Which drone to choose for a beginner?

After several years of experience trying, building, creating, breaking and repairing any kind of drone, this article presents our point of view and our best advices, built and analyzed over the years. Of course, we don't pretend to hold the one and only truth... But our own. Nevertheless, you will find here a set of keys to help you making your choice of aircraft.

In the flying machine world, the choice of drone is not unlimited, but almost. For someone who is new in the game, it's hard to make a choice with all these different possibilities. Whatever your final goal (Drone Racing League champion?), it is always good to start smoothly. That's why our first advice is to learn with a small and lightweight drone. Even if some bigger and more advanced drones are very easy to handle, the damage in case of loss of control or technical failure can be significant. A mini drone will allow you to get familiar with the basic controls, to position yourself in space according to the different rotation axes and above all, to get used to not getting in panic... Or at least to not having the wrong reflexes in case of panic... Major cause of the most destructive crashes. And if the crash is nevertheless destructive, the financial impact will be much more limited.

Before going to the next level, making your drone fly with the transmitter must become as instinctive as driving your car or your bike.
We'll start by looking at flight assistance, then move on to useful features to get started, and finish the article with product recommendations from our store. In between, we'll add a sentence about the regulations so you're fully aware of the rules around you.

Flight assistance systems

To start, several on-board instruments can help you. Here are a few examples, each time mentioning the help provided and the long-term use or not, depending on your objectives.

The GPS

The GPS allows the drone to locate itself in space. Although useless for indoor drones, it is very useful for outdoor drones to be able to determine their position. Indeed, it is this module which enables the drone to have a precise positioning and a precise piloting assistance, even predefined paths or flight modes like follow me. It also allows the use of RTH (Return To Home) so that the drone automatically returns to its initial position. Available on most drones beyond a certain range of products, it is essential on aerial photographic drones for a proper framing without flight disturbances.

Barometer

The barometer is an instrument to measure atmospheric pressure. This is mainly used for altitude and height measurements. Aboard a drone, it will allow it to stabilize its height (altitude hold mode). Associated with the gyroscope, it enables a stable stationary flight without any pilot intervention. For a complete beginner, the altitude hold mode is a good option because it allows you to focus on the direction channels. It will be the first element to discard for learning to fly a little more wildly. It is, however, useful whatever your level for an aerial photographic drones.

The Gyroscope

It is an angular position sensor along one or more axes. In the world of UAVs, it allows these flying machines to stabilize their pitch axis (nose up, nose down), yaw (movement to the left or right while remaining on a flat axis) or roll (left or right swinging movement).

In flight, the drone is constantly submitted to external forces, the wind for example. These forces affect the above mentioned axes and therefore the direction of the drone. The purpose of the gyroscope is to automatically and instantly compensate them, to allow a straight flight, without disturbance.

3 or 6 axis gyroscope? As you can see, the 3 axes are pitch, yaw and roll. A 3-axis gyroscope provides stabilization of these three axes. But then, what are the three additional axes of a 6-axis gyroscope? In fact, none. A 6-axis gyro is a combination of a 3-axis gyro and an accelerometer, allowing it to distinguish between acceleration due to gravity and acceleration due to your steering. In short, the 6-axis gyro stabilizes the same 3-axis gyro, but in a way that limits the axes to 90°, so the drone will not turn over even if you push the steering joystick to the maximum. Similarly, the drone will refocus as soon as you let go of the joystick. A nice piloting aid for beginners, but it limits the drone in its "capabilities" for an experienced pilot.

We recommend that you start with a drone equipped with at least a 6-axis gyroscope. It is the second element (if you started in altitude hold or GPS) that you should avoid for learning a racing or freestlye piloting, but remains essential in all circumstances for other uses.

Basic features for a beginner

No surprises here. The two major features for a drone to start with will be its solidity and its potential for repair.

• Solidity: your future drone should be robust and shock resistant. Compact, light, agile, not too much powerfull and with propeller protections are some of the criteria to increase your chances of having several attempts before going to the garage.
• Reparation: once the garage is reached, the potential of repairing the drone becomes crucial. What to do with a drone that cannot be disassembled and reassembled except to throw it away and buy another one? So, to make your drone repairable, you must first make sure that all spare parts are available. Then, check that the elements are changeable. For this, some clues are the use of screws, welds, inserts and avoid glued or integrated elements in a single plastic part. In order of importance: propellers, motors, canopy, frame, flight controller must be reachable, changeable and available for purchase individually.

Then comes a big question depending on your personality: do you want to learn indoors, out of the spotlight, or outdoors, under the (potentially teasing) eyes of curious people?

• If you prefer to start discreetly indoors, with your cat as the only witness, then we recommend a small, light drone, which will have the advantage of being agile and minimal impact on your home. The propeller protections are an essential element.
• In the case of outdoor training, remember to have a drone powerful enough to resist wind storms and able to come back to you in case of total loss of control (RTH function).

No doubt, we strongly recommend that you start indoors. This more docile environment will allow you to avoid trouble. On the other hand, we recommend you to be careful with your furniture and with the people around you, in order to avoid other types of trouble.
Finally, a last tip: considering that a mini drone has a short autonomy, we recommend you to take several extra batteries and to charge them in advance to avoid any kind of frustration when the first one runs out of power.

Additional features for comfort

Some additional features and tips that will bring you comfort or accuracy in your choices.

• Agile: the maneuverability must be kept in mind. An agile drone allows a pleasant and responsive piloting, enabling smooth moves in small spaces.
• Not too expensive: cost matters. Your first drone will undoubtedly undergo several physical aggressions. Although a beginner drone is specified to be "solid and repairable", it will probably quickly leave its "new" state. A cheap drone will save you from regret and keep your budget (almost) intact for your next purchase, once you have mastered it.
• With or without camera? Depending on your objectives, the camera is optional to start. In other words, choosing a drone without camera for your first flights will be cheaper and will avoid you to break it, the camera being often the most expensive and fragile element of a drone.

Finally, other recommendations depending on your goals.

• Having fun with your kids: if your goal is to play with your children, fly, break, disassemble, reassemble, fly again and so on, we recommend a small scale drone, not too expensive and not too powerful. This will avoid big damage to both the house and the drone. The altitude hold mode is also often appreciated by children, bringing more comfort in piloting.
• Having fun on your own, as a big kid: same as above, without kids, but using them (or not) as an alibi.
• FPV beginner: to fly in immersion, you will need a drone with an FPV camera and a 5.8G video transmission (wifi has too much latency for that), as well as a 5.8G FPV mask. FPV goggles and masks are relatively expensive but generally work with all types of FPV cameras. FPV piloting can be surprising at the beginning. Understanding where you are in the space around the drone can takes a few hours. It is good to have a good knowledge of the drone before starting to fly FPV. If it's your first drone, you may consider trying out a few flights in visual flight without a camera... The camera is often the most fragile and expensive part of a drone.
• Acro beginner: the key point of the accro mode is the fact that the drone is only stabilized by a 3-axis gyroscope. If you push the directions to the max, the drone will flip on itself. Also, the drone will not automatically restabilize itself after a movement (as explained above). So you have to go softly on the joystick movements, at least at the beginning. The world of drone racing and therefore acro is intimately linked to configurable drones. If you want to go in this direction, you will have to learn several elements such as: radio protocols, the construction of a drone and the links between the different components, the configuration of the drone, the soldering, the configuration of the radio control etc. In short, a complex and potentially expensive world that requires time and determination to learn. We strongly recommend you to start smoothly with tiny whoop or in simulator and to progress step by step. Have an excellent control of the STAB mode (6 axis gyroscope) before moving to the ACRO mode.
• Beginner in image taking: to make quality videos, a drone requires several elements. In order of importance, the camera and the gimbal are the two most important elements. A quality gimbal will reduce noise from flying conditions (shaking, jerking, etc.). Most of the shooting drones are also equipped with classic IMUs, like barometer or GPS. Efficient stabilization will help you limit actions that cause video noise. However, it is always good to know how to fly a drone without the assistance of GPS (which can sometimes play bad tricks on you).

Knowing the regulations

Let's come to the annoying chapter: in Switzerland or elsewhere, the airspace is generally very regulated. This is for security and/or privacy purposes. As we are not experts in this topic, we have chosen these two links which seem to be the most clear and appropriate:

• https://www.ch.ch/en/safety-and-justice/police/drones/
• https://www.bazl.admin.ch/

• Do not fly your drone in an urban area or in a busy public place. It goes without saying that flying near an airport or a military base is not an option.
• Avoid night flights.
• Do not fly at too high altitude and at long distances.
• Do not film people without their consent.
• Do not fly your drone in hard conditions.
• Always keep your drone in visual sight. For FPV piloting, a second person is recommended to follow the drone with his eyes.
• Move forward step by step and be sure to master your machine when you move on to more powerful models. Starting with a 5" racing drone without any flying experience is a very bad idea.

Our drone recommendations for beginners

Our store is full of choices. For all ages, all audiences and almost any purpose. Below you will find a selection of drones that are easy to handle. Their main features are summarized along with our comments and tips. All the drones chosen are from the EYE4i brand, not because it's our brand (a little bit anyway), but mainly because they are the most suitable for novice pilots, while having an excellent quality-price ratio.

1. Ei-4H Mini drone (altitude hold)

The Rolls of the flight school. A bit more expensive than the following drone, due to the fact that it is equipped with a barometer (altitude hold), it has the perfect characteristics to give you a smooth learning experience: light, several speed modes, propeller protections, stabilized (all axes and altitude), solid and fully repairable. With the DIY version, the drone will be delivered in kit. So you will learn how to repair it before you even break it.

• Link: Mini drone Ei-4H
• Price: 34.80 CHF
• Available in RTF (ready to fly) or DIY (do it yourself) versions.
• Recommended for anyone who has never flown a drone or a child.

2. Ei-4 Mini drone (standard, STAB mode)

The mini drone entry level. The same as in point 1, but without barometer (standard version - STAB mode). It is therefore not stabilized in altitude. The pilot will have to manage it manually. It is an excellent choice to learn "the hard way". Closer to the racing mode than the Ei-4H, it can be a very good step before switching to the accro mode, or simply for a drone with a more wild flight than the Ei-4H.

• Link: Mini drone Ei-4
• Price: 29.90 CHF
• Available in RTF (ready to fly) or DIY (do it yourself) versions.
• Recommended for anyone who is a beginner and wants a stronger challenge.

3. Ei-4HS Mini drone and Ei-4S Mini drone, in pack Tiny Whoop mode

Same frame and same characteristics as the other drones presented, but equipped with a 5.8G camera and in pack with a FPV mask (First Person View). Available in its altitude hold and standard versions, we have the ideal pack for learning to fly FPV.

• Link (altitude hold version): Pack Tiny Whoop for FPV begginer Ei-4HS Mini drone and Mask
• Price (altitude hold version): 123.80 CHF
• Link (standard version): Pack Tiny Whoop for FPV begginer Ei-4S Mini drone and Mask
• Price (standard version): 118.90 CHF
• Available in RTF (ready to fly) or DIY (do it yourself) versions.
• Recommended for those who want to introduce themselves to the world of FPV piloting.

For people who already own a pair of FPV goggles, the Ei-4HS and Ei-4S can also be purchased alone.

• Link (altitude hold version): RC Mini Drone FPV Tiny Whoop
• Price (altitude hold version): 63.80 CHF
• Link (standard version): RC Mini Drone FPV Tiny Whoop
• Price (standard version): 58.90 CHF

4. Ei-4 Mosquito DIY kit

The perfect choice to learn the ACRO mode quietly in your living room in visual flight. Delivered in kit version, the Mosquito is very easy to assemble and will teach you the basic elements of a drone, their links to each other and their configurations. Ultra resistant and light, it is harmless for the house and almost impossible to break. Enough to fail your first looping a few hundred times.

• Link (BNF version Flysky DIY KIT): Ei-4 Mosquito DIY Kit
• Price (BNF version): 68.60 CHF
• Recommended for novices willing to discover the construction, configuration of a drone and flying ACRO in visual flight.

5. Ei-4 Starling brushless FPV

With the Starling, we raise a level. Equipped with brushless motors, it offers more advanced flight performances. Being able to evolve in STAB and ACRO mode, it is a good choice to develop your FPV skills on a more powerful drone, more like a racing drone. Be careful however, it is preferable to already have some flight experience before switching to this kind of model, as piloting errors can become more problematic.

• Link (BNF Flysky): Ei-4 Starling brushless FPV BNF
• Price (altitude hold version): 178.00 CHF
• Link (RTF Flysky): Ei-4 Starling brushless FPV RTF
• Price (standard version): 223.00 CHF
• Recommended for pilots who already have flying experience and wish to perfect their FPV piloting with a tiny whoop that can evolve in STAB and ACRO.

Tricks

Some good things to know about the Ei-4 series.

• Make sure to have a blade remover ready for the repair. A magic tool to remove propellers without breaking them.
• For the Ei-4 series (1,2,3), you can switch modes (altitude hold - Standard STAB mode) by changing the flight controller and the transmitter.
• If you choose the tiny whoop pack, the standard canopy purchased alone can be useful to begin in visual flight. This will have the advantage of not damaging the camera during your learning, and to save the battery for a better flight autonomy.
• All Ei-4 and Ei-4 advance series drones are fully repairable, and all spare parts are for sale individually on the product webpage in accessories tab.
• The Ei-4 (1,2,3) is upgradeable and you can add a FPV camera at a later stage on the version without camera (or conversely).

We hope we've helped you, and we'd love to answer any questions you may have or improve our article. All your remarks are welcome by email (support@eye4i.ch) or in comment of the Facebook post.