Let me tell you right now. Pretty much any children (and big kids) you know are going to want one of these. I mean, I want you to read on and learn all about the tech and stuff but frankly if you want to avoid the inevitable Christmas shortage or to guarantee "Oohs!" on any birthday from age 5-85 plus, just buy it now.
You see, drones are BIG right now and this beauty with a built in camera and viewing goggles (smartphone required) is cramming high price gadgetry into an affordable package. Even my cynical 21 year old who has what he would class a "proper" drone has had tons of fun with the Air Hogs DR1 FPV Race Drone and produced some pretty cool footage for this little YouTube video.
From the day the drone was delivered to our house there has been a constant queue of children fighting over whose turn it is. We have found letting one wear the goggles while the other flies the drone placates them briefly but there is something rather fabulous about controlling the drone while getting a live streamed bird's eye view of your surroundings, inside or out.
Many a time I have been happily buttering toast in my pyjamas and heard a buzzing and felt a breeze only to realise giggling pilots have flown the drone into the kitchen to "watch" me and give me a fright.
With two settings allowing even young or inexperienced drone racers to be able to control the gadget easily while offering skilled pilots more of a challenging experience at the flick of a switch, this is the perfect drone for families with a wider age range. That is, if they are prepared to share!
Having had this in the house for weeks now the enjoyment of flying is still not dwindling so we are seriously considering adding to our drone collection so more people can fly at once. Having more than one would allow drone racing like the DR1 pros with the thrill of being able to record your flights and watch them back, maybe mirrored onto a big screen, or to be able to share video recordings of aerial stunts on YouTube.
Like most smaller drones the battery life is relatively short - about ten minutes - but it recharges quickly allowing the next keen kid to have their turn.
The box contains the drone, controller and goggles which you insert a smart phone into after downloading an app which allows you to view and record from the drone's onboard camera. You also get a couple of sets of spare rotor blades but I have to say, even with my less-skilled 8-year-old in control creating some spectacular crashes, so far (touch wood) we have not had to replace any yet.
So what does all this drone fabulousness cost?
Well the tech-laden DR1 FPV Race Drone with camera comes in at around £100. If you aren't too sure about spending that on a first drone, you could invest in the Air Hogs DR1 Micro race drone which is even easier to control and an ideal first purchase at around £40. It also has two settings to allow the user to fly easily right out of the box then to be more challenging as their control improves.
My younger children had lots of fun with this one at a drone racing event at London's KidZania hosted by gadget expert Jason Bradbury!
If you want/need any justification for buying a drone, bear in mind that drone racers are picking up big cash prizes internationally (World Champ Luke Banister is just 16 and has already won a ton of big prizes!) and that pro drone flying is an actual career now with jobs in mapping, film-making and even military spheres on offer.
Disclaimer: We received an Air Hogs DR1 FPV Race Drone free for the purpose of this honest review.
You see, drones are BIG right now and this beauty with a built in camera and viewing goggles (smartphone required) is cramming high price gadgetry into an affordable package. Even my cynical 21 year old who has what he would class a "proper" drone has had tons of fun with the Air Hogs DR1 FPV Race Drone and produced some pretty cool footage for this little YouTube video.
From the day the drone was delivered to our house there has been a constant queue of children fighting over whose turn it is. We have found letting one wear the goggles while the other flies the drone placates them briefly but there is something rather fabulous about controlling the drone while getting a live streamed bird's eye view of your surroundings, inside or out.
Many a time I have been happily buttering toast in my pyjamas and heard a buzzing and felt a breeze only to realise giggling pilots have flown the drone into the kitchen to "watch" me and give me a fright.
With two settings allowing even young or inexperienced drone racers to be able to control the gadget easily while offering skilled pilots more of a challenging experience at the flick of a switch, this is the perfect drone for families with a wider age range. That is, if they are prepared to share!
Having had this in the house for weeks now the enjoyment of flying is still not dwindling so we are seriously considering adding to our drone collection so more people can fly at once. Having more than one would allow drone racing like the DR1 pros with the thrill of being able to record your flights and watch them back, maybe mirrored onto a big screen, or to be able to share video recordings of aerial stunts on YouTube.
Like most smaller drones the battery life is relatively short - about ten minutes - but it recharges quickly allowing the next keen kid to have their turn.
The box contains the drone, controller and goggles which you insert a smart phone into after downloading an app which allows you to view and record from the drone's onboard camera. You also get a couple of sets of spare rotor blades but I have to say, even with my less-skilled 8-year-old in control creating some spectacular crashes, so far (touch wood) we have not had to replace any yet.
So what does all this drone fabulousness cost?
Well the tech-laden DR1 FPV Race Drone with camera comes in at around £100. If you aren't too sure about spending that on a first drone, you could invest in the Air Hogs DR1 Micro race drone which is even easier to control and an ideal first purchase at around £40. It also has two settings to allow the user to fly easily right out of the box then to be more challenging as their control improves.
My younger children had lots of fun with this one at a drone racing event at London's KidZania hosted by gadget expert Jason Bradbury!
If you want/need any justification for buying a drone, bear in mind that drone racers are picking up big cash prizes internationally (World Champ Luke Banister is just 16 and has already won a ton of big prizes!) and that pro drone flying is an actual career now with jobs in mapping, film-making and even military spheres on offer.
Disclaimer: We received an Air Hogs DR1 FPV Race Drone free for the purpose of this honest review.