Yuneec Typhoon G: An Amazingly Powerful Aerial Drone

Among the other well-known quadcopters in the UAV industry, little did you know about this Yuneec’s powerful drone that is renowned for its exotic aerial photography/videography and versatile maneuvers. It is ideal for photography enthusiasts, whether capturing the much needed real estate aerial footage, picturesque mountains, 3D mapping or an agricultural land.

Yuneec Typhoon G is a great drone that will be appealing to both novice and experienced pilots due to its dynamic flight modes the basic of which even a 7-year old can maneuver. What you need to acquaint yourself with is the maneuverability of the controller in issuing commands to this drone.

In turn, those commands enable custom-made aerial images and HD videos that the GoPro camera is capable of producing with the support of the featured Gimbal. Read through to unfold more features that are characteristics of the Typhoon G.

Be aware: This quadcopter has no shock resistant feature, so it is not advisable to allow the children younger than 3 years to fiddle with its components. But children over 5 years can fly it under the supervision of elders.

It is an RTF drone requiring only minimal handling like inserting the included battery and the recommended GoPro camera for exotic and stabilized footages. So if you were looking for a drone with an integrated 4k camera, for example, you should consider the other models like the Yuneec Q500 4K. Nonetheless, the Typhoon G’s flexibility to install a reckoned and preferred camera of your own like the HERO3 or HERO4 GoPro models is such a great option because you can select any GoPro camera of your taste.

Unlike other drones, particularly the ARFs, it is quite a cinch to set up the Typhoon G drone once you have technical skills on how to control and maneuver the ST10+ transmitter/remote control it comes with. To help make the process an absolute breeze for you, watch this video to give you a glimpse of how to set up this powerful quadcopter.

It can be particularly challenging for an inexperienced unmanned aerial vehicle owner to get started despite the provision of the user manual. We are confident that this video can demystify the theory contained in the user manual. Typhoon G quadcopter requires no intensive calibration or software installation before you can fly it. Only minimal installation of components such as the battery, and also an understanding of the flight modes embedded.

Once everything is all set up, you will be able to explore many dynamic and great moves that this drone is capable of in your quest to capture the perfect aerial footage.

Another piece of advice: If you have never flown a drone before, we reckon to start with the Home flight mode, which allows the drone to fly to where it started, in case you lose control or unknowingly runs out of the battery or loses the signal. Jumping to advanced flight modes such as the Smart and Angle may inevitably lead to numerous crashes which can be adverse and costly for your quadcopter if you are inexperienced.

The other advice would be to purchase only the recommended GoPro cameras that are compatible with the 3-axis Gimbal mount featured. Before you could fly it, make sure the GoPro is turned on and the Wi-Fi is also connected. Check the battery level as well as the weather conditions of your desired destination because strong winds have adverse effects on the drone.

 Product specifications:

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Build Specifications

Packaging

As an RTF quadcopter, Typhoon G comes fully assembled with only a few components such as the battery and the camera (sold separately) needing minor installations to get started. In your package, you will find:

• 1 x 5400 mAh Lithium-polymer battery
• 1 x Typhoon G RTF drone
• AC to DC adapter, USB charger/adapter, cable, and balancing charger
• Propeller installation tool
• Sun shield
• ST10+ Ground station/remote controller/transmitter
• CGO SteadyGrip
• GB2O3 3-axis Gimbal mount

You are advised to buy additional components from the same manufacturer in case of any unexpected crash. You can have, for example, additional propellers and batteries as standby. It takes about an hour or more to recharge an empty battery. So, you cannot afford such a long interruption of your flight time. A spare battery will help you recharge the other while continuing with the activities of aerial photography for either business or recreational.

Design & Durability

Similar to its predecessor Yuneec Q500 4k, the Typhoon G embraces a big design with dimensions 8.3 x 16.5 x 16.5 inches without rotors. It also weighs 2.5 pounds, which is relatively heavier than other quadcopters. Please remember to register this drone with the United States’ FAA. Other countries might have their own regulations.

The 3-axis Gimbal is installed on the undercarriage of this drone sandwiched between the landing gears. It is, however, removable in case you want to mount it on the SteadyGrip for footage capturing from the ground. Meanwhile the video transmitter is housed behind the Gimbal to send signals to the black S10+ Ground Station.

Despite being larger, the Typhoon G is compact and portable to be fit in a sized box with Styrofoam inserts or a backpack. This helps when traveling to various places to capture your beloved aerial footage. Furthermore, it is made of a frame frame, which is not easy to break. Its propellers are also sturdy, so the drone will certainly take you long before you can replace it.

Camera

The camera is not included in the package, and you should buy it separately, but only the recommended and the compatible GoPro cameras such as the HERO3+ AND HERO4 which are to be mounted on the 3-axis Gimbal. Gimbal provides smooth and stabilized images through the GoPros models.

With the remote controller included, you can be able to take a plethora of footages from any position using the pre-programmed movements such as “follow me” and “watch me”. The drone itself, commanded with the flight modes, can be able to take a plethora of aerial photographs.

The Gimbal is also compatible with First Person View “FPV” video transmission, although the transmission is more limited to 400 meters. That is certainly a drawback because of higher altitude – it losses signals. Nonetheless, it captures great and scenic videographs in its ranges. Should you fly it over 400m, you will not only be putting yourself into trouble with the FAA, but will also be on a verge to lose signal for higher altitude such as 900m, for example.

Battery & Flight time

The Typhoon G comes with its compatible Lithium-polymer battery of 5400 mAh. It is reported that the maximum flight time is 25 minutes in the normal day without any strong winds or harsh temperatures. However, some users have voiced out their concerns that the drone does not exactly take 25 minutes flying in the sky but less in approximately 15 minutes.

The remote controller will have buzzed and signaled them at 25% of battery level that they have to land down so that you can recharge the battery. Wise pilots have spare batteries to avoid an hour’s long wait of recharging your Li-polymer battery.

It is apparent that the flight time is dependent upon the weather conditions as well as the strength of the battery. If you have planned to fly more than 25 minutes, as aforementioned, you will have to have spare batteries to quickly replace the depleted ones. As for stronger winds, the solution is to pause flying the drone until they have vanished in order to avoid uncalled crashes and to lengthen the flight time.

Controller

To have the best out of this quadcopter, you need to master the ST10+ remote controller, which the manufacturer calls the Ground Station. This remote controller has numerous buttons and switches that you have to get used to in order to fly the drone safely and effectively.

For exact operations on these buttons, peruse the included user manual and acquaint yourself with all the commands. This concise video can help you understand setting up this drone.

https://youtu.be/6uBR9_0tqKE

To give you an introduction to the commands, the left joystick is responsible for the command of yaw and altitude, whereas the right joystick commands the drone to move back, forward, left or right. The Gimbal is moved up and down by the left wheel on the remote controller while the right wheel is responsible for the maximum speed of this quadcopter.

With GPS enabled at top speed, it can fly up to 15mph, but without the GPS turned on, it can fly up to a maximum speed of 60mph. The speed can be configured with the right-situated wheel on the ST10+ remote controller. All other settings can be configured on the Android-powered Android 5.5-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 480p.

Flight Performance

This Typhoon G comes with mainly four flight modes. If you have never flown a drone before, we recommend you to start with the Home flight mode and then advance beyond orientation to either Smart or Angle flight mode. Then that’s when you can use them interchangeably. A great flight performance is experienced when flying in the Angle mode, which is a rare feature not contained in other drones.

The other flight modes include the Turtle vs the Rabbit, which basically determines how fast the drone can ascend to the sky. With the Turtle, for example, the drone is set to rise slowly, whereas with the Rabbit flight mode it is set to rise up fast. All these are found on the ST10 transmitter. The main modes are discussed below:

Smart Flight Mode

This flight mode provides you with great commands such as “watch me”, “geo-fencing”, “dynamic return to home”, and “follow me”. In response to this Smart mode, the drone will move in the direction relative to the pilot regardless of where its nose is pointing.

For example, if the control stick is pushed to the left, the Typhoon G will follow suite even if the nose is pointing to the right or upwards or downwards or spinning. An inexperienced pilot can leverage on this mode and then advance into the Angle mode.

It can be a great companion when you want the drone to follow you while capturing aerial footage. Watch this video to get a glimpse of how the “follow me” and “watch me” commands work. We guarantee that you will admire this flight mode.

Angle Flight Mode

With this flight mode, the drone will move in the direction that is relative to its nose under the command of your control stick. If the nose is pointing towards you, for example, it will move towards you. If you command it to move to the right, whereas its nose is pointing to the left, it will have to run first. These commands need an experienced pilot or a dedicated and fast-learning enthusiast to master them.

Home Flight Mode

Enabled by the GPS lock, it can fly linearly towards you by default. This may be helpful for novice pilots in case they get stuck with the remote controller commands. Even more helpful could be when the drone has run out of the battery or lost signal, and you are desperate to land it. The Home mode will be essential in that instance. And once you master this mode, you can confidently utilize the other relatively advanced flight modes as aforementioned.

Value for money & guarantee

The Typhoon G alone, without additional accessories, can cost you about $899 which is the best value for money considering the features brought to the table. It is such a versatile drone with custom flight modes to choose from.

The additional costs could emerge from the purchase of the GoPro camera, and that will depend on the model that you purchase. If you opt for the HERO Silver, for example, you will have to cough out $399.95, which then totals $1400 for the entire package.

The manufacturer has not disclosed any news about the guarantee of this drone. But, you will be covered if you purchase this quadcopter through Amazon, because then you will be buying under the Amazon’s guarantee rules. Even various sellers may have their own rules on guarantee.

Unique Features

With this quadcopter, you are provided with a unique feature called SteadyGrip. It can connect to the 3-axis Gimbal to take footage of the same quality from the ground. This is the feature most admired and adored by filmmakers that they can take aerial footage from the ground. To get an idea on how to set up the SteadyGrip feature, watch this video.

Other unique features include the drone’s 3 main flight modes that brings a plethora of maneuvers in controlling the drone’s movement in the sky. Within these flight modes, you will find features such as dynamic return home, watch me and follow me that make this quadcopter to be versatile. These features are intriguing for enthusiastic pilots.

This drone also has a sun shield to help take a clear picture in a bright sunlight. Had it not been this sun shield, more aerial images would have a compromised quality and clarity.

Similar models

Yuneec Q500 4K

Yuneec Q500 4K is a predecessor model by the same manufacturer,Yuneec. It has some similar features as the Typhoon G that include, among others, the SteadyGrip feature and the ST10+ remote controller. However, it comes with an integrated 4k video, which is noticeably high-performing in transmissions compared to the Typhoon G.

The camera is also integrated. This means you do not have to purchase a separate camera for this quadcopter.

Well the Yuneec G model offers great options for you to install the camera of your choosing with great features even though its video transmission is limited. One might recommend the Yuneec Q500 4k for high quality video and the Yuneec G for more versatile and stable images.

DJI Phantom P3

The DJI Phantom P3 is also providing a fierce competitive advantage to the Yuneec G drone, and the most apparent competitive advantage is the pricing of $449. It comes with autonomous camera options and an integrated mobile app for an optimized control of this unmanned aerial vehicle. It has a 2.7k HD Video camera compared to the 400m-ranged video transmission of the Typhoon G.

Moreover, it comes with an 8GB microSD card, which cannot be found in the Typhoon’s debutant package. Other features such as watch me and follow me are common among these quadcopters. Also GPS features are common, including the flight time of 25 minutes.

If you are into a mobile app, then the DJI Phantom P3-Standard, rated the best seller on Amazon, can also be a great option for you.

3DR Solo Drone

This is yet another quadcopter similar to the Typhoon G, but different with features and pricing. It is also relatively cheaper compared to the Typhoon, but the Typhoon G provides you with the best deal of features that include supreme flight mode and the plethora of maneuvers for camera movements.

The 3DR Solo Drone is king when coming to flight control because of its iOS and Android compatible mobile app. The Typhoon G is, on the other hand, controlled by the ST10+ remote controller only.

Overview

The Yuneec’s Typhoon model was specifically designed for enthusiasts who love taking aerial videography/photography for recreational or business purposes. I mean, who resents the GoPro’s high quality cameras? The fact is that most people have bought these cameras to record videos and take pictures while handheld.

Now the Typhoon G grants them the opportunity to mount the cameras on the 3-axis Gimbal for more stabilized and smooth footages that a professional photographer would struggle to take in remote areas. But then a bit of technical knowledge is required to maximize the best capturing capabilities of these cameras.

Once you master the S10+ remote controller/transmitter, you will be able to take more scenic images and record HD videos. Even if you are a newbie, with dedicated inquisitiveness you can master the remote controller in no time, but start with the basic flight mode such as the Home mode and then advance to Smart mode before flying your drone in an Angle flight mode.

If you are a die-hard lover of GoPro cameras, this drone is certainly the best choice for you. Moreover, if you hate tapping a smartphone app to control a drone, this model is yours, with only the remote controller needed to control it.