Click for more Draganflyer photos, Maintenance, repair and flight tips, and Andy's flight log.

What is the Draganflyer V Ti Pro?

From Draganfly Innovations Inc., the Draganflyer V is a radio-controlled, battery-powered helicopter. The "Ti" stands for "thermal intelligence", a thermal sensing system allowing for safer and easier-controlled flights: The Draganflyer senses the horizon and can correct its flight to restabilize when needed. The "Pro" is a Draganflyer with an onboard video camera. This camera records video during flight and wirelessly broadcasts it to a receiving unit for viewing or recording. The picture below illustrates the important bits of the flight system, the Draganflyer helicopter and transmitter.

Who is the Draganflyer's audience?

A specialty of the Draganflyer V Ti Pro is taking controlled, high-quality aerial videos. But it also appeals to anyone interested in radio-controlled equipment. Being battery-powered, it has the advantage of being quieter, cheaper and lighter than gas-powered helicopters, and has more maneuverability than planes. It can even fly indoors.

What is the origin of the name Draganflyer?

No, it's not a "Dragonflyer". Modify the spelling slightly, as "Draganfly" is taken from the name of the company president, Zenon Dragan.

How does the "Eyecam" onboard video camera work?

The Draganflyer V Ti Pro includes an onboard video camera that transmits a wireless video signal. The setup is easy and the quality is great, see the example videos on the Draganflyer website. Newer versions of the camera system include an isolated camera mount that reduces vibration, two video receivers that increase video quality, and an articulating camera mount: Instead of turning the helicopter to "point" the camera, the camera's direction can be controlled independently. My demo unit had a camera setup where you manually pointed the camera to a limited extent. You can see the mount in the pictures below. See the next question for more camera detail.

How well does the onboard camera perform? I have been looking into purchasing the Draganflyer V Ti Pro in order to capture aerial footage. I really need to see the full video quality before I can justify purchasing this cool product.

I'd like to send you a video myself, but can't: I have since returned the review unit generously lent to me by RCToys.com. Plus, my own footage was very limited, and for several reasons, I didn't get to test the video capabilities as much as I wanted.

My recommendation is to wait until the newer camera system is available. Make sure the system you purchase includes that. Below is the text for the new camera system per the RCToys.com website. Contact them to see if it's available yet, or check out RCToys' example videos. These are compressed for Web distribution, so are not full quality, but still should help you decide if they meet your stability and level-of-detail requirements.

"Currently under development is a Servo-Operated Panning upgrade for the Eyecam Extreme and Articulating Camera Mount which will be controlled by the knob on the top-right side of the transmitter. The Articulating Camera Mount allows you to point the video camera in the direction desired and also provides protective isolation from the Draganflyer V Ti Pro's motors. Its frame bracing also dampens vibration, providing more stable video. Stabilization - higher video quality and less static, key capabilities in the Draganflyer aerial video surveillance! Upgrade from the Draganflyer V Ti's already innovative Thermal Intelligence stabilization, heading lock gyro, agility and aerial video capabilities with the latest in the Draganflyer V Ti Pro's CCD Video Camera technology! Stay tuned for its release!"

What can tell you about the (older version) camera I used? It was better than I thought it would be! Flying high gives impressive wide-angle aerial shots. Flying close to something gives excellent detail, even with objects close to the camera (you can see an ant crawling on the ground, or make out detail on individual blades of grass). I'd estimate that the video quality is as good as an average "prosumer" video camera. The only issue I encountered was interference caused by the Draganflyer's motion during flight - this was evidenced at times by static lines interrupting the video feed. This wasn't a big problem, but did happen every 1-10 seconds, depending on what was happening during flight. I understand the new camera system addresses and mostly resolves this issue.

I'd also say that the current camera, while great for video, does not take quality good enough for still photos (this is not a criticism of the camera, just a fact of life for almost any video camera). I don't know if this is true for the newer camera system.

How does the thermal intelligence work?

According to the Draganflyer manual:

"Thermal Intelligence (Ti) uses patented technology to sense the difference in infrared temperature between the Earth and sky... ...Ti uses four infrared sensors, so when a change is detected in the Draganflyer's orientation relative to the Earth's infrared horizon, it issues the correct control signals to bring the Draganflyer back to level flight."

In shorter terms, this means if you lose control while flying, simply release the controls, and the Draganflyer will auto-correct and bring itself back to level flight!

What is the Draganflyer made out of? How durable is it?

The Draganflyer is primarily carbon fiber, high-impact nylon, and plastic. The unit is designed so that the plastic parts take the brunt of crash forces. This allows for easier and cheaper repairs. According to RCToys:

"The parts will remain plastic as if they did not take the impact, the carbon frame would, resulting in much more downtime in repairs as the entire harness would need to be removed."

With the exception of the motors, we're dealing with solid-state equipment: It's very durable. My demonstration unit survived crashes I thought would really damage it. And when something actually broke, it was usually the plastic parts made to do so. Repairs require a little mechanical know-how, but that's to be expected considering this is a high quality, remote controlled, video capable, battery powered helicopter!

How did you like it?

I loved it. Depending on how you intend to use it, I would call it anything from a versatile tool to a unique and exciting toy. "Toy" makes it sound kid-friendly, though, and while kids will love watching it, you need to be focused, dexterous and aware when flying it. Due to the four whirling rotor blades and the delicate work needed for some repairs, this is not for young children. For those who would use this as an aerial video tool, it's very effective. For those using it recreationally, it's durable enough to last and interesting enough to enjoy for a long time.
Click for more Draganflyer photos, Maintenance, repair and flight tips, and Andy's flight log.