Category Archives: reviews

Best Quadcopters for Indoor Flying

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Learning to fly a quadcopter indoors is a better alternative to learning outdoors for a few reasons. First; not having outdoor breezes or heavy winds to fight while learning to control your quad will keep you, as a new pilot, from getting overly frustrated. Second; not having trees around that love to snag your new quad and buildings to crash into makes piloting less stressful. Third; outdoor observers love to approach you with your new quad and ask questions. You really don’t need onlookers while you’re learning to fly and you certainly don’t want to injure someone standing too close.

I’ve reviewed at length two indoor quads that are guaranteed to offer the new pilot all they need for learning to fly a quadcopter. Learn to fly one of these indoor models and you can fly any outdoor quad later on. Continue Reading

Quadcopters for Beginners Under $100

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With so many quadcopters selling for under $100 these days it’s difficult for a beginner to make a good choice. Some models have low resolution video cameras while others omit a camera which lowers the overall weight and improves flying performance. Picking a quad that is easier to fly and doesn’t frustrate the pilot makes a lot of sense.

I hope the following information will help you select the right quadcopter for getting started with this exciting new remote control hobby. Choose an inexpensive quad to learn on first, before moving up to the better quality and much pricier models. Every week new quads are appearing and I’ve recently selected a few to test fly for review and report my findings. Two of these are indoor flyers and the other three are meant to be flown outdoors. I’ve listed them in order of preference and explain why some impressed me, while others were second best . Continue Reading

Review: Dromida Ominus RTF Quadcopter

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Dromida Ominus RTF Quadcopter.
Dromida Ominus RTF Quadcopter.

Searching online for a inexpensive quadcopter that flies well can be quite challenging. With all the choices in the growing sub-$100 market, picking one for review that looks to be worthy is tricky business. The Dromida Ominus RTF (Ready-To-Fly) $80 quad recently caught my eye and I decided to purchase one for review. It’s advertised as a “nearly impossible to break” indoor/outdoor flyer which sounded too good to be true. More on that later.

The 9.4 inch (3.6 oz) Dromida Ominus is a little too large to fly safely indoors. No propeller guard option is available for this model, so there is an indoor injury risk with its unprotected rotor blades, not to mention home furnishings.

Although this quad has a unique rotor safety mechanism which stops the blade on impact and prevents it from continuing to rotate, the risk of indoor injury or property damage is still a factor. The mechanism seems to be a type of clutch that prevents further rotation of the individual blade, therefore minimizing the risk of personal injury and any further propeller damage. It’s an ingenious and welcomed feature that I’ve not seen on other quads.

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Review: Blade Nano QX RTF (Ready-To-Fly) RC Quadcopter

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Blade Nano QX
Blade Nano QX

Lately, I’ve been wanting to review another really high quality indoor quadcopter that can be flown around the Christmas tree and drive my two dogs into barking fits. I happen to own a Ink Blade MCX2 helicopter that is awesome indoors and after reading several positive reviews on the Blade Nano QX quadcopter decided to check one out.

After several flights around the house, I agree with those who give this quad an enthusiastic thumbs up. Although the price of the Horizon Hobby Inc. product is around $100, which puts it at a higher price than the also excellent Hubsan X4 (H107C) at $50, I found the Blade Nano QX to be a bit more precise in the way it responds to the transmitter controls. It’s also available as a BNF (Bind-And-Fly) which allows the pilot to bind it to a compatible Spektrum or DSM2/DSMX technology equipped aircraft transmitter. The model I’m reviewing here is the RTF (Ready-To-Fly) version, which comes from the factory already bound to the included transmitter. Continue Reading

Review: Syma X5C Explorers 2.4 GHz 6 Axis Gyro RC Quadcopter

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Syma X5C Explorers Quadcopter.
Syma X5C Explorers Quadcopter.

The Syma X5C Explorers Quadcopter is currently one of Amazon’s Top 10 Best Sellers and in this review I’ll discuss what impressed me about this fun to fly quad, but also what caused some disappointment. For around $60 this model is well worth the price considering all its features and great flying capabilities. It’s strictly an outdoor model due to it’s size of around 9 inches (prop to prop).

The challenge of flying a small, lightweight quad outdoors is the presence of wind. While most models can handle 5-10 mph breezes without too much trouble, any higher windspeed can cause you to lose control very quickly. I personally enjoy the “windsurfing” challenge that light breezes bring to the hobby. Flying the Syma X5C in light wind is a lot of fun and I found it to be quite capable of remaining stable in flight.

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Review: UDI U818A 2.4 GHz 6 Axis Gyro RTF Quadcopter

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The UDI U818A quadcopter.
The UDI U818A quadcopter.

One of the current top five Amazon Best Seller quadcopters is the UDI U818A, and after test flying the ready-to-fly (RTF) unit outdoors I understand its popularity. For a sub-$100 6 axis quadcopter with several remote-based features this unit delivers lots of outdoor flying fun. I last reviewed the Hubsan X4 H107C which is a winner for indoor flying, and a challenging but fun model outdoors. The UDI U818A is strictly an outdoor model mainly due to its size (approx. 13″ x 13″) and you’ll want room to try 360 degree rolls using the remote function button.

As with most quadcopters, outdoor flying is best done in windless or low-wind conditions. Anything over 5-10 mph winds will make controlling any model quite difficult. However, part of the fun you’ll have with this quad is learning to “windsurf” on those low-wind days at the field. Flying into headwinds and making turns while the wind pushes your quad quickly to the rear of your position followed by your response to head upwind again is a real blast!

Later in my review I discuss the fixed-position camera that is capable of both still shots and video. At this price point of sub-$100 I don’t expect much out of any quad camera, but the filming results were decent and made the flying time even more enjoyable. Continue Reading

Review: Hubsan X4 H107C 2.4 GHz 6 Axis Gyro RTF Quadcopter

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imagesResearching cheap jerseys quadcopters cheap jerseys online cheap jerseys becomes The overwhelming Angelscope with Tips such a variety of models to choose from. After scanning the RC hobby forums for a quadcopter that could deliver both indoor and outdoor flying fun, I purchased the Hubsan X4 H107C RTF (Ready-To-Fly) on Amazon feeling confident that it would be a competent indoor flyer and perhaps a decent outdoor model. After flying the Hubsan indoors for a few days now, I am quite happy with its performance in the “normal” flying mode.

Outdoor flying is best done in windless conditions due to the size of the X4. Later in this review watch the video of the X4 being flown in “expert” mode with challenging headwinds of 5-10 mph. This is an upgraded version of the Hubsan X4, with stronger motors and a better video camera. The 1 megapixel video-only camera that records on a MicroSD card was not high on my list of requirements, as I wasn’t expecting stunning video results from a model at this sub-$100 price point. But after trying out the video camera, I was surprised by its decent recording quality. However, calling it an HD camera is a bit of a stretch. Continue Reading