subject: Parrot Ar Drone Initial Hands-on Overview! [print this page] The package: The box contains the AR Drone, inside and outside bodies, a 1000 MaH LiPo battery along with wall charger, plugs for a number of country electric outlets, plus a target.
About the Inside flight: Here the Parrot AR Drone stands out. Push just one button, and the propellers spin up, then adjust into high-speed for that smooth and stable pull off. It then hovers at three feet, expecting further directions. In newbie mode (right button), it is easy to rotate and go up and down. In the pilot mode (left button), you'll be able to fly ahead and backward and right and left. Mix the 2, and you basically have complete control.
The optical flow location hold is ideal on a distinctive surface, as a patterned floor or tiled floor. On a absolutely featureless ground (cement or clean, unpatterned floor covering) it could tend to drift a lttle bit. Total flight time is under 10 mins in my experience.
While you fly over furniture, the ultrasonic height hold might get confused. It often rises while you fly over a couch and often it decreases. Sometimes it gets so baffled the AR Drone goes to the ceiling. However in general, it does a quite decent job.
Open-air flight: That isn't the AR Drone most effective suit. For starters, it certainly can't fly over fifteen feet (because of the range of its ultrasonic sensor I guess). Additionally, the position hold really only is effective when there is no wind flow. Should the wind picks up, the AR Drone starts to tilt and shakes, plus the optical flow camera will lose the lock. Occasionally meaning it simply drifts, maybe it's going to scoot off in a random direction after having a blowing wind gust.
However when there is no wind, it is possible to fly as far as the wifi connection will allow you to. We've successfully tested around one hundred feet.
