Camera quadcopters
Stabilised camera, GPS, automatic return to home. For filming and travel.
Models and hardware
Models and hardware
This section explains what types of civilian drones exist and what they are made of. This is useful both when choosing a drone and when tracking down a fault.
Types of drones
The division is approximate: many models combine features of several types.
FPV drones
Flown via a video feed in goggles, highly manoeuvrable, often without stabilisation. They require practice.
Training and small drones
Lightweight models for learning to fly indoors or on a practice field.
Professional platforms
Interchangeable payloads, longer flight time; used in filming, mapping and inspections.
What a quadcopter is made of
- Frame
- The supporting structure; it determines strength and propeller size.
- Motors
- Usually brushless; they spin the propellers.
- Electronic speed controllers (ESC)
- Control motor speed according to commands from the flight controller.
- Flight controller
- A board with sensors that stabilises flight and executes the pilot's commands.
- Battery
- Most often lithium polymer (LiPo) or lithium-ion; it determines flight time.
- Communication system
- The radio link for control and video transmission; range and link stability depend on it.
A brief history of consumer drones
- 2006
DJI is founded — today one of the largest manufacturers of civilian drones.
- 2010
Parrot unveils the Parrot AR.Drone, a quadcopter controlled from a smartphone.
- 2013
The DJI Phantom is released — a mass-market camera quadcopter.
- 2020
On 31 December, common drone flight rules start to apply in the EU.
Source: Public company announcements; European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
Questions about hardware
How does FPV differ from an ordinary camera drone?
FPV drones are flown via a video feed in goggles, with little or no automatic stabilisation; this takes skill but gives manoeuvrability.
Why do models have different flight times?
It depends on battery capacity, weight, aerodynamics and flying style; the time stated by the manufacturer is usually achieved in ideal conditions.
Sources
- Drone manufacturers' documentation
- EASA — common drone rules in the EU
The advice on this site does not replace the manufacturer's manual: models differ considerably. Flight rules depend on the country and region and change over time, so check them with the aviation authorities before every season.