Drones come in all sizes and prices. Some are toys just for fun. Some are for fun but can be used for serious things also. There are two types of drone usage: hobby and commercial. Drones under 250 gm need not be registered. Drones from 0.55 lbs to 55 lbs fly under Part 107 rules.  Drones 55 lbs and above fly under normal regular aircraft rules. As a hobby drone, it can be flown up to 400 ft and it has to stay within the visual control of the pilot and spotter. The list of more restrictions about where you can fly seems to be growing, but there are still many good places to fly.

My first “real” drone was a Autel Robotics X-Star Premium that I purchased off a good friend, who just happen to have two at the same time for some reason. I flew it. I learned what to do and what not to do. It was fun, got people’s attention due to its bright color. It was bulky, you had to be VERY careful with gimbal attached to the camera, and it had a large case to care it in.  She was a lot better than a lot of the earlier or previous models and way above what any of the “toy” drones could do. You can see the promo for her at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwoyGb-NWDs

But compared to today’s drones it was a World War II fighter against todays stealth bomber if you compared features, ease of handling, and the compact way it folds up for easy packing. Jump ahead five or so generations and you come up with today’s drone that is more highly technical, has more hi-tech features, has more speed, better battery life, has avoidance features that are a game saver, and one hell of a camera, for photos and video.

For a look go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwoyGb-NWDs