What I learned in 2013

2013 was an eventful year FPV-wise for me. I went from loosing video every 5 minutes to doing long range flying and performing crazy stunts. So I'd like to share with you just a few things I learned last year in regards to model aircraft and FPV.

1) ALWAYS, I repeat ALWAYS take the props off. This goes for any time you are not flying and need to work on your aircraft. Especially with multirotors it doesn't take much to turn your aircraft into a flying lawn mower: 

2) Don't be afraid to fly a less-than-perfect setup. I spent a lot of time waiting for the perfect components to come in the mail when I could have thrown together what I had to do some flying. Tied in with this is another lesson: the cheaper it is the more fun it is to fly. Less stress leads to more enjoyment. 

ugly but it works!

3) Crashes happen, get over it - I crashed, a LOT. But it's ok! Once I got used to the idea of crashing all the time I began to build aircraft that didn't look so pretty so they could be smashed around a lot. This picture is from my cutom tricopter, it was a sad crash. But the next copter was way more ugly, and way more fun!

4) Personal preference: Planes are more fun to fly. I say this because I spent a lot of 2013 messing with copters. There are so many failure points it's very discouraging at first. But a good plane like my trusty Tek Sumo will last a long time, even with some crashes. 

And finally 5) Go exploring! Don't just fly at one location, try out as many places as you can. Keep it safe (IE, don't fly over crowds of people) but go to exotic locations and bring along a camera to carry aloft. 

Good luck in 2014!