Parrot AR.Drone Quadricopter Controlled by iPod touch, iPhone, iPad, and Android Devices

 wow, lots of misinformation in these reviews. Let me just set the record straight and offer some advice on what do do when you first get your drone. Just FYI, I own 2 Drones.

1. You're anxious to fly. You dont want to read the manual. Fine. Just read the first steps and take it to an INDOOR ROOM preferably with carpeting and LOW CEILINGS. With the indoor hull on fly it there as much as you want. Bang it against the walls, smack it against the ceiling. You'll crash it like mad and it won't break. Despite what you read here, it's actually very very tough. You'll also fall in love with how cool it is.

2. Go the Parrot forums and read my long post about REALLY preparing to fly the Drone so you don't crash and break it. [...]

3. Don't take off the altitude limiter until you're ready. Everyone wants to go outside after a few flights and take the Drone up to see the squirrel's nest 100ft up in the tree (I did, and I trashed my first Drone). Don't do it! High Altitude = Broken Drone. It actually has an ultrasound altimeter that doesn't function above 6 meters. It was not designed nor built to fly at treetop level despite the Youtube videos that show people doing that. None of Parrot's promo videos show high-altitude flying.

4. It's designed to fly at around 4ft - 8ft off the ground and do AMAZING things at that level. What makes it so cool is that it is basically 2 completely separate flying experiences in one body. With the indoor protective hull on, it's a precision instrument able to negotiate (not too narrow) hallways and furniture and trees outdoors. When you get more experience take it to a wide-open field - soccer size - and put the outdoor hull on. Then it flies like an RC Airplane, fast and furious doing almost aerobatic moves. It takes a lot of practice with the iPhone, but it's awesome.

5. If you crash it, then call Parrot. Most likely they will recommend you send it back to them, and they will repair it (most likely) for free, at least the first crash. From NC it costs $9.80 to ship in the original carton. You do NOT have to pay for return shipping. Takes about 2 weeks.

6. I agree with the reviewers who claim Parrot spends way too much time marketing the Drone and showing people pulling it out of the box and suddenly flying outdoors with no training than they do teaching people how not to trash their Drone. It's NOT a toy, it's an expensive Radio-Controlled Quadracopter. It's actually a flying computer, but you have to read this post to understand that.
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7. Finally it's not fair to Parrot for so many reviewers to have skipped the learning process, crashed and damaged their Drones, and then come on here to blame Parrot or trash the device. It's unquestionably one of the most sophisticated flying machines for consumers ever built. I've flown RC helicopters, and that's not what this is. This device has a computer built into it, it stabilizes itself like some futuristic military aircraft. You simply need to spend some time getting a feel for flying it. You need to enjoy it the way it was designed to fly and not pull it out of the box and try to copy what you saw some idiot on Youtube do.

BUY NOW!!!