It's no secret that I love the Syma quadcopters (or just quads). Folks at the hobbyist level will sometimes snicker when it comes to toy drones. One argument being that they require a fair amount of maintenance and upkeep; and that you will eventually spend enough money to justify buying a hobbyist level drone to begin with. I currently own six toy drones and have less than $500 in them, including spares. I also believe the upkeep and maintenance is part of the hobby and the fun. Regardless; you have to start somewhere, and I'd rather see you spend less than $60 to find out if the hobby is for you. Which brings us back to Syma quads, particularly the X5C-1. There is a predecessor to this model, called the X5C without the 1. I have not flown that model and there are several explanations as to why they changed the designation. One was an effort to consolidate and minimize the packaging, which helps with costs, as it is manufactured in China. Some also say improvements were made to address complaints of stability issues. I have found that Amazon gives you about the best deal on the internet and they also have every part imaginable for the Syma quads; (which is one of the reasons I love them). Do yourself a favor and purchase some spare batteries and a crash kit with it. I am not going to bore you with minutiae; there are plenty of places that will break down the details of this quad for you.
I had experience with other drones before I flew the X5C-1 and my first impression is that it is very lightweight. I say that because one should be aware that you have to be gentle with the throttle as it will climb quickly. The flip side to having substantial power is that this drone is very catchable and forgiving. If it starts to gain altitude too fast and you need to lower it, you can literally chop the throttle and catch it by reapplying throttle. Not all drones will let you do that. This quad comes with two settings, changed by pressing the button on the top left side of the transmitter. I always fly in "H", as I prefer to the higher angle of attack when I'm fighting wind. This quad is a superb flyer, forgiving and easy to master. Concentrate on the basics at first (check out my prior post on beginning flying) and you should find this quad to be a joy to fly. As you gain confidence you will find, by depressing the upper right hand button on the transmitter and moving the right hand stick (or rudder), that you can get the quad to perform barrel rolls and flips-something Syma calls inversion. Make sure you have the provided memory card installed and you can also take photographs or shoot videos by actuating the trim switch to the right of the power lever-up for photos down for video. Not the greatest pictures and videos, perhaps, but impressive considering the cost of the quad. As my skills have progressed I still find myself flying my X5C-1. That's a testament to how great a little drone it is and I highly recommend it.
I had experience with other drones before I flew the X5C-1 and my first impression is that it is very lightweight. I say that because one should be aware that you have to be gentle with the throttle as it will climb quickly. The flip side to having substantial power is that this drone is very catchable and forgiving. If it starts to gain altitude too fast and you need to lower it, you can literally chop the throttle and catch it by reapplying throttle. Not all drones will let you do that. This quad comes with two settings, changed by pressing the button on the top left side of the transmitter. I always fly in "H", as I prefer to the higher angle of attack when I'm fighting wind. This quad is a superb flyer, forgiving and easy to master. Concentrate on the basics at first (check out my prior post on beginning flying) and you should find this quad to be a joy to fly. As you gain confidence you will find, by depressing the upper right hand button on the transmitter and moving the right hand stick (or rudder), that you can get the quad to perform barrel rolls and flips-something Syma calls inversion. Make sure you have the provided memory card installed and you can also take photographs or shoot videos by actuating the trim switch to the right of the power lever-up for photos down for video. Not the greatest pictures and videos, perhaps, but impressive considering the cost of the quad. As my skills have progressed I still find myself flying my X5C-1. That's a testament to how great a little drone it is and I highly recommend it.
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