THE UK’S 1ST DRONE AND MULTIROTOR MAGAZINE
ISSUE 9 JAN/FEB 2017
THE UK’S 1ST DRONE AND MULTIROTOR MAGAZINE
FROM ENTRY LEVEL QUADS TO FPV RACING, AERIAL FILMING, IN-DEPTH BUILD GUIDES AND INDUSTRY INNOVATION
NEW DRONE TECH EXPLAINED & EXPLORED
RCFLIGHTCAMERAACTION.COM
YUNEEC
BREEZE THE ‘SELFIE’ DRONE
Issue 09 £4.99
US DRONE NATIONALS
ALL THE FPV ACTION FROM THIS YEAR’S COMPETITION FEILUN FX122
BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIPS
RCFCA ISSUE 09
RISE RXD 250
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INSIDE
RC FLIGHT CAMERA ACTION
JAN/FEB 2017. ISSUE 09 THE UK’S 1ST DRONE AND MULTIROTOR MAGAZINE
ISSUE 9 JAN/FEB 2017
THE UK’S 1ST DRONE AND MULTIROTOR MAGAZINE
FROM ENTRY LEVEL QUADS TO FPV RACING, AERIAL FILMING, IN-DEPTH BUILD GUIDES AND INDUSTRY INNOVATION
NEW DRONE TECH EXPLAINED & EXPLORED
REVIEWS 8
Yuneec Breeze
Kevin Crozier takes Yuneec’s latest ‘selfie’ drone out for a spin
16 RISE RXD250
Rise and shine! The editor gets to grips with the latest Hobbico FPV racer
52 Feilun FX122
Looking for an entry-level camera drone? Craig Hughes has the lowdown on the FX122
58 MXP230 Frame
We take a brief look at one of XHover’s latest frames
60 Etronix Powerpal
RCFLIGHTCAMERAACTION.COM
YUNEEC
BREEZE THE ‘SELFIE’ DRONE
Issue 09 £4.99
US DRONE NATIONALS
LiPo balance charger
70 Invader Antenna
We take a look at the latest bit of kit from Menace RC and catch up with their founder
ALL THE FPV ACTION FROM THIS YEAR’S COMPETITION FEILUN FX122
BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIPS
RCFCA ISSUE 09
RISE RXD 250
Yuneec Breeze
8
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CONTENTS JAN/FEB 2017 ISSUE 009 FEATURES 20 Quad on a Shoestring Part 4
The final installment in our FPV quad building series from Wayne Andrews
30 Viewpoint
Francesco Cattuto on some of his favourite drone shots
38 Learning To Fly
Canadian drone enthusiast Jasmyn Phillips talks about her journey from quad admirer to pilot
44 US Nationals
Dahlton Grover reports back from this year’s Drone Nationals in New York City
RXD250
30
38 16
Viewpoint
48 Ragley Hall Festival of Flight
Our report on the latest aeromodelling show from the organisers of Weston Park
62 In the Dark Room
Not sure what software to use for editing your aerial shots? We compared some of your options
66 Insomnia Festival
Our report from the inaugural iSeries FPV race
72 Quad Clips
Our roundup of the latest FPV clips returns
74 The View Below
Aerial photographer David Hopley shows off some of his stunning shots
Ragley Hall Festival of Flight
38 48
US Nationals
38 44
Feilun FX122
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PRODUCT REVIEW
FEILUN FX122
Craig Hughes recently got his hands on the Feilun FX122 – here’s what he thought AUTHOR: CRAIG HUGHES PHOTOGRAPHER: JAMES CROZIER
I
have in the past flown various types of what I would call ‘beginner drones’ and so I was happy when James, the Editor of RCFCA, offered me the opportunity to take a step further in my drone flying ‘career’ in the form of the FX122 from Feilun. I was particularly interested in the onboard camera system, as this is something I have not had much experience with yet. At present you can get all manner of different quadcopter/ drones, all of which require various levels of experience, not to mention the purchase costs involved at the higher end
of the market. However, after some research online, the FX122 seemed to be just the right model for my current flying needs.
What’s in the Box?
The FX122 comes packed in a very well designed box with various compartments to store all the extra bits of equipment needed to get you flying. It’s around 50 cm long and about the same in width, and stands at an impressive 18 cm high (with the legs on).
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FEILUN FX122 The design of the airframe is quite menacing!
The FX122 is a ready to fly version that only needs a limited amount of construction to get you airborne. In the box you get the drone itself, along with a 2.4 GHz transmitter, 7.4 V (200 mAh) LiPo flight battery, 0.3 MP HD camera, battery charger and spare props along with prop protectors.
First Impressions
If you are looking for a fun model but would also like to practice your photography skills as well as further your flying skills, then I can highly recommend this model.
On opening the box, I was greeted with a very nice looking quadcopter. The FX122 has been finished to a very high standard with a carbon effect shell, silver dome prop nuts and lights underneath. The FX122 has brushless motors with a 6 Axis Gyro, giving it strong stability and stronger wind resistance, therefore making it easier to control. The 2.4 GHz transmitter has four channels and is mode 2 (throttle is on the left hand side of the transmitter). The transmitter itself is black with red and silver inlay, making it look the part (some other controllers I have used in the past look a bit too ‘plastic’ for my liking). The transmitter also has four buttons for each mode including photo/video mode, headless mode, fast/slow and flip mode (I will explain about these modes a little later on) as well as digital trims.
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