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| -rw-r--r-- | jetjatreview.txt | 12 |
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diff --git a/jetjatreview.txt b/jetjatreview.txt index 297c2d2..70771af 100644 --- a/jetjatreview.txt +++ b/jetjatreview.txt @@ -1,8 +1,8 @@ -At a mere 22 mm square, the new Jetjat Nano quadcopter from Mota is not what most of us think of when we think of a drone. This tiny quadcopter is a drone though, it's just really small. +At a mere 22mm square, the new Jetjat Nano quadcopter from Mota is not what most of us think of when we think of a drone. This tiny quadcopter is a drone though, it's just really small. -The JetJat's appeal doesn't lie with its size -- though it's diminutive size does make it the best cat-annoying device since the laser pointer -- it lies with it's price: $40. For $40 you can get a drone. Sure, it's tiny and lacks even a camera, but it's a whole lot of fun to fly. And if you can fly the JetJat you can fly a big drone as well, which is why I got one. +The JetJat's appeal doesn't lie with its size -- though its diminutive size does make it the best cat-annoying device since the laser pointer -- it lies with its price: $40. For $40 you can get a drone. Sure, it's tiny and lacks even a camera, but it's a whole lot of fun to fly. And if you can fly the JetJat you can fly a big drone as well, which is why I got one. -Learning to fly a drone has a steep learning curve, why try to work your way through it with a $1600+ drone when you can get a feel for how it all works with something like the Nano? +Drone flying has a steep learning curve, why try to work your way through it with a $1600+ drone when you can get a feel for how it all works with something like the Nano? True, flight doesn't translate one-to-one between small and large, but the basics of quadcopter flight are the same regardless of the size. As an added bonus, from my experience anyway, the Nano and its ilk like Proto's Proto-X, are actually harder to fly than the larger offerings from [DJI](http://www.wired.com/2015/06/review-dji-phantom-3-professional-drone/) or [Yuneec](http://www.wired.com/2015/10/review-yuneec-typhoon-q500-4k/). @@ -18,11 +18,11 @@ Mota calls the Nano's controls "pro-grade" and touts the "ultra-high power-to-we Perhaps the most challenging thing about flying is the lack of altitude stabilization. Unlike the big drones, when you ease off the Nano's throttle it doesn't hover; you crash. That's part of why it makes you a better drone pilot -- it forces you to think about everything until you internalize it and it becomes natural. And contrary to popular opinion, I promise it won't take 10,000 hours. A week should be sufficient. -Half the reason it will take you that long is that the Nano only has the battery life to stay airborne for about 8 minutes at best (Mota claims 8, my testing put it at more like 6-7 depending on what you're doing). That sounds bad until you consider that the entire body of the craft is about the size of your thumbnail. Given the size constraints the Nano's flight time actually seem pretty impressive. It also charges quickly via a special (provided) USB cable. +Half the reason it will take you that long is that the Nano only has the battery life to stay airborne for about 8 minutes at best (Mota claims 8, my testing put it at more like 6-7 depending on what you're doing). That sounds bad until you consider that the entire body of the craft is about the size of your thumbnail. Given the size constraints the Nano's flight time actually seems pretty impressive. It also charges quickly via a special (provided) USB cable. -The Nano has a 75 foot range, which is a about as far as I'd be comfortably letting it get, the lights (blue for front, red for back) are basically impossible to see beyond about 50 feet. The body is bright red so it's usually not too hard to spot when it crashes, but I still lost it for a while in some autumn leaves. +The Nano has a 75 foot range, which is a about as far as I'd be comfortable letting it get, the lights (blue for front, red for back) are basically impossible to see beyond about 50 feet. The body is bright red so it's usually not too hard to spot when it crashes, but I still lost it for a while in some autumn leaves. -If you're looking for a way to become a better drone pilot without slamming your $2000 drone into a pine tree (been there) the Nano makes a great way to practice. It's also just plain old fun to fly. +If you're looking for a way to become a better drone pilot without slamming your $1600 drone into a pine tree (been there) the Nano makes a great way to practice. It's also just plain old fun to fly. Wired: The Nano is simple to use and the all-in-one carrying case design, decent battery life and low price make it great way to practice flying quadcopters without the stress. |