Click for Andy's full review, tech notes and photos of the Draganflyer.

Radio controlled devices are ages beyond anything I dreamt about when young. I remember my first radio-controlled toy car. It had a tiny controller that had a range of about twenty feet. Push the control stick up, and the car would move forward. Push it down, and the car would drive in reverse and turn left at the same time. Trying to handle any obstacle bigger than a stick of gum was pretty embarrassing.

What if my radio controlled toy could fly? What if it could hover and move in six different directions, as high up in the air as I could see? And while we're dreaming, let's throw on some cool features like an onboard video camera and infrared heat detection.

Dream no more, this is a reality: RCToys.com has released the Draganflyer V Ti Pro. It's a battery-powered remote controlled helicopter. Yes, it has onboard video that's beamed wirelessly to the television or recorder of your choice. Yes, it has infrared capability, called Thermal Intelligence (Ti). When flying high up outside, it uses Ti to sense the location of the Earth's horizon, and uses this information to correct itself when needed. The end result is that if the pilot loses control, it will right itself automatically!

The Draganflyer looks pretty cool. It has a wingspan of about 30 inches, and has four rotor blades that revolve around a central platform, like a letter 'X' with a blade at the end of each arm. The central platform holds the video camera, battery pack, and important flight circuitry. It's controlled by a transmitter, which at first looks more intimidating than the helicopter: Get familiar with the seven switches and joysticks you'll need to fly. After watching an instructional video and reading the manual, it's not so bad. In fact, it's pretty easy. The Draganflyer is controlled by moving in three dimensions: Up, down, left, right, forward and back. The hardest part is fine tuning your control enough to keep the flight stable: If your Draganflyer merges with that flight of birds and flies off into the sunset, it better be intentional!

I've never flown a helicopter before. But I know Harrison Ford can. So I figured I was capable as him, just not as popular. Or as rich. Or as ruggedly handsome. But I can juggle three balls at once, darn it, so I figured I had enough dexterity to handle a couple joysticks.

Well, the answer was pretty much a "yep". After spending some time figuring how the Draganflyer worked, I charged up the batteries and started to fly.

Don't think you'll be an expert pilot right away, however. I don't care how many balls you can juggle, this device requires delicate control and patience, as well as a little mechanical know-how when things go wrong. Don't misunderstand: The Draganflyer is extremely durable. But when Andy-the-far-from-expert-pilot decides to crash upside down from twenty feet into his neighbor's garage, something's got to give. (I'd like to take this time to thank Rick for his understanding. I'd like to also stress the importance of practicing in an open field.)

The construction is solid, though, and any parts that break are designed to do so to prevent damage to more important parts. The worst repair work requires working with small screws and a soldering iron.

Because of the repair details and the fact that this device is potentially dangerous (anything that flies using whirling blades is going to be a little tricky), I don't recommend this for small children, and the Draganflyer manual agrees: They only recommend use for those 14 years and older. But for those old enough to control it, and those with the desire to learn it and fix when needed, I happily endorse the device. You do need a little patience, though juggling ability is completely optional.

The Draganflyer isn't just an helicopter for those needing to take videos from midair. It's for those who would rather drive a manual transmission instead of an automatic. It's for those who like gadgets and gizmos.

It's an extreme tool and an extreme toy. It's also extremely fun.

Depending on the options you want (like the onboard camera), the Draganflyer's price ranges from $850 to $1,600.