Was at Costco a month ago and bought a mini drone on a whim. Had never flown one before and thought this would be a good opportunity to give it a try and see if I liked it. Well, within a couple of days, I was done with the Costco drone and ready for the next step. Searched the Internet high and low looking for a drone that could do more. Within two weeks, I bought four drones. Spent hours online reading reviews on drones under $100 and $200. My wife knows my habits well and all she could do was shake her head.
I decided on two mini drones - a Blade Nano QX and a Holy Stone F180W Mini - and two larger drones - LaTrax Alias and Altair Aerial. I have spent the last two weeks flying all four drones and have concluded that the Altair Aerial is the best of the bunch.
Reasons why? 1) Quality and durability of the drone itself. I have crashed this thing into curbs, tree trunks, walls, chairs and climbed three trees now, and other than a few scratches to the body and some dings on the props (to be expected for sure), this drone goes on and on like the Energizer Bunny. 2) Ease of flight and stability. The moment this drone first lifted off, I knew immediately it would be a stable flyer. Easier to control than the other three drones and better balanced. 3) Batteries, flight time, and range. Like the batteries a lot. Much better than the LaTrax Alias. I get 7-9 minutes of flight depending on conditions. The range is good and the LED lights are excellent for keeping track of during low light/dark conditions. It handles well in the wind too.
There are two issues that stand out for me, one more so than the other. 1) Though the Altair transmitter is easy to understand and operate, I find it to be cumbersome and slippery to hold onto. The unit is exceptionally smooth and rounded on the sides for hand placement, whereas my Holy Stone transmitter is more traditional in design, squared with lots of contour which makes it grip. 2) Both batteries and charging cables are high quality and durable. However, I am unable to plug two charging cables into the two USB ports on the front of my desktop PC because the ports are side by side and the ends of the charging cables that plug into those ports are so wide they can't be plugged at the same time. Not a big deal cause I can use wall chargers as well. For convenience, it would be nice though to plug two batteries in at the same location (my PC).
I have not tried using the FPV camera and smartphone app yet. Want to have a little more experience under my belt before I take that next step, but I expect to do so soon.
Lastly, my customer service experience with Altair Aerial has been exceptional. Communication with them has been top notch and responsive . They are very helpful with questions and suggestions. I like that Altair Aerial is an American company. IMO, American made means quality, durability and dependability.
Overall, I am happy with this drone and expect my piloting abilities to improve significantly.
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Product Description
Easy to Fly for All Skill Levels
The AA108 has three flight skill levels, one button take-off and landing, altitude holding, and headless mode.
This drone is easy to learn which makes it great for beginner pilots and the higher flight skills are perfect for exploring as one becomes more experienced.
Out of the Package and Into the Air!
The AA108 Drone is ready to go as soon and you take it out of the package! Just plug in one of the Two Included Batteries and you'll be ready for your first flight!
Using One-Touch Take-Off will enable rookie pilots to experience the joy of their first flight even quicker! Flying with the AA108 is sure to bring smiles and joy to drone users of all skill levels!
Take Live Photo and Video
The 720p HD Camera and built-in 120° Wide-Angle Camera allows for first person view (FPV) flying.
You'll be capturing stunning birds’ eye view photos and videos right from your mobile device.
Connect to the Flyingsee App and the AA108 will have access to a number of FPV flying features including Custom Route Mode which allows users to draw a custom flight line on their smartphone.
Additional Features
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The AA108 has an 100 Meter Flight-Range with 7-10 Minutes of Flight Time. Not only that, but this drone comes with Two Batteries. This means more flying time for pilots straight out of the box. |
The AA108 is carefully-constructed with durable plastic. It’s designed to withstand crashes as pilots learn and build their flying skills. It provides a more stable hover than competing drones making it reliable and easy to use for beginner pilots. |
Altitude Hold ensures steady flights by keeping the drone hovering in the air without user input. This makes it easy to take amazing photos and have a more enjoyable flight experience. |
As you learn to fly, the AA108 offers you three skill levels to advance your fun! From beginner to intermediate to advanced, you'll be able to grow with the AA108 as you become more experienced. |
Altair Promise
The Altair brand stands for high-quality products designed with customers needs in mind. We care about the details and cater our drones to pilots of all ages and skills.
As a consumer we promise to treat you the way we want to be treated while creating innovative products we know you'll love.
Customer reviews
Not a normal review writer but given so many options out there for drones I purchased this on a whim. At first look I was surprised how solid the drone was put together. The instructions were very detailed and the remote control even had a nice label of each button and what it did. I was able to take the drone out quickly browse the instructions and I was out flying right away. I live around a lot of houses and it was a bit windy but I was still able to keep the drone steady and the images it takes and the video was a present surprise. I've seen much larger and expensive drones and don't see much difference from the camera side of it. This drone will definately be great to use and get used to it. My 9 year old even flew it fine. The one button landing feature is key as once she got out of control she hit the button and it automatically eased down to the ground. The drone comes with plenty of spare parts already so I'm sure eventually those will be a nice to have item. If you are looking for a nice middle of the road drone without breaking the bank you can't go wrong with this one!
Images in this review
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2017
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2022
After replying with drone problems details and my contact information.
A replacement was sent. Their customer response was exceptional
This AA108 drone comes with a detailed user manual and quick start guide,
and a controller overlay which is helpful for learning the controls.
The drone seems sturdy and survives beginner landings intact.
For Battery charging , I used a 2 Amp USB charger, the status LED is red for charging
and green when fully charged.
Out of the box it was easy to pair the controller to the drone, and Fly with the controller alone,
For the camera. I used the recommended Flyingsee app for video and photos
The app was easy to install on my Samsung android phone.
To store camera video, insert the SD card until it latches.
To remove the card, take the battery out, push the card to release it and then
use a pair of tweezers to lift it out. This is best done indoors.
(because sometimes these SD cards eject quickly, and you may have to search for it)
The video is better than I was expecting.
Overall I have been very happy with my purchase.
Good beginner Drone and great customer service
By Tech53 on May 24, 2022
I had a problem with the drone, contacted Altari and received a quick reply.By Tech53 on May 24, 2022
After replying with drone problems details and my contact information.
A replacement was sent. Their customer response was exceptional
This AA108 drone comes with a detailed user manual and quick start guide,
and a controller overlay which is helpful for learning the controls.
The drone seems sturdy and survives beginner landings intact.
For Battery charging , I used a 2 Amp USB charger, the status LED is red for charging
and green when fully charged.
Out of the box it was easy to pair the controller to the drone, and Fly with the controller alone,
For the camera. I used the recommended Flyingsee app for video and photos
The app was easy to install on my Samsung android phone.
To store camera video, insert the SD card until it latches.
To remove the card, take the battery out, push the card to release it and then
use a pair of tweezers to lift it out. This is best done indoors.
(because sometimes these SD cards eject quickly, and you may have to search for it)
The video is better than I was expecting.
Overall I have been very happy with my purchase.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2017
Top reviews from other countries
Will Bartlett
Great Drone, Really Easy to Pilot!
Reviewed in Canada on November 6, 2017
