Ok I have on the way my new gear 7-12 days shipping it says from Banggood with priority mail direct.

BAT QX105
Flysky FS-i6X
Prop Guards from Thingiverse
4 extra prop sets
VR D2 (these will come into play later first work on LoS flying)

Have to wait for batteries to get back in stock to get some 50C batteries from Banggood so currently only have the 2 batteries it comes with. 

I know that I will first need to remove props for working on the initial setup of channels and default Betaflight settings for testing things like arming and channels. Also understand for this drone the failsafe must be set to 'Drop' as the other does not work at all. From this step what do you all suggest as I will read up and study as much as possible before the drone gets here.

Anyone here have a good check list of steps required?  I know I will need to configure beta flight initially in stability/horizon mode and turn down the settings but do you have a good check list or video for something like 'Best practice for first time flights' or 'How to prepare for first time flying?'

Thanks for any good reference for me to study over the next couple of weeks.

If you have a playstation 4 or Xbox one I recommend downloading FPV freerider and connecting your gaming controller up to your computer, this will allow you to start practicing flying before you get your quad.

In betaflight make sure you have your failsafe set up and that all of your aux channels are registering. I would recommend having one of your threeway switches set up for acro/angle/horizon and make sure that what ever is going to be your arming switch is one you can easily reach in case of emergency.

Joshua Bardwell has some really good videos on YouTube about the ins and outs of Betaflight as well how to fly. I know I obsessed over all the details while waiting for my quad to arrive, so watch as much stuff as possible. It will help when you get your quad.

When you arm it for the first time and get ready to punch holes in the clouds (joking, your first few flights should be very cautious) slowly increase the throttle until it just starts to lift to make sure it's set up OK and you're not going to get any bad yaw. After that, my normal take-off is to give it a quick pop of the throttle to get it quickly a few feet off the ground and away from ground effect from your props.

(07-Feb-2017, 01:13 AM)RENOV8R Wrote: When you arm it for the first time and get ready to punch holes in the clouds (joking, your first few flights should be very cautious) slowly increase the throttle until it just starts to lift to make sure it's set up OK and you're not going to get any bad yaw. After that, my normal take-off is to give it a quick pop of the throttle to get it quickly a few feet off the ground and away from ground effect from your props.

Thanks for that tip.  I just can't seem to fly any  simulator but fpv free rider.  All the others are like what is wrong with them trying hover is neigh impossible.  Yet I can hover my little E01 pretty well.  Last night I either got better or something started working in it properly I could hover just about an inch of two off the ground and shoot around like it was air hockey... damn that was fun before I could not make it hover like that at all. Guess that practice is paying off.

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(07-Feb-2017, 12:19 AM)Bollucks760 Wrote: If you have a playstation 4 or Xbox one I recommend downloading FPV freerider and connecting your gaming controller up to your computer, this will allow you to start practicing flying before you get your quad.

In betaflight make sure you have your failsafe set up and that all of your aux channels are registering. I would recommend having one of your threeway switches set up for acro/angle/horizon and make sure that what ever is going to be your arming switch is one you can easily reach in case of emergency.

Joshua Bardwell has some really good videos on YouTube about the ins and outs of Betaflight as well how to fly. I know I obsessed over all the details while waiting for my quad to arrive, so watch as much stuff as possible. It will help when you get your quad.

Thanks I will hunt down his videos

For first flights:
- Don't fly far and/or high until you get a grip of orientation
- if you lose orientation, don't try to safe it at all cost, instead just disarm and let it drop
- do it over soft ground, high grass better than concrete

Tx setup:
- for arm/disarm switch I recommend the long low shoulder switch on the opposite side of where you have throttle. It can be pulled kinda like a pistol trigger in emergency cases

I definitely second what fftunes says, first time flying with fpv was disorienting as hell. I initially had my arm switch in the middle of my evolution and found when things got hairy it was difficult to disarm. Now I have moved it to the switch on the shoulder behind the throttle and its much more intuitive.

Well my drone should arrive the 17th.. the controller the 16th.. ugg.. 2 different days. Oh well. What settings do you think I can dial down in Betaflight to make it easier to learn to fly with? I have only really flown an E10 so far and finally getting pretty good at zooming around and staying pretty level unless using yaw but I believe that comes a lot from the short sticks so difficult to turn and keep throttle at same position.

I'll of course be using Horizon mode in the beginning and just practice flying around in the back yard that has a privacy fence until I feel where I can keep it level than move on from there. I understand I can turn some settings down in Betaflight down to help while learning to fly my first real Micro Quad.

The problem is I have not had luck finding anything on setting up Betaflight for first time flyers by what settings to turn down.

You can turn down rates / rc-rates on the PID page, but going too low on those can also make it difficult when you have to push sticks further than what feels comfortable. Btw default rates are pretty tame, they shouldn't be much of an issue.

Be aware that horizon- or angle-mode usually have low priority within betaflight development, not sure how well they work by defaults right now. If you run into trouble using those, i'd recommend going for normal rate mode (no self-levelling) - makes it easier to set up.

Thanks. man these last 2 days to wait are hard. LOL. DRL Simulator has definitely improved in the new release version and I was actually able to do the gates. I provided some feedback that it's too much too fast though. I am still working on hovering than you thrown sharp bends, followed by gates real low to the ground. They said next version they will work on the tutorial more so it's not so difficult so fast. But with the Flysky controller and the new release I was actually able to get further.. the pole at the end of the gates was too much and I kept crashing when I was trying to turn around the pole.

I was impressed at my level of control in the SIM though after flying the E010 around while working on keeping it at the same level.

just a word of advise... as you will be master of the sim... remember to test failsafe/killswitch without props
then do a hover test in a place that has little value to you (as the quad might go bonkers) - ensure this place has a roof... i've seen one quad (thankfully without props) trying to take of in my living room... (of course idiot user... failsafe set to 100% not "- 100%")

as you will have those two behind... find an empty field... without anything and anyone... soft ground.. grassy (ensure you have buzzer).. now try to hover... slowly start moving (LOS) if that all is ok... then switch to fpv and test the range (ON FOOT!) to check if you have at least 100 m of solid range (you should have more, but 100m is enough to start)... while doing this you can test tx/rx range and see if your quad reacts (i try simple test... turn beeper on, sure it is not perfect... but at least gives indication)

as this is done... stay safe and have fun
as you will fly more... you will see you crash less and less... this means you stopped learning... then introduce some obstacles to your field (tree, gate) ... and start crashing again... more you train... more you will crash...

saddest part is when you go out ... all hyped up.... and your quad is down after first crash... still on first pack

Thanks. Yeah I got my Flysky fail safe set to -100% just like Andy RC showed to set it. As I was still waiting for drone I followed along his review of the Flysky and set it just like he set it up.