In many ways, the Parrot AR Drone, released in 2010, foresaw the current boom in consumer quadcopters. Although there had been an active geek culture building and programming quads prior ...
Your first foray into quadcopters may be with a mini or micro - most of which use a single cell LiPo battery and come standard with a USB or plug-in ...
Dualsky is a well regarded manufacturer in the R/C model industry, and highly regarded for their motors - one of the key ingredients in any quadcopter. Hobbyists have long been ...
How to Troubleshoot your AR Drone after a crash (1.0 and 2.0)....... Sooner or later (probably sooner) you are going to have a nice little wreck with your AR Drone. Maybe ...
WL Toys are well known for their line of Quadcopters, namely the v929, v939, v949 and v202. Each of these quads have different styles and flight characteristics, allowing the prospective ...
What fun is it to leave a fantastic device like the AR Drone bone stock? We all want more power, more altitude, longer flight times, and better looks. While there ...
How to Troubleshoot your AR Drone after a crash (1.0 and 2.0)……. Sooner or later (probably sooner) you are going to have a nice little wreck with your AR Drone. Maybe you hit a wall too hard, hit the ceiling, smacked a tree, or sucked in a twig. Wrecks, crashes, and other emergency stops are par for the course with [ Read More ]
Having been in marketing and sales for 30+ years, I get very frustrated watching the poor ways that Chinese quadcopter manufacturers present their products to the English speaking (and perhaps other languages) world. In the hopes of helping this industry to grow and prosper, I’m going to offer some free advice to the makers and marketers of these great products! [ Read More ]
In many ways, the Parrot AR Drone, released in 2010, foresaw the current boom in consumer quadcopters. Although there had been an active geek culture building and programming quads prior to that date (2005 on), the AR Drone fired up the fancy of many and was well covered in the press. Brookstone was the initial primary vendor and it was [ Read More ]
Your first foray into quadcopters may be with a mini or micro – most of which use a single cell LiPo battery and come standard with a USB or plug-in charger. However, once you step up in size to larger and heavier drones, you will find that most of them use batteries which are MUCH larger in size, weight and [ Read More ]
In many ways, the Parrot AR Drone, released in 2010, foresaw the current boom in consumer quadcopters. Although there had been an active geek culture building and programming quads prior to that date (2005 on), the AR Drone fired up the fancy of many and was well covered in the press. Brookstone was the initial primary vendor and it was [ Read More ]
Your first foray into quadcopters may be with a mini or micro – most of which use a single cell LiPo battery and come standard with a USB or plug-in charger. However, once you step up in size to larger and heavier drones, you will find that most of them use batteries which are MUCH larger in size, weight and [ Read More ]
Your first foray into quadcopters may be with a mini or micro – most of which use a single cell LiPo battery and come standard with a USB or plug-in charger. However, once you step up in size to larger and heavier drones, you will find that most of them use batteries which are MUCH larger in size, weight and [ Read More ]
Dualsky is a well regarded manufacturer in the R/C model industry, and highly regarded for their motors – one of the key ingredients in any quadcopter. Hobbyists have long been using their motors and other parts to build their own machines, but until now Dualsky did not produce a complete quadcopter. This has changed with the introduction of their Hornet [ Read More ]
In many ways, the Parrot AR Drone, released in 2010, foresaw the current boom in consumer quadcopters. Although there had been an active geek culture building and programming quads prior to that date (2005 on), the AR Drone fired up the fancy of many and was well covered in the press. Brookstone was the initial primary vendor and it was [ Read More ]
Your first foray into quadcopters may be with a mini or micro – most of which use a single cell LiPo battery and come standard with a USB or plug-in charger. However, once you step up in size to larger and heavier drones, you will find that most of them use batteries which are MUCH larger in size, weight and [ Read More ]
Dualsky is a well regarded manufacturer in the R/C model industry, and highly regarded for their motors – one of the key ingredients in any quadcopter. Hobbyists have long been using their motors and other parts to build their own machines, but until now Dualsky did not produce a complete quadcopter. This has changed with the introduction of their Hornet [ Read More ]
Although we have an existing section for beginners, I thought it would be nice to have an even easier and shorter guide to getting started in this hobby and pursuit. The below advice applies to those with NO flying R/C experience in the past. Your first Quad Since this is a short guide, I suggest all new flyers pick up [ Read More ]
I’ve delved far enough into this endeavor to notice something which I have seen in MANY industries. That is, a lack of truly critical, negative and accurate reviews of many of the products! Understanding the Issue I could tell endless stories about this same tendency in other fields – for instance, I was in the heating equipment business for other [ Read More ]
How to Troubleshoot your AR Drone after a crash (1.0 and 2.0)……. Sooner or later (probably sooner) you are going to have a nice little wreck with your AR Drone. Maybe you hit a wall too hard, hit the ceiling, smacked a tree, or sucked in a twig. Wrecks, crashes, and other emergency stops are par for the course with [ Read More ]
WL Toys are well known for their line of Quadcopters, namely the v929, v939, v949 and v202. Each of these quads have different styles and flight characteristics, allowing the prospective buyer to choose based on their intended use and flying style. The V959 model follows along with this theme and is designed and tuned to carry a on-board camera or [ Read More ]
As the multirotor site “for the rest of us”, we determined that many of the online review and ratings for quadcopters are not suited to the average new consumer. Instead of using technical comparisons and subjective “feelings”, we determined that we would report the basics in a simple fashion which would help guide the buyer. For example, we will not [ Read More ]
Having been in marketing and sales for 30+ years, I get very frustrated watching the poor ways that Chinese quadcopter manufacturers present their products to the English speaking (and perhaps other languages) world. In the hopes of helping this industry to grow and prosper, I’m going to offer some free advice to the makers and marketers of these great products! [ Read More ]
Note: The below was written based on the 1.0 model, but most of it also pertains to the 2.0 If you’ve been around the (flying) hobby for any length of time you can appreciate how delicate some of these systems can be. Anything that spins, moves or flies won’t last long, barring any accidents, without a little TLC. The AR [ Read More ]
What fun is it to leave a fantastic device like the AR Drone bone stock? We all want more power, more altitude, longer flight times, and better looks. While there are quite a few mods for sale, I am going to stick to ones that myself or people I know personally can attest to. If you have suggestions, please post [ Read More ]
Those of us with interest in photography often end up with a collection of cameras – too many to take along for travel or for all the various activities we may engage in. Optrix sells a number of cases which may help sports and hobby enthusiasts to cut down on that number! In many ways, an Optrix case turns your [ Read More ]
If you fly quadcopters, it’s only a matter of time – usually a very short duration – until you get it stuck up in a tree. Given murphy’s law and your luck, it will naturally be quite high up. My first tree landing was about 40 feet up, which is quite a bit taller than my house! Here are some [ Read More ]
It happens every time! Technology brings changes and advances, most of which benefit us all. Yet a certain percentage of the population are always playing the Luddites or the “World is Ending” tune, just as they did in the past. As examples: 1. It was thought that the human body would suffer great damages if it ever went much over [ Read More ]
Ok, so you’ve decided to get an AR Drone! Congratulations and good flying… BUT, before you take off with that machine, here is some advice which may help your drone last much longer. It’s a simple modification called the zip tie mod. You’ll find many examples of it by searching the web for “AR Drone zip tie mod”, but let [ Read More ]
Most modern electric Quadcopters use Lipo batteries, so it is important for the beginner to understand a few basics about these powerful cells. There are a lot of very technical articles and discussions around the web on this subject and it can be confusing, so let’s just go through the basics. Safety First Keeping it simple, here are the first [ Read More ]
Amazing! Now you can sit indoors by the fireplace and get some idea of what it is like to fly a Parrot AR Drone! The new app is available both for Android and IOS and costs less than $2.50. This makes it a inexpensive investment for any newbies thinking of getting into quadcopter flying. Although the app is by no [ Read More ]
Description – Review – Hints and Modifications The Hubsan X4 ($60-$70) made a big splash when it was released a few months back. It’s a miracle of engineering, being one of the smallest quadcopters made and yet having very advanced features. Notice that it lack gears – this is a direct drive machine! It also features a 6-axis stabilization system, [ Read More ]
Note – This article reflects our philosophy of Drone Information “for the rest of us” – assuming that most of us are just getting started in our research and quest for knowledge. You can certainly find more complete reviews, but here at Droneflyers we pride ourselves on providing the Executive Summaries which will head you in the right direction! This [ Read More ]
You may see these three letters all the time these days but you may not know what it really means. What FPV means is “First Person View” which means a video camera is mounted on the vehicle and broadcasts the live video to the pilot on the ground so the pilot is flying the aircraft as if he/she was onboard [ Read More ]
The market is VERY dynamic and we expect many more names to be added to this list, but for starters here is a list of some of the current manufacturers of consumer-grade ($40 -$1500) Multirotors. If you have any to add, please let us know by email. Note – the reason this does not contain links to the makers is [ Read More ]
The AR Drone is a four-rotor aircraft which combines many of the new and advanced technologies in R/C Flight. Parrot, the company behind the AR Drone is marketing the AR Drone as a “flying video game” since it combines actual flying of the aircraft, real time video streaming to the controller, and the ability to add real-time gaming with hunter-seeker [ Read More ]
I am not sure exactly why it is so cool but I really enjoy watching the video footage of a good flight once I am back at home from an outing to the park. Our options for what camera to fly are growing all the time and one of the latest entries is the Midland XTC300VP4 (what is with these [ Read More ]
This is a smart drone which uses various sensors to find it’s way around. While most quadcopters allow you to fly them into walls and windows, this platform features sensors for avoiding obstacles Last year we reviewed a fine quadcopter from Walkera, the medium sized MX400 In the time since, Walkera has come out with a number of additional multicopters, [ Read More ]
If you are interested in flying or learning about quadcopters AND if you have a small outside area to fly around in (or a large open basement or garage), the Syma X1 may be the best way to get started Instead of breaking expensive machines and parts, your total investment is less than $40. If you crash it or don’t [ Read More ]
A recent NOVA special entitled Rise of the Drones was quite informative on the emerging technology, although much more focused on the Military and surveillance angle. The program can be watched online or on your favorite PBS station. However, there is another revolution in these aircraft occurring right now! They go by many names – Quadcopters, Multirotors, UAV’s and even [ Read More ]
If you are interested in flying or learning about quadcopters ...
The sad truth is that some people have experienced their ...
Flying an AR Drone indoors is more challenging than flying ...
Probably one of the easiest things to do and yet ...
Parrot has already announced the AR Drone 2.0 but has ...
