Getting Started with Hobby Quadcopters and Drones: Learn about, buy and fly these amazing aerial vehicles Paperback – June 10, 2013

If you're interested in quadcopters/drones (and don't have an acquaintance who's into them), sorting out all the jargon and mechanics of what these things can do and how they do it can be daunting. This short, very basic ebook can help you do that.I'd seen Youtube videos of quadcopters and was astonished of how agile and stable they are. Then I looked into them a bit more and saw that they can, if so equipped, do GPS waypoints, do position holds, altitude holds and you can fly them with HD VR goggles (First Person View). They are also capable of some incredible aerial photography that could only be possible if you went up in a (real) plane or helicopter. A nicely equipped one can do all of the above for $300-$400, to boot. Although, FPV costs a minimum of that much again but hey... you can take Virtual Reality flights or take stunning photos from the air for under $1000!I will say the book focused more on the quads that are built and ready to go. This is probably a good thing. Most people in the hobby seem to design and build their own, as this is a large part of the fun but you should probably get a mini or smaller mid-sized one that is Ready to Fly (RTF) first. This way, you can learn how to fly them properly and learn a bit about how they work. I opted for the Blade mQX for around $150. I wouldn't spend any more than that.I'm currently building my first custom quad with all the features above but FPV/camera. You CAN get RTF models that do it all but I'm an IT guy and have some technical inclination so I wanted to try building one myself. I've loved designing and building my own and I might not have taken that step if it weren't for this ebook.

In a very short time, multi-rotor RC aircraft have gone from an exciting and eccentric niche of expensive aircraft to the fastest growing category of RC. The growth has been so fast, that like the "Golden Age" of aviation, the variety of great and terrible aircraft (in this case quadcopters) is substantial. And as for pilot skills and RC clubs that can teach you to fly one....almost non-existent.Most people learn on their own by trial and error. And the result is crashes, fixes, and frustration. Crashes are an inevitable and necessary part of the learning curve, but they need not be expensive or serious if you choose the right learning tools.There are mini and micro quadcopters that can take some pretty serious abuse and keep flying. And while most quadcopters are relatively easy to learn to fly (at least far easier than helicopters), they are not easy to learn to fly well.A good book on the subject just doesn't exist....at least until now. "Getting Started with Hobby Quadcopters and Drones" by Craig Issod is one of the first guides on the subject available. And it is a great start for the neophyte looking to get into the hobby.The price of the book (free the next few days, but less than $3 typically) is less than the cost of a set of propellors for your new quadcopter. And it is worth that price since it will save you more money than that.Craig frequenty haunts RCGroups.com and is involved in running a website called droneflyers.com. More than the leader of an interest group, it is clear that Craig is an enthusiast and evangelist for the hobby. He clearly wants people to engage in the sport and stay there because they had a good experience and enjoyed it.Buy the book; buy a quadcopter (Shameless plug: Amazon sells a great quadcopter - the Syma X1 for about $35) and have a great time. Odds are you'll suck friends and neighbors into the hobby. Since my first quadcopter, seven other neighbors (grown ups and kids) have also purchased one.

The book is alright, just not detailed enough for me. I want to learn more on TX settings which are not in this book. I need to know the 'jargon', like what is 'swash', 'gyro' , 'roll', and how do you set-up the TX when the copter is not acting 'right'? This book is good for an absolute 'beginner' and talks about how and what to buy. It also mentions some of the 'better' ones than the rest.

Of the Kindle short monographs on quads and other UAVs this was by far the best intro for the new flyer. Well done, fairly complete and very clearly written. It assumes the reader is new to the topic, but is direct, not condescending, and provides the key info. Recommended.

This was a very easy and quick read. Many quads do not have good owners manuals and can be a little tricky to fly at first. There is some valuable information in it..I thought it could have been shortened a little, but overall if you have never flown a quad you should read it.

I ordered Craig S. Issod's book "Getting Started With Hobby Quadcopters And Drones". The cover of the book that I received is that one for Craig S. Issod's book "Getting Started With Hobby Quadcopters And Drones", but in-between the covers is a novel called "Peaches's Story". How the hell does that happen? I have contacted Amazon about this issue and look forward to receiving a book with the right material within it.

What a great book for learning about Quad Copters. Before reading this book I had researched Quad Copters online and had made a decision of which one I would purchase. I decided to order ths book to ensure I was making the right decision. After reading the book I discovered that the Quad I decided on would have been difficult for me to start with ( I have no prior Quad expense). The book helped me choose the correct Quad for my experience level, for what I plan to use it for, and for the pros and cons of Quads built in countries like China. I purchased my first Quad and am very happy with my choice. This book saved me over $200 that I would have spent purchasing the wrong Quad Copter. I highly recommend this book for anyone considering their first experience with Quads.