First Flight....Okay, I'm Officially Hooked!

[vic3rose]

So today I got my 3DR Solo in. As a former (and current) fixed wing RC Pilot, I wasn't sure what to expect in the way of flight complexity and fun quotient. I have to say that I am officially hooked, lol!

The Solo flew as advertised. Located GPS in about 3min. Stayed locked on. Controls were smooth and sure. The GoPro Hero 3 Silver Edition worked as advertised. I used mu iPhone 6 without problems. The wifi worked flawlessly. The evening was extremely fun and entertaining.

I CAN say that I am going to want a gimbal, extra batteries for the drone, a long life battery for the controller, leg extensions, and a few other things. Even though the drone kept GPS lock, I was in a very open space (football field). I will probably want the HereGPS with mast soon. Extra Blades, etc.

By the way, the EJH Precision Prop Balancer worked to perfection. Thanks to those who recommended it. Blades are really balanced well now, with almost no cam jitter. I still want the gimbal for multiple reasons, but for now, I'm still learning, so the solid mount is okay.

I want to thank each person who encouraged me and had input. All of the info was valuable. Hopefully as I get proficient I can post some cool shots, and even help others in here as well!

Carry on Pilots!

 

[cactusops]

Congratulations! Just remember when you upgrade to the gimbal, you'll need to upgrade your gopro as well. Hero 3+ black, hero 4 silver and hero 4 black are your options for full use of the gimbal. Hero 5 will not work because it doesn't have the correct provisions to plug into the gimbal.

 

[vic3rose]

cactusops,

Thanks so much for the heads up! I would've forgotten that, lol. I do plan to get a couple more GoPros, so I'll remember that good tip. I still have some to learn but it's coming along nicely. Working today on manual flight. Hopefully there will be no crash report, lol. I don't have spare parts yet.

 

[vmaniqui]

loving it and getting hooked is just the beginning. you'll know it as pretty soon you'll have at least 2-3 solos (that's the bare minimum).

 

[so low still grounded]

Well I am not hooked but I am looking to buy my second solo just haven't found a valid reason for it yet, pretty sure will have a reason after my next solo arrives.

 

[vmaniqui]

Well I am not hooked but I am looking to buy my second solo just haven't found a valid reason for it yet, pretty sure will have a reason after my next solo arrives.

i hear you but better do it soon as stocks might get scarce and price might go up. just like the solo gimbal, i didn't realize price now is $200 to think that i bought my gimbal months ago for only $45.

 

[vic3rose]

vmaniqui...Yeah, I foresee a lot of "explaining" do to do the wife in my future, lol. I hope to buy 1-2 more Solos for backup, and a couple of parts ones as well. I have several friends in the Real Estate business, and they have been after me to get them some aerials. Maybe their "business" will help offset my expenses. At least that's what I'll tell the wife, lol! She's a sweetheart and won't mind though.

So Low...man I hope you have a great experience with yours. Mine worked as advertised right out of the box, so I guess I finally got lucky on something. Keep flying and having fun. That's what it's all about!

Cheers!

 

[vic3rose]

V...Yeah, I'm gonna jump on it asap, lol. I hope to have some extra parts as soon as next week. The gimbal is on for next week as well.

 

[Freebird32]

I came from fixed wing R/C too. Been flying long time. I've got several Solos, no regrets, they all function fine. Was able to pick up some 'parts only' birds that with my spare parts were made flyable. I've had good luck getting GoPro 4 Black refurbished from the GoPro eBay store. Lowest price has been around 250. I've had no issues with them and they carry a 1 year factory warranty.
The GPS option you might want is the mRo GPS board that replaces the one in the bird instead of the mast. It adds Glonass in addition to US GPS sats. In my location it will lock up about 16-21 satellites pretty quick. It is plug and play but you do have to open your bird and remove a couple connectors and a couple screws (not hard) and there are videos on Youtube. mRo GPS u-Blox Neo-M8N / 3DR SOLO Upgrade
The other good thing is there is more 3rd party support coming out. You won't be locked up like the other major brand users are right now with the flight restrictive firmware/app that has caused a few folks to lose birds. I don't fly in places I'm not supposed to but I don't appreciate that feature they've forced on users. I have a Mavic and Phantom, but I like the Solo it is a solid piece of engineering.

 

[vic3rose]

Freebird32...THANKS! Man I love not so far. I think the GPS advice is sound. I plan to do all I can to get a couple more solos and a few parts birds asap. So far so good! Thanks again and happy piloting!

 

[jerryn]

Yeah.. I got hooked. I bought 4 batteries, 4 chargers, spare bird, spare controller, now building a fixed wing to use with a sololink/pixhawk 2
( More spare parts)

 

[XevetS]

Yeah.. I got hooked. I bought 4 batteries, 4 chargers, spare bird, spare controller, now building a fixed wing to use with a sololink/pixhawk 2
( More spare parts)

I'm thinking of doing the same thing, keep us updated on your progress