Kid use of drone
- Thread starter SmokeyJoe101
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For sure stay in beginner mode.
Fly in a huge open space.
Don't give over the remote until you are already at altitude.
I would suggest and HIGHLY recommend, before turning over the keys to the car, so to speak, that you get him acquainted with this first. Its a great learning tool, inexpensive and quite easy to fly actually. That way you wont be quite as nervous when you do hand the keys over.
Amazon.com: Syma X5C-1 Explorers 2.4Ghz 4CH 6-Axis Gyro RC Quadcopter Drone with Camera: Toys & Games
Amazon.com: Syma X5C-1 Explorers 2.4Ghz 4CH 6-Axis Gyro RC Quadcopter Drone with Camera: Toys & Games
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Don't buy 8yo a phantom. You're be selling a crashed drone on ebay within a month. And you'll be lucky if that will be the end of this. Recently I bought such crashed P3, and it had small brown droplets on one side. I doubt it was paint.
Buy a small drone. Not the smallest one - it's impossible to learn piloting on the nanodrones like cx-10. Go a little bigger, ie. Hubsan H107d, or DJI Spark if you want something more high-tech. Syma will also do, but don't get a model which weight over 500 grams.
Smaller drones have smaller chance of being damaged on a crash, and if he crashes into people - it will sting, but without skin damage.
Phantoms are drones for photography. Unless the kid has high interest in photography, this is not what he wants. Kids want racing drones - small, with very responsive FPV.
Buy a small drone. Not the smallest one - it's impossible to learn piloting on the nanodrones like cx-10. Go a little bigger, ie. Hubsan H107d, or DJI Spark if you want something more high-tech. Syma will also do, but don't get a model which weight over 500 grams.
Smaller drones have smaller chance of being damaged on a crash, and if he crashes into people - it will sting, but without skin damage.
Phantoms are drones for photography. Unless the kid has high interest in photography, this is not what he wants. Kids want racing drones - small, with very responsive FPV.
I think I would start him off on a small quad and teach him on that first but JoBe has it right if it HAS to be a Phantom.
Myself, I would not entirely trust an expensive a/c to someone to learn on, or if I did be ready to take over pronto.
With kids, it's largely about where you fly. Go to a big open area with no people or structures nearby. Your average kid can comprehend how to control a drone, but they can't comprehend the consequences of poor flight decisions or multi-task flying and being aware of what's going on around them.
Don't hand over the controls until you're at cruising altitude and be ready to grab the controller quickly. The drone goes where ever the operator tells it to go.
The small non-GPS quads are a nice thought, but keep in mind, almost none of their flight characteristics translate to a Phantom.
Don't hand over the controls until you're at cruising altitude and be ready to grab the controller quickly. The drone goes where ever the operator tells it to go.
The small non-GPS quads are a nice thought, but keep in mind, almost none of their flight characteristics translate to a Phantom.
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Best advice..
1) use someone else's drone
2) use someone else's kid
3) if it all goes wrong... RUN
1) use someone else's drone
2) use someone else's kid
3) if it all goes wrong... RUN
Best advice..
Seriously, my 13yo uses a P3A just fine. He flew a walmart cheapie (air viper or something) for a few months and now he does just fine. My 9yo still flies the cheapie.
I just got insurance from State Farm and have liability through home owners so financially speaking I am covered. I just want both my daughter and any others to be safe. I have a wide open space that I can fly so after I get the hang of it I will show her. My daughter is the driving dorce behind getting the drone. We always wanted one but the wife and daughter brought it to reality for us. She is so excited about the hobby
MAKE SURE you teach them not to pull both controls down at same time! I was letting an 8 y/o fly my P3P...taught her everything
else...had to buy new camera parts after the resulting crash from shutting the motors down at 120' above ground
else...had to buy new camera parts after the resulting crash from shutting the motors down at 120' above ground
I let her operate my camera...One of my lenses cost more than the P3A and P3P combined.
I let her fire some of my guns (the ones appropriate to her size and stature). Some of them cost as much as the P3P and can kill far more reliably than the drone can.
I, of course, let them fly the drone too.
Of course none of those things occurred without proper training and watchful supervision. And none of those things occurred without me being completely confident she understood the risks involved and I felt she was capable of operating the equipment in question.
I was 6 when I pulled my first trigger and dad was there. I was 8 when I finally soloed in my first RC plane and dad was there. He was a range instructor with the USAF. He was also a pilot in the USAF as well (medical grounding). He was fully capable of instructing me as well as supervising the activity.
I don't see a problem here. The parent (or responsible adult) must make extreme effort to insure that the child is both capable mechanically (ie can reach the controls) and mentally ready to do whatever you intend for them to do. If your gut says they aren't ready, they aren't ready. If anything in you has any reservation at all, they are not ready and neither are you. You must be 100% ready too. You must be confident, know what you are doing and be able and ready to take control of the situation at a moment's notice. Inform the child AHEAD of time, what is going to happen if things go wrong. The last thing they need in an emergency situation is more surprise. Give them simple instructions that are easily understood which will allow you to regain control of whatever it is they are operating, be it a camera, a gun or a drone.
That said, if you are a new pilot, gun owner or photographer, you have no business trying to teach a kid while you are not learned yourself.
With all the video games kids play now (opposed to when I was a kid, there were none), I think you will be rather surprised at how easily they can pick up the controller and begin flying. There isn't much difference in the controls on the drone than the controls on an Xbox or PlayStation controller.
I initially took off and landed the first couple flights for each girl. I took it up to about 20' and handed them the controls. I had already gone over the functions but I did it again. This time with the drone in the air and their hands on the sticks. I operated the controls by moving their thumbs and allowed them to feel what was needed on the sticks as well as see what the drone did. In a matter of minutes they were flying around and controlling it just fine. I let them take off and land after two good flights each as I was confident at that point they could handle it.
I let her fire some of my guns (the ones appropriate to her size and stature). Some of them cost as much as the P3P and can kill far more reliably than the drone can.
I, of course, let them fly the drone too.
Of course none of those things occurred without proper training and watchful supervision. And none of those things occurred without me being completely confident she understood the risks involved and I felt she was capable of operating the equipment in question.
I was 6 when I pulled my first trigger and dad was there. I was 8 when I finally soloed in my first RC plane and dad was there. He was a range instructor with the USAF. He was also a pilot in the USAF as well (medical grounding). He was fully capable of instructing me as well as supervising the activity.
I don't see a problem here. The parent (or responsible adult) must make extreme effort to insure that the child is both capable mechanically (ie can reach the controls) and mentally ready to do whatever you intend for them to do. If your gut says they aren't ready, they aren't ready. If anything in you has any reservation at all, they are not ready and neither are you. You must be 100% ready too. You must be confident, know what you are doing and be able and ready to take control of the situation at a moment's notice. Inform the child AHEAD of time, what is going to happen if things go wrong. The last thing they need in an emergency situation is more surprise. Give them simple instructions that are easily understood which will allow you to regain control of whatever it is they are operating, be it a camera, a gun or a drone.
That said, if you are a new pilot, gun owner or photographer, you have no business trying to teach a kid while you are not learned yourself.
With all the video games kids play now (opposed to when I was a kid, there were none), I think you will be rather surprised at how easily they can pick up the controller and begin flying. There isn't much difference in the controls on the drone than the controls on an Xbox or PlayStation controller.
I initially took off and landed the first couple flights for each girl. I took it up to about 20' and handed them the controls. I had already gone over the functions but I did it again. This time with the drone in the air and their hands on the sticks. I operated the controls by moving their thumbs and allowed them to feel what was needed on the sticks as well as see what the drone did. In a matter of minutes they were flying around and controlling it just fine. I let them take off and land after two good flights each as I was confident at that point they could handle it.
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Well stated. There is nothing that technically sophisticated about flying a Phantom --- just two sticks that control a certain axis of flight. Simple stuff.
The OP's original question is full of ambiguity --- let an 8 yr. old take a Phantom out by himself or herself and fly without supervision? No, of course not. But I see no reason why an 8 yr. old cant learn to fly a drone with great skill as long as an experienced adult is standing right there to supervise. Kids might have not have full comprehension about the cost involved, or the consequences of flying into power lines and trees, but they can certainly practice like adults and become good pilots.
So yes --- I enthusiastically recommend teaching an 8 yr. old to fly a Phantom if proper supervision is provided.
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I do this a lot at the public parks where I fly. Usually, it's a Dad and his son coming over to see my P3P and ask questions about it. Their eyes light up when I ask them --- "Wanna fly it?" Suddenly, it becomes like Xmas morning to them and I'm Santa Claus LOL. Typically I will launch the P3 into the air about 50 ft. and then hand over the controller to the kid and teach him the basics of the sticks. Then watch the joy as he moves it around in the air.
I feel kinda bad though --- because the whole way home that kid is gonna be pestering Dad about firing up Amazon and the credit card that night to buy a Phantom
