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Frequently asked questions for drones and multicopters

What are the areas of application for multicopters?

The areas of application for multicopters can basically be divided into three categories:

  1. Drones as a leisure activity
  2. Hobby multicopters for recording videos from the air
  3. Professional multicopters, which are specially designed for professional photo & video aerial photography.

These three categories can be distinguished on the basis of several features:
Small drones are mainly available for recreational use. Due to their low weight, these are designed especially for indoor flight, but can also be flown outdoors when there is no wind. You can often control them easily with your cell phone and some even transmit live video directly to your smartphone. To make flying even more fun, small tricks such as loops are also possible at the touch of a button. In terms of price, the models are in the lower price segment.
For those who have a little more budget available and still want to have fun flying, there are hobby multicopters. These are usually somewhat larger and heavier, especially outdoors, and are easy to control even in light winds. Experienced pilots can also fly in larger spaces. The copter is usually controlled with a remote control. The biggest advantage of a medium-sized multicopter is that it is possible to attach a good camera. Many hobby multicopters offer various flight aids so that beginners can also fly this type of aircraft. For example, you can simply hover the copter on the spot without touching the remote control. If the battery runs out, it simply flies back to the starting position. You can find out which model offers which functions in the item description. In terms of price, the models are in the middle price segment. If the functions, expandability and flight stability are not enough for you, you will want to go for a professional multicopter. Thanks to the larger dimensions, it is also possible to take off in windy conditions. The larger dimensions of the copter also mean a higher take-off weight. Areas of application for these multicopters can be found in film & television, agriculture and in the search for missing persons. In terms of price, the models are in the upper price segment.

What designs are there?

Depending on the design, a distinction is made between quadrocopters, hexacopters and octocopters.
These three designs differ particularly in the number of rotors installed. A quadrocopter has four rotors, a hexacopter six and an octocopter eight. There are also tricopters that only have three rotors installed.
What is the difference?
The more rotors are installed, the greater the flight stability. This not only looks elegant, but also helps to achieve blur-free aerial shots. Flight safety increases with the number of rotors. If a motor should fail, a hexacopter can still stay in the air. With an octacopter, up to two rotors may even fail so that the copter can still land safely.

How far can a copter fly?

Inexpensive mini drones can often be controlled with a cell phone and are primarily intended for flying indoors. Larger models such as the DJI Phantom 4 Pro can technically achieve a range of 7000 meters. However, in reality, this value is of secondary importance, as multicopters can and should only be flown within the field of vision.

How long can a copter fly?

Most copters have a flight duration of 10-15 minutes. However, the flight time also depends on your flight behavior and environmental influences such as wind. With additional accessories, such as propeller protection, the flight time is also reduced.
So if you want to stay in the air for as long as possible, make sure that the take-off weight is as low as possible. You can also extend the flight time with additional batteries.

Can anyone fly a copter?

Basically, there is a suitable aircraft for everyone. In addition to small toy planes, larger copters can now also be flown by inexperienced pilots. This is made possible by modern technology.
Many multicopters have integrated flight stabilization. This means that the technology supports you during flight. One of the functions is, for example, keeping the aircraft's position in the air. A built-in compass helps the copter to orient itself automatically. Many models use an ultrasonic sensor to measure the distance to the ground. Some multicopters can even follow you on their own. You can find out which functions your copter has in the item description.

How do you control a multicopter?

There are two ways to control a multicopter:
The first option is to control it using a smartphone. The advantages of this are that you don't need an extra remote control and you usually have your cell phone with you anyway. In addition, there is an integrated flight data display and live video transmission for the smartphone.
The second option is remote control. This allows you to control the aircraft more accurately and fly more precisely. In addition, the range is often greater compared to smartphone control.

What does the copter do when the battery is empty?

If you want to fly outdoors with the multicopter, you should definitely look out for a return to home function when buying it. If the battery is empty, the copter flies back to the take-off point under GPS control and lands there automatically.
When starting up, make sure that the multicopter saves the take-off position correctly, otherwise it may fly back to your last take-off point.

What is a gimbal?

A gimbal is a special type of camera mount in relation to multicopters for aerial photography. Equipped with two to three motors, this gimbal stabilizes the camera. The high vibrations on the aircraft cause the recorded video material to shake without a gimbal. With a gimbal, in conjunction with a high-resolution camera, you can achieve high-quality aerial footage.

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