The Complete Guide to Drones

If I was writing this review solely on consistency, accuracy, assumptions and typography I would give it two stars at best. I've given it three stars because the content isn't bad. Here are some examples of silly mistakes in this book:Consistency: page 46 '. . . unlike the other flight control channels, the throttle's thumbstick is not sprung'. Yet on page 56 '. . . the throttle stick, which as you'll recall, is the only stick that springs back to centre or 50% position'. Also, page 40 'If you do have instability . . . your propellers would benefit from balancing . . . (see page 130)'. Page 130, however, is all about drones and the law and does not mention balancing of props (that's on page 127).Accuracy: Page 32 'The Y6 and X6 designs (shown opposite) double the motors on each arm'. The diagram, however, clearly shows it's Y6 and X8 that does this.Assumptions: Page 42 'Some RC receivers feature PPM which can dispense with the individual wires'. There is no definition of PPM here and it is again referenced on p115 with no clarification.Typography: the throttle can be left i [NEW LINE] n the zero position.There are numerous other examples, as well as spelling mistakes, poor grammar and punctuation and confusing sentence construction. It all smacks of a book that has been hurriedly put together to meet a deadline and amateurishly proof read before production. Now, you are welcome to call me pedantic and nit-picking, but this is laziness or ineptitude or a combination of both on the part of the author and the publishers. There is no excuse for it. The acknowledgements do give a bit of a clue as to why these mistakes got through: 'cap duly doffed to xxx for some super-fast editing'; 'xxx for the speedy design work'; 'xxx for her lightning edits'; '. . . despite my delayed manuscript'. The last paragraph in the acknowledgements reveals that the 'thorough read-through' was by the author's father. I'm also curious as to why the book is written with American spellings, even though the author is British (from what I can understand) and the book is published in the UK. That's a minor point, though.I can only assume that the drone luminaries who have endorsed the book are either the author's mates or simply haven't read it properly, and the cynic in me would also question the glowing reports from people who were given free copies in exchange for a review. Do these people actually read the book properly?So, what's good about the book?Firstly, I paid just £4 for the paperback version (the Kindle version is £9.99 and I am so glad I avoided it. I also notice that the paperback price is now £4.99). If I had paid the £14.99 shown on the book cover I would have sent it back. For my £4 I got a reasonable, entry level guide to the world of drones. The breadth of topics covered seems fairly complete, although most are covered only superficially, providing a useful jumping off point for further research (or clarification). I strongly advise anyone reading the two pages on the law (p130-131) to do considerably more research - for instance, it doesn't mention the maximum permitted altitude for flight in the UK (400'), or offer any links to other legal resources. This is especially important if you plan to do any commercial operating.Diagrams and pictures are mostly good and some of the tables provide useful references. It's a nice big layout (although the text flow is a little confusing in a couple of places and I had to go back and re-read the section). The history of drones is mildly interesting. There's a decent introduction to basic flight skills and a reassuring guide to your maiden flight.The chapter on building your own drone is interesting, although it's not something I am planning to do. The page on post-build tuning of PID settings (p126) is hardly in the jargon-free style the book promotes! The case studies are revealing and interesting. There is some confusion in the section on camera specifications (p84-85).If you can get over the silly - and avoidable - mistakes in the book then for four quid it's a fairly decent buy. I wouldn't call it 'The complete guide to drones', though, as it is only an introduction to the subject. It's an attractive looking book, with some decent introductory material, at a sensible price (if it remains less than a fiver).

Wow. Love it!Can I first start with the negative. Even though I have only scanned through the book over the course of half an hour, I spotted several spelling and grammatical mistakes. Things like Attitude instead of Altititude and It's instead of Its and words added by mistake. So shame on the proofreader who rather bizarrely is the authors dad. If you read the acknowledgements you'll see that the author rushed the writing of the book and was late submitting it. Not sure why we needed to know that nor about all the other folk who "rushed" their jobs. To quote! There are some poor typos and mistakes in this such as INSERT NEW LINE HERE etc. Anyway...Now with the positive.Even though I only scanned through the book, I have to say it is absolutely brilliant.The layout is great, easy to understand and easy on the eye.If you're an experienced drone flyer, this book is useless because you'll know it all... most probably. It is for people with a new interest in drones.In terms of content, it has everything you need to know about drones starting off with a little history lesson. There's chapters on the various components that make a drone which is very interesting as I am thinking of building one. Incidentally, at the back of the book is a very detailed yet easy to grasp tutorial on how to build a drone. There's a cut out template for you so you can cut the wooden frame to the right size. Can't wait to read this in detail. The components sections are easy to understand and interesting but of no use if you just want to be the person who flies drones and isn't interested in building one.There are tutorials on how to actually fly a drone. Flight basics, skills, exercises etc.I love the section on photo/video work too. Very detailed and well presented.The legal section is incorrect however. The legal height for flying in the UK is wrong/outdated and I suggest you look at the CAA guidelines on this rather than taking the word of the author, who in all fairness was probably describing the law as it was at the time of publication.I just know I'm going to love this book. You will too!

great read

Great book packed with some good advice, guidance and clear illustration. If you are totally new to UAVs then this book is for you and will provide an insight into the history of drones. It goes on to explain the detail around self build and ready to fly drones and talks about each part that makes up the craft, also give tips on camera settings and videography along with a detailed glossary of terms. Of course technology is moving at an incredible pace, that said this is a great book to have in your collection and get you started.

Very interesting if you like reading about drones, or if you are an enthusiast who may like to build your own. If you just want to fly your particular drone, you may find that much of the content is of little relevance to you.

A good book with some useful information but it dedicates too many pages to building from scratch (or wood) a drone which frankly is pretty irrelevant (in my opinion) to the vast majority of people buying such a book.

Good book to read and tells you everything about drones

The book was very good and informative. Also how to build your own Drown and where you can optain the Parts.Excellent.