Quadcopters

What is a quadcopter?

A quadcopter is a drone with four rotors, two spinning clockwise and two counter-clockwise. It flies by changing the speed of each motor: more speed on the back pair tilts it forward, more speed on one diagonal pair turns it around. A flight controller makes those corrections hundreds of times per second, which is why a modern quadcopter can hover almost by itself.

Four is the minimum number of rotors that gives full control in every direction, and that makes the quadcopter the lightest, simplest and cheapest way to fly a camera. It is the layout of every consumer drone on the market, from a 30-gram indoor toy to a flagship camera drone.

It is also the most common member of the multirotor drones family, and the only one Amazon.com sells ready to fly by the thousand.

Quadcopter vs quadricopter vs drone

They are the same aircraft with three names.

• Quadcopter is the standard English term: four rotors, helicopter-like flight.
• Quadricopter is an older or translated spelling, common in listings written from French, Spanish or Italian. It means exactly the same thing.
• Drone is the umbrella word for any aircraft without a pilot on board, including fixed-wing planes and larger multirotors. Every consumer quadcopter is a drone; not every drone is a quadcopter.

You will also see quad in FPV circles and UAV or sUAS in FAA documents. The FAA calls anything under 55 lb a small unmanned aircraft, and its rules do not care how many rotors it has.

Quadcopters with cameras

Most quadcopters sold today carry a camera, and the resolution printed on the box is the least useful number about it. Three things decide whether the footage is worth keeping:

• A mechanical gimbal. Three axes keeps the horizon level and the video smooth. Cheap drones use electronic stabilization or a lens you tilt with a button; the result shakes with every gust.
• Sensor size. A 1/1.3-inch or 1-inch sensor sees in low light and holds detail; the tiny sensors in budget drones produce soft 4K that looks like upscaled 1080p.
• Transmission. A good video link lets you frame the shot at a distance. Wi-Fi links on cheap drones cut out and lag.

The table shows camera resolution and gimbal side by side. Filter by 4K and then by gimbal, and the list shrinks to the drones that actually film well.

4K with a 3-axis gimbal1080pCamera drones

Beginner and kids quadcopters

The first quadcopter should survive crashes, because there will be many. That means small, light and cheap, with full prop guards and three features that make it controllable: altitude hold (it keeps its height when you let go of the throttle), headless mode (left is always left, wherever the nose points) and one-key takeoff and landing.

Under $50 most of these fly five to ten minutes per battery, so buy one with two or three batteries in the box. They have no GPS and drift with the lightest breeze, which is why they are best learned indoors, in a gym or a large room.

Two rules for parents. Indoors, FAA rules do not apply. Outdoors, every recreational flyer, adult or child, needs to pass the free online TRUST test and keep the drone in sight and under 400 feet.

KidsBeginnerUnder $100

RC and FPV quadcopters

Every quadcopter is remote controlled, so RC quadcopter mostly means a hobby drone flown by hand with a transmitter, without GPS holding it in place. That is harder and more fun, and it is how most pilots learn real stick skills.

FPV, first-person view, goes one step further: the pilot wears goggles that show the live feed from a camera on the drone, and flies as if sitting in it. FPV quadcopters come in three families: tiny indoor whoops with ducted props, 5-inch freestyle and racing quads that do flips at 60 mph, and cinewhoops that carry an action camera through tight spaces.

Two things to know before buying. Many cheap listings call a phone screen on the controller FPV; real FPV means goggles and low latency. And flying with goggles on, US rules ask for a visual observer next to you who keeps the drone in sight, because you cannot.

FPV quadcoptersFPV kits

Under 250 g: fly without FAA registration

This is the single most consequential spec for a US buyer, and the reason the table has a column for it.

• Under 250 g, flying for fun: no FAA registration and no Remote ID. You still need to pass the free online TRUST test, keep the drone in sight and stay under 400 feet.
• 250 g and up, flying for fun: register it with the FAA before the first outdoor flight. It costs $5 and lasts three years; the registration number goes on the outside of the drone. It must also broadcast Remote ID, which most current drones do built in.
• Any flight for work or pay, even a single real estate photo: Part 107 applies. The drone must be registered whatever it weighs, and the pilot needs a Remote Pilot Certificate.

The catch hides in the word takeoff weight. The limit counts everything on board at takeoff: a larger battery, prop guards or a strobe light can push a 249 g drone over the line. Several sub-250 g camera drones sell an optional high-capacity battery that does exactly that.

This check tells you what applies to you:

Under 250 gUnder 250 g with 4K

How much flight time you actually need

The flight time on the box is measured hovering in still air until the battery is empty. Nobody flies like that. Wind, climbing, fast flight and the reserve you keep to land safely leave about 70 percent of the rated time in the air.

• Toys and indoor drones: 5 to 10 minutes. Enough for a session; buy spare batteries.
• Casual photos and video: 20 minutes of rated time per battery is the useful minimum. That leaves about a quarter of an hour to get up, frame the shots and come back.
• Real estate, inspections or long trips: 30 minutes or more per battery, and three batteries. The "Fly More" combos exist for this reason.

Watch out for titles that add up the batteries: "96 minutes" on a listing usually means three batteries of 32. The table only shows per-battery time, so the numbers compare like for like.

Over 25 minutes15 to 25 minutes