A friend has messaged me asking 'what drone should I buy my 10 year old daughter who is obsessed with drones.
I asked the standard questions, budget being the main decider in what can be recommend, and what do they actually want it for.
After getting responses of £200, zero desire for photography, and no idea about FPV (although I suspect this would be the most appealing)
I was kind of perplexed. I think they just like the idea of flying one. At this point I said I didn’t really know what to recommend and would ask some fellow pilots.
Suggesting they try flying mine probably isn’t a great idea as the M3P is way out their budget so would be setting unachievable expectations.
So erm, hive mind. Any ideas??
Take into account I’m not going to know the answer to any more questions you ask without going back and forth. So ideally if replies could stick to a recommendation of what drone and why you’d recommend it, if possible.
I’m conscious of letting them try anything over budget as it just may be unaffordable for the family and then the daughter unappreciative of whatever cheaper alternative is purchased. You know what kids can be like and at 10 won’t fully understand the ‘cost of living crisis’
Thanks though. Appreciated offer. If they do decide to want to try something more expensive I’ll reply again.
Another Tello vote from me too.
Much better quality than similar “toy” style products in my opinion, pretty sturdy & reliable with good flight characteristics. Also able to provide reasonable video/pictures - never going to match a Mini 3 Pro, obviously, but a good starting point.
You could also add the “Tello FPV” app & maybe a Gamesir T1s remote if she wants to progress further.
Keep the prop guards on & practice indoors too!
My MA2 & Mini 2 are used all the time, but the Tello is still lots of fun & comes out to play regularly!
Plenty usually available second hand on eBay & Marketplace.
Just my opinion, but good luck anyway .
The Tello is what got me hooked - such a fab bit of kit - great indoors as long as you stay away from the roof and walls as they turbulence and make it very unpredictable
Phone is a great starting point but do recommend the Gamesir T1 remote as that is a game changer and makes it feel more like a “proper drone” - this in my eyes is a proper drone
It wont be long till they want a big boys drone for sure haha
loved mine and passed it on to a friend who then did much the same thing as I did used it for about 9 months then got a mini.
Another vote for a Tello especially if you can get a 2nd user or refurb. I started with a cheapy Syma and it was hard work to control. DonT recommend at all. Tello has enough logic to make flying easy.
I live relatively close to you. I literally have a room full of drones & parts. Yesterday I flew a particular drone and said to myself “if I could only keep one, this would be it”.
It’s the Skyviper 2450GPS and it’s dead easy to fly well and very, very reliable for about three months, then someone will probably need to change the motors, but by then she’ll possibly want a different machine. If I could get my ruddy taranis to control my spare one, (as I believe is supposed to be possible) she could have my daily flyer…
In addition it is utterly a TOY within the CAA definitions which makes life MUCH simpler.
Although it is clearly a toy, and very lightweight and harmless as a toy should be:
It can do FPV with a Samsung S6 or similar mobile and the goggles, but I’ve never got around to trying it.
It does do FPV and waypoints and that stuff on the phone when it’s gripped to the controller.
It even takes an SD card and records in as decent a quality as you get with NO GIMBAL
But mostly “I just want to fly a drone”, and the Skyviper is great for that, and hands off hovering is reliable enough that she can take a rest when her brain gets tired.
I am biased against DJI stuff normally, as it is often unfixable, and in some cases by design I am also heavily biased towards drones which run open source software, like Skyviper does. (Strictly speaking a very well customised version of PD software)
I’ve got many drones I would like to fly, including a huge octocopter, but they all have legal or social or technical complications of one sort or another, and for me it’s just easier to get the little skyviper out for a spin. It always works. It’s always “legal”.
FPV is where the real fun is at, but getting something substantial would basically be throwing money down the toilet as they will crash.
I’d recommend something nice and simple to start with, something like a tiny whoop, that can be flown indoors and out, bare in mind that there is an age limit of 14 on drones.
For the complete package I’d recommend something like the BetaFPV Cetus Pro
Which is a 65mm brushless tiny whoop, includes a controller (similar to a game pad) and some FPV goggles, as they are incredibly light, they are also very durable and can crash at full speed into things and people and be completely harmless.
The only thing I would recommend is that an adult supervises and ensures the batteries are well looked after. litium polymer when misstreated can be bad and if they are drained too much can easily be killed.
Here’s the kit ~£190
There is a cheaper ~£130 bundle with a brushed motor whoop, these are generally slower and less durable, as the motors wear out relatively quickly.
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