I have had a basic Syma X5C since Xmas and really enjoy using it in the garden and making small videos of the flight, but its very unstable and im hampered by having a small garden so any sort of high flying or venturing outside of my boundry and there is a high risk of it crashing into neighbours properties. Im really looking to fly it over the fields at the back of my house for example, whislt staying in my garden, But I want a machine that is flys stable and hence gives me confidence that I can fly the machine back to where it took off. So im looking to upgrade to a better spec model but would like some expert adivce on a few features of slightly higher specced machines. 1. with a budget of around £200 will I be able to purchase a drone/quad-copter that I could reliably fly outise my boundries (by sight) and safely bring it home. (the Syma X5C is just to eratic to fly) I see on Amazon drones that have a "Home" button, Does this facilty actually guide the drone back to its start position automatically ? 2. Im really only looking to fly it within in my sight range, rather than flying it by screen etc etc. 3. Stability is the main goal, the Syma is good fun but it is never stable in any direction and takes contstant correction to acheive any sort of sustained altiude and stable flight. Again is my budget to small to expect a good stable machine ?
Unless it has GPS/Barometer/compass, not very well. Does it look exactly like this? Rome wasn't built in a day, the X5C-1 (pictured) should be quite stable and easy to fly.
Most of the "home" and headless modes do not, IMHO, work good enough to save your craft. GPS is really the only way to keep them from blowing away. If you are on a tight budget - BUT, have some skills in terms of use and troubleshooting you can get a lower priced GPS copter like the new HobbyKing Quantum. http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__80718__Quanum_Nova_PRO_With_Radio_Battery_and_Charger_RTF_Mode_2_.html Another option is to look for either a used, refurb or leftover GPS quad like the Phantom 1 or Blade 350. These should be under your budget and yet provide lots of fun - you can set the modes to make them go faster or semi-manually.
Having gone through many toy grade quads I think you'll find something like the QX350 much easier to fly, but your problem seems inconsistant with the Syma 5C. I heard that the original Syma 5 (no "C" after the number) was somewhat unstable. I have discovered an inexpensive hex called an "MJX-rc that is quite responsive for a $25 toy model. I gave away my wifes Syma 5C as it seemed to lose power quickly. I even replaced a motor or two but still very low on power. I bought my wife the QX350-3 without regrets.
