5″ Freestyle Quad (6S)

My reference freestyle build — a balanced 6S 5″ meant for smooth flow and occasional punch-outs rather than racing.

Part list

Part	Choice (example)	Notes
Frame	5″ deadcat or true-X, 5 mm arms	Replaceable arms matter for crashes
Motors	4× 1900KV, 6S	See Motors & Props
ESC	4-in-1, 50–65 A	Headroom keeps it cool
Flight ctrl	F7 or H7	More CPU = smoother filtering
Props	5.1 × 3.1 × 3	Good all-round freestyle prop
Battery	6S 1100–1300 mAh	Tune capacity vs. weight
Camera/VTX	Digital or analog	Personal preference

Target numbers

Using the physics page:

• All-up weight goal: ≈ 550 g with a 1300 mAh pack.
• Bench thrust goal: ≈ 4.5–5.0 kg total → $\text{TWR} \approx 8\text{–}9$.
• Expected hover: ~34 % throttle.

Build order I follow

1. Solder motors to the 4-in-1 ESC, check rotation directions.
2. Mount the stack, isolate with soft grommets to keep gyro noise down.
3. First power-up on a current-limited supply (smoke-stopper), props off.
4. Configure in Betaflight, set motor directions, then a careful props-off motor test.
5. Maiden in an open area, low rates first, then tune.

Props off until the very end

Every first-power-up and configuration step happens with propellers removed. They go on only when you're outside and ready to fly.