A few years ago I visited a toy store.
It wasn’t just any toy store. It was a really huge awesome one.
There was a guy doing demonstrations of this awesome $30 mini quadcopter. It appeared to be totally stable, had the ability to perform tricks and the man controlling it did so with ease.
He convinced me. I bought one.
I put in the battery, turned it on, achieved lift off and WAM – right into the ceiling.
I kept trying it. It went everywhere but where I wanted it to go. I don’t know if it was because I damaged it out of the gate or if for thirty bucks, that’s all the stability you get.
While I can survive losing three ten-spots, my eye has been wondering lately to some of the cool drones on the market. Some of the better ones range in price from $500 to over $1,000.
I can’t really afford that either but once in a blue moon, we all need to indulge ourselves with a little splurge, something completely frivolous and impractical, just to bring a smile to our face. We spend so much time on the business of life that we often forget what we’re living for.
Needless to say, I can’t drop $500 on something that’s going to crash (or I guess, more accurately, something I’m going to crash) right out of the box.
Video games have spoiled us. I want a drone that’s going to go exactly where I tell it to go.
Unfortunately, it’s a bit more complicated. While I’m not an aviation scientist and therefore don’t know all the correct terms, the basic issue is that you’re dealing with a) keeping the craft stable on a horizontal access b) keeping it from turning to the left or right until you want it to and c) keeping it level without letting it fly straight up into the sky or come crashing into the ground.
It’s amazing these are on the market though it may be one of those things that we need to wait and allow the bugs to be worked out of.
Or maybe I just bought a cheap piece of crap and I’ll be instantly wowed if I were to invest in a more expensive product.
In looking at various online reviews, I get the impression that the “Phantom” series of drones are a) expensive but b) great. Maybe you get what you pay for.
If (and it’s a big “if”) I ever convince myself to splurge on such an extravagance, probably the best I can do is a Parrot Bebob drone for $500.
Here’s a YouTube Review of the Parrot Drone by MW Technology. It seemed pretty honest and thorough:
The point? I’m wondering if there’s anyone out there who’s already taken the plunge, bought one and can either say a) these things are so fun and worth every penny! or b) what a pile of crap, it crashed five minutes after getting out of the box!
Or you might have an experience in between.
Have a drone story? Share it in the comments and educate BQB.
Bookshelf Battle 