I’ve been away from building/flying for quite awhile. Many factors were involved in my time away from flying, mostly “life” things like kids, moving, changing jobs and so forth. But I’m back in a space with all that where I can dedicate some time to flying and building again. So the first task is to try and get all of my existing drones working again.

I had to do some wiring maintenance before I was willing to try and fly this large, 960 hexacopter. In storage some of the wiring had come loose. So it took me a couple of days of finding old tools, solder, flux and the rest to make the fix. I finished that work off yesterday and did some final props-off checking. I also had to remember how to work my Taranis X9D remote!

I was nervous and had forgotten that the left aileron didn’t snap into a default position, so the altitude of the craft is always touchy, a.k.a. responsive.

I didn’t fly with the gimbal and expensive camera equipment on it yet, just in case. The flight was successful. I did a smooth landing and one more takeoff, hover and landing. I see that some of the LEDs are burned out and I’ve planned to replace those anyway.

I’m back in the air!

Yuneec International’s All-New Typhoon H Delivers Professional Features at a Prosumer Price

Typhoon H Provides Drone Enthusiasts with Six Rotors, 360-Degree Gimbal Camera and Retractable Gear In A Compact Design

ONTARIO, CA (January 5, 2016) — Yuneec International, the world leader in electric aviation, today announced the expansion of its Typhoon series with the unveiling of the Typhoon H, a new category of drone for the enthusiast. Driven by customer demand for a more sophisticated drone, the Typhoon H delivers capabilities previously only found in high-end professional offerings, but at a consumer price. The Typhoon H is equipped with six rotors, a 360-degree gimbal camera and retractable landing gear at an unprecedented price of $1,799 with Yuneec’s standard of being ready, easy and safe to fly.

The 360-degree gimbal with the new CGO3+ camera allows unlimited panning for breathtaking 4K videos and 12 megapixel stills. In addition, the landing gear retracts during flight to seamlessly remove itself from the shot for unobstructed views. The Typhoon H adds new flight and image capture modes including Point of Interest, Orbit, Curved Cable and Journey. Innovative new safety features include ultrasonic proximity detection to assist in avoiding large obstacles, and a failsafe system which allows Typhoon H to remain stable and land if a motor should fail.

“A central part of our mission is to bring new and advanced creative possibilities within the reach of everyone,” said Yu Tian, chief executive officer of Yuneec International. “We’ve engineered the Typhoon H to redefine what customers should expect to pay for a drone with such an array of professional features. At this price point, no other drone comes close to the Typhoon H in terms capability and value.”

An additional benefit is the compact and user friendly design of the Typhoon H. Quick disconnect props allow speedy removal from the motors, and each rotor arm quickly folds down from its flight position for easy and compact transportation using a custom-designed hardcase/backpack. Carbon fiber is used extensively to decrease weight while increasing durability.

The Typhoon H comes with the professional quality Android-based ST16 controller, which has a large 7-inch integrated display and HD 720p video downlink for stunning real-time video reception.

With the ability to add mission-specific modules, the Typhoon H is the next generation platform for enthusiasts and professionals. Planned add-ons include a high performance collision avoidance module based on Intel® RealSense™ Technology and an advanced IR camera module.

The Typhoon H maintains the Typhoon family’s focus on safety with features such as Geo-fencing, Variable Speed Control, Dynamic Return Home, Low-Battery Return Home and FAA No Fly. The Typhoon H will be available for the suggested retail price of $1,799 USD. For more information visit www.yuneec.com. The Typhoon Q500 family of drones will also continue to be available starting at the suggested retail price of $899.99.

Typhoon H Video: https://youtu.be/nAvNBPyoreU