[Sticky] Build or not to build. Daytona Drone Club

RTF (READY TO FLY)

As the name suggests, these drones are "ready to fly" straight out of the box meaning there is no assembly required. Usually, they come with everything you need except perhaps batteries for the controller. The main advantage of these drones is the ability to race them straight away with no lost time on assembly and all that. The biggest downside is upgradeability issues, especially for people who never disassembled a drone before. Another thing you should keep an eye out for is FPV. If your RFT drone does not have an FPV (first person view) (goggles) kit included, you should go ahead and purchase a standalone one. But, beware – you must match TX frequency and bands otherwise your goggles setup won’t work.

RACING KITS

On the other hand, racing kits are a completely different mentality.  They don’t come assembled… at all. If you purchase a racing kit you will be greeted with a box filled with miniature parts that you are supposed to clamp, screw and glue together using your God given talents and newly developed ones. I’m not trying to scare you but – things can get tricky, especially if you never did anything like this before. Time management and skills development will happen. You will soon realize you don't have a required tool or the skill required to do a certain task. Sometimes little hands are an asset. Screwing around with electronics, precise soldering, wiring, and all that good stuff requires a lot of patience and steady hands. Realistically, building your own racing drone can take anywhere from several hours to several days, depending on your expertise. However, nothing can take away that feeling of pride and accomplishment when the switch is placed in "on" and the electronics beep and lights brighten. When reality happens and you smash your beautiful baby into the wall because you had a switch on or get distracted, your all ready to get into the rebuild and overhaul mode.

This is what makes the drone hobby so rewarding.  If you buy Ready to fly you will be working on it. When you realize the china manufacture was not at the quality levels you would have installed yourself you will be updating.  Everything Breaks or needs maintenance to operate. Moving parts wear out, upgrades to your kit are warranted because your skill level gets better. It's not an addiction,  it's a Passion , and learning the Rules, developing the skills, and enjoying the Hobby rewards you with many opportunities to learn new stuff.