Why Drones Are a Good Christmas Present For Children

Before you read, all of the items we sell are for 14+. In some cases, such as the DJI Phantom, this is rated 18+. Another near miss of an aircraft at Heathrow, football fans ruining games; like every industry there will be a tiny percentage grabbing the headlines, and spoiling it for the masses. At Heliguy we fight the good fight to prove that drones are for good. Christmas is coming, and we want the new generation of kids and tech heads to embrace the drone opportunity, and lead the future. At Heliguy we understand Christmas. For the last 8 years the RC helicopter market has had an increased buzz of interest during December. The industry has changed somewhat in the last year thanks to the amazing technological evolution in affordable drones. Just check Google Trends for "Drones" and you will see it is now at an all time staggering high. The same goes for "Quadcopters". As a legacy business, first came the Airfix model, then came the remote control ability, drawn to the challenge of building and binding a vehicle, and then the progression to learn the new craft of flying. Quadcopters like the DJI Phantom or even the smaller under £40 (€50, $60) Heliguy Viper, have removed the worry of build, and puts you straight in as a pilot. The process has been hastened and has also removed a large part of the learning curve and technical knowledge of what really makes the device work. Bloke rules applied, too many flyers just take it out of the box and expect it to just work. We advise every new pilot to take a breath and read the manual, but also read the rules too. This is where the CAA rules of flight should be addressed and learnt inside out. HVRedBlacksmall.png Heliguy Viper Quadcopter for under £40 (50 Euro, $60) Flying should only commence when you know what you can and can’t do, safety and risk should be paramount to you, the public and all that is around you. This part should be mentored by an adult and more drone awareness from the CAA is on its way to assist. Modern aerial platforms like the DJI Phantom have gyro’s already in them to assist stability. This makes them much easier to fly, but the rules of flight must be applied. Older remote control helicopters needed to be flown in a manual flight mode, and the digital assistance of technology nicked from your humble mobile phone has now allowed for a technical revolution in ability and ease of use. Everything is happening far too fast, but this is an awesome achievement ion technology to be embraced. phantom2h33d-1.png DJI Phantom 2 with H3-3D Gimbal for GoPro Similar to comparing an old school classic car with simple mechanical systems to that of a modern technological wonder of a motor, the modern remote control flying experience is like “chalk and cheese”. In the same way as autonomous flying is coming to the market, we also have synergy with the future world of autonomous cars on the roads of the future. Look at the drone market as a window into the future that we can get hold of now. In the same way we hear of the future self driving car as being a marvel of technology it creates just as much debate regarding risk and concern over the potential safer roads, because it is still an unknown. These systems that may well deal out the human failings that cause the accidents in the first place, are negated, but that’s just the way of the world we are all sceptics. Going back to drones, in the right hands they are the technological spark of the future generations of young world. I am old enough myself to remember a BBC Microcomputer and the time it took to write a programme to animate a man walking across the screen. I had a Dragon 32 at home and spent day after day copying programme lines from a book, I enjoyed school thanks to the application of computers, and everything was made to be interesting. I later went to University and undertook a Design Degree, and witnessed the first Silicon Graphics machines, and my mates went off to understand programmable control systems, 3D Modelling and Pixar animators, all industries that didn't exist when I was at school just 6 years before. In the modern day, a drone is of a similar ilk. Let the imagination of youth come to terms with the ability of a digital managed device to now add functionality of the modern BIGTRAK but airborne and with the added complexities of dealing with spacial awareness. bigtrak-n-box.jpg Bigtrak A senior Australian researcher in intelligent transport systems thinks a ready to fly drone in the stocking may encourage youngsters to be the designers of future drone technology.

Learn about the 12 best drones for children HERE via Dronethusiast.

Dr James Ward from the University of Sydney says unmanned aerial vehicle technology has been around for 50 years and is here to stay. “Regardless of your opinion on the application of drones, they are commonplace equipment for a number of industries. And as the technology is refined UAVs are likely to be employed by many others,” the robotics researcher who also mentors high school students aged 14-18 at a robotics club based at the university said. “We see young students who have been raised with hi-tech devices at their fingertips and they are keen to learn about the mechanics of such technologies. Some of the youngsters who have drones on their Xmas wish list may in fact be the designers of future drone technology. “So learning how they operate, thinking about potential applications of the technology and the legal and ethical issues surrounding their use can be very educational,” Dr Ward said. All you need to succeed is to apply some very straight forward rules. Letting a teenager loose with anything without applying the rules of flight will end in disaster. In the right hands with the right instruction and a large dose of common sense, we are helping to guide the educated masses towards their future careers, those jobs may well not be there yet, but trust us they are coming and a future of drones will be a real option. Go get a drone this Christmas, jobsagoodun’.