Has anyone had any experience with the Flame Wheel 450 that Atlanta Hobby is selling? I just read a review in a model mag today and the reviewer said great things about the unit, gps included. They mentioned in the mag that they took the quad up to about 100 feet and out a bit and then turned off the transmitter, the quad came back and landed itself. It had three modes of flight also, one of which is under GPS control. They sell and landing gear and also a GoPro camera mount for the Quad. I realize that this thing is pretty expensive but besides that, any thoughts?

I know many here have built and are flying various kinds of Quads, Tricopters etc., but for someone who doesn't want to wade through all the fantastic info posted here, would a unit like this do the trick?

Thanks and Merry Xmas Day.

Gene

http://www.atlantahobby.com/Store/pc...idcategory=872

Originally Posted by uniquewon

Has anyone had any experience with the Flame Wheel 450 that Atlanta Hobby is selling? I just read a review in a model mag today and the reviewer said great things about the unit, gps included. They mentioned in the mag that they took the quad up to about 100 feet and out a bit and then turned off the transmitter, the quad came back and landed itself. It had three modes of flight also, one of which is under GPS control. They sell and landing gear and also a GoPro camera mount for the Quad. I realize that this thing is pretty expensive but besides that, any thoughts?

I know many here have built and are flying various kinds of Quads, Tricopters etc., but for someone who doesn't want to wade through all the fantastic info posted here, would a unit like this do the trick?

Thanks and Merry Xmas Day.

Gene

http://www.atlantahobby.com/Store/pc...idcategory=872

Hello Gene,

I'm in the same boat. Been in RC for a while now, have several fbl helicopters and 3D airplanes and have wanted a quad for a while to play some with aerial photography.

Not really interested in committing to another build and learning curve, though.

Contacted Andy at Aero Hobbies in Lewisville Texas. He's putting me together a BNF flame-wheel 450 and only charging 100.00 to build it, set it up and trim it out.

With this one I get to fly it and have fun with it and don't have to worry about how it's put together or programming and set-up until I crash it!

Also, Andy is a wealth of information and gives outstanding customer support.

Even if you want to build and set it up yourself, he'll sell you the stuff and you still get his complete support after the sale.

I live in Missouri, but I buy all my helicopter stuff from Andy because of how he backs it up after the sale!

Not sure you'll get the same kind of expertice and support from Atlanta Hobby.

Just talk to him and see what you think. Andy, Aero Hobbies (972) 315-1854

Fred

Gene/Fred,
Like the two of you, I have tons of RC experience but no heli or multirotor experience until recently. Last year I built an Octocopter because I wanted to experience what it was like to fly a multirotor and wanted to do aerial video and photos.

The build was long and tedious and at times very frustrating to find answers to the many questions I had. Hitting the forums wasn't so easy as almost every thread was literally hundreds of pages long and painful to navigate through.

I managed to get my Octo flying but I wasn't happy with it. It has a UAVX board in it which there was very little support for, so she sits in the basement collecting dust.

About a year later, a friend of mine in my club showed up with a DJI Naza 450 and I was impressed but dreaded jumping back into the forums and relearning all there is to know about these unique flying machines.

But I did. And I'm glad.

I purchased a DJI Naza 450 quad from Got Heli RC complete with stock motors, ESCs, props, and GPS. The build is super easy and you will likely have it built in about two hours. You'll need to solder the ESCs, battery leads, and a power lead for the unit directly to the bottom plate which already has the pads there waiting for you. Very easy to do even if you don't have much soldering experience.

Programming it is another story. Actually in hindsight it's quite simple, but understanding exactly what to do was extremely frustrating. The unit does not come with instructions so you'll need to find them online and download them which is aggravating by itself. But then they are written in "Chinglish" which of course means they were written by a non english speaking person and then converted resulting in a lot of head scratching.

So of course I ended up back in the forums to ask questions and after a while I was able to figure everything out. I still wonder why there isn't a clear set of step by step instructions somewhere and I'm considering doing an instructional video for folks like you.

The bottom line is, The DJI Naza 450 is one awesome flying machine! Once setup corrrectly you will absolutely love it and you don't need any heli experience to fly it.

GPS Mode-I fly mostly in this mode. The quad will auto level itself and will hold it's position. With no wind it will virtually sit there rock steady. With some wind it will drift around a little bit but still very impressive.

Attitude Mode (also referred to as Atti)-Same as GPS mode but will not hold in one position. Wind will carry it but will still auto level and will hold altitude.

Manual Mode-Exactly what it states. I have not flown in this mode yet but from what I gather it can be a handful.

IOC (Intelligent Orientation Control)-There are two additional modes called Home Lock and Course Lock and these are used in combination to GPS or Atti modes. Basically, these modes will allow you to control the quad without fear of which direction the nose is facing. Left stick will always move the quad to the left, forward stick will always move the quad away from you and so on. This is helpful especially if you lose orientation of which way the quad is facing. These modes are optional.

When I flew my Octo I had a few issues with orientation so I was glad the DJI 450 had this feature. BUT, the DJI Naza 450 is soooo freakin stable that it's really not an issue. She just sits there giving you all day to think about which direction to move the sticks.

RTH (return to home)-This is basically a fail safe mode. Most pilots including myself have programmed a single, two position switch on your transmitter that will put the quad into failsafe. Once the quad is put into this mode it will automatically climb to approximately 20 meters (if it is not already that high) then it will fly over to the point that it took off from, hover for about 15 seconds, descend to landing, and then will turn off the motors! I haven't had the nerve to try this out yet but I will very soon. And I've seen and read many many DJI Naza 450 instances showing that it does indeed work.

Naza Assistant software-This is the software that is available as a free download off DJIs website where you will program your quad. It's pretty simple once you know the basics. And there are gain settings there that you can go back in and adjust once you start flying. The reason these are adjustable is because no two machines will fly exactly the same and there are other factors such as wind/no wind, pilot preferences, etc.

I hope this information helps you and if you do end up buying one be sure to get the GPS unit which is optional. It will really make your flying experience easier.

Stan

So glad I took the time..........

Isn't it great when someone seeks help and then abandons the thread..

No, I didn't abandon the thread, I just had not checked it for a few days. The thread sat for a long time without any response and since posting the topic, I have noticed that there are people on here that have this quad but I understand them not posting because of the time it takes. Dealing with a newbe can be daunting..

Thanks for the response, from what I've read all of what you guys have posted seems right on and it seems this is a pretty good unit. Now on to convincing the wife.

My other issue is that I have a couple Futaba 9C transmitters, one with a Spectrum module in it, I use it only to fly my MCx heli. Would that transmitter be ok for one of these Quads?

Thanks again for the input, it does help a bunch.

Gene