The Drone Bug

My son received a remote control helicopter last Christmas as a gift.  One winter afternoon, he asked if we could fly it. We charged the battery and went outside to try it out.  The next thing I know, I had run the battery dry before even giving my patient son a try.  I apologized when I realized how selfish I had been with his helicopter and we charged the battery back up so he could have a turn.

I never expected to have so much fun with a remote control helicopter.   I stated to research remote control helicopters and ultimately I saw the word "drone" and "quad" popping up more than helicopters.  I did more reading and saw a complicated landscape.  There were drones in all sizes, colors and costs and with all of the choices came just as many questions on the policies surrounding drone use.

We can touch on those another time, but for now my interest was peaked and I decided to try out a relatively inexpensive drone.  My first drone (sadly not the last) was a Syma X12.  This a "nano quad" drone which means it is very small, but maintains the same basic design of the many drones on the market today with 4 rotors.  Since it is so small, the battery is not removable and you hook a usb charger right up to the drone itself to charge it.   The battery life is pretty dismal at 5-7 minutes of flight time.   One of the benefits of the the small size is that it can be flown in the house.  In the house is where I recommend you fly it since any air currents can send it in unexpected directions.

While battery life is bad and controlling this nano quad is tough, if you learn to fly this little guy then flying a larger drone will be much easier when you upgrade.  If your'e into model aircraft, drones are the way of the future and very inexpensive models like the the Syma X12 can give you a taste of what the drone craze is all about.  Just expect to have many crashes in your future.