Want to get started with first-person-view drone flying? Don’t want to spend a bundle? Look no further. BETAFPV’s new Cetus Pro FPV kit will take you from zero to hero in no time.
BETAFPV has a new kit out, and we’ve just had a chance to put our hands on it (thanks, Iris). It has some features we haven’t seen in previous kits of this nature that make this super user-friendly for even total FPV beginners.
Let us tell you why.
Three modes
Remember when DJI’s FPV drone was released? It was pretty innovative because it offered the option of total stability for someone new to the hobby. In other words, you could hover with your hands off the sticks while you became accustomed to viewing the world through goggles. As you become more comfortable, the DJI kit allows you to progress from Normal mode to Sport mode to full-on Manual.
Now, BETAFPV has taken a page out of that book and applied it to the Cetus Pro FPV kit. The kit comes with the drone, two batteries with USB charger, a controller, and some entry-level goggles that allow you to record your flight. All of this, for $229.99 – which is kind of impressive.
Well, let’s say impressive providing it does all of this well. And you know what? It does.
Altitude hold
Remember how we said it would enter a stable, hands-off hover in “N” mode? Well, it really does – and it’s assisted by what BETAFPV calls a barometer/laser. We took a close look at the bottom of the quad, and there it is: a tiny little sensor that fires a laser straight down to maintain altitude. We just tried it out in the living room and it literally hangs there in space. Sure, it might have moved an inch or two, but we had our hands off the sticks.
It’s worth noting that the altitude hold only works in the N mode, but wow – this is a tremendous feature for someone new at this. (Side note: A friend of mine purchased a similar kit that did not have this ability, and he simply found it too difficult as a newbie to really get flying. His kit is now collecting dust.)
Speed
Of course, the other thing that can really hang up a newcomer is speed. And here again, BETAFPV has provided some helpful options for the first-timer. You can select SLOW, MID, or FAST using the LiteRadio2 SE Transmitter, and the selected speed will display in the goggles. Using the slow setting indoors is kind of like the old DJI Tripod mode: slow and predictable. Combine that with the altitude hold that comes in N mode and a beginner will be off to the (slow) races.
Seriously, though, the slow mode is a really helpful tool for beginners and will save you from bashing into a vase or something. (Yes, you can fly this outdoors, but a lot of people will be flying these indoors. Tooling FPV around the house, avoiding furniture and confusing the pets is a blast.)
Emergency landing
Your on-screen display (OSD) will let you know when the voltage is starting to drop and it’s time to bring this puppy home. But, well, you might push it a little too far. If that happens, the quad will stop and auto-land wherever it is once it senses you’ve taken it to the limit. If your link to the transmitter messes up, same thing: auto-land. It will also land if it has a hard collision, again, descending to the floor/ground right at that point.
There’s even a turtle mode switch on the controller. So in the event you have a small crash and your quad flips upside down, you can engage the turtle mode and it should be able to right itself.
BETAFPV Cetus Pro kit has brushless motors
And you want those, because brushless motors are more efficient and less likely to fail over time. The ducted-style shell provides great prop protection, and the company says it’s been fabricated with a new type of rougher, more rugged material.
Specs
Oh yes, almost forgot. Here they are, directly from BETAFPV:
- Positioning system: Optical flow/Barometer/Laser
- Height Positioning: Laser/Barometer
- Angle Locating: Optical flow ( effective height 0.3-3m)
- Accuracy of auto-hover: Horizontal ±0.2m, vertical ±0.3m (under no wind environment)
- Receiver protocol: Frsky D8
- Flight controller: Lite 1S Pro brushed FC
- VTX: 25mW
- Camera tilt degree: 25°
- Camera: C02 FPV Micro Camera
- Transmitter: Literaio2 SE Transmitter
- TX mode: Mode 2 (Left stick throttle)
- Goggles: VR02 Goggles
- Motor: 716-19000KV Brushed motor
- Propeller: 31mm 4-blade 0.8mm shaft hole
- Takeoff weight: 35g(with battery)
- Power system: 1S
- Battery: BT2.0 300mah 1S Battery (external)
- Flight time: 4-5min
- Flight distance: 80m (in wide & undisturbed environment)
BETAFPV’s pitch
Here’s what the company has to say about its product, in some advance material we received:
This is a very different drone from BETAFPV. It’s a brushless whoop drone designed from the ground up for FPV beginners. With three modes, you can start your FPV journey at a stable, basic level – and then progress. If you’ve ever felt that FPV is too difficult to tackle, this is the solution for you. If you follow the steps and start out at the beginning, you will totally become a First Person View drone pilot.
You know what? It’s all true.
Does the BETAFPV Cetus Pro FPV kit have any downsides?
There’s a lot to like about this kit. I mean, the N, S, and M modes are terrific, as is the altitude hold and auto-landing functions. Seriously, that’s all pretty amazing in a package for $229.99.
But there are always things that aren’t quite right, or at least not for me. First off – I’ve got a large head. That’s not BETAFPV’s fault, or course. But that large head has eyes in it that require glasses. And while I do have a somewhat smaller set of glasses, I simply can’t wear those goggles with my glasses on. As a result, I’ve been using my old Quanum Cyclops around the house. Unless I spring for contacts, it’s unlikely I’ll be able to use the supplied goggles.
DroneDJ‘s take
This is a great kit for learning FPV. It’s also, at least from my standpoint, a better kit for beginners than BETAFPV’s Advanced Kit 2 (which is now sold out, anyway). With the addition of the modes and speed control, you can get a very gentle introduction to the hobby and advance as you progress. There’s a lot here for the money.
And yes: It’s a blast to fly. If you want to get into FPV flying without breaking the bank – while minimizing risk to the drone – this is the ticket.
You can check out all the specs, and if this looks right for you, order here.
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