Pros and Cons regarding use of a slave remote

[pfm]

I am thinking about getting a second remote.
I would like to hear about your experience and whether it is worth spending the extra money or continuing with what I do using only one. (I know 2 operators are required so don't need anyone telling me that)

 

[JasonUK]

I think it depends what you are trying to achieve.

If you are shooting a lot of video, having 2 people doing separate jobs on separate remotes makes things far easier. The pilot concentrates on aircraft positioning and smooth flying while the camera operator concentrates on footage and framing the shot.

This of course assumes you have a second person that knows how to fly or work the camera smoothly

Having a second person for photos is not as helpful (but is nice if you have someone), as in GPS mode the aircraft will hold its position while you frame the shot.

 

[The Editor]

+1 to the comments above.
Also bear in mind that if working commercially you will need to factor in payload operator functions and responsibilities into your ops manual and also write in the option to 'work alone' if your camera operator is not required.
A lot of people miss this and write in the fact that they run a two man operation but then do not account for when they fly solo. This effectively means they are operating outside of their CAA approved parameters.

 

[pfm]

Thanks for you advice. I will only be flying as a recreational hobby and was wondering if the expense of a second remote is really worth having. I usually fly it and takee video solely, but I was wondering if there really are any advantages (given the extra cost of a remote) other than enjoying my son's company and taking video and pictures while he operates one of the remotes.
Are there really any other advantages, from a technical point of view, to having a second remote?

 

[JasonUK]

If it is with your son, it is worth it. Nothing better than getting the little lad involved doing something cool with his dad. He will remember his involvement forever, especially if you take some nice shots together.

That alone is worth the additional cost of a remote. There are loads available second hand that are pristine and only been used a couple of times. You should be able to pick one up for around £300

 

[gregdd]

I am thinking about getting a second remote.
I would like to hear about your experience and whether it is worth spending the extra money or continuing with what I do using only one. (I know 2 operators are required so don't need anyone telling me that)

Actually you dont need two operators. I often have both remotes with two tablets mounted sitting in front of me. On the primary i have a waypoint mission running in map view then i use the second one to operate the camera with joysticks in camera view. I have both side by side because you have to be ready to switch the mode switch to P if anything goes wrong and get ready to manually fly the aircraft. Side by side is also awesome because its like having a dual monitor computer.