This is the Blade 350QX from Horizon Hobby, weighs 680 grams and measures 465mm motor to motor.
The Blade 350QX Quadcopter features dynamic flight modes which offer a variety of flying experiences and includes a GoPro compatible camera mount for capturing aerial video.
The propellers are mounted on the motors using two hex screws instead of the normal collet style mounts.
The flight controller is an in house developed design based on Horizon's AS3X technology.
It has a GPS, barometer, 3 axis accelerometers and gyros and is capable of multiple different flight modes. It also has the Spectrum receiver built in to the board. Which is convenient but also means that you are locked into that system.
There are many flight modes:
Smart mode - GPS/Altitude Hold, SAFE Circle™ feature and Stick Relativity. Perfect for novice pilots.
Stability mode - Limited flight envelope, self-leveling and optional GPS Hold. Ideal for video capture.
Agility mode - Aerobatic performance with AS3X™ flight characteristics and unlimited flight envelope. For experienced pilots only.
Safe circle - Never worry about flying too close to yourself with this invisible pilot barrier (Smart Mode only).
Motors: Direct Drive Outrunners 1100kV
ESC’s: 10A
Battery: 3s 2200mAh
Flight time: 10-15 minutes
Flying Weight: 680g
Length: 465mm
Body: X-Quad
Props: 8" Proprietary
Flight controller: Integrated Proprietary - cannot adjust gains.
Price: 470$ Read to Fly
Available Packages: RTF, BNF
Camera: Optional
Thanks mainly to the stability mode, the 350QX is both fun and easy to fly FPV. The auto level and GPS lock takes away a lot of stress for just flying around FPV and it does invite to some fun flying.
Capturing aerial video is another thing though. The 350QX is capable of capturing good video, but it is harder and more work than other copters. This is mainly due to 3 things:
First being it’s small size, it can easily be buffered around by the wind.
Second, the proprietary propellers. They are pretty soft, which is good for durability but the flex can induce vibration. They are also more difficult that normal propellers to balance due to to the lack of a flush back and big enough steer hole for the cone of the balancer to guide against. All the shots in this video were made with how the props came from the factory and as you can see there are vibrations present.
Third and last, the lack of adjustable gains.
All of these things makes is difficult to get great shots. I’m not saying it’s impossible, I’m just saying that the conditions for getting those shots are more strict and therefore more rare.
Skill Level: Intermediate
Agility: 8
Power: 7
Speed: 6
Setup/Build: 8
Durability: 7
Ease of Repair: 1
Line of sight Flight Experience: 7
FPV Flight Experience: 5
Aerial video capability: 4
Includes: charger, transmitter, spare props, gopro mount
Cool features:
Safe circle flight mode
Extensive LED communication
Replacement body: 35$
Replacement props: 5.5$/pair
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