A lot of the progress came from mixing simulator time with real-world testing.
Flight project
Flight project
Drone
This drone project was a mix of parts arriving, simulator time, repairs, outdoor testing, and later upgrades. It was not a neat straight line, it was more like a year of slowly getting better and learning as I went.
Build at a glance
What shaped Drone
The main turning points and the parts that gave the build its own character.
Repairs and replacement parts were part of the story almost from the start.
By the end of the year it still felt like an active project rather than something I had already finished with.
Timeline
Story of Drone
The longer version of the build, milestone by milestone — each one with the notes, photos, and video from that stage.
February 12, 2018
01
The parts finally arrived
This was the beginning of the build in a real sense. Once the parts were on the bench, it stopped being a plan and became something I could actually start putting together.
February 15 to 17, 2018
02
Practice started before the real flying did
Before I was properly confident in the air, I was putting time into the simulator and then pushing into very early real-world tests. That learning stage was a big part of the project.
March 3, 2018
03
Repairs were part of it early on
It did not take long before replacement parts were already part of the process. That was pretty typical for this project, build a bit, test a bit, fix what broke, then keep going.
April 10, 2018
04
I kept leaning on simulator time to build confidence
Even once the hardware side was moving along, simulator time was still part of the routine. It was one of the ways I kept building confidence before pushing harder outside.
May 5, 2018
05
It started to feel like my own machine
Once the May photos happened, the project stopped looking like random parts and started looking like a proper aircraft. That was a nice milestone because the shape and personality of it really started to show.
June 3, 2018
06
Getting it outside changed everything
Bench work and simulators are useful, but taking it outside is when it starts to feel real. This was the point where the project shifted from preparation into actual use.
July 11, 2018
07
More parts, more changes
Mid-year I was still adding to it and changing things. It was not a finished build sitting on a shelf, it was still moving forward with new hardware arriving.
November 11, 2018
08
Late in the year it was still evolving
By the end of the year I was still getting help, still tuning, and still getting it running better. That is probably the most honest way to describe the whole project.
Workshop service
Need a part made rather than a project story?
The project archive shows how the workshop builds. If you are here because you need something printed, repaired, or prototyped, the service page is the right next stop.