I'm thinking about getting one as a joint gift for my brother in law and niece. Definitely want a camera and probably would like it controlled by an iPad. Looking to spend $125 tops. Please educate me on what I should look for.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Does anyone own a drone?
- Thread starter 48thStreetCustom
- Start date
Oh man on man. My little brother was watching drone racing (don't know what it'd be called?)....it was amazing seeing them dodge obstacles, it felt like I was watching a live Star Wars movie.
I just ordered several "toy" drones as x-mas gifts. For myself.
I'll find out how they work when they arrive and I have a chance to play with them.
I'll find out how they work when they arrive and I have a chance to play with them.
I own a bagpipe drone. The chanter too. Just not the bag (the neighbors are very thankful about that). 
slobake
resident ... something
I am at work right now. Sometimes I feel like a drone.
Can't help with your REAL question. I am sure someone/s here will be able to answer your question.
Can't help with your REAL question. I am sure someone/s here will be able to answer your question.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
I've flown RC planes (tons more fun I would think), and I used to have an RC blimp, but never a drone.
View attachment 1007732 What should you look for? Look out for neighbors with one of these....
Hey can I borrow that for my neighbor's yappy poodle who barks at me in my own yard ?
I'm going to get me a drone. Thanks for this thread to remind me to do it.
-Mike
-Mike
My brother has one. Don't know the brand, but it was about $500. Don't know what you can get for under $200. His has a range of 2 miles, and sometimes that doesn't seem like enough. You also need automatic return home, when the battery gets low. Get one that can record video to your iPhone. Most cameras don't get close enough. You have to literally be on top of what you want to photo to get a decent pic. Maybe I'm not a good person to talk to. I got bored watching after about 15 min.
I'll get a cheap one to start out, $50-75. If I'm sure I like it and want to continue learning, I will get a nice one with GPS and all that.
-Mike
-Mike
Have not been keeping current on drones but I know they have become the number one r/c flight toy in the world.
There is plenty info out there and a quick search should turn up plenty of info, including features and pricing.
That said, here is something else you might want to look in to before you decide on what you want to purchase. The FAA now requires any UAV over .55 lb to be registered and carry certain info onboard.
https://drone-registration.net/?gclid=CKm90uD_79ACFY86gQod3V8Ngg
There is plenty info out there and a quick search should turn up plenty of info, including features and pricing.
That said, here is something else you might want to look in to before you decide on what you want to purchase. The FAA now requires any UAV over .55 lb to be registered and carry certain info onboard.
https://drone-registration.net/?gclid=CKm90uD_79ACFY86gQod3V8Ngg
Yes, but one of the very early models flight time 7 minutes 8 tops, which may not seem like a lot but it is enough to get in a enough time to get it back to you before it dies. Not expensive a step above a Air hog drone 
I like the Air hog you can control with your smart phone be careful with weight if you get a toy fine but if you get anything heavy 50 lbs you have to follow pretty strict guide lines and regulation the small ones can hurt you but the larger ones can do some serious bodily damage.
I like the Air hog you can control with your smart phone be careful with weight if you get a toy fine but if you get anything heavy 50 lbs you have to follow pretty strict guide lines and regulation the small ones can hurt you but the larger ones can do some serious bodily damage.
Last edited:
the more expensive ones are heavier, and that makes them less skittish when flying them. my smallest quads are super squirrely, although if you fly in a large indoor space, they're pretty fun. my husband's bigger is easier to fly and it has a sort of crappy HD camera. i think it's a syma X5SC-1. watch flyin' ryan quad reviews on youtube - i think his reviews are very good. keep in mind that having faster pitch and yaw doesn't make things easier for beginners.
I find that statistic slightly perplexing: There are r/c flight toys that aren't drones? Or does the term "drone" only refer to quadcopters or other modern vertical takeoff airships to differentiate them from r/c helicopters and/or airplanes?
Sorry, nonconventional multi rotor unmanned aircraft. In the hobby business you have flying models, those aircraft built to resemble 1:1 scale aircraft, and then you have drones. Any model depending on wings, even fantasy craft like snoopy's dog house or a witch on a broom are all lumped into the airplane category while anything with a main rotor(s) and/or tail rotor on a boom are known as helicopters. Craft with three or more fixed props of equal size controlled by a computer altering individual prop speed to execute flight maneuvers is generally referred to as a drone.
Where it can get confusing is when the FFA steps in and lumps all unmanned aerial vehicles into a single classification for purposes of registration. Any unmanned aircraft weighing more than .55 pounds is now a UAV for registration purposes.
Where it gets confusing for hobbyists is the requirement to register with the FFA was in direct response to the massive flood of drones. The ease with which they can be flown in confined spaces has resulted in a huge volume of sales and very real dangers to people, property, and manned aircraft that the FAA felt needed to be regulated before an airliner was unintentionally brought down by some kid playing with their new birthday present.
Prior to the these new regulations hobby flyers only had two restrictions they needed to be aware of.
Park fliers are any electric powered aircraft under Three pounds with a wingspan of less than 36 inches. These aircraft can be operated in any public space (or private property) where their use is not specifically prohibited.
All wet fuel and large electric aircraft must be flown from an AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics) designated flying field.
I would imagine the same restrictions would still apply across the board, but the .55 weight limit for any unmanned aircraft is directly in response to the sky being filled with VTOL capable unmanned computer controlled aircraft.
Imagine something like this sized for a two pound payload of Semtex on a pre programmed flight path to hop a fence and crash through a window in a nuclear power plant control room.
Last edited:
