I'm super new to drones in general. I've attempted flying one a few times but didn't make much progress. Before actually investing in a drone I wanted to get better at flying. I downloaded the FPV FreeRider Simulator and have been learning with my Xbox One controller. I'm not sure how comparable that is to actually flying a drone but I thought it would at least help me get used to the controllers better. Any advice or pointers are greatly appreciated! Otherwise, I'll be here trying to absorb as much as possible from everyone else. Thank you!
Hi,
An Xbox controller and simulator is pretty close to the real thing. The sticks are a bit different, of course. Lots of people do "pinch" grip on real transmitters instead of thumbs only, but this is a minor detail.
If you are looking to get into it, I would recommend getting a good transmitter, some cheap (but good) eachine goggles, and a small drone like the SRD101 from helipal.com. This will give you all the ground stuff which you can later use with a bigger drone if you upgrade. You will get to practice a lot more with a smaller drone. A full on 210mm drone makes a golf course or soccer field feel VERY small. The SRD101 flight controller is the same as the bigger ones so you will get used to all the programming and the feel of how they handle.
Welcome to the hobby, have fun! The SRD101 is $100 for bind n fly, or $200 for RTF with an AT9 transmitter (which is a pretty decent controller).