Introduction to drones
On this page, we will mainly introduce basic information about drones for hobby.
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Table of contents
What is a drone

Now that there is even a flying car: passenger drone EHang , it may be called a "pilotless aircraft" rather than "unmanned aerial vehicle."
Here, we will explain the 4-blade quadcopter: hobby drone, which is especially used for personal hobbies.
Types of hobby drones
Hobby drones do not have a clear classification method, but they can be roughly classified into the following three types according to their price range and purpose of use.
This type of drone weighs several tens of grams. The flight time is about several minutes to ten minutes on a full charge. Manufacturers such as Eachine and Hubsan are well-known for this type of drone.
Buy Eachine drone (Amazon.com)
Buy Hubsan drone (Amazon.com)
Buy Eachine drone (Amazon.co.uk)
Buy Hubsan drone (Amazon.co.uk)

This type of drone weighs tens to hundreds of grams. The flight time is about several minutes to ten minutes on a full charge. Manufacturers such as Emax and BetaFPV are well-known for this type of drone. See Introduction to Tiny Whoop for beginner: How to fly Cine Whoop / Tiny Whoop / FPV drone page for more information.
Introduction to Tiny Whoop for beginner: How to fly Cine Whoop / Tiny Whoop / FPV drone
Buy BetaFPV drone (Amazon.com)
Buy Emax drone (Amazon.com)
Buy BetaFPV drone (Amazon.co.uk)
Buy Emax drone (Amazon.co.uk)

The flight is very stable so that the pilot can concentrate on aerial photography, and anyone can easily fly with a little practice . It is also called a Self-leveling drone because it hoveres stably even if left alone.
Use your smartphone as a controller, or bundle a dedicated controller and connect to the drone via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or manufacturer's proprietary protocol. Prices range from a few hundred to a dozen dollars, but high-end aircraft cost thousands of dollars, and the boundaries between industrial drones in terms of price and usage are vague.
This type of drone weighs a few hundred grams. The flight time is about 10 to 30 minutes on a full charge. Manufacturers such as DJI, Parrot, Autel Robotics and Skydio are well-known for this type of drone.
DJI's DJI Mavic mini, DJI Mini 2 are one of the smallest and lowest cost models in this category.
DJI Mini 2 instructions: 4K aerial video mini drone weighing 249g
DJI Mavic Mini: 2.7K aerial video mini drone weighing 249g
Buy DJI drone (Amazon.com)
Buy Parrot drone (Amazon.com)
Buy DJI drone (Amazon.co.uk)
Buy Parrot drone (Amazon.co.uk)
Check drone flight rules
Each country has its own rules for flying drones at the aviation bureaus in that country. If you plan to fly drone outdoor, check the rules in advance with the aviation offices of each country.In particular, please note that drones weighing 250g or more have limited places to fly without application in many countries.
See Drone flight rule in Japan and other countries page for more information.
Drone flight rule in Japan and other countries
Basics of drone operation
Drone is maneuvered using the two sticks and some switches on the controller. The two sticks operate the following four functions.Name of control | Behavior name | Drone movement |
---|---|---|
Throttle | - | Controls the rotation speed of the propeller. The flight altitude of aircraft will changes (ascend / descend). |
Rudder | Yaw | Change the orientation of the aircraft. Aircraft will turn to the right or left. |
Elevator | Pitch | Move aircraft back or front. |
Aileron | Roll | Move aircraft left or right. |

Drone products and instructions are based on Mode 2. If you are just starting out, we recommend practicing in mode 2.
In addition, it is controlled by using ARM switch that turns on / off the rotation of the propeller and switches that changes various flight modes. The functions and positions of these switches vary depending on the drone and controller.
Drone operation method: practice method and flight technique
Mount camera on the drone


The video below is published by BetaFPV and was shot with SMO 4K Camera on Beta95X V3 (BetaFPV) Micro Whoop. Beta95X V3 comes with a dedicated mount for SMO 4K Camera. .
Buy insta360 GO (Amazon.com)
Buy insta360 GO (Amazon.co.uk)
First look at BETAFPV x Insta360’s SMO 4K camera for FPV drones (dronedj)