So, I had my first flight today... Having in mind I'm a complete newbie and it was the first time I have flown anything, it didn't go that bad. Here are my impressions:

- I'd love to have a concise explanation of all the switches / channels somewhere in the manual (or did I miss it?) - there's too much narration (now switch this, then switch that) - I'd rather see a simple table that shows: channel 5, away- this mode, middle - that mode, near... And so on. It took me a while to figure everything out and I'm still not sure about all the combinations.

- I never managed to make the drone to talk to my PC. The USB interface is recognised, COM3 port shows up, but when I connect the drone and its lights lit up, nothing happens when I click Connect in the software. Tried all the compatibility modes and running as Administrator but still zero luck. Windows 10, 64bit - did anyone have any luck on this configuration?

- Even with careful calibration the drone in manual mode immediately starts to drift, which challenged my zero skills from the very beginning. Still, there was some wind today so I think this might be the reason. It got better after switching on the GPS Hold Position mode and the drone got much easier to handle immediately.

- I don't like the headless mode at all, I found it that I was immediately reorientating myself to the direction the drone was facing and had no problems with reversed controls when flying back towards me; the headless cleverness was for me disorienting and unnatural. But that's just probably me, as my friend who is an experienced drone pilot was warning me that this controls reversal is the hardest thing to wrap the head around; for me it felt natural and immediate and it was the headless mode that felt wonky

- Landing gear - already gone. I did manage not to slam the drone against the ground hard and was actually quite pleased with my landings, but still, both landing sleds snapped where the aluminium camera rails go through the holes in the plastic. My opinion - bad design, the holes weaken the plastic too much.

- All that didn't stop me from having a great fun! The drone takes off and lands even without the landing sleds, and at the end of my battery power I started to get the hang of it. I was able to hover in one place, compensating for the wind and to fly in (very rough) circles.

I think the electronics and motors are quite good. I'm not sure about the general ability of the drone to handle rough landings or other mishaps. I'm even thinking about transplanting everything onto some other flying frame if I have further issues with keeping the drone in one piece. Although it will be fair to say it all might be down to my lack of experience.

If I was to do my first flight again, I'd probably read the manual a few more times and made a cheat sheet about all the controller modes available. Also, I'd get a £40 miniature drone from eBay to get some in-doors practice before flying the real thing. I know that there are also ways to connect the controller to a PC and run a simulated drone - my friend told me that training this way saved him probably a couple of hundreds in damaged equipment. So, the plans for the future: get a tiny one and practice often, try to look at a PC simulator option, fix the landing gear and have more fun. Because I can now be sure of one thing: even though I'm returning home with some cracked plastic, I really enjoyed this first flight and already am waiting for the next one :D

Sounds like you had a great time although with some misshaps . I agree with Trev its always landings or takeoffs that can do the damage but with practice they become less stressful although you still need to be ready for anything at these times.

Hi Michu,

Good to hear you have your quad copter up and running. I hope to finish mine off tonight.

I remember when I first started flying r/c copters I used to land quite hard initially and damage the landing gear. It should not take long for you to get used to it though.

I found landing somewhere soft like flat dirt helps when getting used to landing as opposed to say a tarmac footpath.

I would not practice using an indoor copter as this will not get you used to the outdoor elements like wind where you may need to make constant minor adjustments.

I started on single rotor helicopters so I naturally found quads easy to fly in comparison. I got all the way to flying inverted on single rotors but after losing a model to someone stupidly trying to get in my way and make me crash I gave up on that.

for practising on a cheaper quad I would recommend the Hubsan x4 series. I fly mine outside with no issues in no wind to slight breeze conditions. These will require more precision that the Skyrider so once you have mastered one of those you should have no problem at all with the Skyrider.

They are very stable and nimble little quads that also have a standard and expert sensitivity mode. I would recommend only flying outdoor on expert mode as you made need the full power to take on any breeze. They can also take a bit of punishment and are easy to get spares for.

Up until now I have been flying the Ares Ethos FPV. Its slightly smaller than the Sky Rider but a great mid sized quad copter.

I will let you know if I can get mine hooked up to my PC.