FPV Madness on Snowdon: Testing Our 7” Beast

FPV Madness on Snowdon: Testing Our 7” Beast

 

Yo, FPV geeks! Yesterday was one for the books—we packed up our brand-new 7-inch long-range quad and hiked up Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa for the purists) to put this beast through its paces. The mission? Test power consumption, prop efficiency, motor performance, GPS reliability, wind resistance, and flight time on a specific battery pack. Basically, full-on nerd mode.

Expectation vs Reality – The Snowdon Weather Scam

The plan was solid: catch an epic cloud inversion, golden hour lighting, and breathtaking mountain views—you know, the dream cinematic FPV session. Forecast said cloud base at 300m, which meant Snowdon’s peak would rise above a sea of clouds. Sounded perfect, right?

Reality check: The forecast lied :D 

Instead of an epic sunrise over the clouds, we hiked 10km only to find the entire peak swallowed in thick, soupy fog. Cloud base wasn’t at 300m—it was at 900m, meaning Snowdon was completely lost in the mist. No majestic golden hour, no crisp mountain views. Just cold, damp, and moody AF.

But hey, no stress for us. After that grueling hike, we scouted and found a perfect testing spot at 398m above sea level—just below the clouds, where visibility was still decent. Temperature: 4°C. Wind: fluctuating between 17 to 55 km/h. Not exactly paradise, but an absolute real-world test environment for long-range FPV.

The Setup – What’s Under the Hood?

We built this drone to be a mid-range explorer with efficiency in mind. Here’s the gear we used

Hike, Setup & The First Punch Out

With fingers half-frozen, we set up the quad, double-checked everything, and waited for GPS lock. The wind was howling, but the quad powered on cleanly. VTX? Stable. Motors? Spinning smooth. GPS? Locked.

Time to send it.

Flight Tests & Data Collection

We ran a series of tests to see how this setup performs in real-world long-range conditions:

1. Power Consumption & Efficiency

  • Cruising at 50% throttle pulled around 9-11A
  • Hovering sat at 5-6A, which is solid for a 7” build
  • Full throttle punch? Peaked at 45A, but that’s expected

2. Prop & Motor Performance

  • The 7040 props gave good balance—efficient but still had bite in sharp turns.
  • Motors stayed cool even after aggressive climbs.
  • Didn’t notice any weird oscillations or desyncs—always a win.

3. GPS & Wind Resistance

  • GPS took 45 seconds for a full lock at takeoff, but rock solid after.
  • Wind gusts were around 17-55 km/h, and the quad handled them like a champ.
  • No noticeable drifting or issues in GPS Rescue Mode—definitely a confidence boost.

4. Flight Time on 6S 4000mAh Li-Ion

  • Cruise mode: 15 minutes before hitting 3.5V per cell
  • Mixed flying (some punch-outs, dives, and aggressive turns): 13 minutes
  • Full send freestyle: Around 9 minutes (expected with harder throttle inputs)

RADICAL SCORE 8/10

Final Verdict – Is This a Good Mid-Range Cruiser for Wales?

So, is this 7” drone a solid choice for mid-range cruising in Wales? Short answer: YES.

Long answer? This build absolutely handles Welsh conditions well—it fought strong winds, cold temps, and unpredictable weather like a champ. The power efficiency was excellent, the GPS was stable, and flight times were more than enough for decent mid-range exploration.

If you’re looking for a long-range rig that won’t drain your packs too fast while keeping solid handling, this setup is a winner. The Li-Ion pack gave us endurance, and the 7” frame gave us stability even in windy conditions. Could you push it further? Absolutely. But for a solid mid-range build, this thing is a beast.

Next test? More extreme conditions. Thinking about pushing it further in high-altitude winds or even a full-on range test. Stay tuned! 🚀

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