9

LENS

to come into contact with spinning propellers, and
only arm and operate it when you are sure it’s in a
safe environment.
The propeller fits over a collar that locates on a
conical piece of metal, with a screw-on cap holding it
all down. Ensure that the caps are screwed down as
tightly as possible, or you risk it coming off in flight.
Now, tie the machine down securely to something
heavy enough to stop it taking off. Now, reconnect
the battery, turn on the transmitter, arm it and, very
gently, advance the throttle. It should be obvious if
there are any problems, because the machine will
vibrate or try to turn. In our case, it tried to turn itself
before one of the propellers came off, indicating that
we hadn’t tightened its retaining cap sufficiently.
Reattaching it and tightening it properly resulted in
a stable machine. If you are at that point, then very
gently work the controls to see whether the craft
tries to turn or move. Do not push the throttle up too
far, instead move it up only far enough to prove that
it moves.
Disarm the transmitter, and disconnect the
battery. Now tie down the four corners of the craft

to a secure anchorage with a couple of feet of

lightweight rope. You should then be able to fly it to

the limit of the rope, and further test the controls

and the stability of the craft.

If your multirotor behaves as expected, you should

now be able to fly it for the first time. Find a clear,

open space in which you have permission to fly, and

in which you can keep the craft over 50 metres away

from the general public. Even if you can already fly

a multirotor, you should exercise extreme care with

the throttle, only advancing it just enough to get the

craft into the air and test its manoeuvrability, being

ready to safely bring it down and disarm it, should

anything be amiss.

Once you are happy with its construction and

performance, congratulations! You have made

yourself a multirotor! Fly it responsibly, and enjoy it.

Above

The different

coloured arms make

it easy to tell which

way is ‘forward’

SUPPLIERS

We have used parts sourced from the following

suppliers. There are many more, this is by no means a

comprehensive list.

-^ Banggood.com: an inexpensive direct-from-China supplier
-^ Hobbyking.com: a fantastic selection of RC parts
-^ Amazon.co.uk: is there anything it doesn’t stock?
-^ UnmannedTechShop.co.uk: a British store, useful when you
need parts in a hurry

A MULTIROTOR CAN BE A

DANGEROUS MACHINE...