Altair Aerial 818 Hornet Drone with Camera, Live Video for Kids & Adults

This is a great drone. However, be aware that although it is being sold internationally, spare parts from Altair are not available outside the US. Also, the specifications on the Amazon site show the inclusion of 2 spare motors, an SD card and a card holder - the company actually discontinued putting these in the bundle 2 years ago - it needs updating on Amazon guys!

First of all, Altair Aerial's customer service is top notch. They were quick to answer my questions, and did so in an easy-to-understand manner. They are also quick to fix any mistakes, and take important things such as holidays into consideration when they do. They just sent out replacements to every person who recently ordered the 818 Hornet Plus, because there were some orders sent out with missing parts. Every business makes mistakes at times, it's inevitable. These guys know how to make up for it.On to the product.Cons: the trim and skill level selector are buttons on the back of the controller. It does make adjusting the trim a bit tricky if you're not familiar enough with the button locations and controls. Must use the auto-takeoff feature. It would be nice to be able to do it manually, especially flying inside. I don't consider the camera quality a con because a high quality camera would make the price skyrocket.Pros: customer service. The drone is very easy to fly. The auto-takeoff feature works very well, so does the altitude hold. I ran into the walls a few times (operator error), and didn't leave a scratch on it. The three skill level modes are awesome, and you can definitely tell the difference in them. It's a great beginner drone to learn the controls and get some flying time in. I can't comment for experienced flyers, but it's ideal for beginners. I would recommend giving them a try before going anywhere else. I'm looking forward to many hours of learning and flying. I may leave more comments after I've flown it for a while.

This product broke after one use. My nephew opened it charged it and one of the batteries won’t even charge, but the one that did died after 5 minutes of that, and he couldn’t grab the other battery to put on and keep flying because the second battery won’t charge. The camera was not put together right because the plastic was separated, we couldn’t get it to stay on the drone or connect, so he was not even able to use that. The blades on the left side won’t stay on i don’t know if they are missing a piece but it keeps falling off. All the accessories are pretty cheap, I know this wasn’t too expensive compared to some but I didn’t see these problems in the comments. We ended up having to get him a different drone for like 300 and some dollars off a different website. I just wasn’t even going to comment on this but my husband said that I should let other people know not to waste their money , But I feel like it could have been a good drone if not for being broken battery is not charging and missing some parts.

Just got the AA818 but have flown it indoors and out. Seems very stable in flight. Have had the Altair AA108 for some time and they are completely different animals. The 108 seems quicker and quite capable indoors or out. The 818 hovers more easily for video and is not as quick to respond to the controls (in a good way). We have a lot of windy days here, especially in March, and the FAQ's on Altair's site about limiting your flights with either one to breezes under 10 MPH are not kidding. When you read a review that one flew away my guess is that 90% or more of those flew away on days that were too windy. Gravity is the only thing bringing these little babies down, and an object a foot across weighing 6/10ths of a pound (AA108) or 1/2 pound (AA818) isn't coming down as planned in a strong wind. Although I am pretty much a newbie the learning curve on these is hours, not days, and both seem very forgiving to minor crashes. Have not had a high speed into concrete crash but furniture and grass doesn't hurt them much if at all. These are still "toy" drones but much superior to my previous toy drone that cost half as much as the AA108 and was worth about a dollar. Nice work Altair. I'd recommend either of these as a learning drone and they are OK for an intermediate even. You certainly get your money's worth. And oh yeah. Customer service is unexcelled. Contact them and you will get a quick response and they will bend over backwards to help you and make you happy.

I am NOT a drone pilot, but this drone is a great way to learn. The instructions are very clear (except for hover control) and well-written. The drone is extremely easy to set-up and paired with my Samsung Galaxy Note SM N920A without any problems. I appreciate the fast/slow speeds. The battery lasts close to 10 minutes, but I bought extra batteries for increased flying time. The 2mp camera doesn't offer the clarity of a higher mp camera, but for a starter, it's great fun. The drone is very sturdy and despite hard landings and collisions with a few walls, the only damage has been a few scrapes on the propeller guards. The control box is comfortable and easy-to-learn. Being able to add your own smartphone increases the fun factor.All together, I would recommend the drone. I hope in the future, I can upgrade the camera to a higher pixel.