Atlanta Hobby o;ers a good selection of multi-rotor birds, complete packages, and all the
accessories any aspiring drone pilot could want.
Our package came with the Flame Wheel 550,
the Naza-M GPS package, six APC 10x4.7 SFP
props, six powerful Twister 450-880 motors,
two Hitec HS-5245 MG servos, and an SR Pro
Micro XL Camera Gimbal System. All I had to
add was some assembly time, my Futaba 10C
transmitter, and a Futaba R-6108 receiver.
;e assembly can easily be done by anyone
with any type of RC experience, and the Naza
system makes this an easy bird to fly. Any
novice RC pilot would have no problem with this
aircraft.
WHEN PROGRAMED IN, THE FLAME WHEEL WILL ACTUALLY LAND ITSELF WHEN THE BATTERY GETS LOW.
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;e GPS module must be facing forward, using
the small red arrow as a guide. Be sure to use the
extended platform to raise the GPS module above
any interference from the Flame Wheel.
UNIQUE FEATURES
Assembly on the Flame Wheel 550 starts by
soldering the ESC power wires to the bottom
board. ;ere are positive and negative patches
that are clearly marked on the board and make
it easy to solder all six ESCs to the proper
location. Now the battery plug and VU module
are soldered to the bottom board and that’s
it for soldering. I mounted on the prop shaft to
the top of the motor and then mounted all six
motors to the arms. First, I laid out the arms and
decided which way would be the front of the
Flame Wheel, so that the two red arms could
face forward. ;e deciding factor for me was
the location where I wanted the battery plug; I
decided to have it at the back of the copter. ;en
I bolted all six arms onto the bottom board and
threaded the ESC wires through the openings
on the arms.
Before even considering getting this bird in
the air, I needed to download the Assistant
Software available from dji-innovations.com. ;is allowed me to plug in
the main controller to my PC and download a wide array of programing
features to the Naza controller, some of which, must be programed before
flying. ;e first is setting up the motor mixing—this lets the controller
know that I am flying a hexa-rotor with the motors in a V setup. Other
information that is input through the Assistant Software is the control
mode switch, which puts the Flame Wheel in GPS, Attitude, or Manual
mode, programing in autopilot, fail-safe modes, intelligent orientation
control, voltage monitoring, and gimbal controls. Once I had all of these
parameters entered, I uploaded them to the Naza main controller. Now
I can start up the motors (without props on them) and make sure they
rotate in the right direction. When all is correct, the props are attached
and the Flame Wheel is now ready to take o;.
In the Air
GENERAL FLIGHT PERFORMANCE
Stability: ;e Flame Wheel with the Naza GPS unit has outstanding
stability and will maintain its location when I release the transmitter stick.
It maintains this solid stability when it is traveling in all directions, even
when climbing and descending at a rapid pace.
Tracking: It is easy to have the Flame Wheel track across the sky because
each control causes the aircraft to move in that direction only. For
example, when I push on the yaw (rudder) control, the Flame Wheel will
spin around without losing or gaining any altitude.
Landing: When programed in, the Flame Wheel will land itself when
the battery gets low or you lose transmitter signal. However, normal
landing is almost as easy—just lower down the throttle stick slowly while
controlling the Flame Wheel’s position, and you will see that the aircraft
comes down very controlled and it is easy to land.
PILOT DEBRIEFING
;e Flame Wheel 550 is one sweet-flying, multi-rotor aircraft that is
easy for even a beginner multi-rotor heli pilot to fly. For my needs, this
unit is perfect. It allows me to lift a larger video camera with solid stability,
and the SR Pro Micro XL Camera Gimbal System keeps it level, regardless
of the maneuver the aircraft is doing. If you are looking for a solid, stable-flying aircraft, you would be hard pressed to find a better one than the
Flame Wheel 550 Pro.
