My First "Toy" Drone Experience - Ended Badly

I found myself browsing Amazon on Prime Day and scored an Amazon Fire Stick for $20. A toy drone, with camera popped up on the suggested items and I clicked it out of curiosity. The next thing I knew I was checking out with the drone in my cart. What was it you ask? A DBPower X400W.

My first impression of the drone when I received it was honestly rather impressed. It was built, what I thought decently, although extremely light. It required some light assembly (only because I wanted to put the prop guards on, I knew I would crash it), I breezed rather quickly through the manual and outside I went.

My first several flights were actually pretty flawless. I zipped it around the yard and around trees, flew up over my house and captured some video. The quality of the video however is poor. It only shoots in 720p so the footage is grainy. However what do you expect with an entry level drone for under 60 bucks. My other gripe about the camera is the feed. The Wi-Fi drops in and out constantly. After about 12 flights the camera and Wi-Fi on my drone stopped working all together and I had to reach out to the company to request a new camera. DBPower was awesome though as they sent me another drone to fix the problem.

Battery life is only 5-8 minutes depending on how you fly it, so if you are just getting into drone flying and want something to practice on, this is an ok unit but buy some extra batteries.

Fast forward to the second drone I received. Call it cockiness or whatever. I went outside and took off to capture some video of my house and the surrounding foothills where I live. There was no wind to be felt. Once I got the drone above the trees it proceeded to fly wherever it wanted to go. I tried to fight it and almost got it back to my yard when it disappeared and the footage cut out. I should have killed it and let it fall to the ground taking my chances but I thought I could recover it. Lesson learned.

In the end, I still have the original drone minus the camera since it doesn't work. If anyone is considering purchasing this drone for themselves, don't fly it too high. You will only be disappointed when you end up with a controller and no drone to go with it. At its simplest form, the X400W is a great drone to learn the basics of flying and how not to crash. I wouldn't put much confidence in the subpar camera.

A Little About Me

Hello there! If you found yourself on this page then chances are you yourself are interested in drone piloting and/or aerial photography/videography. I myself got into it at 32 as I watched drone technology develop and become more affordable. I watched countless videos on YouTube of footage shot in 1080p and 4k that looked remarkable. I couldn’t believe that these gadgets could do so much. As a hobbyist shooting footage from a drone of your day to day adventures, your home, etc. can be a thrill. It really is the next best thing to piloting a manned air craft. The best part of it all, is almost anyone can make the small investment to get started.

My name is Cameron. I am a Sergeant in the Army National Guard and began my military career in an aviation unit. As I worked around UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters for several years I started to dream of piloting. Unfortunately in order to become a helicopter pilot in the Guard, you not only have to compete against the hundreds of other soldiers interested in the 1 or 2 seats available a year, but if selected you have to attend 18 months of flight school among other things. This just was not in the cards for me and that dream simply fizzled out.

With the release of advanced drone technology I was granted the opportunity to pilot a craft, although from the ground, but still capture footage I could only capture alternatively from inside a helicopter or small plane. Even better, I can capture video that would be dangerous for any other type of aircraft to attempt.

Going forward Mainely Drone will be my journal as I progress through the hobby of drone piloting. I will post videos and pictures that I am able to capture as I hope to grow in my abilities. It is my hope other beginners to drone piloting will visit and enjoy what I produce, as well as learn a thing or two from my experiences. Please feel free to ask questions and interact with me. There is no such thing as a stupid question and I will be the first to admit that at this point in time I am a complete novice. Maybe you can even teach me a thing or two.