Parrot Bebop Drone - Preview

Josh and Dave head to AUVSI 2014 to check out this unreleased drone. We will be sure to give a full review once it hits the market so make sure to subscribe to see it the second it comes out!

[Gantorin]

Hope you enjoyed our sunny warm weather, and visit FL again. This product looks fantastic, and I am also glad they chose Flite Test to get to see it for the first time. I look forward to that episode.

[BOLL]

As a VR enthusiast who backed the Rift on this is how I imagined the Rift being used for FPV :P A 180 degree lens and then rotate everything in software, removes the latency of servos or whatever on the craft, as well as removing that weight. I would like to see this as a separate camera module for any copter, but this is exciting as well :3

[trapbum]

love the design. it looks incredibly simple. and people complaining about parrot products, they make simple toys for newbies to play with. they are not meant for long range flight or other things you might expect from something worthy of a more experienced pilot.. just have fun and enjoy, spoiled brats

[JeroenBrosens]

The digital "gimbal" is truly an innovation. Not only does it lower the weight dramatically but the Oculus headtracker seems to be also done this way. Genius!

[DANHjAM]

The camera head tracker technology in this is great. I love how it works without any mechanical parts. Can't wait to see this implemented further into the hobby. 

[dennismau]

After following the instructions to the letter I took Bebop outside on a calm day and sat it down and hit takeoff. It shot up to about 6 feet and hovered perfectly. I was controlling it with my Ipad which for awhile worked really well and I was thinking this thing is cool. Then suddenly it started gaining altitude for no reason and I immediately tried to bring it down and it responded by shooting skywards at warp speed and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I tried the return home button to no avail. I had the maximum altitude set at 6 meters so it should not have went above that height. I looked skyward and I eventually lost sight of it. Thinking it lost and my $500 down the drain I started looking around and to amazingly it had fallen back to earth upside on the lawn about 300 yards away from me. Fortunately it wasn't damaged but rather than risk losing my $500 next time I took it back to Best Buy. It is possible it lost the Wifi connection because in testing often times it would lose the connection but it should have returned home. I noticed another fellow had the same problem so this is not an isolated case. I called Parrot and told them about it and they didn't even care and said the drone would not be covered under warranty if it happened again. So buyer beware! This is what happened to me. Get the DJI Phantom FC40. It is cheaper and way more reliable.

[CorvairScott]

These Parrot Bebop drones are a lot of fun, and small. I first got a Bebop 2 in January of 2016. I liked that one so much that I got a Bebop 1 drone like these to abuse. I've let friends fly it and it's been crashed a lot. I really don't fly the Bebop 2 much since the Bebop 1 is my go to drone. You can waste a lot of money on a huge expensive drone, or you can get a used Bebop for under $200.
You can fly them with a cell phone and a Flight Plan, another $20
but gives you the ability to choreograph the smooth moves to video what you want to look at without any flying skill.

[zakovich]

honestly the most innovative thing I saw in the video was the Controller it looks so intuitive . the camera also looks like it has a very interesting feature.

[surfpunk]

I was at the expo this week too, lots of fun. Sorry we missed you guys!

[theimacman]

Would the sky controller work for a pincher?  Looks a bit awkward...

[blackmennewstyle]

Parrot drones were, are and will be always toys in my sight! Seiously did you see these motors? No way you fly with them in strong winds >.<

[chbiscuit]

There was a nice article on this in USA Today. Page 5B of 05.14.2014. It was amazing, they didnt call it a baby kitten killing machine. It is actually a positive article. Nice vid guys, keep up the good work! 

[kevinunknown]

I admit this version of the AR series is the sleekest coolest looking model yet!  Look past its bulky controller/iPad thing and you think the thing is closer to hobby grade as it gets for them, and from what i can tell about the video coming from the camera is amazing technology. But till they give me a real control like a Spectrum or Futaba ill stay with my Phantom with the GoPro and gimbal FPV setup.

[bcast]

Seems like something even my parents might be able to run - but I'm sure it's as expensive as ice cream in hades like most parrot stuff. ;)

[RadiumX]

The fact that it is compatible with oculous rift, just makes it a whole lot better. I just wish the camera was better.

[iscluiscaduk]

Thank you guys to bring this amazing show to us.

[SuperFrodo]

Wow. The AR Drone has really evolved this time!

[zevi]

really awesome that they had you come out there for that! You guys really deserve it! 
I think this kind of quad will be a really good replacement for the phantom as a cheaper beginner setup that is rtf and safer. Cant wait to see the full setup! 

[articgadgets]

This is looking more and more like the Dji phantom drone as it has a self stabilising camera and with the new extended transmitter you can fly it up to 2km away. I can't wait for this to come out officially!

[DaveMerc]

Great to see what's going on with these companies. Lot of new stuff coming out in this year.