Jack loves to fly all drones, from FPV racers to the Mavic 2 Pro he flies them all. When he isn’t flying he is teaching, coaching or hanging out with his wife and three children.
Yesterday
Amazon takes 40% off Force1 drones from $42 shipped
Force1 makes excellent beginner drones. Right now through December 31, you can save 40% off selected drones using the code 40FROMSANTA at Amazon. There are four drones including the U49WF, a medium-sized camera drone. It is on sale for $90 but is regularly $150. The U45WF is an ultra-durable camera drone that is on sale for $60 but is normally $100. The U34 is a micro FPV drone that usually costs $100 but is on sale for $60. The F111WF is a portable drone that folds up for portability. Typically it is $70 but is on sale for $42. I have personally flown all four of these drones and they are good for beginners. These drones make excellent gifts and Force1 provides excellent customer service should you have any questions flying these drones. These are currently the best prices for these drones and look to be near all-time lows.
December 14
UVify is one of the top manufacturers and developers when it comes to FPV racing drones. They recently have announced that they are partnering with DR1 Racing to offer a new class of drone racing for the series that will feature UVify’s Draco-4X4 quads. expand full story
December 11
The Xiaomi Fimi X8 SE ($499) is an excellent looking foldable drone and it should compete directly with the DJI Mavic Air, Parrot Anafi , and Hubsan Zino. The new Fimi X8 SE features a 4K camera on a full three-axis gimbal. With a variety of intelligent GPS flight modes, the newest Fimi drone from Xiaomi looks to be some serious competition for DJI. expand full story
Do you want a free drone? Of course, you do! At DroneDJ we get many products offered for review. Karie from Anchorage is enjoying our last giveaway, the Yuneec Breeze. Our newest giveaway will be the Parrot Mambo FPV. There are multiple ways to win. Subscribe to the DroneDJ YouTube channel, follow us on Twitter and subscribing to our DroneRise newsletter are just a few. Stay in touch and we will keep you updated with all the new and breaking drone news. Good luck with winning our drone giveaway and thanks for your support!
Update: Congratulations to Sean C from Alabama for winning the Parrot Mambo FPV!
December 10
Part 107 Certification Free Webinar tomorrow
The UAV coach’s Drone Pilot Ground School is hosting a free webinar tomorrow, December 11th at 7PM EST on how to pass the FAA’s Part 107 Exam. Passing this test will make you an FAA certified drone pilot. If you plan to be able to make money flying your drone, then passing this exam is a requirement. They will discuss what it takes to pass the test, where to find resources as well as discuss ways to make money in the drone industry.
DJI Mavic 2 Zoom is $979 shipped via GearBest for a limited time
Right now GearBest is selling the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom for $979 shipped when promo code GB1212M2Z is applied during checkout. This is one of the best prices we’ve seen on the Mavic 2 Zoom. It retails for $1,250 on DJI and today’s deal is $170 less than our previous mention. This special pricing is for this week only and is limited to the first 135 sales. Note: this is version ships with the Chinese wall plug, but can be used with any USB charger.
December 5
With the holidays around the corner, people want to know what is the best drone to give as a gift? I get asked that question all the time, but answering that question is not very easy. My favorite drone is the Mavic 2 Zoom, but I wouldn’t recommend that drone to everyone. Your purpose and your budget are two hugely important factors when looking for a drone. If your goal is to have fun, then I would recommend one of the inexpensive drones on my list. If aerial photography is your focus, then the best beginner drone has been the DJI Spark, but now there is some competition under $400. I’ll take a look at the entry-level competition as well as some of the higher performing birds, like the Mavic 2 Pro.
December 2
Right now the best selling drone on Amazon costs $50 and fits in the palm of your hand. It flies autonomously and doesn’t use a remote. It is a tiny drone called the Force1 Scoot. After seeing it first hand I thought for sure it wouldn’t be any good. I was wrong. expand full story
November 29
Buy one Force1 drone and get a free Scoot drone ($39 value) this week only!
Force1 RC has some pretty solid drones. It is a reputable US-based company that is known for good products and excellent customer service. They have a variety of good beginner drones from the very simple Scoot to the larger F100GP.
November 25
Over the last two years, selfie drones have grown in popularity. Is there a better way to up your selfie game than to use a drone? Their small size and ease of use make them ideal drones to take with you. We will take a look at a couple of different options, the AirSelfie 2 ($160) and the JJRC H59 Ferry ($72). Can these little drones boost your Instagram feed or Snapchat story? Let’s find out. expand full story
November 24
DJI has now released seven different Mavic models. Understanding the difference among them is important in choosing which one is best for you. We will take a closer look at their specifications as well as the pros and cons of each model. We created the ultimate mavic comparison guide to help you decide which model best suits your needs. expand full story
November 23
The San Fransisco based company Aerones is developing a drone to clean the windows of high rise buildings. They claim their drone can clean windows 20 times faster than humans all while being much safer. They believe the technology they have developed can also be used to help fight fires, as well as clean, de-ice and paint wind turbines. expand full story
November 20
The Simtoo Fairy XT175 drone is the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign. The Fairy has some impressive specs for a small, foldable drone. It has an 8MP camera, dual GPS and a handful of intelligent flight modes. All of these features are packed into a drone that can fit in your pocket. Right now the Fairy drone can be yours for $109. Does it sound too good to be true?
November 16
There is no doubt that the Phantom 5 is coming and it is most certainly just around the corner. It is going to be the best consumer photography drone that DJI has created to date. The interchangeable lenses and other upgrades will make it a staple for professional photographers. But will it be released at the DJI event, November 28th? expand full story
November 15
The new Ryze Tello EDU ($129) is an upgraded version of the original Tello ($99). It takes everything that made the Tello a great beginner drone and added more programming features. The Tello itself is a great beginner drone, and one of my personal favorites. It is incredibly stable, takes excellent pictures, has intelligent flight modes, and it can be programmed using different coding languages. As an educator, I have used a fleet of Tellos at my school to teach students how to code. The Tello EDU has all the same great features of the original but it takes that programming to the next level. expand full story
November 12
The FatShark 101 FPV Drone Training System ($246) is an excellent way for anyone looking to get into flying drones, and more specifically flying FPV or first-person view. FPV flying is the fast-paced, growing sport of drone racing. This FatShark 101 training system will give you the drone, goggles, controller, and accessories you’ll need to get started and you won’t have to deal with the setup and binding process. It is a headache and a hassle that is all too familiar with so many FPV drones. FatShark makes it easy.
November 10
Do you want a free drone? Of course, you do! At DroneDJ we get many products offered for review. Once we have tried and tested them, we like to give them away to our readers. This month we start with the Yuneec Breeze 4K Giveaway! Entering is free and easy. There are multiple ways to win. Subscribe to the DroneDJ YouTube channel, follow us on Twitter and subscribing to our DroneRise newsletter are just a few. Stay in touch and we will keep you updated with all the new and breaking drone news. Good luck with winning our drone giveaway and thanks for your support!
Update 11/10/2018: Congrats to Karie C. from Anchorage, AK for winning the giveaway! We will contact you by email so we can ship this drone to you. Happy flying!
November 9
The FT Aviator is an all-new style of remote control that is designed to be compatible with DJI drones. It is the result of a Kickstarter campaign led by former NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski and designed by Fluidity, Inc. Scott felt the two-thumb method of controlling drones was difficult to master, so he developed this new way to fly. Parazynsky and the team at Fluidity believe that the FT Aviator gives pilots more control and allows them to master flying faster. We have yet to test one, so the verdict is still out. If the first drone joystick performs as advertised then we suspect it will be a hit. expand full story
November 7
The DJI Spark has been the best drone under $500 for quite some time now. At its new reduced price of $399, the Spark is officially the beginner drone for most people. There really haven’t been many other options for people who want a good aerial photography drone on a budget. That’s changing now, with some smaller players moving into the affordable consumer drone space. Let’s take a closer look at the best drones under $500. expand full story
November 5
First announce during AirWorks 2018, DJI has released a new flight simulator to help train the growing number of both consumer and commercial pilots. The new DJI Flight Simulator allows pilots to test a variety of different drones in various weather conditions for a number of different applications. The goal of the new DJI Flight Simulator is to safely train pilots using the equipment they will operate prior to flying their drone.
