

S
U
P
E
R

X

F
L
I
G
H
T

C
O
N
T
R
O
L
L
E
R



D
J
I

H
D
-
3
D

3
-
A
X
I
S

B
R
U
S
H
L
E
S
S

G
I
M
B
A
L



I
N
T
E
R
V
I
E
W

W
I
T
H

P
E
T
E
R

S
A
C
H
S
WHATS INSIDE.
6 MULTIROTOR PILOT
FEATURES
16 Multirotors to the rescue!
A different view of the hobby
by Bob Alberding
36 Its a Bird, Its a Plane,
Its Chicken Wings!
Worlds rst aerial chicken
wing delivery
by Erick Royer
30 Interview with Peter Sachs
Drone lawyer and pilot
by Petr Hejl
56 Demolition Derby
A view from above
Smash em up, crash em up!
by Petr Hejl
PILOT REVIEWS
20 Blade 350QX2 AP Combo
Live the aerial video experience
by Joe Cannavo
42 Sky-Hero Spyder
The worlds most versatile quad
by Erick Royer
52 Lumenier QAV400
FPV Quadcopter
400mm FPV hot rod!
by Joe Cannavo
58 Gryphon Dynamics GD-X8
1400mm Folding Frame
The massive, heavy-lift quad
by Joe Papa
68 Heli-Max 230 Si
Serious fun for all quad pilots
by Eric Jordan
78 Encore RC Invertix 400
by Matt Maziarz
PILOT PROJECT
32 Spidex 3D Printed Micro FPV
Quadcopter
3D printed, snap-together design
by Erick Royer
PRODUCT REVIEWS
24 X Aircraft Super X Flight
Controller with OSD and
2-Axis Gimbal
Theres a new ight controller
on the block!
by Erick Royer
46 Revolectrix Dual
PowerLab 8 2688w
Battery Workstation
by Joe Papa
64 Quanum DIY FPV
Goggle set with monitor
FPV for under $30 bucks!
by Joe Cannavo
56
12
68
FIRST LOOK
12 Ares Ethos FPV
Finally a real, affordable
FPV multirotor
by Joe Cannavo
HOW TO
72 Prevent a Crash
with Telemetry
by Joe Papa
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
62 DJI H3-3D Gimbal
The smoothest GoPro
fottage yet!
by Petr Hejl
66 Blade 350 QX
Carry Case
by Joe Cannavo
70 Secraft Radio
Transmitter Tray
by Jon R. Barnes
82 DJI iOSDs-Mark II
and Mini
Real-time ight data made
easyby Joe Cannavo
COLUMNS
8 Editorial
10 Multirotor
DIY 3D Printing
What would your dream
multirotor look like?
by Erick Royer
38 Visual Tech
GoPro Part 2
White balance, eld of view,
Protune and GoPro Studio
by John Kopec
90 Return to home
Parachutes arent just for
skydivers anymore!
by Matt Maziarz
58
20
32
82
36
The FAA and Our Industry
LIFT.OFF
E D I T O R I A L
Editor-In-Chief GREG VOGEL
Executive Editor ERICK ROYER
Associate Editor MATT MAZIARZ
Associate Editor TONY PHALEN
Technical Editor & Test Pilot JOE PAPA
Creative Editor & Test Pilot PETR HEJL
Copy Editors SIRI WHEELER, JENNIFER RUSSELL
Editorial Coordinator CINDI VANDEMARK
C O N T R I B U T O R S
JON R. BARNES, JOE CANNAVO,
PETR HEJL, ERIC JORDAN, JOHN KOPEC,
MATT MAZIARZ, JOE PAPA
A R T / D E S I G N
Design Director ALAN PALERMO
Art Director VICTORIA HOWELL
Corporate Photographer WALTER SIDAS
Staff Illustrator DAVID BAKER
Web Developer and Design TONY PHALEN
Web Content Manager JEFFREY WARNER
M A R K E T I N G
Consumer Marketing Director NED BIXLER
Marketing Manager SIRI WHEELER
Hobby Shop Manager WHIT CAMPBELL
A D V E R T I S I N G
Advertising Sales Manager RICHARD HAUPTNER
Account Executive GREG SMITH
Advertising Coordinator CINDI VANDERMARK
P R O D U C T I O N
Production Manager BOBBI-JO BALDWICK
P U B L I S H I N G
Publisher SHARON WARNER
Associate Publisher NED BIXLER
Editor-in-Chief GREG VOGEL
Executive Assistant to Publisher SIRI WHEELER
C O R P O R A T E
CEO SHARON WARNER
President & Chief Financial Officer ELLEN BALL
Corporate Editorial Content Director GREG VOGEL
PRINTED IN THE USA
8 MULTIROTOR PILOT
Multirotor Pilot (ISSN 2334-0827)
Copyright 2014, all rights reserved
by Maplegate Media Group
42 Old Ridgebury Road
Danbury, CT 06810, USA.
MULTIROTOR
PILOT
OCT OBE R/NOVE MBE R 201 4
facebook.com/multirotorpilot
If you have not heard the buzz about the FAAs latest restrictions and how they
impact our hobby, then perhaps you have been living under a rock. It has been
the hot topic on every forum, community website and social media site since
the agency released their What Can I Do with My Model Aircraft? infographic a
few weeks ago. As the Executive Editor of three of the most popular radio control hobby
magazines in the industry, I have been taking in a lot of what is being said and trying to
process it. I chose not to are up and shout from my proverbial soapbox like many do
anonymously online. I know I have the ears of a large audience,
but since the regulations are changing and the AMA is work-
ing tirelessly with the FAA to rene them, I did not want to
post an article in print only to have the information be out-
dated in a matter of weeks.
I, for one, can totally understand why the FAA reacted
the way they did. All you need to do is go to YouTube or
set up Google Alerts for the word Drone and you can
consume more negative info than you would ever want to
see on improper use of RC aircraft. While drones, and I HATE
that word, (I prefer multirotor or even UAV) seem to be the main
target, the regulations affect model aircraft as well. At any time online,
and often on the evening news as well, you can watch videos of machines ying
way above the 400 foot ceiling that we are allotted for RC aircraft ight. You can see
machines ying in restricted airspace, over crowds with no regard for public safety and
even see them crashing into buildings and, sadly, people. How can the FAA not want to
restrict this? The worst part is that these careless pilots represent such a small fraction
of the RC community but they seem to be having the greatest impact. Due to the sensa-
tionalism of our media and the fact that negative actions make much better news than
positive actions, the general public sees these machines, again focusing on the word
DRONE, as a nuisance. They see them as invading privacy and being very dangerous. Its
sad that a hobby that has been around for decades, a hobby that has brought families
closer together and that teaches valuable skills
for children and adults alike, is all of a sudden
in the limelight in such a negative way.
While I could go on and on here, I sim-
ply dont have the space. I do want to urge
all of our readers to be safe, continue to
abide by the rules outlined by the AMA as we
have been for years, dont take risks that will
endanger people, property or the reputation
of our great hobby, and most of all, spread
the positive word about our hobby. If you are
with your multirotor and someone comes
by and calls it a drone and shares their neg-
ative impressions about what they think the
machine is, take a few minutes and educate
them. You will be surprised how easy it is to
change someones way of thinking.
I really want to hear your thoughts and
comments. My direct email is
erickr@maplegatemedia.com.
Until next month
Erick Royer, Executive Editor
erickr@maplegatemedia.com
p y
udience,
work-
to
ut-
o
HATE
e main
y time online
10 MULTIROTOR PILOT
MULTIROTOR
DIY
by Erick Royer
In the rst issue of MultiRotor Pilot magazine, I designed
and 3D-printed an FPV quadcopter using an Ultimaker
2 3D printer. I made all of the les available for free
to readers of the magazine and I have corresponded with many
people who have printed and own as well as modied the design
to their liking. I was atered by all of the positive emails I got, not
only praising the design but also making suggestions as to how
it can be improved. Unfortunately, with my workload here at the
magazine, I have not been able to design a new machine in time for
this issue, but I spoke with the people at Ultimaker and we came
up with an idea to collaboratively design a multirotor with our
readers.
Ultimaker manages a website called YouMagine.com where
users share designs of all kinds of 3D printed parts. Our nal
design is available on their website as well as on our magazines
website. To make this happen we are going to host a forum which
you can visit at ultimo.kr/MultiRotor and share your ideas as to
what you think would make the ultimate multirotor machine that
anyone can print on a 3D printer.
There is a lot to consider with a project like this, from what type
of machine (quad, hex, octo) to how large it should be. We need
to understand the limits of most hobby 3D printers on the market
and keep the largest parts within their capabilities. Designing a
machine where you need to hire a professional 3D print house
to print defeats the purpose of this project. We also have to
consider the motors, speed controls and props that this machine
will require. I envision that this will be a machine that can use
inexpensive components. I obtained the components for my FPV
Quad from HobbyKing, as they oer a ton of motors, ESCs, props
and controllers. It would be great to design a machine that not only
performs well but is inexpensive to build.
If you would like to be involved in this project, please visit
ultimo.kr/MultiRotor and post your ideas. We will close the thread
in the forum on September 15th and begin to compile all of the
comments to come up with the design, at which point we will be
looking for help from anyone who has CAD experience that would
like to assist with the parts designs.
If you have any questions or comments on this project, you can
contact me directly at erickr@maplegatemedia.com. We look forward
to working as a team to create the Ulti-Multirotor! =
DYI 3D Printing
What would your dream multirotor look like?
It was only a mater of time before a manufacturer came to
market with a sub-$300 FPV quad that oered live video
transmission to a real monitor rather than via WiFi to a cell
phone. It is a happy day as I write this because I have been
looking and waiting for such a machine for over a year now. There is no
shortage of micro quads that have on-board cameras; however none of
them transmit live video to the pilot. Other popular machines are much
more expensive and they rely on a proprietary WiFi signal to transmit
video back to a cell phone or other mobile device to view live video
which, at best, still
has some amount of
latency. Leave it to
Firelands to launch the
new Ares Ethos FPV
quadcopter last month
at the annual Hobby
Town USA show. This
is the machine that I
have been waiting for, not be-
cause I have a lack of higher end
aerial video systems, but because
there are so many times where
I just want to get some video,
either in a location that might
put a more expensive machine
at risk or where I simply dont
want to lug a bigger machine out
with all the support equipment.
The Ares Ethos FPV lls a void
in the market and from our rst
looks, it seems like it will do an
excellent job.
As I write this, the machine
just came to our o ce and
because of our printers deadline,
we did not have enough time
to fully test and review it. But
12 MULTIROTOR PILOT
ARES
MULTIROTOR PILOT
FIRST LOOK
By Joe Cannavo Photos Walter Sidas
Ethos FPV
Finally a real, affordable FPV multirotor
SPECS
LENGTH: 11.5 in. (292.1mm)
LENGTH INCLUDING ROTORS: 18.75
in. (476mm)
HEIGHT: 5 in. (127mm)
ROTOR DIAMETER: 7.75 in. (196mm)
WEIGHT WITH BATTERY: 11 oz.
MOTORS: (4) 350-size brushed
BATTERY: 2S 7.4V 1200mAh LiPo
CHARGER: 2S 600mAh
AC TRANSMITTER: 2.4GHz 4-channel
with two channels for camera operation
LCD SCREEN: 4.5 in.
LCD SD CARD: 4GB
ON-BOARD ELECTRONICS: 5-in-1
control board
CAMERA PHOTO RESOLUTION:
1600 x 1200 JPEG
AVI VIDEO RESOLUTION: 720p at
30fps
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 13
rather than wait until next issue, I decided to give you a rst look at this cool FPV quad and will oer
a full review in the next issue.
The Ethos FPV comes in two versions; RTF (ready to y) and WOT (without transmiter). The
pre-release sample we got to test was the RTF version. It comes complete with everything you need
to get recording from the air right away, including the charger, batery, 6-channel transmiter and the
FPV monitor. The copter itself is a very good size, measuring 18.75 inches including the rotors, which
make it perfect for ying outdoors on calm-wind days. The larger size also makes it easier to see
when ying farther away from you. The heart of the Ethos FPV is, of course, the camera, monitor and
real-time live video transmission system. The camera module has the video transmiter built into the
unit which transmits to the 4.5-inch LCD monitor with a self-contained video receiver. The camera
itself records video to an included 4GB microSD card at a resolution of 720p at 30fps. It will also take
stills at 1600x1200 pixels in JPEG le format. The
camera controls can be operated from the trans-
miter as well.
At rst glance the new Ares Ethos FPV quad-
copter looks to be a very capable FPV and aerial
video platform and with a price of less than $300,
there is a lot of value in this machine as well. Look
for our full review in the next issue. Availabilty-
Mid-September 2014. =
CONTACTS
ARES ares-rc.com
HOBBY TOWN USA hobbytown.com
For more information, please see our source guide
on page 89.
Above: The Ethos FPV quad is powered by
four 350-size motors and the shafts are sup-
ported by ball bearings. Right: The camera
mount is dampened to reduce the jello effect
in the recorded video.
16 MULTIROTOR PILOT
TO THE RESCUE!
MULTIROTORS
by Bob Alberding (Foreword by Matt Maziarz) Photos by Bob Alberding
Whether youre into the multirotor side of RC aircraft or not, the sensation-
alized news stories regarding the machines are hard to miss these days. Tall
tales of evil drones piloted by unscrupulous folks who have nothing but
the most malicious intentions can easily, and often, be found in all types
of media coverage. The fact of the maer is that very few of us, if any at all,
actually have plans to use our multirotors for anything illegal. Such negative
connotations regarding the camera-carrying rigs in the sky is a direct result
of exaggeration that is amplied to garner aention in order to gain more
readers or viewers. Fear of the unknown is also a key selling point for all
the drone stories on the web and on TV nowadays. Privacy is the driving
factor when adding a high-denition camera to a stable aerial platform,
but it makes one wonder why the folks who are determined to deem our
multirotors as illegal and have them banned altogether seem to be quite
comfortable with the thousands of cameras that they are surrounded by
every day. Whether its the cell phone in just about anyones pocket thats
equipped with the latest HD camera, tra c cams mounted on stop lights,
ceiling-mounted dome cameras in your local department store or even the
obligatory tourist with their new hundred-mega-pixel SLR camera strapped
around their neck, cameras are everywhere, regardless of what hobby-grade
machines might be carrying in our skies. With so much negative aention
given to these camera rigs, we here at MultiRotor Pilot magazine felt it was
our duty to bring some feel good type stories to the forefront in order to
dispel some of the myths, while highlighting the positive inuence that
these machines can have in our society. The following is a piece wrien
by RC helicopter and multirotor enthusiast, Bob Alberding. A resident of
coastal New Jersey, he witnessed rst-hand the devastation to his town and
state after the onslaught of ooding and wind damage brought on by Super-
storm Sandy. Following the storm, he felt he had a moral obligation to his
neighbors and local residents to put his ying skills to good use and to do
his part to help out wherever and however he could.
FOREWORD
A different view of the hobby
My name is Bob Alberding. I am
34 years old and a single father
of two kids, my son Aaron who
is 10 and my daughter Payton who is eight.
I was born and raised in Point Pleasant
Beach, New Jersey, and I now live close
by in Bricktown. I have been in the hobby
for about four years now, having started
o with RC helicopters. I quickly became
addicted to ying 3D and I picked up on
it rather quickly. In October of 2012, Hur-
ricane Sandy hit the Jersey Shore and we
were devastated. My kids, who live with
their mother a few days out of the week,
had six feet of water ow through the
downstairs of their house along with many
neighbors, some of whom lost everything.
On social media, there were many pictures
of storm damage posted by many folks,
but the aerial shots were the ones that gave
residents the full scope of the devastation
and impact of the storm. Most of them were
from full-scale planes and helicopters, but
there was one that I came across from a
local guy using a multirotor. I was hoping
to see more pictures than the few that he
had posted, but was unsuccessful at nding
any more. Around this time, I was a 3D heli
pilot and had lile to no interest in multi-
rotors, but the recent events and resulting
damage made me rethink the purpose and
validity of camera-carrying platforms.
At this point, I wanted to get some
pictures of my hometown and others, so
I started save to get my own multirotor. I
am a rep at Heliproz so I contacted them
to see what sort of airframe they might
recommend to suit my needs. They sug-
gested the DJI f550 since I mentioned that
I wanted to eventually carry a slightly
bigger camera than a GoPro. I started
out with a DJI f550 with a cheap 2-axis
servo-driven scorpion gimbal to carry a
GoPro Hero3 black edition, both
controlled by an original Naza M unit
with GPS. I also got a set of carbon ber
landing gear from Multirotor Solutions
and a VTX and monitor from Ready
Made RC so I could frame up my shots
more e ciently. After my initial ights,
I purchased a Sony Nex 5N and an ASP
2-axis brushless gimbal from RC Timer,
which made the poor GoPro start to collect
dust since the quality of the photos with
the Sony were amazing. By January of
2013, I was in the air geing some storm
damage pictures with the GoPro. Though
my initial ights were made a good few
months removed from the date of the
storm, the damage that had been caused
was still readily apparent as many prop-
erties had not yet been surveyed. Even
to this day, the changes in the landscape
of the environment as well as structures
are still obvious. I began posting my pics
and footage on Facebook (facebook.com/
remotecontrolaerialphotography) and
NJHeliPhoto.com to share my photos with
locals and also people who were out of
state who had lived here, have summer
homes here or just vacation here. The Face-
book page soon gained a lot of aention
and my photos started being shared all
over the web. I would get emails asking
me to take pictures of dierent towns as
people wanted to see what the damage
had looked like, and even from people
who wanted to see if their property was
still intact since they were out-of-state.
Everything I was doing was on a volun-
teer basis and I was happy to do it. There
was such a sense of community here after
the storm that I hope will remain, which
is why I was more than happy to volun-
teer my time and eorts to such a cause.
Neighbors were helping neighbors in any
way they could and this was a small way
I could give back. I began sending my
photos to townships of the beach areas
that sustained the most damage. They
were very appreciative since this was not
only a great perspective, but it was a free
source of documentation of the damage
that would be able to be used for insurance
The Army Corps of Engineers,
NY District, performing a much-
needed beach replenishment on the
coastline of New Jersey. The Corps
used Bobs photos and videos for
before and after reference.
A local attraction for many years,
the Jet Star roller coaster in Seaside
Heights, NJ, fell victim to the powerful
storm surge of Hurricane Sandy.
A boat that had been
displaced by the
storm sits near the
banks of the Toms
River. The fuel spill
emanating from the
boat was readily
apparent in the photo
and prompted the
town ofcials to call
on the DEEP to safely
remedy the situation.
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 17
18 MULTIROTOR PILOT
MULTIROTORS TO THE RESCUE!
or state and federal aid applications, not to
mention for future historical reference.
One of my encounters was with the
Army Corps of Engineers, who happened
to be performing much-needed beach
replenishment work in many of the shore
towns. While shooting pictures one day,
I was near where they were working and
I decided to get some photos and video
of their work. I kept a safe distance, as I
always do, and then shared my work with
the Army Corps on their Facebook page.
They were very excited to see this technol-
ogy used for this purpose and were blown
away with the endless uses they could
think of for it. They asked permission
to use my work at town meetings where
my photos and video really show exactly
what the process is for the sand pumping
and beach ll. Additionally, I felt this was
a great benet to the locals because they
could gain a beer understanding of the
process and maybe dispel some of the
misconceptions that people had about the
work. Because of the massive amount of
recovery work that was and still is needed
here, I have begun to develop a close
relationship with the Army Corps and I
am more than willing to continue to work
with them on other projects and volunteer
as much as my work schedule allows for
it. One thing I would like to stress is that I
am very safe with where I y and the tim-
ing of it. I never y on a crowded beach as
most of my ights were conducted during
the colder months when the beaches have
very few people on them. I also y with
a spoer as much as possible and only
y over public land when I have permis-
sion from the property owner or o cials
entrusted with those particular parcels of
land. I am constantly checking my equip-
ment for any signs of wear and I replace
the parts when needed, even if there is a
slight concern about something.
For the past year I have been a part of
a group called RCFLI.org as their safety
coordinator, where we volunteer our time
and resources to the hobby. Remote Control
Flight Leadership Initiative (RCFLI) is a
nationwide, community-based non-prot
organization that supports RC hobbyists.
We advocate through political process,
public outreach and education to assure the
continued use of airspace to safely operate
remote control aircraft with and without
image capabilities. RCFLI expects to carry
out public education by identifying individ-
ual hobbyists interested in investing their
time to spread the word about hobby safety,
privacy and fun both locally and sometimes
regionally. We believe that on-the-ground
advocacy, face-to-face interaction and the
eorts of many translates into increasing
the number of hobbyists. Additionally,
becoming recognized in the community as
a hobbyist adds a more personal, human
element to the hobby and helps those that
are not in the know that the tools of our
hobby are being used in a safe, respectful
and altruistic manner. We welcome people
to join our group as well and to do what-
ever they can to contribute to our cause.
This could be something as lile as doing
a demonstration for interested parties or
as much as geing involved in the political
process at a local or state level. Here are a
couple quotes from people for whom I have
volunteered my time and pictures:
Bob Alberding has been a valuable resource to
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia
District. He has taken aerial photos of ongoing
repair work at the Barnegat Inlet north jey.
We use the images for a variety of purposes
including sharing with stakeholders, historical
reference and viewing progress.Army Corps
of Engineers, Philadelphia District
The Township of Toms River is extremely
grateful for the help that Bob Alberding has
provided to our residents. His aerial photos
literally gave us a birds eye view of the extent of
the damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. The
Ortley Beach section of Toms River was known
as Ground Zero and was the epicenter of the
storm in New Jersey. It would have been nearly
impossible to survey the extent of the damage
with just drive-bys, so the Township is very
appreciative of his photographic evidence. In
addition, the aerial footage, which was posted
on our Township website, helped residents not
only see the latest before and after photos, but
it helped to relay evidence to insurance investi-
gators who work out of state. We hope to use Mr.
Alberdings work again when the Army Corps of
Engineers replenishes our beaches in the fall of
2014. We will use the upcoming photos as a tool
to showcase the new and extended beaches that
we hope to have in Toms River.O cial from
the Mayors o ce of Toms River, NJ
Mr. Alberdings aerial photos and videos of the
Corps ongoing beach replenishment work in
New Jersey have provided a unique perspective
of the major projects going on to restore coastal
storm risk management and erosion control
projects after Hurricane Sandy. The imagery
gives stakeholders a unique perspective of these
large-scale ongoing projects on their beaches that
they dont get when they are seeing these proj-
ects while walking along the beach, and because
of that have been very popular with local resi-
dents and personnel here at the Corps.Army
Corps of Engineers, NY District =
Below left: The Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District, works to rebuild a jetty in Island Beach State Park. Below right: An aerial shot of the extensive damage caused by the board-
walk re in Seaside Heights, NJ. The blaze was started by electrical wires that had been corroded by the ood waters resulting from the storm surge.
350 QX2
BLADE
AP COMBO
Live the
aerial video
experience
20 MULTIROTOR PILOT
PILOT REVIEW
by Joe Cannavo

NEED TO KNOW
MANUFACTURER: Blace
TYPE: All-in-one aerial video quadcopter
FOR: Beginner to advanced pilots
MINIMUM FLYING AREA: Baseball eld
PRICE: $899.99
NEEDED TO COMPLETE:
MicroSD memory card for the camera and
an iOS or Android-compatible device for
FPV use.
By Horizon Hobby
Authors Opinion
Having own the Blade 350 QX for a long time
now, it has become one of my favorite quads
and I use it for GoPro stills and also for FPV y-
ing. I have tried to put a few gimbals on it but
they never really worked very well. The 350
QX2 has all the same excellent ying qualities of
the 350 QX and the new 2-axis gimbal and the
included C-Go 1 camera provide excellent video
quality that rivals other popular action cams.
WHAT MAKES THE AP COMBO
The AP Combo includes the new C-Go 1 1080p HD action camera, GB200 brush-
less gimbal and a free app that you can download for your compatible Android
or iOS device. This system allows you to not only view a live stream of your
video in real time, but it allows you to control the cameras functions (photo/
video), record (stop/start) and shutter for still photos, as well as viewing and
transferring les from the camera to your device after the ight. You can adjust
the cameras contrast, brightness, sharpness and saturation settings from the
app as well and you can also monitor the SD cards capacity (memory remain-
ing) along with the cameras battery life from the app.
When you power on the camera, it creates a 5.8GHz Wi-Fi network that
you need to connect to in order to use the app. Once connected, you can
launch the app and you will see a live video feed from the camera. The cam-
era will record full 1080p HD video to the optional microSD video card and it
transmits 720p HD video to your device for FPV (rst person view). A mount
is included to attach your device to the transmitter so you can easily view
the screen while ying. The camera itself is slightly larger physically than a
GoPro Hero3 but it is a hair lighter.
The GB200 brushless gimbal is designed with a mount that is specically
made for the C-Go 1 camera. There are plans to introduce a GoPro Hero3 mount
for this gimbal as well. The gimbal operates independently of the 350 QX2, only obtaining power from a small cable that connects to the gim-
bal controller. There is an option to allow remote control of the cameras tilt but it requires a Spektrum transmitter with an addition channel. When
using this feature, the cable is moved to the center plug on the controller and the signal from the receiver channel is passed along, as well as the
power to the gimbal. I used a Spektrum DX9 to y the 350 QX2 so I could assign the tilt control to the right rear slider and it worked excellent.
It is no secret that the main reason that people buy multirotor machines is to take either
aerial video or photographs, capturing images like never before. Having been working
closely with the team on our new MultiRotor Pilot magazine, I have seen some prey
amazing aerial video machines that can cost up to $10,000 or more. I personally love my
Blade 350 QX, which started as a V1 and I upgraded the software to the new V2 version. I have
used my 350 QX for taking GoPro stills and for ying FPV with FatShark video goggles, but I
was never that impressed with the video quality because there is no stabilization for the cam-
era other than the four rubber dampeners. Earlier this year, Blade announced that the new 350
QX2 was going to be released by summer 2014. That machine immediately went to the top of my
want list and when it came up for review, I begged to do it.
PROS
Two-axis brushless gimbal provided very
stable and steady video even when the wind
was blowing the copter around a bit
The included C-Go 1 camera offers full
1080p/30fps video quality
Comes with an integrated 5.8GHz video
downlink to supported devices (iPhone/
Android phones; requires downloading
a free app)
3S 3000mAh LiPo is included for longer
ight times
Has improved receiver with external
antenna and improved GPS over the
original 350 QX
Includes a visual compass error detection
Works with all Spektrum transmitters
CONS
Cant use the optional camera tilt feature
with the included 4-channel radio; need a
Spektrum 6 or greater channel radio; I tested
with great results on a Spektrum DX9
Cant use an external monitor for FPV; only
works through the free app via Wi-Fi net
work that it creates
Slight latency (delay) in video on the
apps screen
FPV with iPhone cuts out at 200-250 feet
away from pilot
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 21
Ive been ying a Blade 350 QX with the new Firmware 2.0 for a while now, so I have nothing
but great things to say about the stability, performance and GPS capabilities of this machine.
With that in mind, I had no concerns, fears or nervousness when I took the 350 QX2 up for the
rst time. Before takeoff I turned on the camera, attached my iPhone 5 to it and launched the
app. After conrming that I had a live video feed, I powered on the 350 QX2 and waited for it to
initialize and nd GPS signal. Once I had a solid LED, I powered up the motors and took ight.
The QX2 did feel slightly heavier than the 350 QX in ight, but that translated to a more stable
feeling. I rocked the controls a lot to see the action of the brushless gimbal and no matter what
I did, it kept that camera level, which was evident when watching the video on my phone. I did
notice that there was some minor latency (delay) in the video, which is not unheard of with a
Wi-Fi video link as opposed to a direct RF link. It was not anything that disrupted my experi-
ence since I was ying line-of-sight and merely using the screen to frame the shots I wanted.
I took some time to experience each of the ight modes and each worked very well. The
mode best suited for a beginner is the Smart Mode which gives you GPS/Altitude Hold, Safe
Circle and Stick Relativity. As a more advanced multirotor pilot, this mode sometimes con-
fuses me because if I move the stick, I expect the machine to move in the direction that I tell
it and not in relation to myself. But I do nd this mode invaluable, even as an advanced pilot,
because if you lose orientation or y too far away, pulling the right stick back will bring the
350 QX2 back to you no matter the orientation. Furthermore, if you have to shoot panning
shots while moving in one direction, the mode is also a necessity as you can continually pan
the copter while moving the right stick and it will rotate and move in the direction you com-
mand. This is very difcult to do in a normal ight mode as it requires a lot of coordination.
Stability Mode is one that I use on my 350 QX when ying FPV with video goggles as it
gives me self-leveling and optional GPS hold which comes in handy if I get disoriented. I can
simply let go of the sticks and it will remain in a stable hover at the current altitude, which
gives me a minute to get my bearings.
The new mode, and one I was most anxious to use, is the Aerial Photography mode. This
allows the 350 QX2 to remain locked into any position you put it while the controls are held
in neutral and it works very well. It allows you to get the copter in position and then monitor
the video on your device and make minor adjustments to obtain the perfect shots.
The last, and in my opinion, one of the most useful features of any GPS-enabled multiro-
tor is Return Home. In the event something happens and you lose orientation you can simply
ip a switch and the 350 QX2 will automatically return to where it took off and land itself. I
have tried this feature many times and every time it works perfectly, landing no more than a
foot or two from where it took off.
IN THE AIR
The Blade 350 QX2 AP Combo comes as a
ready-to-y (RTF) package which includes
the 350 QX2, C-Go 1 1080p HD camera, 2-axis
brushless gimbal, Spektrum DX4 transmier,
3S 3000mAh LiPo baery, AC/DC charger,
and four AA baeries for the transmit-
ter. The only thing you need to provide is an
iOS or Android-compatible device for FPV
use and a microSD memory card to record
video. There is some minor assembly despite
the box saying none is required. The gimbal
has to be aached to the copter using the four
supplied screws and the Allen wrench that
is also supplied. The FPV device mount also
has to be aached to the transmier to hold
your phone. It takes a maer of minutes and
you are ready to start recording some amaz-
ing aerial HD video.
The Blade 350 QX came with a 3S
2200mAh LiPo baery which gave about
10 minutes of ight time. With the added
weight of the camera and gimbal, the 350
QX2 comes with a 3S 3000mAh LiPo which
provides around the same ight time. An
AC/DC charger is included, which will
recharge the baery in an hour or less.
PACKED WITH FEATURES
I remember thinking about how amazing
the features of the original Blade 350 QX
were, but the new QX2 has dramatically
improved on its feature list. Like its prede-
cessor, the heart of what makes it so great
is the Blade SAFE (Sensor Assisted Flight
We Used
TRANSMITTER
Spektrum DX9 (SPMR9900)
22 MULTIROTOR PILOT
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 23
Envelope) technology. SAFE is a revolu-
tionary electronic ight envelope protection
system that oers smoother ight capa-
bilities, which makes ying in windy
conditions much easier.
Some hardware and software improve-
ments were made, including the addition
of an updated receiver with an external
antenna. The QX2 features rmware 2.0,
adds a new ight mode and a rened
starting procedure and
it oers improved GPS
performance. It also now
includes visual com-
pass error detection; the
onboard LED now ashes
orange if the sensor
detects a magnet or metal
object nearby.
The QX2 oers multiple
ight modes so you can
y with the level of pro-
tection and assistance that
best matches your ight
conditions. There are
seven main features that I
will outline that make the
Blade 350 QX2 an even
more amazing machine.
SMART MODE (GREEN LED)
While in Smart Mode, SAFE technology
prevents the 350 QX2 from pitching or roll-
ing past a certain angle, thus making it very
di cult for the pilot to over-control the air-
craft, even with full stick deection applied.
The 350 QX2 will also return to a stable and
level hover as soon as you return the sticks
to the center position. GPS/Aitude Hold,
SAFE Circle and Stick Relativity are all
available in this mode.
STABILITY MODE (BLUE LED)
In Stability Mode, the 350 QX2 will have
a very limited ight envelope with self-
leveling capability for consistent level ight
and optional GPS Hold. This mode is the
best choice for capturing video as the QX2
will y smoothly, and when GPS Hold is
enabled, it will remain in a xed position in
space while the video records.
AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY MODE
(PURPLE LED)
The new Aerial Photography Mode keeps
the 350 QX2 AP in a steady hover and
locked into position while the controls are
held at neutral which is ideal for photo
and video capture.
SAFE CIRCLE
While in Smart Mode, the 350 QX2 will oer
the pilot protection in the form of a 30-foot-
diameter invisible barrier called SAFE Circle.
When activated the 350 QX2 will not enter
this airspace, thus preventing pilots from y-
ing too close to themselves.
STICK RELATIVITY
This is a very unique feature which is
incredibly helpful, especially with
novice pilots. When activated, as you
move the cyclic stick to the left or right,
the 350 QX2 will move left or right rela-
tive to the pilot regardless of which way
the machine is pointing.
GPS AND ALTIMETER TECHNOLOGY
The integrated GPS and Altimeter sensors
are designed to keep the 350 QX2 in a stable
hover position regardless of wind conditions
as long as the controls are held at neutral.
Once activated, you can concentrate on pan-
ning the 350 QX2 or slightly moving it for
seamless video capture.
RETURN HOME
With the ip of a switch on the transmier and
no stick input from the pilot, the 350 QX2 will
automatically return to the position where its
motors started for that particular ight.
THE LAST WORD
The Blade 350 QX is an excellent multi-
rotor platform to begin with but the new
350 QX2 AP Combo takes this machine to
a whole new level. The 2-axis gimbal and
new C-Go 1 1080p HD camera make this
the perfect entry-level aerial video ship. It is
also a great machine for professional
aerial video experts that need a smaller sys-
tem to get aerial video in tighter spaces.
The 350 QX2 is easy to y with solid perfor-
mance. The camera oers very good quality
as well and, coupled with the gimbal, you
can count on very stable video. =
CONTACTS
BLADE bladehelis.com, (217) 352-1913
HORIZON HOBBY horizonhobby.com,
(217) 352-1913
SPEKTRUM spektrumrc.com, (217) 352-1913
For more information, please see our source
guide on page 89.
SPECS
LENGTH: 18.3 in. (465mm)
WIDTH: 18.3 in. (465mm)
HEIGHT: 7.5 in. (190mm)
MAIN ROTOR DIAMETER:
22.8 in. (580mm)
MAIN ROTOR BLADE LENGTH:
8.27 in. (210mm)
FLYING WEIGHT: 35.5 oz.
RADIO: Includes Spektrum DX4 DSMX 4-channel
radio; requires an additional
channel to use optional camera pitch
control; used Spektrum DX9 to test this
MOTORS: (4) 1100kV brushless outrunners
ESCS: (4) 10A brushless
DURATION: 10-12 minutes
BATTERY: 11.1V 3S 3000mAh 30C LiPo (included)
CAMERA: C-GO 1 1080p HD
GIMBAL: GB200 2-axis brushless gimbal
FPV PROTOCOL:
Digital 5.8GHz Wi-Fi network
FPV DISTANCE: Android-based
phones: 300 meters; iPhone: 70 meters
C-GO 1
CAMERA SPECS
HEIGHT: 1.72 in. (43.8mm)
LENGTH: 2.52 in. (64.1mm)
WIDTH: 1.76 in. (44.6mm)
WEIGHT: 2.65 oz. (75 grams)
OPERATING ENVIRONMENT
TEMPERATURE: 14 to 122 F (-10 to 50 C)
WORKING TIME:
60 - 90 minutes (depending on Wi-Fi usage)
OPTICAL ZOOM: Fixed focus
APERTURE: F2.8/F3.0
FIELD OF VIEW: (FOV) 120
SENSOR SIZE: CMOS 1/2.7 in.
HD RECORDING: 1080p, 30fps
VIDEO FORMAT: AVI (H.264)
PHOTO FORMAT: JPEG
AUDIO FORMAT: AAC
PIC RESOLUTION: 1920x1080
DOWNLINK RESOLUTION: D1 720X480/30p
STORAGE PORT:
microSD (up to 16GB supported)
With OSD and 2-Axis Gimbal
SUPER X
X AIRCRAFT
Theres a new
flight controller
on the block!
24 MULTIROTOR PILOT
PRODUCT
REVIEW
by Erick Royer
Sadly, in the world of GPS-enabled ight controllers, there are not too many
options on the market. You can either go with a common DJI controller like
the Naza, Wookong or A2, or you can go more of the DIY route and look at a
MultiWii or Ardupilot system; both of which are not plug-and-play and require
some eort to properly set up and tune on your end. I have been tirelessly looking for
other alternatives for GPS ight controllers, which led me to the X Aircraft product line,
distributed by X Aircraft America. They oer the Super X Flight Controller, which at rst
glance resembled the DJI A2 with its machined billet aluminum case and I assumed it car-
ried the A2s high price as well. But the more I researched, I found that they oer three
versions of the Super X, which range from $399 to $599. The hardware for each version
is exactly the same; however dierent multirotor congurations are unlocked from the
rmware to match your specic machine. The $399 version gives you quadcopter congu-
rations of both X and + styles. For $499, you get the quads with the addition of hexcopters
in both X and Y6 styles. The $599 version gives you everything plus octocopters in X and
X8 styles. It is important to note that at any time, you can upgrade from one version to the
next by visiting the X Aircraft America website.
FLIGHT
CONTROLLER

NEED TO KNOW
MANUFACTURER: X Aircraft
DISTRIBUTOR: X Aircraft America
TYPE: GPS-enabled ight controller
PRICE: $399 (Quad X and +); $499 (Hexa X
and Y6); $599 (Octo X and X8); Stella 2-Axis
Brushless Gimbal: $295.00; OSD: $169.00
FEATURES
Supports three ight modes: Manual, Attitude
and GPS Attitude.
Height (Altitude) hold.
Safe Mode options: return to home and
auto-landing.
Built-in compensation signal outputs for bi-axial
gimbal (roll and tilt axis).
Built-in green software for conguration (no need
to install any drivers or software).
X Aircraft OSD and Stella Brushless Gimbal inte-
grate directly into the controller.
Machined billet aluminum cases.
Fast and easy setupgo from box to air in
a matter of minutes.
Three high-precision industrial-grade gyros.
Three-axis accelerometer sensor.
High-precision barometer.
Built-in Thermostatic system to ensure that the
sensors are working optimally.
Built-in micro USB port for tuning settings and
upgrading rmware.
SPECS
HOVER PRECISION: Vertical: +/- 1m;
Horizontal: +/- 2m
WIND RESISTANCE ABILITY: <8m/s
(17.9 mph)
MAX YAW SPEED: 200 deg/sec
MAX INCLINATION ANGLE: 35 deg
MAX VERTICAL SPEED: 6 m/sec
REMOTE CONTROLLER: S.Bus, PCM or at
least 5 traditional channels
OS REQUIREMENTS: Windows only
FLIGHT CONTROLLER
INPUT VOLTAGE: 5.7-6V
WEIGHT: 65g
DIMENSIONS: 42.1x34.2x27.9mm
GPS MODULE
WEIGHT: 58g
DIMENSIONS: 74.4mm diameter, 11.35mm high
IO MODULE
INPUT VOLTAGE: 11.1V 28V (3S to 6S LiPo)
WEIGHT: 35g
DIMENSIONS: 16.9x12.11x7mm
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 25
Photos By Daniel Royer and Joe Papa
ing on each channel as it is done automatically
by the Super X. Fast alter the ight mode
switch again and push both sticks to the upper
right position. Keep both sticks in that position
and then fast alter the switch one last time.
Cycle the power and you are done.
While this might sound like a lot, the
whole process takes less than ve minutes to
complete and everything is automatically con-
gured by the Super X. The only seing you
need to make is to choose the airframe style.
FLYING THE SUPER X
Prior to take off, it is important to ensure that
the Super X has a solid GPS home lock, which
can take a minute or two to obtain depending
on your location. To power up the motors, you
need to push both sticks down and to the
inside of the controller or down and to the out-
side. If you dont move the throttle stick within
three seconds of powering on the motors, they
will turn off for safety. After your flight, when
you land the copter and reduce the throttle
stick all the way, the motors will immediately
stop. The motors will also stop when the copter
is in the air and you reduce the throttle all the
way to zero and leave it there for three seconds.
You might do this if you had some sort of
recovery system, like a parachute, but it is
unlikely you will experience this.
The Super X has an auto take-off feature
that will automatically take off and hold
hover the machine at about six feet altitude
by simply advancing the throttle to center
stick. When in anything other than manual,
centering the throttle stick will activate
height hold and keep the copter at the alti-
tude it is at, whether hovering or in motion.
You can adjust the gain via a knob on your
transmitter to fine-tune its performance based
on payload or wind conditions. To further
tune the models gain, you can reconnect it to
your computer and enter the config software
again. You can independently adjust the roll,
pitch, yaw and height gains via the software.
I used a Sky-Hero Spy in the Y6 configu-
ration for my testing. I had the Stella Gimbal
and OSD also installed on this machine. I was
amazed at how stable the Super X held the
machine in GPS mode. It was much better
than the Naza I had installed previously. I
tried both attitude and GPS modes and the
performance of both was outstanding and
exceeded my expectations.
One of the first things I test with a GPS con-
troller is the failsafe mode. I want to know that it
will work as expected in the event I have a prob-
lem or lose orientation. The Super X supports
four types of Safe Modes (which are configured
in the software); return to home and land (tail
in), return to home and land (nose in), hovering
at a predefined altitude and landing in place.
Other than selecting which mode you want, the
only other parameter is to define the height of
the model during safe mode. I flew about
200 feet away and switched to safe mode and
the model began to fly back to the starting loca-
tion quickly and as it got closer, it slowed down
and began to descend, coming to a rest exactly
nine inches from where I took off. Impressive!
SUPER X BLACK BOX
One really cool feature of the Super X is that
it stores a ight data log onboard that can be
uploaded to their Black Box site online for
analyzing. You can store up to 40 minutes of
ight data at a time. If you dont download
it then subsequent ights will simply over-
write the data.
Once you upload the log le to Black Box,
you have the ability to play back your ight,
which it overlays the ight path over Google
Earth. You can analyze data such as copter
aitude, altitude, position and movement,
radio inputs and motor outputs. This data
can be used to make sure all motors and
ESCs are performing optimally.
ARE THERE ANY CONS?
I did not have a lot of cons that I could report
about this product or the OSD and gimbal
either for that maer. One thing that the Super
X does not oer that other controllers do is
intelligent orientation control, where the con-
trol inputs are relative to your position as the
pilot and not to the copters position in space.
These modes can be useful when shooting
continuous panning shots while moving the
copter away or towards yourself. They also
come in handy in safely landing a hex or octo-
copter in the event of a motor failure. It is not a
huge con, but if you are used to those features
then you might nd yourself missing them
with the Super X. As of this printing there is
no ground station or waypoint programming
option but according to their website, these
are features that are in development.
THE LAST WORD
I set out to nd a ight controller that
performed as well as or beer than the DJI solu-
tions without the complexity of the open source
solutions and what I found was a ight control-
ler that is superior in many ways. If I were to
compare it to a DJI controller, I would say that
it is much beer than the Naza and every bit as
good as the Wookong at less than half the cost.
The performance and ease of setup can have
even novice multirotor pilots ying success-
fully in a very short time. When you combine
the Super X with the Stella Gimbal and OSD,
you have a very capable high end system for
professional video work. =
CONTACTS
GOPRO gopro.com
SKY-HERO kdsmodelsusa.com
X AIRCRAFT xaircraftamerica.com
For more information, please see the source
guide on page 89.
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 27
OSD FEATURES
Provides information on:
Your ground speed
Vertical speed
Horizontal speed
Battery voltage
Flight time
Heading
Height
Direction to Home
Number of satellites
Easily connects to your video camera and
transmitter
Integrates directly to the Super X ight
controller and Stella 2-Axis Brushless Gimbal
If you are looking for the best FPV experi-
ence then you need an OSD (On Screen
Display), as it provides you with valuable
ight data in real time on your video mon-
itor. If you are using your copter to shoot
video then the two main features that you
will rely on are your battery voltage moni-
tor (2) and the low battery alarm (8). Since
multirotors do not glide very well, it is very
important to know the status of your bat-
tery at all times. The ight mode indicator
(4) will let you know which mode you are in
(attitude, GPS, or manual). You can also see
your throttle position (5). This is important
because at 50 percent throttle, the Super X
Flight Controller will keep the copter locked
in at the altitude that it resides (altitude
hold). If you switch to safe mode, a mes-
sage will ash on the screen (9).
If you are ying full FPV (non-line of
site) via a monitor or video goggles, then
you will nd the rest of the data invalu-
able. The horizontal line (6) will let you
know the attitude of your aircraft with
relation to the horizon, while the pitch
indicator (7) will let you know if the air-
craft is ascending or descending. This
can also be monitored by the horizon-
tal velocity (3) and vertical velocity (13).
The most important pieces of data on the
screen for FPV ying are horizontal dis-
tance from home (11), vertical distance
from home (12) and heading in relation to
the takeoff point (10).
The OSD will also let you know how
many satellites it is connected to (1) and
the video channel that you are using
(14). The X Aircraft is a very robust OSD
and when coupled with the Super X and
Stella gimbal or other video camera you
will be able to fully immerse yourself in
the FPV experience.
MULTIROTOR PILOT MAGAZINE: First things
rstany RC magazine interview could not
start with any other question than how did
you get into the aerial RC hobbies?
PETER SACHS: Full-size helicopters are far
too expensive to rent, if you could even nd
a place to rent one. A drone costs pennies an
hour to operate. So, my rotorcraf ying is
now limited to drones. Incidentally, I only
call them drones.
MPM: How does one become a drone advo-
cate, and what drove and inspired you to
do what you do for our community and
hobby?
PETER: Although the specic issue involves
drones, the far larger issue is a federal gov-
ernment agency ignoring the dictates of
Congress; lying and using intimidation tac-
tics to enforce laws that do not exist. I have a
strong distaste for government wrongdoing.
MPM: At times, you seem to taunt the FAA
about their authority to regulate model air-
craf and UAV operations. It seems like the
FAA has managed, through its actions, to
alienate the very people it should involve
in the process of UAV integration. In your
opinion, what should be the FAAs role in
UAV regulation and what steps could they
take
to regain the trust of the industry?
PETER: I do taunt the FAA and I do so for
a reason. I, unlike others, have nothing to
lose. Flying commercially is not my primary
source of income. And I have no legal fees if
the FAA were to come afer me. My in your
face method is designed to get the FAAs
atention and the atention of other drone
pilots because I wanted the FAA to know
that they are being watched and the other
pilots to know that Im willing to call the
FAA to task. Lawyers typically represent
clients, so they have to be careful about
what they say. I never represent clients so I
can speak my mind.
MPM: There have been numerous eorts to
enact state laws regulating the use of UAVs
with diering degrees of success. I recall the
enjoyable day we spent at our states House
of Representatives giving testimonies on our
states rst proposed bill. Do you think that
the states should get involved in regulating
UAVs by creating their own drone laws
or should the regulation be handled only on
federal level?
PETER: States can only regulate the ight in
two ways: They can regulate the ight oper-
ation of their own agencies and they can
regulate where you can take o, land and
where you may stand while ying. Thats
it. All other aspects of ight fall within the
exclusive jurisdiction of the FAA.
MPM: There have been suggestions to create
a regulatory agency dealing with robotics,
which would also handle the UAV-related
regulations. As worrisome as creating
another regulatory body may be, do you
think that such an agency may be beter
suited to deal with UAVs and any technol-
ogies that are likely to cause similar legal
controversies in the future (self-driving cars
for example)?
PETER: I cant speak for robotics, but insofar
as drones are concerned, I think creating a
new agency is not the answer. The FAA has
shown it is not well-suited for the task, so it
should be lef to community-based organ-
izations, as the FMRA (Federal Aviation
Administration Modernization and Reform
Act) of 2012 requires.
MPM: The overall feel amongst the members
of our community is that some regulation
may be necessary and would be welcome
if it fostered responsibility and provided
30 MULTIROTOR PILOT
MULTIROTOR
INTERVIEW
by Petr Hejl of notadrone.com
Interview with
PETER SACHS
Drone lawyer and pilot
Peter Sachs was recently named as one of the eight most inuential people in drones
by industry-specialized website dronedenition.com, earning himself a spot with
the likes of Brendan Schulman (atorney and hobby advocate), Je Bezos (CEO,
amazon.com), Nick Woodman (CEO, GoPro), and Michael Huerta (Administrator, FAA).
Peter is a Connecticut-based atorney, private investigator, photographer, volunteer re-
ghter, FAA-licensed commercial helicopter pilot. He is also an advanced ground school
instructor and a long-time RC model aircraf and multirotor pilot. He is a vocal RC and UAV
advocate and founder of Drone Pilot Association (DPA), an organization he created to rep-
resent the interests of UAV operators (dronepilotsassociation.com). He is also the editor of
dronelawjournal.com, a website about RC & UAV legal news and information and helps
keep the community up-to-date via Twiter and Facebook forums. He actively participates in
debates about UAV regulations at the state and federal levels.
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 31
a way to license commercial use with-
out unnecessary burdens on hobbyists and
entrepreneurs. In your opinion, what should
a well-balanced set of regulations include?
PETER: I think there should be no regula-
tions at all for drones of a certain size. The
FAAs current proposals include even tiny
2-inch drones, which is ridiculous. For
larger drones, Im open to any regulatory
scheme that is limited to ensuring safety.
Regulations should not present any barriers
to those who wish to use drones commer-
cially, as the exchange of money has nothing
to do with safety. Other non-hobbyist uses,
such as conducting educational or scientic
research, performing re or police services
or conducting search and rescue operations
should not be hindered by burdensome reg-
ulations. Although most of what is found in
Advisory Circular AC 91-57 makes sense,
the usefulness of drones makes it silly to
prevent them from being used only in
unpopulated areas. The FAAs recently
proposed restrictions on FPV are also
entirely nonsensical. There is no evidence
whatsoever that ying FPV makes a ight
inherently unsafe.
MPM: While there seems to be quite a few
groups and organizations doing a prety
good job keeping the UAV community
involved and informed, the industry as a
whole seems to be too young for the real
big leaders to emerge. Do you think any of
the existing organizations have a potential
to become a leader with a big enough mem-
bership base, a clear goal and resources to
represent our community in regulatory pro-
cess (state or federal) in the foreseeable
future? Or will this still be lef up to individ-
uals and relatively small groups willing to
invest their own time, energy and resources
into advocating for our cause.
PETER: I just formed the Drone Pilots Asso-
ciation. Its goal is to represent the interests
of all non-hobbyist drone pilots. We plan
to oer education and training, insurance
and a legal services plan. The Association is
brand new, but at the time of this interview
has already garnered 1,000 members in its
rst two days of existence.
MPM: What is your advice to the newcomers
into this hobby looking to stay up-to-date
with the world of regulations and for guid-
ance on safely operating their machines?
PETER: There wont be any for quite some
time, aside from the new Interpretive Rule
of June 25. At this point I would suggest fol-
lowing the various drone authorities on
Twiter, news regarding regulations will
break there rst. Theres also my site,
dronelawjournal.com, which addresses
the current federal laws as it relates to
drones. On Facebook, Drone Laws - by
Brendan Schulman and UAV Legal News
& Discussion are great groups to join the
conversation with fellow operators. Even
lacking current regulations, its not a bad
idea to review the existing Federal Aviation
Regulations that are available online.
MPM: What is your most rewarding or mem-
orable experience with RC aircraf?
PETER: My re ight back in January 2014,
where a large blaze erupted in a quarry
that was laden with explosives. There was
no safe way to send a human in to see how
close the blaze was to the explosives, so I
was asked to y over the quarry to get a
birds-eye view. It worked. The chief was
able to see the entire scene on my moni-
tor and determined the ames were still
far enough away to send in the reght-
ers. That marked the rst time ever that a
drone was used for decision-making at a
re scene.
MPM: There are many entrepreneurs hoping
to turn the aerial videography into business,
but some are afraid because of the uncer-
tainty surrounding the regulations, some
are doing it while trying to stay below
the radar and some already registered
their business, pay taxes, insured them-
selves and openly advertise their services.
This may be a bit of a tricky question: As an
aerial videographer yourself, what would
you recommend that they do, given the cur-
rent state of the industry and FAAs atempts
to regulate it?
PETER: I would recommend they rst obtain
general aeronautical knowledge, including
general weather and airspace knowledge.
Then they should train and practice until
they are condent they can operate their
drone safely. Afer that, get insured, nd cli-
ents and start ying. Its my opinion (but not
legal advice) that it is perfectly legal to do
so. Of course, the FAA will tell you the exact
opposite.
List of resources to help you stay in touch
with drone laws and the community:
Websites:
dronepilotsasssociation.com
dronelawjournal.com
Facebook:
Drone Laws - Brendan Schulman
UAV Legal News and Discussion
Twiter:
@dronelaws
@TheDroneGuy =
The overall feel amongst the members of our community is that some regulation may be necessary and
would be welcome if it fostered responsibility and provided a way to license commercial use without
unnecessary burdens on hobbyists and entrepreneurs.
3D printed,
snap-together
design
32 MULTIROTOR PILOT
PILOT
PROJECT
by Erick Royer
FPV Quadcopter
3D PRINTED
MICRO
SPIDEX SPECS
WIDTH: 7.5 in.
LENGTH: 6.75 in.
HEIGHT: 2.7 in.
WEIGHT (READY TO FLY): 14.6 oz.
MOTORS: RCX 1804-2400Kv (2 CW and 2 CCW)
ESCS: (4) Lumenier 12A w/SimonK
BATTERY: Turnigy 3S 1300mAh LiPo
FLIGHT CONTROLLER: HP Heli Super
Multirotor Controller
RADIO: Spektrum DX9 transmitter with
a Spektrum R5200 receiver
PROPS: (4) 5x3 Gemfan
FPV CAMERA: Fatshark 600TVL
FPV TRANSMITTER: Fat Shark 250mW 5.8GHz
VIDEO RECORDING CAMERA: Mobius Action Cam
FPV VIEWER: Fatshark Attitude V2 FPV goggles
In the rst issue of MultiRotor Pilot
Magazine, I designed and built
a foldable FPV quadcopter that
was completely 3D printed. Since
the magazine was published, I received
emails from a lot of people who down-
loaded, printed and have own my design
with great success. Several other people
also modied it and made enhancements
which I took as a huge complimentthat
someone took my design and ran with it to
make it beer.
In this issue I wanted to design another
quad, a mini quad to be exact, and I have
a very unique idea in mind, but what I did
not have in my favor was time. Our ship
date for this magazine was fast approach-
ing and I was going to have to put o the
project. Then I was speaking with a friend
at Ultimaker, a leading 3D printer manu-
facturer in the Netherlands. Since I do a lot
of printing with their machine, because its
amazing, we thought it would be cool to fea-
ture a quadcopter that was made available
on their website, youmagine.com, while we
continued to work on the new custom quad
for a future issue. After looking through the
site, I seled on the Spidex Micro, which was
originally designed by Quaternium located
in Spain. The design was so popular that
Quaternium made the les open-source so
makers and hobbyists around the world
could print the copter at will.
3D PRINTING
The Spidex Micro is a micro FPV quad that
features a snap-together design requiring
no hardware other than the screws to aach
the motors. The quad frame is comprised of
eight parts, which are printed from ve sepa-
rate les. I decided to print this copter using
PLA plastic because it is durable and sta-
ble enough to print the large, one-piece main
frame without distorting or curling; a com-
mon problem with ABS. I chose hot pink
and white lament for the model. Why these
colors? October is National Breast Cancer
Awareness Month and I wanted to honor all
of those women aected by the disease. The
pink color is also very easy to see in ight,
especially when the sun hits it.
After downloading the les, I opened them
in Replicator G software to center them in
regards to the platform on the printer. I also
used the program to mirror the left and right
side frames, then I used Ultimakers Cura
software to slice the le and get it ready for
printing using Curas Quick Print normal
seing which worked out perfectly.
For those of you who are using dierent
software or a dierent printer, I would use
the following seings:
Layer height: .02mm
Shell thickness: .8mm
Boom/top layer thickness: 2mm
Fill density: 100%
Print speed: 80%
Initial layer thickness: .2mm
Temperature: I used 215 degrees C, but
you might have to adjust depending on your
lament and printer.
The total print time for the frame parts
was around 12 hours and I used roughly
12.28 meters of lament. The total weight of
the frame was 81 grams. I printed the main
frame boom by itself and then I was able to
arrange and print the remaining parts in one
session. The Ultimaker 2 is a great printer for
this project because it has a heated glass build
bed that does not require any blue paint-
ers tape or other hacks to get the part to stick
properly. Couple that with the high reso-
lution of the printer and you end up with a
very high-quality nished part.
OUTFITTING THE SPIDEX MICRO
The original frame was designed for
HobbyKings Multistar 1704-1900 motors,
but they were out of
stock and after having
so much fun and enjoy-
ing the performance of
the Lumenier QAV250
that we reviewed in
the last issue, I con-
tacted GetFPV.com to
see what they recom-
mended for this project.
They supplied a set of
RCX 1804-2400kV brush-
less outrunners (2 CW
and 2 CCW) and a set
of Lumenier 12A ESCs
with SimonK rmware.
These are very powerful
and fast lile motors.
I chose 5x3 Gemfan props, which seem to be
the prop of choice for micro quads.
The holes on the frame were not the
same specications for the RCX motors so I
enlarged them with a Dremel tool and used
washers on the screws. However, I have since
modied the frame to reposition the holes
properly for these motors.
When it came to the ight controller, I
wanted something inexpensive, but with
good ight qualities. I was going to use a
KK2 board from HobbyKing, but I recently
test-ew an HPHeli F450 Quad that used the
HP Heli Super Multirotor Controller and I
thought it ew amazing, especially when you
consider it costs around $35. It also comes in
a plastic case and is about the size of an aver-
age receiver. I was trying to keep things light
and space was limited on the quad. The setup
and installation is easy, just connect the wires
and adjust the dipswitches to assign your
radio system and multirotor motor layout.
The only other adjustment on the unit is a
gain dial, which you can adjust to your liking.
To control the Spidex Micro, I used a Spek-
trum DX9 transmier with a Spektrum R5200
receiver. I love this receiver because it is small
and the antennas are less than an inch long;
again, I am tight on space on this copter.
I used a couple dierent baeries includ-
ing the Turnigy 3S 1300mAh LiPo and and
ElectriFly 3S 1000mAh LiPo. While the
Turnigy pack oered a couple additional
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 33
The Mobius Action Cam is used to record HD video while the Fatshark 600TVL is used
for FPV.
I used my Ultimaker 2 3D Printer to print the parts .
I put a new microSD card in the Mobius camera and powered up the machine. I had a good
clean FPV signal to the Attitudes. I started the Mobius recording and advanced the throttle.
I did y the rst ight line of sight so I could make sure everything was okay. These motors
with the Gemfan 5x3 props develop a lot of thrust. And to think I was worried about the
machine being too heavy. These motors rocketed this 15-ounce quad around the sky like no
tomorrow. It was extremely responsive and very nimble. There was some oscillation in the
frame, which I later dialed out with the onboard gain adjustment. The rst test was a com-
plete success. It was time for FPV with goggles.
For the next ight I used the Attitude V2s and went for a ride. I actually thought it was
easier to control ying FPV. I attribute this to the fact that the model is so small that is can
be hard to see what it is doing and anticipate its next move when ying line of sight. In FPV
mode, you can see and feel every bump. It really ate up the sky quickly, like a little FPV rocket
ship. Its small size allowed me to get into tight spaces that I could not do with a larger copter.
After about seven minutes, I was losing power and it was time to land. My landing was a little
harder than I expected and I thought for sure I cracked something, but when I inspected the
quad, it was in perfect shape. The PLA plastic held up well.
IN THE AIR
PILOT PROJECT
I
SPIDEX MICRO FPV QUADCOPTER
34 MULTIROTOR PILOT
minutes of ight time, the Electriy pack was
lighter. Both baeries performed excellent.

FPV SETUP
The original Spidex Micro was designed to incor-
porate a Mobius Action Cam as well as a separate
FPV board camera. Normally, I would use a
cable to send the video out from the Mobius to
the video transmier, but I actually prefer the
FPV video quality of the Fatshark 600TVL cam-
era to the Mobius. The exposure changes much
more rapidly on the 600TVL. The camera, video
transmier and cables come with the Fatshark
Aitude V2 goggle set and everything is pre-ter-
minated so it was quick to set up. The Aitude
V2 goggles are awesome and are only outper-
formed by the new Fatshark Dominator HD
goggles. The video transmier outputs 250mW,
which is more than enough for a prey far reach
with this micro quad. To power the FPV system,
Fatshark comes with a balance tap board that
allows you to plug the balance cable from the bat-
tery into the system to power it while the main
power cable connects directly to the ESCs.
ASSEMBLY
There is not a ton to say here as the frame liter-
ally snaps together. Once I mounted the motors
with their included screws, I tested each ESC
to make sure the motors were spinning in the
proper direction and then soldered the ESC out-
put wires to the motor leads. I did not use bullet
connectors because I wanted to tuck the wires
under the ESCs in the cavity in the frame. Since
the tolerances of the props in relation to the frame
are prey tight, I needed to make sure that all
the wires were neatly and securely tucked away
from the props arc.
I did have to print a lile tray for the ight
controller to rest on because the main frame has
provisions for a ight controller that would be
screwed to the frame where the HPHeli one does
not. I also needed to tuck the power wires under
it. So I quickly designed a simple tray that screws
to the existing holes and aached the ight con-
troller using double-sided tape.
Once the ight controller, ESCs and motors
were secure, I snapped the rest of the frame
together and aached the FPV gear and the
Mobius. Everything t as expected. There is not a
lot of room on the frame, but the design accounts
for all the equipment; everything has its place.
Once everything was installed, I quickly
checked the balance and it was perfect. I spooled
up the motors slowly while holding the quad
from the boom and checked that everything
was spinning correctly and that the controls on
the radio were correct. It was ready to y.
THE LAST WORD
If you are looking to get into micro FPV quads,
there are some really great machines on the market
like the Lumenier QAV250, but if you are fortu-
nate enough to own or have access to a 3D printer
then the Spidex Micro is a great alternative. The
best part about 3D printed machines is that you
can make your own spares. If you crash (and you
will from time to time), for a few pennies worth of
lament you can simply print your own replace-
ments and be back in the air in no time. This is not
a beginner machine; it is more of a hot rod, but if
you have non-GPS quadcopter experience or GPS
machines own in manual mode, then you will
have a blast and love the ride you can get with this
micro machine. For more information please visit
multirotorpilotmag.com/spidex. =
CONTACTS
ELECTRIFLY greatplanes.com
FATSHARK horizonhobby.com
GEMFAN getfpv.com
GETFPV getfpv.com
HOBBYKING hobbyking.com
HPHELI hobbypeople.net
LUMENIER getfpv.com
MOBIUS hobbyking.com
SPEKTRUM spektrumrc.com
TURNIGY hobbyking.com
ULTIMAKER ultimaker.com
YOUMAGINE youmagine.com
For more information, please see our source
guide on page 89.
RCX 1804-2400Kv motors with Lumenier 12A
ESCs with SimonK rmware and GemFan 5x3
props to power the model. All components are
available from GetFPV.com.
The unique snap-together design of this frame makes
replacing parts quick and easy.
36 MULTIROTOR PILOT
MULTIROTOR
FEATURE
by Erick Royer Photos Kyle Reyes
Looking up in the
skies over the
city of Milford,
CT, you might expect to see
birds or airplanes, but on
June 17
th
you would have
seen something radically
dierenta multirotor
delivering chicken wings to
a customer. Yes you heard
me right; two pounds of
hot and tasty chicken wings
were own from the kitchen
of The Tilted Kilt restaurant
in Milford, Connecticut to a
customer nearby.
For those of you that are
not familiar with The Tilted Kilt chain of restaurants, they are known
for two main things: beautiful women dressed in red kilts and some
amazingly good chicken wings. The restaurant concept has deep
roots in keeping with the traditions from Scotish, Irish and English
pubs. The Celtic-themed restaurant came to life in Las Vegas, Nevada
and now has over 100 locations across the country.
The idea of delivering chicken wings
started many months earlier when
Amazons drone delivery commercial
hit the mass media. Sara Vause, general
manager of The Tilted Kilt of Milford saw
an opportunity to do something that no
other restaurant had done to datedeliver
chicken wings via drone. That is when she
reached out to Kyle Reyes of The Silent
Partner Marketing located in Manchester,
CT. Kyle is well known in Connecticut as
The outrageous marketing guy who has
personally launched some very successful
(and viral) marketing campaigns for
other restaurants and auto dealerships in
the state. Kyle immediately envisioned
the entire concept, from the fryer to the
customers mouth. The missing link for
him was the aerial delivery platform.
I was contacted by Kyle via my good
friend Chris who works for RC Hobbies
and More, one of the largest hobby shops
in New England, located in Winsted,
CT. When I spoke to Kyle, the concept
was simple; pick up the wings from
the restaurant and deliver
them to the customer about
a quarter mile away. Well it
seemed simple enough. Afer
understanding the payload,
I decided that my Sky Hero
Spyder quadcopter (reviewed
in this issue) would be the
perfect delivery ship. With the
canopy, it has a very clean and
sleek appearance that I thought
would look good in photos and
on video.
The day of the shoot,
Multirotor Pilot Technical
Editor Joe Papa oered to
come down to help me, at the
very least, with crowd control. When we arrived we assessed the
area, paying atention to roads, power lines, trees, buildings and
most of all, people. The concept was to have the video appear to
be ying a long distance over the city to the nal destination, but
considering this was more of a stunt for marketing purposes for
the restaurant than a practical delivery method that they wanted to
implement in short order, we considered
all possibilities and decided to shoot this
commercial in four steps.
LOADING THE CHICKEN WINGS
We atached a GoPro camera to the arm
of the Sky-Hero, facing forward to get
a view of where it was heading. My
original plan was to suspend the chicken
wings from a bag under the machine,
much like a stork carrying a baby sling,
but when I saw the size and shape of the
container, I removed the canopy of the
Spyder and the large unobstructed at
surface of the top frame was going to
act as the delivery tray. We atached the
container securely to the copter and afer
taking some photos and video of The
Tilted Kilt waitress placing the order onto
the machine, she picked up the copter
and walked it through the restaurant and
out the front door to the launch site.
PREPARING FOR LAUNCH
From there, Kyle had two people on
Its a Bird, Its a Plane,
Its Chicken Wings!
Worlds rst aerial chicken wing delivery
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 37
the ground shooting HD video from Cannon 5D cameras. Afer the
waitress placed the Sky-Hero down, she programmed the delivery
location into her phone and I began to y the copter towards the
delivery location.
THE DELIVERY FLIGHT
Joe Papa ew his DJI 550 hexacopter with a new Zenmuse HD-3D
gimbal and GoPro atached (also reviewed in this issue), which
allowed us to get some aerial video of the copter in ight. The video
was taken over a series of tree lines away from people and tra c,
but the angle of the video both from the copter and from Joes 550
make it look like it was ying directly over the cityshots that took
a lot of trial and error to get right while maintaining a perfectly safe
ight area.
INTO THE CUSTOMERS HANDS
We then chose a location across the parking lot and set up the
customer to receive their order. The original quarter-mile location
was not practical as it would require us ying over roads, tra c
and possibly, people. So we landed the machine where we took o
and repositioned it at the delivery site and ew up and above the
building to about 90 feet. From that point, the cameras started rolling
again and I landed in front of the building where the customer
happily received his order.
THE FINAL VIDEO
Kyle did an amazing job of both shooting and editing this video and
his nal product was beyond what I expected. In the days following,
afer making the video live on Vimeo and YouTube, it was picked up
by many media outlets across the state and the
country. Another successful and outrageous
marketing campaign by The Silent Partner
Marketing was starting to go viral, giving The
Tilted Kilt a lot of exposuresuccess!
CAN THIS BE DONE FOR REAL?
This is the part of the article where I stir the
pot, so to speak, as I am sure there will be a
lot of people who challenge this, especially in
light of the new FAA regulations banishing
the commercial use of radio control aircraf.
Taking that aside, yes, this certainly is possible.
When you consider devices that are readily
available, like the DJI Ground Station where
you can use a Google Earth map and plot your
waypoints to develop a fully automated ight,
this is certainly possible. However, there are
so many concerns that involve safety of people
and property that I think we are years o from
seeing this become a realitybut maybe not as far o as some think.
I predict that within the next ve years, you will start to see this sort
of thing become a reality. We have the technology to make it happen
now and renements are constantly being made every day. Earlier
this year, Amazon let the world know that they are in development
of aerial package delivery and since then, I have seen numerous
companies cropping up with plans to deliver everything, from
survival supplies to stranded people to routine medications. The FAA
cannot stop the growth of this industry forever and in short order
I am condent that they will iron out the regulations, permits and
training as well as any other requirements that they deem necessary
for commercial drone operations.
THE LAST WORD
Make no mistake; this entire marketing campaign was done in a
controlled environment, away from people, cars or anything else
that could be harmed in the event that there was a mechanical
malfunction. A lot of time and care was taken to make the shots
look the part. Both Joe and I have been ying radio control aircraf
for over 20 years and both of us y in professional capacities and
we understand what is required to set up a safe environment.
Additionally, we worked with The Silent Partner Marketing on a
volunteer basis and did not accept payment for any of the work we
did. Our goal here was to promote the hobby and the magazine and
show people something entertaining with multirotors in light of all
the negative press that seems to scour the internet every day.
I wish I could say that no chickens were harmed in the making of
this video, but all I can say was that they were delicious!
Please visit multirotorpilotmag.com/wings to see the video and some
news media coverage of the event. You can leave us comments on
that page as well. Next month, we deliver hamburgers! =
CONTACTS
DJI empirerc.com
GOPRO gopro.com
SKY-HERO kdsmodelsusa.com
THE SILENT PARTNER MARKETING thesilentpartnermarketing.com
THE TILTED KILT tiltedkilt.com
For more information, please see our source guide on page 89.
GOPRO Part 2
38 MULTIROTOR PILOT
VISUAL TECH
by John Kopec
In the last issue of MultiRotor Pilot
we talked all about the dierent
frame rates and resolutions the Go-
Pro Hero3+ oers and when and where you
should use the dierent ones. You might
think you are ready to strap this thing on
and go skydiving, but there are a few more
seings we should go over to help you get
the most out of your camera. In this article,
we will go over the rest of the options in
the camera such as white balance, eld of
views and when you are going to want to
enable Protune. Also, we will go over how
to upload your footage onto your computer
using the GoPro Studio computer applica-
tion and how to get started editing. So grab
your GoPro, a fresh baery and an empty
memory card and lets get started!
Once we power up our GoPro, it defaults to the video mode, which we
can see by the picture of the video camera.
If we tap the power/mode buon, we can cycle through the Photo,
Burst Photo, and Time Lapse modes to get to the Seings menu, signi-
ed by a wrench.
To get in the menu, we are going to push the top/record buon on the
camera. It takes some geing used to, having only two buons to navi-
gate the menu, but with practice, youll be able to move around quickly
and get where you need to go.
Our rst window asks us to choose our resolution, frame rate and
eld of view.
For those that have missed the last article, lets start with 1080p for a
resolution. Not only is it the HD standard for broadcast television, but
also its a manageable resolution for le sizes. You will nd that shooting
at 2.7k will quickly eat through your memory cards. If you have access
to a computer and can quickly and easily o oad your card, this may not
be an issue, but if you are on vacation with your family and are trying
to squeeze every last second out of your card, 1080p is a solid choice.
The choice between 24p and 30p is purely stylistic one; provided you
arent going to be using your footage for broadcast TV, in which case
youll want to use 30, or most commonly spoken as 29.97. If you have the newest GoPro
Hero3+, youll have four options for your eld of view: wide, medium, narrow, and the
newest option being ultra wide, with a claimed 170 degree eld of view. While this is
an impressively wide angle, know that you are going to have some barrel distortion on
the outer edges of the frame, which will manifest itself by having images stretched out.
White
Balance,
Field of
View,
Protune
and GoPro
Studio
40 MULTIROTOR PILOT MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 40
If this is undesirable to you, go ahead and
switch to wide, medium and for lile or no
barrel distortion, narrow.
The next several win-
dows will take us through
our photo resolution size,
burst modes and time lapse
seings, but for now well
skip ahead to Capture
Seings.
Our rst option here is if we want to ip
the image, in the event we lmed upside
down. I usually dont bother with this option,
because this can easily be done inside of
video editing software with a single click.
The next option is Spot Meter Exposure.
This is a prey cool option because its
giving us a lile control over the exposure.
Normally, a GoPro camera takes a look
at the whole frame and picks the average
amount of light coming in to expose for.
Most of the time this will work ne, but
sometimes youll want to switch this option
ON to get the best image. For example,
if you are shooting from inside a car and
you have the interior of the car in the
foreground, you may nd that everything
outside is overexposed, or hot, as we say
in the business. This is because the GoPro
made the decision to expose the inside
properly, and it let the outside go hot. To x
this problem, we are going to tell the camera
to just look at the center of the frame and ig-
nore the edges when exposing. Now, when
we point it outside, we should get a nice,
properly-exposed image. If we were to spin
it around and frame someone up in the mid-
dle, the GoPro will adjust to the persons
face. It is a prey cool option if you want
to get the most of your camera. If we keep
scrolling, well see the option for Protune.
GoPro heard the requests from the profes-
sional community and added this very cool
option. What Protune does is that it allows
the camera to capture a wider dynamic range
of light. Without geing bogged down in the
technicalities, just think of it as the camera
being able to capture more information in
the highlights as well as the darks. However,
what happens when you copy the footage
and begin to watch your clips? They are all
washed out and grey-looking. What hap-
pened? Well, for those of us in the business,
we call this a at image. A at image, used
in these terms, means that more information
was captured than normal, but we are going
to have to do some post color correcting to
bring back the sharpness and colors to where
they should be. GoPro provide some LUTs,
or Look Up Tables, in the preset portion of
the GoPro Studio. Well go over this later
and what steps should be taken. Now in
theory, shooting in Protune and coloring your
footage should equate to a more detailed and
accurate coloring of your footage. However
I should warn you, some trial and error will
be necessary. You can easily get your footage
looking oversaturated and just plain wrong if
you incorrectly color your footage. Once you
learn how and what the process entails, you
will most likely shoot most things in Protune.
While there are other options you can go
through on your camera, thats all we need to
go over before we start shooting.
Now that youve had some time to
shoot that next viral, underwater, skating,
slow-motion skydiving video with a scream-
ing goat? Great, lets start editing!
What youll want to do is connect your
GoPro via the included USB cable into your
computer and power it up. An alternative
way is to pop out the microSD card and use
a card reader aached to your computer.
Either way, youll see the card recognized
by your computer. Go ahead and copy the
whole card onto your hard drive, youll want
to make sure you are editing the footage
when it is located on your computer and not
from the card. I should also mention that
it is not only wise, but considered default
that you keep a second copy of your footage
on a separate drive for backup. Should you
encounter a drive malfunction, theft, re or
any other incident, youll want to make sure
you have it safe. Some moments are not only
expensive but also impossible to recapture.
Ok, once you have the les on your com-
puter and safety backed up, lets start editing.
To do so, we are going to launch GoPro
Studio, a free application that you can down-
load from their website. Its a rather simple
application, with three tabs to go through, or
Steps. We can start by clicking the buon:
Import New Files on the left side. Navigate
to your folder where you copied your card
and select all the .mp4 les you want to edit.
Youll notice also there are .lrv and .thm les,
but dont worry about selecting those. They
stand for low-resolution-version and thumb-
nail les, but are not necessary for what we
are doing. Once the les are imported, you
have options for changing where they get
sent for the rst process, if you want to ip
and mirror the image, reduce barrel distor-
tion and other options. Once youve chosen
all your options, go ahead and press the
Add clip to conversion list buon, and click
Convert. Once your clips are done con-
verting, we can move on to the second step,
Edit, which is where we can manipulate
the speed, color, audio and even make some
rough edits of our videos. We can also apply
presets, or our LUTs, to our Protune-shot
videos to get them looking colored and
sharp from their native at and soft image.
Once weve nished tweaking, we can do
our nal export by clicking the Step 3 buon
called Export and pick a preset for where
wed like the video to go: Vimeo, YouTube,
etc. Once that long progress bar nishes up,
voila, we are done. Time to upl oad online
and get those likes! Happy shooting. =
CONTACTS
GOPRO gopro.com
For more information, please see our source
guide on page 89.
You can see the effect that barrel distortion causes in this brick pattern.
VISUAL TECH
I
GOPRO PART 2
I have been looking for quad that has the ability to carry not
only a GoPro with a gimbal, but something larger like a Sony
NEX5 or Panasonic GH2. I wanted it to be easy to see in ight
and have the ability to fold eortlessly for transport. The Sky-
Hero Spyder t the bill on all counts. The Spyder comes in three sizes;
700mm, 850mm and 1000mm. They also sell upgrade kits that allow you
to change your Spyder to a dierent size. The design and motor layout of
the Sky-Hero multirotors really intrigued me because they seem like they
would be very easy to maintain orientation in ight and the frame design
and canopy provide a very clean looking machine.
The Sky-Hero multirotors are extremely well-constructed; using
high-quality 2mm carbon ber main frame plates and 30mm carbon
ber booms. The landing gear is made from 20mm carbon ber booms,
SKY-HERO
The worlds most
versatile quad

NEED TO KNOW
MANUFACTURER: Sky-Hero
DISTRIBUTOR: KDS Models USA
TYPE: 700mm quadcopter
FOR: Intermediate to advanced pilots
PRICE: $599.00 (airframe only),
Sky-Hero Combo 2 - $600.00 (4 motors,
4 ESCs, 4 propellers, wire harness and
a DJI Naza V2 with GPS)
42 MULTIROTOR PILOT
PILOT REVIEW
Words Erick Royer Photos by Joe Papa
SPYDER
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 43
which provide a very solid footing for the
machine. The injection molded plastic
parts for the motor mounts, frame spacers,
landing gear mounts and landing gear
bracket are very solid and durable. Until
you hold them in your hands, it is hard
to describe how robust they really are. It
would take an extremely hard impact to
damage these components. The Spyder is
nished o with a beautiful, high-quality
white berglass canopy, which you can
paint any color you like.
Authors
Opinion
There have been few multirotors
that have crossed my path that Ive
stopped to admire at great length; the
Sky-Hero Spyder was one of those
select few when I saw it at a trade
show earlier this year. The Spyder is
the best ying quad that I have ever
used. Its design makes it easy to see
and maintain orientation in the air and
the wide layout of the front arms make
it the perfect machine for mounting
a camera and gimbal because you
dont need to worry about the props or
arms getting into the eld of view. The
construction is solid and the folding
design makes it easy to transport in
just about any car.
SPECS
WEIGHT: XXX lbs.
DIAMETER: 700mm
RADIO SYSTEM: Flown with a JR
XG14E tray radio and a JR RG831
8-channel DMSS receiver
MOTORS: (4) Sky-Hero 470Kv 6S
brushless outrunner (included in Combo
2 kit)
ESCS: (4) Sky-Hero 40 amp 6S (included
in Combo 2 kit)
PROPELLERS: (4) Sky-Hero 13x6.5
carbon (included in Combo 2 kit)
FLIGHT CONTROLLER: DJI Naza V2 with
GPS (included in Combo 2 kit)
BATTERY: Thunder Power 6S 5000mAh
25C LiPo
FLIGHT TIME: 9-11 minutes (average)
FEATURES
Robust frame with 2mm carbon ber
main plates and 30mm carbon booms.
Very durable, injection-molded plastic
motor mounts and landing gear mounts.
Flight controller mounting options
include mounting between the main
frames, thus protecting it from crashes.
28mm to 36mm brushless motor
mounting options.
Four-motor layout can be easily
converted to an X8 with 8 motors by
purchasing the Combo 1.
Easily-removable dampened camera/
battery mounting plate that can
accommodate a wide variety of
gimbals and camera systems.
Tool-less folding capability.
PROS
Solid construction with high-quality
components
Versatile design that can be adapted
to your specic needs
Very cool-looking design makes it
easy to maintain orientation in ight
CONS
Instructions are difcult to understand
(PDF only)
Included power wire harnesses in
the combo kits have too much wireI
suggest cutting and modifying them
or adding a power distribution board
I setup the DJI Naza-M V2 ight controller as instructed for the X quad
conguration, which is fairly simple thanks to the intuitive Naza-M
Assistant software. I was not sure about the gain settings, so I started
with the DJI recommendations and using a BTU Bluetooth unit, I was
able to rene the settings in ight to get optimal performance. I also
assigned the remote gains to one of the sliders on my JR XG14E so I
could adjust it while in ight based on the wind conditions and payload.
I always take off in attitude mode, which I nd lets the machine lift up
much smoother. I started with a 6S battery and no camera/gimbal to see
how it was going to respond. Honestly, it ew better than I expected. It
is very stable and predictable. The motor/prop combo gives the Spyder
a lot of authority. The design, as I predicted, made it very easy to see
and maintain orientation in ight. It was as easy as ying an airplane.
Typically, symmetrical quads can be very difcult to see unless you add
LEDs or denote the front arms with different color props or booms and
even then, as it gets farther away, it becomes more difcult to see the
colors. The Spyder was easy to maintain even at long distances. The
ight characteristics were great and I attribute much of that to the DJI
Naza-V2 ight controller. It is a very solid platform that provides excellent
stability with reliable failsafe features like return to home. Using a 6S
5000mAh LiPo battery, I was able to get ight times of around 12-14
minutes.
Since my plan was to use this machine to take GoPro video from
the air, I installed the new DJI Zenmuse H3-HD 3-axis gimbal on the
front of the copter. Even with the wide width of the arms, on extreme
yaw movements the blades would come into view because the gimbal
offers 3-axis stabilization. So using my Ultimaker 2 printer, I designed
and 3D-printed a mounting platform that attaches to the front of the
copter. By moving the camera out more, I was able to eliminate the
props from view.
While the machine performed awlessly, I do want to upgrade to the
X8 layout so I have the redundancy in case a motor fails. Even with the
GoPro, it is still almost $800 worth of camera/gimbal that is strapped to
the copter. I want to take every precaution I can to ensure that everything
comes home safe after every ight.
PILOT REVIEW
I
SKY-HERO SPYDER
IN THE AIR
44 MULTIROTOR PILOT
I got my Spyder with a Combo 2 kit, which
includes four 470Kv 6S brushless outrunner
motors, four 40A ESCs, four carbon ber 13x6
props, a power wire harness and a DJI Naza-V2
ight controller with GPS. The only thing you
need to supply is a batery and radio systems of
at least six channels.
The batery/camera tray is rubber-dampened
and easily removable with four aluminum
thumbscrews. The copter can be easily folded
without any tools; simply remove four
thumbscrews from the booms and it folds
compact. The legs are held in with a plastic
compression ting. You can quickly remove them
when needed for storage or transport without any
tools. You have a lot of exibility when installing the electronics. There
is a lot of room in between the top and botom frame plates, on top of
the top frame plate (under the canopy and on
top of the batery/camera tray). I personally like
to place the controller between the frames so
that it is protected in the event of a crash. The
motor mounts accommodate 28mm to 36mm
size motors. The best part of the Spyder is that
you can set it up as a four-motor quadcopter or
as an X8 quad.
FOUR OR EIGHT MOTORS?
Some may argue about the advantages and
disadvantages of coaxial multirotors. Many feel
that just because you have two motors on each
arm does not mean you have twice the lifing
capacity, which is true. On average, you can see
between 35 and 50 percent more lifing capacity of a coaxial system
far o from what you might assume. So why use a coaxial motor setup?
The Sky-Hero motor mounts allow for a wide range of
motors as well as a co-axial motor conguration.
The main reason is redundancy. Should you lose a motor in ight, you
still have the other motor on that arm to y the machine safely back to
the ground. The other reason to use a coaxial motor setup is because
the counter-rotating design makes the copter y much beter in higher
winds. Just like a coaxial RC helicopter is perfect for beginners because
of the inherent stability of the counter rotating blades, the same holds
true for the multirotor with this setup. When you look at the prop
surface area of a large 1,000mm octocopter with 16-inch or larger
props, there is a lot of disk area that can be aected by the wind. With
the eight-motor Spyder, we are using four sets of 13-inch props giving
us a much smaller disk area, and the counter-rotating props slice
though the wind much more eectively.
The downside of this conguration is that you need to have enough
batery power to supply eight motors; however, the lower motor gets
a lot of help from the prop wash of the upper prop, causing it to draw
less current. The top motors do tend to run hoter in this setup because
they are doing the majority of the work. The optimal setup would be
to run larger props on the botom.
For our initial tests we ran the Spyder with a standard four-motor
quad layout. While I tested the machine with a camera and gimbal, I
would not install a high-end camera or use the machine for any kind
of professional work without converting it to an X8, coaxial layout.
We are planning on upgrading this machine in the future and plan to
report on it in the next issue.
ASSEMBLY
The Sky-Hero machines are not di cult to assemble, especially if
you have experience with other machines. However, the manual is
not aimed for a beginner. The
instructions are only available
in PDF form and are subpar,
especially when compared to the
high quality of their machines.
The manual does have color
photos, but the mentions of
hardware and the order of
assembly lef me scratching my
head for a while. I turned to
Google Images and found some
assembled photos that other
owners posted and they helped
me determine which holes to
use and gave me a beter idea of
which screws to use and where.
Afer guring out which screws
went where and the proper holes
in the frames to use, I am condent
that I can get this machine from box to ight-ready in a couple of hours.
To be clear, it is not hard to assemble as the t of all the components is
awless, but the instructions make it a bit confusing.
When you assemble the motors on the mounts, be sure to use the
outermost holes of the motors and use a washer and threadlock on
each screw. Since the ESCs install inside the tubes, and if you choose
the X8, coaxial conguration, it will require you to have two ESCs
stacked on top of each other, but slightly oset inside the tubes. This
is probably the most di cult part of the assembly. Thankfully Allen
at KDS Models shot a very helpful video that explains the best way to
get these ESCs installed in the boom. If you follow his tips, the motor
mounts and ESCs will slide right into position.
There are a lot of screws that hold the top frame plate to the copter
and if you choose to install your electronics inside the frame, please be
sure to test everything prior to puting that top frame on. This includes
testing the motors to ensure that everything is in the correct position.
Be sure to mount the LED in a place where you can easily see it from
the rear of the model and where you can easily get to the USB jack so
you can set up and tune the ight controller with your computer.
The stock landing gear gives you about six inches of clearance
under the copter, which is more than adequate if you plan to use a
GoPro with a gimbal. However if you are looking to install a larger
camera and gimbal, you might need to extend the legs. Additionally,
the landing legs are xed and, as of this writing, the market is still
lacking a retract solution for the Sky-Hero models.
THE LAST WORD
Whether you are looking for a high-quality sport quadcopter or an
ultra-reliable and ultra-stable aerial camera platform, the Sky-Hero
Spyder will be an excellent choice. As I said in my Authors Opinion,
it is, to date, my favorite quad. Its stable, versatile and powerful
enough for any small to mid-size camera work. It also serves as a great
chicken wing delivery machine (see article in this issue). The Sky-Hero
machines are very high-quality and the ability to run a variety of motor
combinations makes it that much more atractive. Of course you cant
go wrong outting the Spyder with the Sky-Hero Combo 2 kit. =
CONTACTS
JR AMERICAS jramericas.com
KDS MODELS USA kdsmodelsusa.com
SKY-HERO sky-hero.com
For more information, please see our source guide on page 89.
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 45
There is a lot of room inside the frames to install the ight controller and radio electronics.
This is a nice feature because they are protected in the event of a crash.
The Naza-M V2 GPS is the heart of the
stability on the Spyder.
46 MULTIROTOR PILOT
PRODUCT
REVIEW
by Joe Papa
Ive been active in the RC industry
since I was 12 years old. In the
past 28 years, Ive used countless
chargers; with some beer than others.
Over the last few years, LiPo packs have
progressed considerably, yet so many
are still waiting an hour for their packs
to be charged. While some are avoiding
faster charge rates out of fear, others are
completely unaware faster options exist. If
youre in either category, this review will
be a game changer for you!
A LITTLE ON LIPOS
Most LiPo packs can be charged at 3C 5C rates. Check your LiPo label to conrm if yours are
compatible. To calculate the max charge rate, use this formula:
mAh/1,000 x max charge rate on label
5000mah /1,000 = 5 x 5C rate = 25 amps max charge current
My Pulse 6S 22000mAh packs have a max charge rate of 3C
22,000/1,000 = 22 x 3 = 66 amps max charge current
While some may be concerned about charging at these higher rates, the fact is that these newer
packs are designed for it. Charging at higher rates is not only safe with the Revolectrix char-
ger, but its completely foolproof. The most destructive practice with LiPo chemistry packs is
over-discharging, which instantly leads to pu ng. Its not the higher charge rates you should be
worried about, but rather your LiPo voltage cut o seing on your ESC or ight controller.
The Revolectrix Dual Powerlab 8 is the safest, fastest and most reliable charger I have ever
owned. Its also the easiest to use, nearly foolproof, very intelligent and dead reliable. Each
half of the DPL8 is a stand alone, fully functional charger capable of charging LiPo packs up
to 8S (8 cells), as well as any other baery chemistry currently in use. With a maximum charge
rate of 40 amps per side, the charger can get you up to full charge ve times faster, or in as
lile as eight minutes.
Dual PowerLab 8 2688w
Battery Workstation
The only charger
youll ever need!
Revolectrix
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 47
POWER SUPPLY
To get the most out of this powerhouse
with 5-8S LiPos, a power supply with
24VDC is recommended, but the charger
can run on 10-48 volts. This gives the end
user enormous exibility in the eld and
these higher voltage power supplies al-
low the Powerlab to work with much less
input current. To power my charger, I am
using a pair of Revolectrix Power Stations
(one per channel). Each power supply can
put out 24V at 55 amps plus they have
two 12V 15 amp outputs for a total of
1320 was on 110VAC; enough power to
run the charger at its maximum capacity.
CONNECTIONS
The charger inputs are delivered with EC5
connectors, which I chose to remove in favor
of some XT150 connectors. There are no
charge leads included with the charger or
balance boards, but you will need both. Make
sure you get the ones specic to your needs
or you will be one unhappy camper when
you open the box. We opted for the, Multi-
Port Adapter, a parallel adapter equipped
with polyfuses to protect every cell. This
allows us to charge up to six packs at the
same time on each charger. These boards can
even be daisy-chained together to allow up
to 12 packs of the same voltage be charged
simultaneously on each side.
MENUS/INTERFACE AND SETUP
When you rst power up the charger, the
rmware version is displayed. Press enter
and the Powerlab will ask you to conrm
that you are using a power supply. If you are
using a baery for a power supply, pressing
the up arrow will allow you to switch. After
conrming, the presets become available. My
standard selection is number 3 (LiPo high
power). With up to 50 programmable presets
and the rst 25 already congured for most
users needs, simply press the up arrow to
choose the one you need. To modify a preset,
press and hold the up and down arrows at
the same time and you can alter the default
charge rate as well as other parameters
should you like. With the baeries connect-
ed, press enter to choose
the preset. The charger
will ask you if you have
baery packs in parallel.
Set the correct number
of packs if more than
one and press enter. The
number of cells in your
pack will automatically
be detected, so you dont
need multiple presets for
each LiPo voltage, which
is such a timesaver. On
other chargers, I often ran
out of presets because this
feature wasnt available.
Next is charge rate, followed by discharge
rate. Change them if you want or simply
continue pressing enter to move along. The
charger will then ask you to conrm that you
want to start charging. Press enter again and
the charger will quickly analyze the pack
and will ask you to conrm this is a LiPo pack.
Press enter to conrm and the charge cycle
begins. If you have nothing to change, you
simply press enter through all the options and
youre charging in a few seconds. During the
rst minute, the internal resistance is calculat-
ed. If anything seems out of the expected range
that the charger is expecting, the charge cycle
PER-CHANNEL SPECS
FOR BATTERY TYPES: Lithium Polymer (1S to 8S
balanced, 1S to 2S unbalanced), Lithium Ion (1S to
8S balanced, 1S to 2S unbalanced), Lithium Manga-
nese (1S to 8S balanced, 1S to 2S unbalanced), A123
(LiFePO4) (1S to 8S balanced, 1S to 9S unbalanced),
NiCd (1S to 21S), NiMH (1S to 21S), 6V, 12V, 24V
Lead Acid batteries (Flooded, Gel, AGM, SLA)
INPUT VOLTAGE: Each channel may be oper-
ated on separate power supplies using 110V/15A
isolated circuits for best results. Additionally both
channels may be operated on one power supply pro-
vided packs on each channel are isolated.
PACK CAPACITY: 20mAh to 360mAh
INPUT VOLTAGE: 10-48VDC, reverse polarity protected
INPUT CURRENT: 1A to 40A, software limited
POWER CONVERSION: Synchronous DC/DC con-
verter supports multiple switcher frequencies of
31.25KHz, 62.5KHz, 125KHz; user selectable by
preset, 85% to 93% efciency depending on out-
put current
OUTPUT BATTERY CHARGE CURRENT:
Adjustable range 10mA to 40A, limited by 40A input
current*
OUTPUT BATTERY DISCHARGE CURRENT:
Internal discharge 10mA to 10A, 95W max Regen-
erative discharge 10mA to 40A, 1344W max**
CONTINUOUS MAX OUTPUT POWER: 408W @
+12VDC input, 1344W @ +39.53VDC
CELL BALANCING: Resolution 78uV (16 bit) for
1S-8S Li or A123 (LiFePO4) balanced charging
VOLTAGE CALIBRATION: Cell voltage measure-
ments are factory calibrated to a standard traceable
to NIST; calibration is to +/- 6 mV
CURRENT CALIBRATION: Charge current is fac-
tory calibrated on a 4A standard; calibration is to
+/- 1mA
COOLING FANS: 13 CFM, 50mm diameter
HEATSINK: Internal 120W aluminum, thin nned
OUTPUT BATTERY CONNECTOR: Cellpro com-
patible, JST PA series, 9 positions
LCD: 2 line, 16 character, light grey/blue backlit
SIZE: 10.24 in. (260mm) L x 5.55 in. (141mm) W x
3.08 in. (77mm) H
* Please note, for safety reasons, available char-
ger current may be limited for certain battery
types and/or charging modes, e.g., non-balanced
charge of LiPo
Revolectrix Power Stations provide 1320 watts
to each channel of the Dual Powerlab 8.
Battery clamps are provided so you can use a car
battery as a power supply.
58 MULTIROTOR PILOT
will stop. If the voltage of the cells is below 3V
per cell, the Revolectrix charger will enter a
low current charge rate called Low Voltage
Restore. Yes, the charger can save over-dis-
charged pack! For the ultimate in safety,
charging without a balancer isnt possible
except for very small packs with very low ca-
pacity. The balance boards have auto-reseing
solid-state breakers and every charge lead is
protected with a 40 amp fuse. There is reverse
polarity protection and if you are using a 12V
baery as a power supply, when discharging
LiPo packs down to the recommended 50
percent level for long term storage, the charger
can use the LiPo power to regenerate the lead
acid baery and charge it at the same time.
CHARGE CONTROL SOFTWARE
Smart power management allows you to select
between programmable input power sources.
Using the Charge Control Software (CCS), you
can choose from several templates to get you
close and then ne tune your seings. Avail-
able seings in the CCS include power supply
input current limit, input low voltage limit,
regenerative discharge rate and voltage limit.
The DPL8 stores one setup for power supply
per channel and one for baery per channel
and asks for verication one time on start-
up. The CCS allows you to initiate charge,
discharge, monitor and multiple cycles at the
DPL8 or via remote control from the CCS. You
can graph all major operations when using
CCS and when you use both channels you can
launch separate instances of the CCS within
Windows. Its open architecture presets allow
for customization of any user preset.
THE LAST WORD
While Ive only scratched the surface of all the
chargers capabilities and features, I use it ev-
ery day and hammer it hard. Every charge cy-
cle is at full power and the 6S packs we y all
get charged at the highest output possible. The
new Pulse 22,000 packs, which can be charged
at 3C max (66 amps), are one of the rst packs
to be able to handle more current than this
charger can supply. Even so, with each pack
on its own charger at 40 amps, we can get
these monster packs fully charged from 15
percent in under 28 minutes. Recently in St.
Lucia, we ew all day with a London-based
production crew and never depleted our ight
packs before the ones on the charger were
done. We were able to stay in the air almost
constantly. For guys ying helicopters on 8S
or 12S packs, 1/5-scale brushless car junkies
or even a hard-core racer running multiple
classes, this charger will keep you on time for
your heats and even reduce the number of
packs you need to own. =
CONTACT
REVOLECTRIX revolectrix.com
For more information, please see our source
guide on page 89.
PRODUCT REVIEW
I
REVOLECTRIX DUAL POWERLAB 8 BATTERY WORKSTATION
I used a Multi-Port
parallel adapter
equipped with
polyfuses to protect
every cell for each
channel, which allows
me to charge up to 6
batteries of the same
cell count at one time.
M
U
L
T
I
R
O
T
O
R
P
I
L
O
T
M
A
G
.
C
O
M
Y
O
U
R

S
O
U
R
C
E

F
O
R

A
L
L

T
H
I
N
G
S

M
U
L
T
I
R
O
T
O
R
Voice, Color & Touch!
Electric Air
Telemetry Module
When our engineers were
tasked to design the next
generation Graupner radio,
they knew integral telem-
etry was the key to the
future and they named the
future HoTT, for Hopping
Telemetry Transmission.
Our HoTT radios and products have been
providing a streamlined user experience
where ease of use is guaranteed due to
precision integration of our HoTT telem-
etry protocol across all of our products.
Our entire receiver line provides telemetry
functions such as temperature, voltage, and
signal strength out of the box, with no need
to add or purchase additional components.
With over 50 HoTT enabled products such
as car, boat, airplane and heli ESCs, motor
and engine modules, as well as variometer,
GPS sensors, and a new Bluetooth module
for displaying all this telemetry on tablets
and SmartPhones, we provide our users with
almost unlimited possibilities to be connected
to their models. To top that, our HoTT PRO
receivers also provide three axis flight stabiliza-
tion and flybarless control all in the same low
profile, smart HoTT packageno additional
black boxes to squeeze in.
The future is now
and it is
Visit us on facebook.com/openhobby
DEALER INQUIRIES WELCOME

Graupner MZ
9 or 12 channel:
mz-18 $389
mz-24 $499
Ive been biten by the micro FPV quad bug lately. I cant get enough of my Lumenier
QAV250. It is so fast and maneuverable that I can enjoy FPV ying just about anywhere.
I use a Mobius Action Cam on it to record HD video of my ights and for the most part
I am happy with the results. As much as I love it however, I do wish I could add a GoPro
and brushless gimbal to the 250 for even beter video footage but the quad is too small. So afer visit-
ing getfpv.com and taking a look at other options, I discovered the Lumenier QAV400 FPV Quad. The
frame is larger and can utilize a GPS-enabled ight controller with large enough motors to support the
weight of a GoPro FPV setup. Then I found out that they make a custom brushless 2-axis gimbal that
specically integrates into this quad, so I had to have it! It was as if Santa was answering my Christ-
mas list.
The QAV400 is considerably larger, but it is only 150mm wider overall. Most of the size comes
from the length so it is still a perfect frame to get FPV ights in some of the tight areas that I love to
y. With the new brushless gimbal option, I can now get spectacular GoPro Hero3 footage that is
400mm FPV hot rod!

NEED TO KNOW
MANUFACTURER: Lumenier
DISTRIBUTOR: GetFPV.com
TYPE: 400mm FPV H-Quad
FOR: Intermediate to advanced pilots
PRICE: $164.00 (frame only)
52 MULTIROTOR PILOT
PILOT REVIEW
Words Joe Cannavo
QAV400
FPV
QUADCOPTER
PHOTOS BY DANIEL ROYER AND ERICK ROYER
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 53
perfectly stable. No more dizzying rides in front of my big screen TV. When equipped with a
GPS ight controller like the DJI Naza-M V2, the QAV400 lends itself well to being a perfect
machine for all kinds of aerial video work, along with search and rescue and more. It is a very
robust frame that handles well in wind. The frame is also easy to see and maintain orientation
in ight, unlike a typical X quad.
The QAV400 is sold in a kit form but you can also buy it from getfpv.com fully assembled,
which is how mine came. While I did not experience the assembly process, I did look through
the manual, which is highly detailed with excellent close-up color photos. Having assembled
a lot of quads, most of which having manuals that are
lacking, this build seems very straightforward. There
are a lot of stand-os and screws, so just make sure
you have a clean work area and I recommend work-
ing on a rubber mat or a white towel so you dont
SPECS
READY TO FLY WEIGHT: 44 oz.
SIZE: 400mm (motor shaft to motor
shaft)
BATTERY: Lumenier 3300mAh 4S 14.8V
LiPo
RADIO: Hitec 9X with Hitec Optima 7
receiver
MOTORS: (4) Lumenier FX2216-9
1100kv brushless outrunners
ESCS: (4) Lumenier 30 amp ESCs with
SimonK rmware
PROPS: (4) Graupner 8x5 e-props
FLIGHT CONTROLLER: DJI Naza V2
with GPS
GIMBAL: Lumenier QAV Quick-Mount
Brushless Gimbal Unit (Plug & Play)
FPV CAMERA: Fatshark 600TVL
VIDEO CAMERA: GoPro Hero3+ Black
edition
FPV VIDEO: ImmersionRC 600mW
5.8GHz transmitter
FPV GROUND STATION: Lumenier 10.1
inch LCD with 32Ch Diversity receiver
FPV GOGGLES: Fatshark Attitude V2
NEED TO COMPLETE: Four 2216 1100kv
motors, four 30A ESCs, four 8x5 props,
3300mAh 4S LiPo and ight controller,
Lumenier carbon ber landing gear
FEATURES
Thick and durable G10 main frame.
Anodized aluminum booms.
Bumpers on the end of the arms
protect the motors during a crash.
Integrated power distribution board
for ESCs and FPV electronics.
Easy LiPo access.
Long ight time with 3300mAh 4S
LiPo.
Optional brushless gimbal makes
the QAV400 an excellent aerial video
machine.
Powerful yet efcient Lumenier FX2216-9 1000kv brushless
outrunner motors power the QAV400 and provide amazing
performance.
Right: Lumeniers Quick-Detach 2-Axis Brush-
less Gimbal for the GoPro Hero3 ts perfectly
on the front of the frame. It can be removed
or reattached in 20 seconds or less.
I had a beautiful day for test ying the QAV400; it was warm and sunny
with a slight breeze. I put a freshly-charged battery onto the frame and
waited for the Naza to initialize and nd satellites and its home position.
Then I activated the motors and moved the throttle to center stick. The
model launched into the air, a lot faster than I expected. There is a lot
of available power from these motors which, when combined with the
Graupner 8x5 props, develops an obscene amount of lift.
My rst ight was line of sight only. I wanted to get a feel for the
machine, especially in manual ight mode. I also wanted to make sure
that it was properly trimmed and that the gains were
to my liking. It is a great ying machine. The design of
the frame and layout of the arms make it very easy to
see and maintain orientation in the air. I was completely
impressed. I mentioned the power that it had with the
Lumenier motors, but what I did not mention was how
that translated into speed. This machine was quick.
Flying line of sight, I swiftly ate up my entire available
eld in a ash. It was time to switch to FPV mode.
The next ight was done with a pair of Fatshark Atti-
tude V2 video goggles. It was time to go for a ride, and
what a ride it was. I actually did the FPV ride two dif-
ferent ways. The rst way, I attached a small Fatshark
FPV camera to the front of the copter, under the gimbal
and used the video from that camera to send to my
goggles and just used the GoPro to record the ight.
I did this because with the camera xed to the frame
and not stabilized, I got to experience the attitude of
the frame in relation to the horizon and the ground at
all times. This is the optimum setup for full-on FPV
ying with goggles. For the second ight, I used the
video output from the GoPro and the experience was
quite different. When using the video from the gimbal/
GoPro, the ride is much smoother. However, because
of that you cant tell if you are banking or pitching the machine because
the gimbal is working to keep the camera level with the horizon at all
times. It was great for being in a wide-open area, but I would not y this
way in tight spaces. Flying with the FPV camera was incredible. While not
for the faint of heart, the experience is exhilarating to say the least. You
can feel every command input and every bank, turn and bump from the
machine. You can quickly maneuver in and out of tight spaces with author-
ity. It is nice to have the GPS available as a backup. One time I had trouble
seeing because my goggles were fogging up and I was able to simply hit
the ight mode switch to GPS and it was sitting in space without any input
from me while I wiped by goggles.
The last ight I did was using a ground station monitor; a Lumenier
10.1 inch LCD monitor with a built-in 32-channel diversity antenna. I had
this monitor mounted on a tripod. This time I was concentrating on ying
line of sight while framing my shots with the monitor. I programmed a
slider on the 9X to control the gimbal pitch control so I could perform
smooth video transitions as I ew. This is the common setup for ying
aerial video and photo jobs like real estate. The machine was very stable
as I was in GPS mode just about the entire time. I do like to use attitude
mode so I can slide the copter around for smooth sweeping shots. After
ying a couple of battery packs this way and examining the footage, I was
convinced that this machine would work perfectly for this application. It
rivals that of any 400-550 size machines I have ever own.
PILOT REVIEW
I
LUMENIER QAV400 FPV QUADCOPTER
54 MULTIROTOR PILOT
have to worry about screws ying o
the bench and geting lost on the oor.
THE FRAME
The Lumenier QAV400 is made from
rugged G10 material. And the booms
IN THE AIR
The four ESCs are mounted between the lower two
frame plates. The top plate doubles as a power
distribution board with solder tabs that makes wiring
power to all the electronics easy and keeps the instal-
lation clean.
are made from CNC-ma-
chined anodized alumi-
numthere is no exing
on this machine! The frame
consists of four horizontal
plates. The botom plate is
atached to the power distri-
bution plate via aluminum
stand os, which has solder
points for all the ESCs as
well as two additional ones
on either side for powering
FPV gear, LEDs, or other
electronics. The booms
are atached to these two
plates and four carbon legs
support the quad on the
ground; one is atached to
each boom via an alumi-
num bracket. The four ESCs
are installed between the
two botom plates, which
makes the wiring very neat.
Only the three motor wires
run down each boom.
The top two plates are also separated via aluminum spacers. The
ight controller, radio gear, batery and gimbal atach to these two
plates. The top two frame plates are atached to the lower two via
rubber dampener standos. This is called a Clean/Dirty Airframe
Seperation which is trademarked by Lumenier. It isolates vibration
from the motors, allowing for stable video quality, especially when
you are not using a gimbal. When using a gimbal these dampeners
work to prevent Jell-O in the videoand they work very well as my
video quality was perfect.
THE POWER SYSTEM
To power the QAV400, I chose four Lumenier 2216-1100Kv brushless
outrunner motors with four Lumenier 30A ESCs using SimonK rm-
ware. The motors are spinning four Graupner 8x5 E-props. This is a
very potent power combo for this quad. It provides tons of power and
speed while still having very e cient run times of around 10 minutes
with a Lumenier 4S 3300mAh LiPo batery pack.
FLIGHT CONTROLLER AND RADIO SYSTEM
Since there was plenty of room on this frame and these motors were
not going to have any issue with me adding an extra ounce or two
to the quad, I decided that I wanted a stable GPS ight controller so
I installed a DJI Naza-M V2, which I love in many of my other ma-
chines. While this is an FPV machine, if I choose to take advantage of
its versatility and use it as an aerial video platform, I wanted to have
features such as GPS hold, return to home and intelligent orientation
control (IOC). When ying all-out high-speed FPV, the controller can
be switched to manual mode for a wide ight envelope, but I still
have the condence that GPS is there with the ip of a switch. The
ight controller is mounted between the top two frames so it is pro-
tected in the event of a crash.
To control the quad I used a Hitec 9X computer radio system with
a Hitec Optima 7 receiver. I have become a huge fan of the Hitec 9X
over the past several months. I love the programmability and capacity
to congure the sliders and switches to various functions on my
machine. The 9X is a very responsive radio system which it key when
you are ying very fast FPV just inches away from obstacles like trees
and rocks.
THE GIMBAL
The Lumenier QAV
Quick-Mount Brushless
Gimbal is available in a
kit or Plug & Play form.
The Plug & Play gimbal
comes pre-assembled with
a genuine AlexMos gimbal
controller that is tuned
with Basecam. The gimbal
sits on the front of the
frame upside-down with
the camera above. Because
of the wide stance
of the front arms and the
location of the GoPro, you
dont need to worry about
the props geting into the
video. The gimbal is made
from machined alumi-
num and anodized with a
beautiful black nish. It is
controlled by high quality
GX2208 brushless gimbal
motors from Lumenier. A
30-pin GoPro connector is installed on the back of the mount-
ing bracket to allow you to charge the camera and it provides a
standard video output to feed directly into your video transmiter.
The gimbal uses a quick-atach system which allows you to install
and remove it in about 20 seconds. The all up weight of the gimbal
with the GoPro is around 250 grams. I used an ImmersionRC
600mW 5.8GHz video transmiter to send the video to my goggles/
ground station.
THE CASE
GetFPV.com has worked with Go Professional Cases to develop a
custom and extremely rugged travel case for the QAV400. Inside the
case is a water jet-cut foam insert that ts the frame perfectly. There
is also plenty of room for several bateries, the radio and many other
accessories.
THE LAST WORD
My excitement for the QAV400 started because I could use their
gimbal to get ultra-stable GoPro video of my ights, but it ended
with me realizing that this could be an excellent machine for aerial
photo, video and even search-and-rescue work. The frame is very
robust and strong and it can accept a wide variety of power systems,
though I recommend the setup I used for the best in power and
e ciency. If you love FPV ying and would like something that can
carry a gimbal while still ying like a hot rod, then the QAV400 is a
top choice. =
CONTACTS
DJI NAZA-M getfpv.com
FATSHARK horizonhobby.com
GETFPV.COM getfpv.com
HITEC hitecrcd.com
IMMERSIONRC getfpv.com
LUMENIER lumenier.com
For more information, please see our source guide on page 89.
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 55
The Lumenier QAV Quick-Mount Brushless Gimbal comes in both a kit and Plug & Play form. It uses a
genuine AlexMos controller and provides amazingly stable GoPro video. It also can be attached and
removed in a matter of seconds.
56 MULTIROTOR PILOT
DEMOLITION
DERBY
Story and photos by Petr Hejl
Motor sports rank high on the list
of Americas favorite pastimes
and the multirotor aircraft ofers
a great platform and seemingly endless
possibilities to get some incredible shots of
the action from never-before-seen vantage
points. Being a bit of a motor-head myself,
I could not pass on the opportunity to fy
over and flm the Demolition Derby and
Double Figure Eight Race, organized by JM
Productions, at the 2014 Goshen Stampede
in Goshen, Connecticut.
My weapon of choice for this project
was my DJI F550 with T-motor upgrade
(for more agility) and a GoPro Hero3 Black
in DJI Zenmuse H3-3D 3-axis gimbal. The
F550 is a great single-operator machine
that ofers the redundancy of a hexcopter
(unlike its quadcopter siblings, it maintains
fight even if one prop/motor/ESC fails), it is
small enough not to intimidate people, yet
large enough to easily carry a GoPro and
ofer good stability in windy conditions.
Its price also means one doesnt have to
wait until next Christmas in the event that
the machine is damaged, which may be
an important consideration for something
brought to a demolition derby.
This was a bit of a premiere for my H3-3D
gimbal (Ive fown H3-2D before), so I spent
Smash em up, crash em up!
... A VIEW
FROM ABOVE
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 57
an afternoon practicing and geting used
to the third-axis-follow mode by parking my
own car in the middle of a feld and fying
around it at all possible altitudes and angles.
The stabilization capabilities of the H3-3D
are simply amazing, but the delay that the
third-axis-follow mode adds to the pan takes
a bit of geting used to when trying to frame
the shots circling around objects.
Much needed disclosure: I am an expe-
rienced pilot and carry a UAV operator
liability insurance policy. I did not get com-
pensated in any way for creating this video.
It was made for others to enjoy and to be
a part of my portfolio. I encourage anyone
geting into the UAS aerial videography to
practice fying in diferent environments
and away from people before atempting
to fy at larger spectator events. I highly
recommend acquiring liability insurance in
case something happens to go wrong.
On the menu for the afternoon, there
were a few rounds of fgure-eight demoli-
tion derby races and a few rounds of classic
demolition derby. While the objective of the
demolition derby is pure destruction until
the last car moving wins, the fgure eight
race winner is the frst one to complete
eight laps (which may not seem like much,
but every lap means at least two good
opportunities to get t-boned out of the race).
I set up on the side of the track that allowed
me the best view of the entire area and after
a compass calibration, I few a practice bat-
tery pack to get familiar with it from above.
Since this was a spectator event, I had to
fgure out how to capture what I needed
while staying safely away from the specta-
tor areas. Before the show, we put on a litle
drone exhibition for the spectators, which
was received quite enthusiastically.
Watching the demolition derby from above
was quite spectacular. Since the track was
fairly small, I had no problem framing in
entire sections, slowly moving the copter in
various directions to add a bit of a motion feel
while waiting for the action rather than follow-
ing the cars around the track. The beauty of
the demolition derby is that none of the drivers
care about the copter geting too close, so I
was able to get some prety cool action shots
of wild crashes and slick maneuvers, while
having fun watching the cars slowly disinte-
grate as they progressed through the race. The
copter happened to catch a few muddy roosts
from the cars wheels and the props ensured
even distribution of the mud splaters all over
the machine. When I got it back, it was literally
dripping mud (reminded me a bit of my
1/10-scale RC short course truck after an of-
road race) and it took over an hour and a box
of Q-tips to clean it properly. A small price to
pay for all the fun and cool videos.
CONTACT
NOTADRONE notadrone.com
For more information, please see our source
guide on page 89.
The professional aerial cinema arena is
no place for the inexperienced or faint
of heart. Multirotors designed for
this extreme market are expected
to y camera gear valued easily at over
$100,000. When outted with follow focus,
HD transmiter, remote zoom and gimbal,
the AUW (all up weight in the air) can
approach 50 pounds or more. While many
of the components that go into a pro heavy-
lif cinema rig may be easily recognizable, the airframe
is the foundation that harnesses the power and denes these
extreme machines. Gryphon Dynamics, a Korean manufacturer of professional
airframes, has recently entered this market and captivated me with their
jewel-like appearance and astonishing strength. Until recently,
most pros have stuck with the Freey Cinestar or Droidworx SkyJib.
While certainly proven time and time again, I was a bit turned o by
the lack of portability, as traveling with these beasts is inherently part
of nearly every job.
FEATURES
Gryphon Dynamics GD-X8 is a coaxial octocopter. Though
it appears to be a quad design, the eight motors allow this
copter to maintain the redundancy of a at octocopter,
GRYPHON DYNAMICS
The massive, heavy-lift quad

NEED TO KNOW
MANUFACTURER/DISTRIBUTOR:
Gryphon Dynamics
TYPE: 1400mm X8
FOR: Professional, heavy-lift applications
PRICE: $3,149.00 (frame only)
58 MULTIROTOR PILOT
PILOT REVIEW
Words Joe Papa
Photos Joe Papa & John Kopec
GD-X8
1400MM FOLDING FRAME
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 59
without the limitations of motor and prop size associated with the traditional design. Having more space
between the props adds considerable stability in windy conditions and can accommodate up to a 32-inch
prop. Its also one of the only airframes strong enough for the mind-bending power of the T-Motor U11,
U10, U8 and U7 brushless motors that have recently hit the market.
The Gryphon is available as a durable frame or a folding frame. The durable frame is strong
enough to support the weight of a full-size adult. Since I didnt expect to be lifing 175 pounds, I opted
for the folding model and kicked in for the FX model, which included the upgraded 2mm center plates as
well as the absolutely stunning coaxial motor mounts that t theses monster power plants now available.
FOLDING BOOMS
Utilizing a brilliant design, the inner
and outer booms connect when a
concave pin enters a precision bore.
By turning the
red anodized
latch, a
steel shaf
engages
the
concaved
pin and locks
the booms together.
The inner and outer
booms also have a male/female
interlocking shape which makes the
connection nearly bulletproof.
UNBOXING
When it arrived, my rst impression was that the box was lighter in weight than
expected. All those aluminum parts should be heavy. To my delight, all the parts
were very well-lightened and pocketed in just the right places to eliminate excess
weight while retaining strength. All the hardware is stainless steel. The carbon ber booms are a sight
to behold. Large enough to accommodate most ESCs inside, the booms are a tall hexagonal design
nearly two inches in height. This not only contributes to its savage strength, but also its aerodynamics.
The Gryphon booms are a combination of a roll wrap process on the inside and a traditional weave on
SPECS
FRAME SIZE: 1400mm (motor shaft to
motor shaft)
WEIGHT: 14 lbs. (without camera and
gimbal)
MOTORS: (8) T-Motor 490kV U7 brushless
outrunners
ESCS: (8) T-Motor 70A HV Pro
PROPS: (4) T-Motor 17x5.8 for upper motors
and 18x6.1 for lower motors
BATTERIES: (2) Pulse 6S 22000mAh LiPos
FLIGHT CONTROLLER: DJI A2
RADIO: Futaba 14SG with a Futaba
R7008SB S.Bus receiver
Red Dragon and Cook 14mm prime lens on a Movi M10 gimbal.
To make adjustments during ight
possible, I assigned the basic gains
to the Futaba center LD (left dial)
and the Attitude gains to the RD.
With no payload, these gains were
suitable, but from a conversation
with Gryphon Dynamics, the long
arms on the 1400mm X8 respond
well to even higher basic gains, but lower attitude. With a payload, Gryphon
recommended I use 280 for all basic gain settings.
Before takeoff, I set the CG (center of gravity) for the A2s IMU and
GPS. With a payload, these numbers will change considerably and its so
important to not overlook these adjustments. After an epic GPS dance with
this nearly six-foot frame, I spooled her up and in attitude settled into a nice
hover. After about 15 seconds in the air I smiled and noticed how quiet and
stable it was. With no payload, I estimated in E-Calc that the U7 motors
would hover at just about 20 percent throttle. This low rpm was very easy
on the db scale. Hovering just feet away, I was able to talk with my friend
at a normal level effortlessly. I blipped the throttle and watched the X8
climb, then pulled back hard on the throttle to see it descend. In disbelief, I
nearly jumped for joy as the X8 lowered as if it were a Hollywood Jib. There
was simply no evidence of any wobble or oscillation at all. This is one of
the biggest advantages of an X8 Octo over all other current designs. Its
absolutely astonishing ight characteristics are inherently stable due to the
large distance between the props. After 20 minutes of hovering and basic
movements, I landed and immediately checked the motor temps. The U7s
were barely warmer than the ambient temperature outside. I connected the
battery to the charger and only replaced 13000mAh into the 16000mAh test
battery. Since we would be running 44000mAh during normal ight, the
possibilities here are staggering.
For the next test ight, I called my partner John and told him to bring
over the Movi M10 and Red Epic. Before mounting up this legendary cinema
pro set-up, we wanted to get a baseline of ight time with just the two pulse
packs and no camera. With cars stopping and a crowd forming, we took
some time to answer questions and explain our tests to the onlookers. With
an AUW of 25 pounds, I started to watch the ESC temps on the telemetry
screen. With the fans off and static hovering, the temps seemed stable at
around 140 degrees. While this may seem high, the normal operating range
is actually as high as about 210 degrees. Knowing that we still had a camera
and gimbal to add on, I was glad the fans were there. I clicked the toggle
switch on my transmitter and within seconds, the temps dropped to just 110.
After a full 30 minutes of ight, I landed and was absolutely amazed to nd
40 percent still remained in the Pulse packs. We made the adjustments to the
A2s center of gravity, mounted both Pulse packs and rotated the 14SGs left
dial to get basic gains up to the recommended setting of 280. In the air, the
additional payload was barely noticeable. We logged 12 minutes of ight,
including some full throttle pull ups, and still had 36 percent remaining when
we landed. With the Pulse packs not even broken in, there is no question
that more than 15 minutes of ight with a Red Epic or Red Dragon camera is
possible. Considering the cinema world is accustomed to about 4-6 minutes
max, this is truly a monumental accomplishment.
PILOT REVIEW
I
GRYPHON DYNAMICS GD-X8
60 MULTIROTOR PILOT
the outside. Roll wrap process is exceptional for structures that
need rigidity in multiple directions. The nish is exceptional and
requires nothing prior to assembly. These booms are ex-proof and
should be incredible at damping vibrations.
THE POWER SYSTEM
My rst choice to power this
monster was going to be the
T-Motor U10 series with 12S LiPos
and 29-inch carbon ber props. Due
to lack in availability, we setled on
the 490Kv U7 motors with 17x5.8
and 18x6.1 props for the review.
T-Motor recommends that this
motor be paired with their 80 amp
6S ESC. Since we were going for a
no-compromise approach here, we
opted for their agship 70amp HV
Pro ESC, complete with heatsinks
and 12S capability needed for the
U10.
ASSEMBLY
The build started with the coaxial motor mounts and each motor
was bolted to the at black plates. The black plates t precisely
into a U shaped red anodized piece. The assembly then bolts to
the aluminum cap that ts on the end of the boom and the process
is repeated for the lower motor. To add considerable strength to
the entire assembly, a square piece ts into the front to join the top
and botom together. Before ting this to the boom end, two small
components are bolted temporarily to the end cap, so that when
bolted in from the side the carbon structure is clamped together.
The nal assembly is the most rigid motor mount I have ever seen
and the distance between the upper and lower props is larger than
other frames in this class. This helps recover some of the e ciency
lost in a coaxial design.
The Gryphon product is a pleasure to assemble. The parts t
together with go/no-go clearance, which means that they are so
perfectly sized that any additional material would no longer allow
the parts to t into one another. There are no tooling marks or
surface imperfections. Truly a testament to precision crafsmanship,
the Gryphon frame is the Bugati Veyron of the multirotor world.
The lower plate includes 12mm rails and aluminum mounts
with the standard 155mm spacing to allow for easy mounting
The top plate can be removed quickly to access the eight ESCs.
The bullet proof coaxial mount
is direct t for T-Motor U7 - U11
brushless motors.
After a bit of research and much
deliberation, I dialed in the A2 for
the following gain settings.
BASIC ATTITUDE
Pitch: 225 Pitch: 100
Roll: 225 Roll: 100
Yaw: 225 Altitude: 100
IN THE AIR
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 61
of popular gimbals and accessories. All DJI
Zenmuse and DSLR gimbals are a direct t. To
keep the center of gravity as close to the IMU
as possible, two carbon ber plates mount on
red anodized stand-os over the upper plate.
Their position is adjustable side to side. Also
included in our kit was the Gryphon landing
gear; however it isnt a retracting style, so we
opted to keep it for another time. It is benecial
to point out that while the tubes for the gear
are only 20mm instead of the more typical
25mm, Gryphons superior construction
techniques makes their smaller diameter tubes
surprisingly strong.
ELECTRONICS
With the ESCs installed on the inner booms, I added a set of Castle
Creations 40mm fans to each, as well as a Futaba telemetry temp sensor
for peace of mind. The DJI A2 IMU was mounted on the top plate for
easy access and the A2 main controller took residence on the inner
boom just outside the center. To keep the GPS antenna as far from the
electronics as possible, I used a couple of DJI components to make a
super durable mount from a 12mm tube. When traveling, the lower
clamp can be released and the tube slides down to allow easy transport.
BATTERIES
When ying a DSLR in the past, generally we ew three 5000mAh 6S
LiPos in parallel for a total of 15000mAh. That batery setup weighed
about six pounds, added a lot of extra
connections and was good for only around
12 minutes of ight. Todays batery
technology is opening up new possibilities.
The 6S Pulse 22000mAh packs we chose
for this project each weigh approximately
six pounds, yield nearly 32 percent more
capacity for the same weight, yet take up
considerably less space than the equivalent
number of 5000mAh packs. Previously,
I would have had to try to t nearly nine
5000mAh packs on top to equal the energy
from two Pulse packs. The Pulse bateries
save me almost six pounds and simplify
my charging process.
DJI A2 MOTOR MIXER
The default motor mixer conguration for the
X8 Octo on the A2 is a bit limiting. Normally
each motor spins the opposite direction from
its neighbor, but on a coaxial setup, all the top
props spin counterclockwise and all the lower
ones spin clockwise. This does make it very
easy to keep all these motors straight in your
head and when performing a motor test with
the DJI App from my iPhone, 1, 2, 3 and 4 are
the upper and 5, 6, 7 and 8 are the lower. The
problem is that most enthusiasts know that
to overcome some of the e ciency loss in the
coaxial conguration, its recommended to use a prop one inch shorter
on the upper motors. When the T-Motor 17- and
18-inch props arrived,
each pair included a
lef and right hand
rotation blade, and I
realized that I needed
all lef 17-inch and
all right 18-inch. To
overcome this issue,
my options were a
custom motor mix in
the A2 or to simply
alternate upper and
lower motors and
make the
direction of rotation mimic the DJI rotation. Regardless of
the method you may choose, they are all less expensive than
buying 16 props and not using half of them.
THE LAST WORD
Though some nd the Gryphon design to be over-
engineered, I like knowing its stronger than it needs to
be without being heavier than Id like. During all my
ights, we never experienced a component fail or anything
loosening and despite being a folding design, the booms
are more rigid and reliable than any other folding copter
Ive seen. For those wanting the ultimate in strength, the
lower cost and durable design allows easy breakdown and
transport by removing only four screws per arm. While
the Gryphon isnt the only large X8 frame
available, its incredible construction and
stunning appearance make it a top contender
in the pro market, and is competitively
priced with the others in this class. If you
want to set yourself apart by oering your
client smoother footage, larger payload
capacity and record ight time, check out the
Gryphon Dynamics product line today. =
CONTACTS
CASTLE CREATIONS castlecreations.com
DJI empirerc.com
FUTABA futaba-rc.com
GRYPHON DYNAMICS gryphondynamics.co.kr
PULSE helidirect.com
T-MOTOR getfpv.com
For more information, please see our source
guide on page 89.
I used some extra DJI components that I had lying
around to create a 12mm carbon tube GPS mount.
Pulse 22,000mAh packs save weight and
space compared to the equivalent capacity in
5,000mAh packs.
The DJI A2 ight controller running rmware 2.3 is the
heart of the Gryphon. The A2 is the only controller I
trust on our large and expensive camera rigs.
The Gryphon was used on a commercial
shoot in the carribean. It carried a Red
Dragon and a Movi gimbal.
One of the most anticipated arrivals
of this season in the amateur AP
(aerial photography) market was
indeed the three-axis DJI H3-3D
gimbal for the GoPro Hero camera line. DJI has
practically mastered the technique of working
up the anticipation by the usual long wait time
between the product announcement and its
release. Its two-axis predecessor had become
a gold standard in GoPro stabilization last
year for its capabilities, easy installation and
setup, and the two-axis gimbal market was
quickly ooded by many other manufacturers.
Some three-axis gimbals started arriving on the
market
late last
year, but
these
were
mostly
Basecam board-controlled gimbals
that didnt really oer a great
platform for beginners or anyone
looking for a gimbal that was
easy to set up and
operate. To me, DJI is
like the Apple of the
multirotor world.
Their equipment is well-
manufactured, works great and oers fairly intuitive user interface.
However, it does not oer as many options and possibilities to customize
its functions as some of the competing products do,
such as dierent control modes for tilt or any control
of the yaw axis (for two-operator setup). While the
third-axis stabilization works awlessly, it
only oers follow-mode with no possible
control of the yaw. The functional angle
of the yaw axis is about 35 degrees, which
seems plenty for a follow-mode gimbal.
Two-operator setup is possible in home
or course-lock modes while allowing the
camera operator to control the yaw axis
of the copter and tilt of the gimbal, how-
ever this style of use is a bit limited and
impractical.
INSTALLATION
My platform of choice for a GoPro camera
is a DJI F550 Hexcopter with Aero-X-Craf
landing gear. The H3-3D replaced my
H3-2D and the installation was a breeze.
I positioned the gimbal forward and as
low as I could to avoid props in view even
under a heavy pitch forward.
The gimbal connects to the GCU (Gim-
bal Control Unit) via an 8-wire ribbon and
the GCU connects to the Can-Bus port on
the PMU (Power Management Unit) of
62 MULTIROTOR PILOT
DJI
PRODUCT
SPOTLIGHT
by Petr Hejl Photos Petr Hejl & Joe Papa
H3-3D Gimbal
WHATS IN THE BOX
Gimbal
GCU (gimbal control unit)
GCU-to-gimbal wire ribbon
Mounting bracket
Rubber vibration dampeners
Extra GoPro USB plug and ribbon
Video-out cable
Screws
PROS
Easy to install and set up
Clean design, great materials and nish
Really, really, really smooth
Great value for the price
Uses ight controllers IMU sensors to
operate
GCU works on 2-6S battery
CONS
Limited tilt control, absence of any speed
adjustment and stick rate mode
Third axis in follow-mode only, two
operator setup almost impossible
The ribbon connecting to the GoPro can
easily be damaged
Only works with DJI Flight Control systems

NEED TO KNOW
The smoothest GoPro footage yet!
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 63
the Naza system. It is important to mention that
this gimbal will only work with DJI ight control
systems.
The video feeds from the GCU unit via a
headphone jack and simply connects to the
video transmiter (or an OSD unit if used). The box
contains a few dierent rubber dampening blocks
which vary in sofness. I used the white/sof blocks
for mine and am happy with the results as there is
absolutely no Jell-O in the picture. While the rub-
ber blocks help alleviate the Jell-O, the best way
to eliminate it is to keep the props balanced using a
good balancer.
Clear plastic lock pins are provided to help
keep the gimbal in place in case of a hard landing
or crash. Without being secured by these pins, the
blocks pop o easily, which may result in dam-
age to your gimbal or camera. The pins may also
interfere with the yaw motion of the gimbal if not
installed properly so pay close atention to this
when installing your own.
The GoPro is held in by a bracket secured by
two screws while a mini-USB plug along with a
ribbon is provided to plug the GoPro into the gimbal. This plug feeds 5V
into the camera and feeds the video out to the transmiter. The ribbon is
quite delicate and could break easily if not installed or handled properly.
DJI provides one extra ribbon and plug in the box.
I downloaded the gimbal assistant app from DJIs website, plugged
into the GCU via USB port and installed the necessary upgrades. Then,
I made sure my Naza rmware was up-to-date and performed the
advanced calibration using the Tools tab in the Naza assistant app. All
rmware must be up-to-date and the IMU calibrated for the gimbal to
perform well. Without doing this, it may not level properly or it can
slowly drif in one direction.
The gimbal tilt control is assigned to the X1 port on the Naza control-
ler, so I assigned a lever on my Futaba transmiter to a channel control-
ling the X1. The tilt control only works in a position mode, where the
position of the gimbal matches the position of the lever. It moves between
positions at constant (and fast) speed and this makes it impossible to
achieve slow and smooth tilts. On Futaba controllers (14SG) with a
Multirotor menu, the speed of tilt can be set in Servo Speed menu. On
other Futaba models (8FG), the speed of the gimbal tilt can be adjusted by
seting up the channel as motor. This will still not deliver the smooth-
ness and control of the stick rate
mode (mode in which the position of
the lever decides the speed of the tilt
in corresponding direction. The lever
needs to be brought back to center to
stop the tilt motion in desired position),
but allows it to slow down and some-
what adjust the speed of the gimbal
tilt. To me, the tilt control is the biggest
drawback to this excellent gimbal, I feel that DJI has a litle bit of catching
up to do with their cheaper competitors who seem to have gured this
feature out in a much beter way.
IN FLIGHT
The gimbal goes through a quick calibration dance when powered on.
It is possible to push the butons on the GoPro with the gimbal on, if too
much pressure is applied, the gimbal locks out for a second and comes
right back on. The gimbal acts a bit wild when performing the Naza-
dance (compass calibration), but it does not seem to hurt it.
When I took o with this gimbal for the rst time, I simply could not
believe how smooth it was.
Even with me deliberately
shaking the copter, the
image on the screen
looked as if it was
frozen. Afer spend-
ing a season ying with
two-axis gimbals, the
third axis follow-mode
took a bit geting used to
as it adds a slight delay
to the pan (yaw) motion.
When framing the shots
using the screen, the pan
motion of the image no
longer matches the yaw
motion of the copter.
Afer a bit of a practice I
managed to account for
this by remembering not
to be overly aggressive on
the yaw stick input and
stop the yaw a few degrees
before the point at which I needed to stop the camera. This gimbal uses
the Naza ight controllers IMU sensor input, which helps achieve im-
mediate response to any movement of the copter. As I previously noted,
the only big limitation of this gimbal is the tilt function which only works
in stick position mode. While it is still possible to adjust the speed on
some RC transmiters, I would like to see such adjustments possible
through the assistant app, along with the stick rate mode option oered
by most competitors. I also noticed that the gimbal will start to slightly
wobble when tilted directly down and the copter on full roll (own
sideways at maximum angle) in the ati ight mode. It will not behave
this way when own in full pitch, or smaller roll angles. This observation
is based on two dierent gimbals on two dierent machines. I also man-
aged to lock the gimbal out a few times by performing some fairly brisk
maneuvers. The gimbal disables the motors when too much pressure is
applied to them, protecting itself from damage to the electronics, be it
during crash or if too much pressure is applied while trying to press the
GoPro butons. It resets afer couple of seconds without a need to land
and restart by unplugging it.
I was quite blown away when I saw the footage from my rst ight
with the H3-3D. I recorded it in 2.7K Wide (GoPro Hero3+ Black), played
it back on the 27-inch screen and saw absolutely no wobbles or Jell-O
in the picture. I have never seen such a smooth footage out of my GoPro
before.
THE LAST WORD
This gimbal saves a lot of time over the two-axis gimbals by removing the
annoying side-to-side wobbles that can ruin the shot and make us want
to repeat the same shot many times to get the perfect frame. It oers the
ability to obtain very-long and smooth shots that have only been reserved
for larger cameras and more expensive gimbals before and does so at a
reasonable price. It is a no-brainer for anyone looking to stabilize a GoPro
on smaller frame copters with single-operator setup. It is easy to install
and nicely integrates with DJI ight control systems. It is prety amazing
to see DJI evolve in just one year from a $700 two-axis Zenmuse to this
litle 3-axis marvel at half the price. Well done DJIwell done indeed. =

CONTACTS
DJI empirerc.com
NOTADRONE notadrone.com
For more information, please see our source guide on page 89.
64 MULTIROTOR PILOT
PRODUCT
REVIEW
by Joe Cannavo Photos by Walter Sidas
Have you always wanted to give
FPV ying a shot, but perhaps the
expense of the mainstream goggles on
the market has scared you o? There are a lot
of DIY solutions on the internet where people
modify a pair of ski goggles and make a home-
made shroud with a small video monitor and
while some may work well, I have not seen too
many that dont look hokey. HobbyKing just
released the new Quanum DIY FPV Goggles
that can bring the FPV experience to you for
less than 30 bucks. Of course, you still need a
video camera, transmier and a receiver, but
you can certainly get started with FPV ying
for around half the cost of other FPV video
goggle solutions in the market.
The goggles come as a kit that will take
you 20 minutes or so to make ight-ready.
In the kit you get a EPP foam housing,
head strap, adhesive foam strips to custom
t to your face, a Fresnel lens and of
course, the heart of the goggles, a non-blue
screen 4.3-inch TFT monitor. The Fresnel
lens is adjustable to your preference,
giving you a crystal-clear picture with a
minimal viewing distance. Three lenses
are included so you can nd the most
comfortable viewing experience. The
monitor gives you a clear, bright, non-blue
image at 480dpi resolution and can be set-
up to either the 16:9 or 4:3 video formats.
It works with either PAL or NTSC, so you
are set no maer what part of the world
you live in. There is a provision on the
top of the frame for an optional top head
strap. Due to the curved design of the
top case, you can even aach the goggles
to the brim of your favorite ball cap. The
monitor uses standard RCA plugs for
video and it comes with a mini JST plug
for connecting to a baery.
ASSEMBLY TIPS
I tried all three lenses and I made sure to
use a couple pieces of Scotch tape to hold my
preferred lens in place on the lens holder.
After aaching the lens holder tabs with
CA glue, I used my Dremel tool to shorten
them by about 8mm so I could easily
DIY FPV
Goggle
Set with
Monitor
FPV for under $30 bucks!
Quanum

NEED TO KNOW
MANUFACTURER: Quanum
DISTRIBUTOR: HobbyKing
PRICE: $29.99 (International Warehouse)
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 65
slide the frame out
if I ever needed to
change the lens.
The yellow RCA jack is the
main video-in feed. There
are no speakers on the
monitor, which made me
believe that the white is
NOT for audio. I connect-
ed a video feed to it and it
turns out that it is actually a
second video input. Although
I am not sure why you would
need that, at least you know that it is
not for audio.
I powered my goggles with both a 2S LiPo
from a pair of FatShark goggles that I had as
well as a 3S 1200mAh LiPo and both worked
awlessly.
HOW DO THEY WORK?
I have spent a lot of time ying FPV both
FatShark and Zeiss Cinemizer FPV goggles
and they both provide a dierent experience
and both work very well. I wasnt sure how I
would like the design and video quality, but
I was excited to nd out. I spent a lile while
adjusting them with the adhesive foam strips
and head strap until the t was comfortable.
They are very light (around seven ounces);
much lighter than they look, so they were
comfortable and didnt feel heavy on my face.
I applied a video feed to them via an Immer-
sion 5.8GHz video receiver. The video was
coming from a Mobius action camera and
transmied by an Immersion 5.8GHz 600mW
transmier. The video quality was very good.
It took me a few minutes of ddling with
the lens to adjust it properly to the clearest
picture. Once I did, the experience was very
dierent than the Zeiss or FatShark goggles.
The screen seemed much larger and closer
to my face, which made it easy to make out
details. Its like siing in the front row of a
movie theater, compared to siing 10 rows
back with the FatSharks and 20 rows back
with the Zeiss.
I am sure they did not look too sexy on my
face. It was kind of like having a small foam
cooler aached to my face, but what did I
care? I am not looking at me; I am concentrat-
ing on the video inside the goggles.
It was hard for me to consciously pick
these goggles apart and nd negative
things to say because I had to keep remind-
ing myself that they
are only 30 bucks. I
tried my rst ight
with a FPV multirotor
and I enjoyed the experi-
ence. I had no problem making out
objects and the eld of view was great.
The monitor was surprisingly clear
despite only being 480dpi.
One thing I did really like about
them was that they did not seem to
fog up. It was prey warm and humid
the rst day I tried them and usually
halfway through the rst ight, my other
goggles fog up and can make it di cult
to make out the screen, but on these I did
not have any fogging issues despite the fact
that my head was sweating.
THE LAST WORD
For 30 dollars how can you go wrong? They
assemble quickly and are lightweight with a
very good picture quality. They dont have
an integrated video receiver but in many
cases, thats beer because you have more
exibility as to what you use them with.
They worked great for FPV ying and also
make an extra second set of eyes for taking
spectators along for the ride. =
CONTACTS
IMMERSION RC hobbyking.com
QUANUM hobbyking.com
For more information, please see our source
guide on page 89.
SPECS
MONITOR SCREEN: Non-blue
TFT LCD SCREEN SIZE: 4.3 in. (16:9 or
4:3 switchable)
FORMAT: PAL/NTSC supported
SUPPLY VOLTAGE: 7-13 VDC
RESOLUTION: 480 pixels
FRESNEL LENS: 3X and 4X included
SIZE: 140x95x120mm
WEIGHT: 6.9 oz.
The Blade 350 QX is my go-to machine for
grabbing a few quick flights at lunch,
whether it's for aerial video or FPV. I always
keep it on the back seat of my SUV along with
a few battery packs, a DX6i transmitter and a charger. It is not uncommon in my vehicle to hear items
hitting the back floor when I have to stop abruptly and I always worry about car rash or broken
blades from just having it sitting there. Blade recently introduced a new carry case for the 350 QX
which solved my problems and allows me to safely store it in my vehicle, having everything
neatly at the ready come lunch time. The case is very durable brushed aluminum with
bright graphics, the foam insert is cut to accept the 350 QX with a long landing gear
and it will be ready for the new gimbal-equipped 350 QX2 AP combo that will be
released soon. It holds up to six flight batteries, each in their own pocket. There are
additional spots to hold the charger, tools, spare blades and other accessories. Best of
all, it has a special area designed to hold Spektrum transmitters, from the DX5e to the
DX18. I love this case (almost as much as I love my Blade 350 QX) and it now has a
permanent spot in my vehicle. Part# BLH7849, Price: $139.99 =
CONTACT BLADE bladehelis.com. For more information, please see our source guide on page 89.
66 MULTIROTOR PILOT
CARRY
CASE 350 QX
BLADE
PRODUCT
SPOTLIGHT
by Joe Cannavo
Heli-Max has been producing aordable, quality quadcopters for
some time now with the latest addition being the 230 Si. Its a mid-
size quadcopter packing a ton of great features such as several
ight modes to choose from that will appeal to just about everyones
ying preferences. The 230 Si also has a LED light setup integrated into the arms
which would be good for low-light ying conditions. The frame and landing
gear appear to have a solid
construction and should be able
to take a few tumbles before any
major damage could occur. All
the other accessories were neatly
packed away separately and easy
to locate.
IN THE AIR
With a fully charged pack, I decided to try the 230 Si outside in my front yard rst to give myself plenty
of room for maneuvers until I became more comfortable with the machine and its ying characteristics.
HELI-MAX

NEED TO KNOW
MANUFACTURER: Heli-Max
DISTRIBUTOR: Hobbico
TYPE: RTF quadcopter
FOR: Everyone
PRICE: $179.97
68 MULTIROTOR PILOT
PILOT REVIEW
Words Eric Jordon
Photos Candy Jordon
230 Si
SERIOUS FUN FOR ALL QUAD PILOTS
The 230 Si lined up next to
its smaller camera carrying
sibling, the 1 Si, for size
comparison. The sleek
new canopy is rigid plastic
to protect all the internal
components.
In Auto Hover mode, the 230 Si reaches a maximum altitude of 10 feet off
the ground, keeping the limits of the little quad in check for novice pilots.
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 69
Sliding the throtle slowly up, the blades
began to spin and the quadcopter was
rising o the ground in just a few quick
seconds. I immediately found that
hovering the 230 Si was a no-brainer, as
the 3-axis gyro system works perfectly.
I moved the right stick on the controller
up and began doing some slow forward
ight in low rates, making large circles
around the yard. Afer a couple passes,
I can say that in low rates a novice pilot
would be well in their comfort zone,
as the 230 Si was very stable. Coming
back to a hover, I tried pirouetes in
both directions. The quad handled the pirouetes well and I was already thinking that it was time to put
it through its paces. Switching to high rates, I began with fast forward ight, making sharper turns while
navigating around the yard. The bank angle was denitely greater in high rates and I did a couple of
gure-eight maneuvers with ease. My condence level grew with each pass and I was quite happy with
the performance of the quadcopter so far.
Perhaps the best part about the 230 Si is the dierent modes it utilizes for ight. There is a limited
altitude hold mode that will limit the height at which the machine will y, an altitude hold mode to assist
in capturing steady video or pictures and a return to pilot mode in case orientation is lost. Quite handy for
novice pilots. The onboard camera is able to capture still images in JPEG format or video that is recorded
in AVI format at 1280x720 resolution at 30 fps. The pictures and video are stored on a micro SD card that
can be transferred easily to a PC.
THE LAST WORD
Lets tally this one
up. The 230 Si is a
durable litle machine
that is fun to y for
all skill levels and can
be obtained with or
without a camera for
under 200 hundred bucks. Id say Heli-Max hit the nail on the
head with this one. Theres no setup to do, simply charge the
batery, power everything up and start having fun with this
diminutive beast. Small machine, small priceBig Fun! =
CONTACTS
HELI-MAX helimax-rc.com
HOBBICO hobbico.com
For more information, please see our source guide on page 89.
SPECS
FLYING WEIGHT (without camera):
127g (4.4 oz.)
FLYING WEIGHT (with camera):
132g (4.7 oz.)
LENGTH: 306mm (12.05 in.)
HEIGHT: 75mm (2.95 in.)
WIDTH: 306mm (12.05 in.)
DIAGONAL DIMENSIONS:
230mm (9.1 in.)
ROTOR DIAMETER: 144mm (5.7 in.)
RADIO: HMX 465 SLT 4-channel 2.4GHz
GYRO: TAGS-FX 3-axis gyro with three
accelerometers
DURATION: Up to 15 minutes
BATTERY: Heli-Max 1S 3.7V
1200mAh LiPo
FEATURES
The Heli-Max 230 Si has Actual
Direction Control. When turned on,
the quadcopter will go in the direction
that you move the sticks no matter
what the orientation is.
There are a few different ight control
modes to assist in orientation, altitude
and position hold.
The transmitter has built-in beginner
and expert ight modes, giving you
choices that best t your ying
preferences and skill level.
PROS
Beginner and expert ight modes
Fail-safe feature if radio signal is lost
Solid construction which can handle
bumpy landings
LED lighting system is great for
orientation during low-light ying
Optional on-board camera
CONS
Flight mode indications are easy to
mix up at rst so keep the manual
close at hand on the maiden
Authors
Opinion
I was very impressed with the
way this mini quadcopter handled.
Indoor ying was a little tight in my
living room, but I had no problems
whatsoever out in the yard. The
230 Si is also very durable, being able
to withstand bumpy landings and keep
on going. With beginner and expert
ight modes, virtually anyone could
have a great rst ight with the 230 Si.
Being ready to y out of the box was
a big plus as there was no assembly
required. Just install the four AA
batteries in the transmitter, charge the
ight battery and the fun begins.
The LED lights that are mounted on the bottoms of the arms of the 230 Si really give it low-light and night ying capabilities.
70 MULTIROTOR PILOT
PRODUCT
SPOTLIGHT
by Jon R. Barnes
Part of the draw of this hobby, and
for that maer ANY hobby, is the
challenge to improve. Most of us
enjoy the feeling of accomplishment that
comes from being able to do something that
was previously beyond the scope of our abili-
ties. The sheer variety of genres that exist with-
in the radio control hobby, coupled with the
impressive technological advances of the last
few decades, has managed to keep me both
smien and passionately engaged for most of
my adult life. One area in which I have always
found myself lacking is helicopters. Though I
have owned both nitro and electric helis over
the years, I have never su ciently focused my
aention on developing my heli prociency
to any respectable level. About a year ago, I
decided that it was high time to address that
deciency and made a decided and deter-
mined eort to start logging regular, daily
ights. On top of that, I have recently found
myself extremely aracted to and aected by
the multirotor rage. My interests in them are
mostly related to the fact that they are truly a
game changer when it comes to being able to
shoot near-Hollywood quality aerial photogra-
phy and videography on a budget. There are
many dierences and similarities to ying
helis and multirotor aircraft but in the end,
ying both of them led me to the realization
that it was time to make some wholesale
changes in the way that I have approached my
ying for the last three decades.
The age-old, burning question when it
comes to RC ying styles is: thumbs or
pinchers? For my entire life of RC ight, I
have been solidly rooted in the former
two thumbs perched atop the radio sticks
while the rest of my ngers hold the trans-
mier. The other style of ying involves
pinching the radio sticks between your
thumbs and forengers. And I stuck with
my method for all of these years mainly
because it just felt right for me.
I read every article in Fly RC magazine
each month, mainly because I am still
hungry to learn and I quite often glean new
tips and techniques from my peers and the
experiences of others. A few months back,
I read an article where Dave Sco, touted
as the worlds most experienced RC ight
instructor, summarily said that one of the
rst things that he teaches his students is
the non-negotiable need to pinch the sticks.
He avers that this method, unlike the all-
thumbs approach, is more precise and con-
trolled and assuredly leads to overall beer
piloting skills. Since Daves credentials as
the chief instructor and owner of the 1st US
Radio Transmitter Tray
Secraft

NEED TO KNOW
MANUFACTURER: Secraft
DISTRIBUTOR: Esprit Model
PRICE: $92.00; accessory prices vary
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 71
Flight School are undeniably impressive, his
words caused me to pause and rethink my
long-held approach. And since my ultimate
goal has always been to improve my ying
skills, I decided to make the switch.
Switching to this method, however, has
been fairly challenging. My two forengers
have been the anchor members of my radio
transmier support crew for thirty-plus
years! Moving them to the sticks resulted
in me feeling like I was always about one
second away from at-out dropping my
transmier. Determined to stick with my
eort to rene my methods, I decided that
perhaps a radio tray would be the answer.
I had previously noticed that Esprit Model
carried a unique and varied selection of ne
looking aluminum radio trays and acces-
sories from Secraft. With a fresh discount
coupon in an email from Esprit in my inbox,
I ordered up a tray. Esprit carries two dier-
ent sizes of this radio tray and it is available
in black, blue or red. The determining factor
as to which size you will need is determined
by the dimensions of the transmier on
which you want to use it on. It is all clearly
explained on the Esprit website. There are
also more than a few matching transmier
and tray accessories available from Esprit.
My tray ew all the way from Florida to
California in record time, thanks to Esprits
use of USPS Priority shipping. The tray and
its associated hardware are all contained in
a compartmented plastic bag. No assembly
instructions are included but Esprit provides
ample close-up photos of the tray from a
variety of angles on their comprehensive
website. Using these photos, I had the tray
assembled in a few minutes. I was duly
impressed with how feathery-light the anod-
ized blue tray felt in my hands. My primary
rotary winged model transmier is a Futaba
14SG. I like to use its built-in telemetry
feature to receive real time in-ight data from
some of my multirotor aircraft. It is not by
any means a small transmier dimensionally;
and I was cursed to receive my mommas
lile hands! Slipping the
14SG into the Secraft tray
is easy and it locks rmly
into place, with no fears
that it could ever come out
of the tray on its own. My
rst ight using the tray
had me instantly wonder-
ing why and how I ever
ew without it. The tray
bears the full weight of the
radio and the ngers that
I previously tasked with
holding my transmier
have since been relieved of
duty. Using a tray makes
the pinch method of stick control much
easier. The tray even allows me to completely
remove my hands from the sticks while in
ight, allowing me to easily access telemetry
data on my radio or just give them a breather.
I have since accessorized my Esprit tray
even further, adding the optional hand
rests, the LCD FPV monitor holder and the
four-point harness strap. The hand rests are
especially fantastic. I feel like my hands are
now relaxing in a pair of La-Z-Boy recliners
when I am ying. The hand rests completely
support your hands in a most natural posi-
tion possible and at the perfect elevation. I
did have to slightly modify the LCD display
holder to properly accommodate my par-
ticular monitor, but I love having the FPV
display right there above my transmier.
The angle of the LCD can be easily adjusted
using a pair of anodized quick-release
levers. The four-point harness strap does a
great job of properly distributing the weight
across your back and really contributes to
the entire ensemble hanging comfortably
and in the right position.
My wife chuckles every time she sees her
favorite nerd wearing what she refers to
as his ight controller command station
but this tray has been pivotal to this nerd
making good on his determination to switch
to the pinch style of radio control. The
anodized-aluminum Secraft trays are light-
weight, the machining and hardware are
rst-rate and enough customization options
and color choices exist to allow each pilot to
outt their tray until it feels and looks just
right to them. Though I used to think radio
trays were only used by European pilots
and old timers (and I am well on my way to
being the laer), I have tasted what they can
do and it is truly amazing. Good luck trying
to pry this game changing transmier tray
out of my pinch grips. =
CONTACT
Esprit Model espritmodel.com
For more information, please see our source
guide on page 89.
Taking the controls of a multirotor can be one
of the most enjoyable and rewarding experi-
ences available in RC. Unfortunately, new pilots can
get overwhelmed while trying to y, control a camera
and monitor their surroundings. Most crashes can be
avoided and anything that helps avoid a crash, pro-
tects your investment and keeps you having fun is
well worth looking into.
As a new pilot, its very easy to experience a bit of
sensory overload. Managing to control your model
can be enough for most, but when you add a cam-
era, FPV monitor, an OSD (on screen display) and
Ground Station waypoint capability, it can leave a pilot
distracted and overwhelmed. Its those few critical sec-
onds that can make the dierence between a successful
ight and a really bad day. Another reason to con-
sider telemetry is that youll never leave home without
it. Many times Ive own for fun without a camera
installed to make geing in the air easier. Not having
to lug FPV gear, baeries, monitors, etc., can lighten
the load. It also breaks your link to these secondary
sources of information. As a new pilot, I also remem-
ber staring at the FPV monitor while I tried to decipher
the gamut of information before me.
LED WARNING
Recently, DJI modied the rmware and eliminated
the yellow 1st level warning that your baery voltage
was geing low. If you y with a LightBridge, that
1st level warning is eliminated. What if you are just
too high or far away to see it?
Nearly all manufacturers oer radios with
Telemetry or the ability to add it. Today I will be
discussing the Futaba 14SG. This radio has become
the standard for multirotors in the professional
realm and has industry-leading telemetry capabili-
ties. Most Futaba sensors are designed to plug into
the S.Bus port on the receiver. To use more than one
sensor, a parallel adapter is required.
The included 7008SB receiver has an external volt-
age port. By connecting power directly to this port
with the optional cable (Futaba-CA-RVIN-700), the
receiver will now send this info directly to your trans-
mier. You can set the voltage you would like the
warning to be triggered at and when its time to land,
the 14SG will vibrate in your hands.
BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP
Yet another reason to consider adding at least baery
level telemetry is for backup. In the event you go out of
FPV range with your machine, you can feel safe know-
72 MULTIROTOR PILOT
by Joe Papa
HOW TO
Prevent a
Crash
With
Telemetry
Joe Papa is a an
accomplished pilot in the
multirotor arena. He has
own some of the most
expensive and highly
technical aerial camera rigs
available. Joes mechan-
ical and electrical design
background combined with
his passion for multiro-
tors makes him an integral
part of the Multirotor Pilot
team where he serves as
our technical editor and
test pilot.
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 73
ing youre not ying in the dark. Recently, a
friend asked me to get some GoPro video of
a rooftop party he was having. I packed my
Flamewheel 550 with the new GoPro Hero+
and 3-axis Zenmuse. After the rst ight I
unplugged the lile USB connector from
the camera to remove the memory card and
the ribbon cable broke in half. Without the
cable, I had no video signal and no power
for the camera. I literally had to y blind
and with the sun seing in the distance, I
couldnt always see the Naza M v2 LED.
Having the telemetry screen with real-time
ight pack voltage was a lifesaver. As soon
as the radio began to vibrate, I knew I had
roughly three minutes to get back and land.
It allows me to keep my eyes on the copter,
which is especially important when youre
piloting around objects or low elevation.
S.BUS
Futaba radios also oer S.Bus-compatible
telemetry sensors for monitoring tempera-
ture, rpm, altitude, GPS, voltage and more.
Connections are nearly eortless and the
14SG can display the data from 12 sensors
on the telemetry screens. For each sen-
sor you can choose the type of alert you
would like as well as a maximum or mini-
mum value to trigger the alert. Futaba even
allows you to assign a switch to that par-
ticular telemetry sensor, so you can turn the
alert on/o.
ATMOSPHERIC SENSOR
With this sensor installed, you can be
alerted by voice, vibration or audio melody
when your model is gaining or losing alti-
tude. I personally witnessed a crash when
a new pilot, completely mesmerized by his
new FPV monitor accidentally pulled back
on the throle while turning his head to
look at his screen. By the time he realized it
was coming down, it was too late. The on-
screen display was showing his altitude, but
he was too busy trying to watch where he
was going on the monitor. Needless to say,
he landed in a tree at least 100 feet high. If
his copter had this sensor, it would have
played descending musical tones to let him
hear that he was falling. This is great when
you are piloting less than 20 feet o the
ground and heading away from you, as it
can be very di cult to determine if you are
maintaining your altitude.
TEMP
This sensor is great for keeping an eye on
motor, ESC or baery temps. Since most
ight controllers cant be used below certain
temps, this can also help you avoid ights in
weather that is too cold.
GPS
The GPS module is capable of giving you
warnings for speed, distance, altitude and
vario (rate of ascent/descent). The GPS
module is an information powerhouse. I
personally own this sensor and in the event
of a crash or lost model, I can easily pull up
the latitude and longitude GPS data and use
it to locate the model.
THE LAST WORD
Futabas telemetry is a highly evolved and
precise set of sensors. Its elegant design
intuitively keeps you aware of your models
ight status and the alerts can be set to your
taste and preference. The seconds leading
up to a crash can be hectic or even panic-
stricken. These are the moments you are
least likely to be able to think clearly. Radio
telemetry alerts like audio tones, voice
prompts or vibrations are nearly impossible
to miss and that can be all the dierence in
the world when every second counts. =
CONTACT
FUTABA futaba-rc.com
If multirotors may have piqued your interest, but the prospect of trolling smoothly
through the skies isnt quite your cup of tea, the Invertix 400 is probably right up your
alley. In a world of GPS-enabled machines with autopilot systems and super-advanced
ight control boards, there are really only two options for quadcopters that are fully
3D-capable. Sure, there are a number of machines that are adept at performing stunts such as ips,
rolls and loops, but to date, there are only two on the market that are able to roll inverted and stay
there. 3D RC heli guru Bobby Wats started his own company, Encore RC, to design, develop and
bring the Invertix to market and I, for one, couldnt be happier. The multirotor facet of RC has
adopted many new pilots from all aspects of RC, but the hardcore 3D heli guys had always wanted
a litle something more in the performance department and this litle quad is sure to give them
what theyve been asking for. Ditch the gimbal-mounted camera and strap up your boots for some
awesome 3D action with a modestly priced machine thats both easy to y and cheap to x.
In the past, 3D capable rotary winged aircraf had always relied on some form of collective
ENCORE RC
3D Thrill Machine!

NEED TO KNOW
MANUFACTURER: Encore RC
DISTRIBUTOR: Encore RC
TYPE: 3D Quadcopter
FOR: Intermediate to advanced pilots
MINIMUM FLYING AREA:
Any outdoor ying area
PRICE: $429.98 (Carbon ber kit version)
78 MULTIROTOR PILOT
PILOT REVIEW
Words Matt Maziarz
Photos by Walter Sidas
INVERTIX 400
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 79
pitch design. The fact
of the mater is that
in RC helicopters, the
main blade is so large
when compared to
the airframe itself. For
this reason, the rpm
of the head needs to
stay at a consistent rate
and direction while
relying on changes in
the pitch of the main
blades to achieve a
Authors
Opinion
While the current trend in multirotor
airframes is to produce and y large,
lumbering machines that provide a
stable platform from which spectacular
aerial images and video can be
captured, there are a few builders
and designers that are still focusing
on the fun factor of the ight itself.
Designed by Bobby Watts, the Invertix
is all about 3D ight, providing a pure
adrenaline rush and breaking the
mold when it comes to quadcopter
ying characteristics. The frame is
extremely light, yet rigid and once its
all buttoned up, it looks awesome. The
optional LED light strips allow for some
after dark action so exhilarating ight
is always an option, no matter what
time of day it is.
SPECS
FLYING WEIGHT: 635g (CF version
without battery)
LENGTH: 405mm
HEIGHT: 123mm
WIDTH: 405mm
PROPS: (4) 8 in. Neo 3D props included
MOTORS: (4) Outlaw 2212-1400Kv
brushless motors
ESCS: (4) Outlaw Reverse3D 25Amp
Opto ESCs
RADIO: Spektrum DX9 transmitter and
Spektrum Spektrum DSMX remote
receiver
FLIGHT CONTROLLER: NanoWii ight
controller
BATTERY: Turnigy 3S 2200mAh LiPo
DURATION: 5 minutes
NEEDED TO COMPLETE: Minimum
5-channel transmitter with helicopter
programming, 3S 2200-2600mAh LiPo
and a Spektrum satellite receiver. (There
is an option to purchase a kit that can be
used with external receivers as well as
an RTF version).
PROS
Quick and easy assembly thanks to
the design and intuitive manual
Pre-programmed ight control board
Satellite receiver version allows for a
cleaner, lighter install
3D capable without all the extra
collective pitch linkage
CONS
Landing gear and bottom plate are
difcult to disassemble for repairs
and maintenance
The optional LEDs available from Encore RC really make this little 3D beast sparkle in addition to
making night ights possible.
Prepping the machine rst its rst ight, I had to keep reminding myself,
mid-stick to land, mid-stick to land. Basically, once the motors are
armed, anything above 50 percent throttle is positive rotation while
anything between zero and mid-stick is negative rotation. I assigned
the motor arming switch duties to the H-lever on my DX9, which is the
same switch I use for throttle hold on my CP helicopters, so if all else
failed, I would simply disarm the motors if a crash was imminent in
order to limit the damage to the airframe or its components. I set my
radio up according to the manual with low rates around 100 and highs
at 125 for the rudder, ailerons and elevator. Throttle was set to 125 for
both rates. With two fully charged packs in tow, I headed out to the local
eld with staff photographer Walter Sidas.
After arming the motors, I again reminded myself that I was, more
or less, ying a machine that was always in idle up and a machine
without any sort of GPS or altitude hold. I advanced the throttle and
the Invertix lurched skywards. In low rates, the machine was very
stable, almost locked stationary without any input. The throttle took a
little getting used to as it is very responsive, but thats to be expected
for a 3D platform. I spent the rst battery pack ying circuits around
the eld in an upright orientation to get myself familiar with the ight
characteristics. Slow forward movements were precise and easy, but
high speed circles required a bit more attention. Because there is no
system limiting the angle of the machine when pitched forward, it can
move out with authority. At the ve-minute mark, the battery started to
lose its pep so I landed it gently at mid-stickhooray!
I allowed the ESCs and motors to cool a bit, as it was a fairly hot and
humid day, before strapping a fresh Encore RC 2600mAh 3S to the belly
of the Invertix. Popping it up to twenty feet, I switched into high rates
and buried the throttle to enter into a large nose over arch. Once the
machine was completely inverted, I brought the throttle down to twenty
ve percent and within the blink of an eye, the props reversed direction
and sent the Invertix towards the clouds belly up. I performed a few
more wide rolls and loops before getting closer to the ground, just to
get a feel for how it would react to aggressive throttle inputs. Much
to my amazement, the machine exhibited no ill effects from the props
reversing direction so quickly. Theres something to be said for the
counter rotating design of multirotors in that they offer a far superior
platform stability-wise than their CP helicopter counterparts. Holding
the Invertix inverted for an extended period was a breeze compared to
some of my helis and when stopped at the apex of a ip or roll, itll tick
tock until the cows come home. Inverted hurricanes were also much
easier though I had to keep them in close as orientation is not as easy
to discern on a small quadcopter as it is on a pod and boom helicopter.
Ive nally got the tool I so desperately need to perfect my piro-ips
without worrying about stufng one of my larger, more expensive and
less durable helis!
PILOT REVIEW
I
ENCORE RC INVERTIX 400
IN THE AIR
80 MULTIROTOR PILOT
collective response. While this method has
been simplied to a great degree with the
advent of ybarless control systems, there
is entirely another option in the world of
multirotor aircraf. The idea of reversing
prop direction in the blink of an eye might
not be a plausible option for single rotor
helicopters, but the inherent stability and
relatively small prop sizes on a multirotor
are the perfect grounds for such a design.
The fact that the props on a quad are
spinning in opposing directions means
that the reverse in direction will do
nothing to disturb the yaw center of the
frame itself. Such an innovative design
coupled with a skilled set of thumbs is
sure to draw more than a few 3D freaks
into the realm of multirotors.
SETUP
ASSEMBLY TIPS
The assembly instructions advise
placing the ESCs on top of the frame,
but we opted to hide ours on the
botom of the top deck for a clean
look. If youre going to do the same,
be sure to either le the frame edges
down or to add spliced fuel line
tubing to prevent the wires from
chang on the frame edges.
Routing all of the wiring between
the top and botom frame plates
requires moving the ferrite cores on
the ESC leads closer to the ESC itself.
Long-nosed hemostats are a great
deal of help when plugging in each
ESC as the distribution board is
sandwiched between the two frames.
Do not zip-tie the wiring
underneath each boom until youve
tidied up all the internal wiring and
the optional LEDs. The LED strips are
small, but not so much that they will
t between the motor mounting bolts.
We opted to mount ours diagonally
between said bolts so that they point
straight backwards and forwards as
the Invertix is own in X conguration.
Encore RC has incorporated rubber
grommets into the top deck of the
frame to route the wiring down to
the distribution board. We, however,
chose to shoe-horn the ESCs on the
botom for a cleaner look from the
top side. To do this we sliced open
sections of nitro fuel line open and
glued them to the frame edges where
the wires would travel.
THE LAST WORD
So if youre a die-hard 3D kinda guy
in the rotary winged world and have
put o on geting into multirotors
because of their general lack of agility
and inability to hover inverted, your
time has come with the release of
the Invertix 400. It combines all the
maneuverability of a collective pitch
heli with the stability of a self-centering
multirotor. The build is easy, there is
no programming and the machine ies
just plain awesome. The construction
itself should prove to be very durable
should any close encounters with the
ground occur. Replacement parts are
priced at an economical point so spares can always be kept in the parts
box. The manual for the build and setup is second to none and Encore
RC even has a build video by Bobby Wats on their website. Im not
really a camera and gimbal kind of guy and it was refreshing to see
a manufacturer come out with such an innovative machine at such a
modest price point. Well done Mr. Wats and Encore! =
CONTACTS
ENCORE RC encorerc.com
HOBBYKING hobbyking.com
SPEKTRUM spektrumrc.com
For more information, please
see our source guide on
page 89.
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 81
WE USED
TRANSMITTER: Spektrum DX9,
SPMR9900
RECEIVER: Spektrum Remote
Receiver, SPM9645
BATTERY: Encore RC 2600mAh
3S LiPo
ESC: (4) Outlaw Reverse3D
25Amp Opto ESCs, OLESC-25A3D
(included)
MOTOR: (4) Outlaw 2212-
1400Kv brushless motors,
OLMOTO2212-1400 (included)
PROPS: (4) 8 in. NEO 3D Fixed
Pitch Propellers, NEO-3D8B
(included)
FC BOARD: Factory-tuned NanoWii,
FLDUNW1.5S (included)
With all of the electronics tucked
beneath the top deck, the layout
looks nice and tidy. The carbon
ber version also gives the
Invertix killer looks.
Notice the
long length of
silicone fuel
line on the bot-
tom deck as
well as the two
small sections
on the top one
to protect the
wiring from
the sharp
edges of the
frame plates.
The props on the Invertix
have a ridiculously steep
pitch and a unique, hourglass
shape. Such a design is
required for a machine that
uses reversing motor rotation
to achieve inverted ight.
Whether you are ying full-on FPV with video goggles or
are ying line of sight while framing your shots using a
video monitor, an OSD (On Screen Display) is a critical
tool to have on your copter. Even though you are ying
and able to see the video from the copter, you are still essentially
ying blind. There is vital information that an OSD can send to your
monitor to let you know the status of your bateries, your distance
from home, the atitude
of your copter, your
altitude and more. DJI
oers two separate iOSD
units; the iOSD Mini and iOSD Mark II. Both units overlay the same data to your video
signal in real time. That information includes:
Total voltage of the Naza, WKM or A2 PMU (batery voltage)
Distance to home location
Altitude
Your ight mode (GPS, Atitude, Manual)
Failsafe status (Failsafe, GoHome, APT Ground Station)
Pitch and roll degrees
Ground speed in meters/second
Number of satellites
Nose direction to home
Vertical speed in meters/second
Articial horizon line
Azimuth angle (heading in degrees)
Video channel (Mark II only)
Compass error indicator
Airport alert lets you know when you are in a no-y zone
The sofware assistant allows you to set warnings for number of satellites, altitude warning
and distance from home point. It also allows you to move the data to the lef or right, but it
does not allow you to position the data to suit your needs.
IOSD MARK II
The iOSD Mark II utilizes an integrated
design that includes a lot of functionality
in a compact unit. It is designed to work
in conjunction with the DJI ight control-
lers (A2, WooKong-M, Naza-M or Naza-
M V2). Data is passed along via the DJI
CanBus system to give you fast, reliable
and accurate ight data information.
The Mark II supports dual video source
inputs that are switchable during ight.
Each input can be either PAL or NTSC and you can assign a 3-position transmiter switch
82 MULTIROTOR PILOT
DJI
PRODUCT
SPOTLIGHT
by Joe Cannavo Photos Joe Papa
iOSDs-Mark II
and Mini
Real-time ight
data made easy
SPECS
iOSD Mark II
DIMENSIONS: 52mm x 41mm x 11mm
WEIGHT: 56g
VIDEO INPUT/OUTPUT: PAL/NTSC
VOLTAGE: 3S-6S (via integrated BEC)
CURRENT: 60mA@25.2V; 103mA@12.6V
CONTROLLER SUPPORTED: A2, WKM, Naza-M,
Naza-M V2
BUILT IN FUNCTIONS:
- iOSD information transmission
- Video transmission, two video signal channels input and
switch
- Channel switch supported for the DJI wireless video
transmitter module
- DJI Z15 gimbal supported
- Flight log function
INCLUDES: Z15 cable, two CanBus cables, a video input
cable, a video output cable and a two to three-pin cable
iOSD Mini
DIMENSIONS: 33.2mm x
28.2mm x 10.55mm
WEIGHT: 14g
VIDEO INPUT/OUTPUT:
PAL/NTSC
VOLTAGE: 6V
CURRENT: 180mA@6V
CONTROLLER
SUPPORTED: A2, WKM,
Naza-M, Naza-M V2
INCLUDES: 200mm cable for Naza-M or WKM
FUNCTIONS iOSD MARK II iOSD MINI
Supported DJI ight control system ................................................. Wookong-M, Naza-M, Naza-M V2 ..................Wookong-M, Naza-M, Naza-M V2
Superimposed real-time ight data over the video signal ....................................... YES .........................................................................................YES
Support for two video source inputs, switchable during ight ................................ YES ..........................................................................................NO
Remote switching of video link channels in real time .............................................. YES ..........................................................................................NO
Upgradeable online free ....................................................................................... YES .........................................................................................YES
Built-in BEC module, supports 3S-6S LiPo............................................................... YES ..........................................................................................NO
User-friendly assistant software ............................................................................. YES .........................................................................................YES
Flight log functionality ............................................................................................. YES ..........................................................................................NO
Provides power for camera and DJI video link ........................................................ YES ..........................................................................................NO
to remotely select the input you want. This allows the pilot to switch
between the aerial camera and FPV camera which is very useful in
single operator setups. If your multirotor has a 3-axis gimbal such
as the DJI Z15 that can continually rotate 360 degrees and you are
viewing that source, it will be very di cult to know the position of
the nose of the aircraf and can make controlling the copter di cult.
Being able to switch to a xed, forward-facing FPV camera will allow
you to monitor the direction that the machine is traveling to reposi-
tion the copter and then safely return to lming.
The transmiter switch can also be used to remotely change the
video transmiter channel when using a DJI video transmiter. This is
useful when you are experiencing video interference on the ground
that can aect your ight; you can simply change to a cleaner chan-
nel.
The Mark II also has the capability of recording ight log data
which keeps track of the input and output information from every
channel, GPS signal, power voltage, home distance, height and more.
This data can be recalled and viewed from the assistant sofware afer
the ight.
The built-in BEC module allows the Mark II to support from 3S to
6S LiPo bateries and it also provides the power supply to the camera
and main controller improving reliability. There are three CanBus
ports on the Mark II, which give
you exibility of expanding
your system to include other
DJI components like a BTU or
the Ground Station Data Link
without the need to install a
CanHub.
IOSD MINI
The iOSD Mini is an inexpensive
solution to give you the same
real-time data overlaid on your video feed as the Mark II. They kept
the cost down by eliminating some of the features like data logging,
multiple video sources, remote channel switching and the BEC.
However if you are ying a simpler machine you might not need
these features. The input voltage for the Mini is limited to 6V which is
supplied via the CanBus cable. The lack of BEC means that you can-
not provide power to the camera or video transmiter from the OSD.
The only connectivity on the Mini is the video input and output and a
single CanBus port.
You can also still use the Mini with other DJI components, but it
only has a single CanBus port so you would need to install a CanHub
to give you the expandability that you might need.
ASSISTANT SOFTWARE
Both iOSD units can take advantage of the Assistant Sofware which
allows you to upgrade to the latest rmware as well as set parameters
and warnings for the unit. They connect to a Windows PC via a USB
mini cable. You can download the sofware and required driver from
the DJI websites support section.
Using the sofware you can adjust the horizontal position of the
data overlaid on the screen to ensure all of the data is in view. The
number of satellites warning can be set to alert you if you fall below
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 83
84 MULTIROTOR PILOT
a specied number of satellites thus,
preventing GPS positioning from not
working. You can set a warning for the
maximum distance from the starting point
(home) which will prevent you from y-
ing out of video signal or worse yet, radio
control range. You can also set the height
range which will alert you if you fall
below or y above preset heights.
THE LAST WORD
No mater what DJI controller-equipped
machine you are ying, if you are using
video either for FPV or aerial video work,
you can benet from a DJI iOSD unit.
Which unit you choose depends on your
needs. The iOSD Mini retails for $69.00
and it provides all the same ight information as the more expensive,
$255.00 iOSD Mark II. The Mark II has additional features that are
useful on higher-end, like dual video source and remote channel
switching as well as data logging and an integrated BEC to supply
power to your video gear. No mater what you need, DJI has a solu-
tion for you. Stay in the know; know what is going on up there at all
times. =
CONTACT
DJI empirerc.com
For more information, please see our source guide on page 89.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
I
DJI IOSDS-MARK II AND MINI
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 85
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 87
You do the ying! Leave the heavy lifting to Gens Ace!
Our LiPo batteries and the brand
new TATTU line have extraordinary
capacity and reliabilityand are
used by top UAV pilots worldwide!
THE SKY IS
THE LIMIT
Gens Ace batteries
for all your UAV needs.
gensace.de/
Multirotor Source Guide
Please check with your local hobby store to nd products reviewed in Multirotor Pilot Magazine. Additional sources are listed below.
ARES
Distributed exclusively by
Hobbytown USA
www.ares-rc.com
Email: customerservice@
hobbytown.com
Blade
Distributed by Horizon Hobby
4105 Fieldstone Road
Champaign, IL 61822
Phone: (800) 338-4639
www.bladehelis.com
Castle Creations
540 N. Rogers Road
Olathe, KS 66062
Phone: (913) 390-6939
Fax: (913) 390-6164
www.castlecreations.com
Email: info@castlecreations.com
DJI
Phone: (818) 235-0789
www.dji.com
Email: us.sales@dji.com
ElectriFly
Distributed exclusively by Hobbico
P.O. Box 9021
Champaign, IL 61826
www.electriy.com
CustomerLink Hotline:
(800) 682-8948
Available at your local hobby store,
or online at www.towerhobbies.com
Encore RC
175 Semoran Commerce Place,
Suite D
Apopka, FL 32703
eFax: (866) 724-2777
www.encorerc.com
Esprit Models
1240 Clearmont St. NE, Unit #12
Palm Bay, FL 32905
Phone: (321) 729-4287
Fax: (321) 725-8920
www.espritmodel.com
Email: sales@espritmodel.com
Fat Shark RC Vision Systems
Distributed by Horizon
Hobby Distributors
4105 Fieldstone Rd.
Champaign, IL 61822
Toll Free: (800) 338-4639
www.fatshark.com
www.horizonhobby.com
Futaba
Distributed exclusively by Hobbico
P.O. Box 9021
Champaign, IL 61826
www.futaba-rc.com
Phone: (217) 398-3630
Available at your local hobby store,
or online at www.towerhobbies.com
Gemfan
www.gemfanhobby.com
Email: sales1@gemfanhobby.com
GetFPV
1127 Goodrich Ave
Sarasota, FL 34236
Phone: (941) 444-0021
www.getfpv.com
GoPro
Phone: (888) 600-4659
www.gopro.com
Gryphon Dynamics
www.gryphondynamics.co.kr
Heli-Max
Distributed exclusively
by Hobbico
P.O. Box 9021
Champaign, IL 61826
Phone: (217) 398-3630
www.helimax-rc.com
Available at your local
hobby store, or online at
www.towerhobbies.com
Hitec RCD USA
12115 Paine Street
Poway, CA 92064
Phone: (858) 748-6948
Fax: (858) 748-1767
www.hitecrcd.com
Email:
service@hitecrcd.com
Hobbico
P.O. Box 9021
Champaign, IL 61826
Phone: (217) 398-3630
www.hobbico.com
Available at your local hobby store,
or online at www.towerhobbies.com
HobbyKing
www.hobbyking.com
Hobbytown USA
www.hobbytown.com
Email: customerservice@
hobbytown.com
Hobbywing
www.falconsekido.com
Email: Sales-us@hobbywing.com
Horizon Hobby
4105 Fieldstone Rd.
Champaign, IL 61822
Phone: (800) 338-4639
www.horizonhobby.com
HPHeli
18480 Bandilier Circle
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
Phone: (800) 854-8471
International: (714) 963-0329
www.hobbypeople.net
Email: etail@hobbypeople.net
HRP Distributing
www.hrpdealer.com
Immersion RC
www.immersionrc.com
Email: info@immersionrc.com
JR Americas
P.O. Box 8757
Champaign IL 61826-8757
www.jramericas.com
KDS Models USA
1730 Preston Ave., Suite E
Pasadena, TX 77503
Phone: (713) 475-5855
www.kdsmodelsusa.com
Lumenier
1127 Goodrich Ave
Sarasota, FL 34236
Phone: (941) 444-0021
www.getfpv.com
Mars Parachutes
Phone: (562)267-9452
www.marsparachutes.com
Email: info@marsparachutes.com
Mobius
www.hobbyking.com
Notadrone
Phone: (860) 480-1982
www.notadrone.com
Email: petrhejl1@me.com
Pulse
Heli Direct
730 Eastern Ave., Unit 096
Malden, MA 02148
Phone: (877) 439-4354
Fax: (781) 723-6172
www.helidirect.com
Quantum Motors
Phone: (877) 439-4354
www.quantummotors.com
Email: sales@quantummotors.com
Revolectrix
Distributed by FMA Direct
3520 Sugarloaf Parkway,
Suite F-03-121
Urbana, MD 21704
Phone: (301) 798 2770
Fax: (301) 798 2772
www.usastore.revolectrix.com
Email: sales@revolectrix.com
Sky-Hero
www.sky-hero.com
Sales Email: patrick@sky-hero.com
Spektrum
Distributed by Horizon Hobby
4105 Fieldstone Rd.
Champaign, IL 61822
Toll Free: (800) 338-4639
www.spektrumrc.com
www.horizonhobby.com
T-Motor
1127 Goodrich Ave
Sarasota, FL 34236
Phone: (941) 444-0021
www.getfpv.com
Turnigy
www.hobbyking.com
Ultimaker
www.ultimaker.com
Email: info@ultimaker.com
Youmagine
www.youmagine.com
Email: info@youmagine.com
MULTIROTOR PILOT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 89
A Main Hobbies ............................... 14-15
Academy of Model Aeronautics ..... 28-29
ARES ......................................................51
Atlanta Hobby ........................................76
Blade ................................................... CV4
BP Hobbies, LLC. ...................................89
Castle Creations, Inc. .............................41
Designatronics, Inc. ...............................85
Du-Bro Products ....................................85
Empire Hobby ........................................39
FMA Direct .............................................66
Gensace Batteries ..................................87
Graupner/SJ USA ..................................49
Heli-Max .............................................. CV2
Hitec RCD USA, Inc. ..............................35
HobbyKing .................................... CV3, 75
Hobby Pro USA .....................................84
JR Americas ...........................................11
KDS Models USA ..................................88
Landing Products ...................................86
Max Amps ................................................7
Motor City Drone Company ..................13
ProtoX SLT ...............................................3
Range Video ....................................19, 77
RobotShop Inc. ......................................67
Spektrum ............................................. 4-5
Thunder Power ......................................50
UAV Direct .............................................86
Unmanned Experts ................................87
Windsor Propeller ..................................86
XAircraft America ..................................74
XHELI.com ...............................................9
MULTIROTOR ADVERTISER INDEX
90 MULTIROTOR PILOT
by Matt Maziarz
Sure as the sun will come up tomor-
rowcrashes will happen
to anyone and everyone
at some point or another. Whether
its from mechanical failure, electri-
cal problems, low battery voltage or
plain old dumb thumbs, if you fly
fairly regularly, its bound to happen
at some point or another. So whats the
point, you may ask? Why take the risk
when so much time and money is
invested to get your machine outfitted
and flying to the point where youre
happy with it when it could all be lost? It
doesnt have to be something major either. It
could be something as simple as one single
prop nut loosening or a single wire becoming
frayed that could down a large and expensive machine.
Like I said before, no matter what your experience level or
how diligent you might be at building and maintaining
your rig, unexpected landings due to a failure is inevitable.
After all, whether youre flying an airplane, helicopter or a
multirotor, they all have that built in return to earth func-
tionits called gravity.
But fear not, there is a solution for those of you who
have been grounded by worrying about damaging your
precious machines. Mars Parachutes out of La Habra, CA,
has come up
with a failsafe
system that
they have
given the mon-
iker M.A.R.S.
(Multirotor
Aerial
Recovery
System).
Basically, it is a
spring-loaded
parachute that
is mounted on
the top of your
multirotor
platform that is
triggered by a
two-way
switch on your
transmitter. The manufacturer
markets three different sizes
of systems. The Mars Mini is
rated for machines weighing
up to four pounds and uti-
lizes a 36-inch parachute, the
Mars 58 is rated for machines
up to 10 pounds and uses a
58-inch chute while the Mars
120 is rated up to 25 pounds
and uses a 120-inch chute.
The prices of each unit might
seem a bit high, but consider-
ing how much we put into and
onto our multirotors, Id say the
price is well worth it. Are they
guaranteed to slow the descent
enough to where the machine will
not be damaged? No, but Ill take
what I can get when it comes to
protecting my investment. Will they work if there is a loss
of signal between the transmitter and machine? No, the
system needs to be deployed by operating a two-way
switch on the transmitter. What if my machine is falling in
inverted orientation or even worse, tumbling in descent?
While an optimal release angle is straight up, the spring-
loaded mechanism ejects the entire chute and rigging, so
even in less-than-optimal conditions, the chute should open
cleanly. Like I said before, Ill take what I can get. There is
nothing worse in the world of multirotors than watching
your machine hurtling towards the ground and not being
able to do anything to stop or slow it down.
Mars Parachutes is not an anomaly in that respect either.
There are a few other manufacturers out there that are
working on similar systems and even some that are more
advanced. Some of these designers are looking to combat
the problem of losing radio contact with the machine. Most
flight control systems disarm the motors if radio signal is
lost. The trick is to get the parachute to deploy in such
instances. Whatever the case may be and regardless of the
company producing these systems, they are a welcome
addition to our hobby and are sure to negate some of the
jitters involved with flying such pricey machines. =
CONTACTS
MARS PARACHUTES marsparachutes.com
For more information, please see our source guide on page 89.
Parachutes aren't just for
skydivers anymore!
RETURN TO HOME

You might also like