Soaring into Summer

Here's an update from The Drone Doctor. We had a really good winter and spring has been promising. We celebrated a year in business which was a milestone, especially given the failure rate of new businesses. We have also started a relationship with Action Imports out of Grand Prairie, Texas. Seems like they don't know what to do with their returned merchandise and do not have a tech support department. That's right up our alley and we have begun accepting calls for them along with returned merchandise. We are again looking at expansion as we slowly grow the business, but remain thwarted due to the workday (weekends) and the need for someone bilingual. Additionally. trusting someone to act on our behalf will require a level of trust we may not be comfortable with. Regardless of the challenges we remain excited and motivated about the business. A side benefit has been an excess of inventory which has allowed us to share and grow our hobby by offering items either for free or heavily discounted. We look forward to the future and will update soon!

Apologies and an Update

It has been helter skelter here as we have gone through some personal changes and had a very successful holiday season. That has kept me from posting a blog from The Drone Doctor and I apologize.

We received our largest pallet load of drones yet just prior to the holiday season. What followed was semi organized chaos as we struggled to inventory and repair the new load of drones. Additionally we remained busy all through November and December, capped off by an absolutely sensational Christmas eve. We are excited about the future, but are struggling with how to increase sales. Hiring a crew would help, but finding reliable, bilingual folks is difficult.

We have learned a lot since this journey began just over a year ago. We are better at repairing and a whole lot better at flying drones. We have made a lot of friends and our customers seem to really like us. I have established a relationship with a dependable wholesaler and, just recently, have started a promising discourse with another. We have all the inventory we can handle; now we just have to figure out how to market it.

I will update soon. Keep The Drone Doctor in mind should you find yourself in the market for a drone!

Haughtiness, Elitism and just plain Rude

Because of our drone business we have dealt with many hobby shops. When they find out what we're doing they almost, without fail, cop an attitude. They are far more interested in selling and repairing  the items in their store. What is disturbing is that they talk down to us when they find out we deal primarily with toy grade drones. We know that we have found a niche market, unencumbered by FAA regulations and reasonable to buy. You would think that, since we're not competing with them, that they would be more helpful. We have encountered the same resistance when dealing with manufacturers. Sometimes this challenge is fun to try to overcome, but it also almost always ends up causing frustration on our part. When we are approached by someone that is experiencing problems with a drone we go out of our way to help them. In the process many of them have become our customers and/or sent us customers. Note to you elitists in the hobby shop world; quit looking down your noses at those asking for a little help; you may gain a customer.

A little further down the Road

Let me apologize first as I have not kept this blog going. There are a variety of excuses, including health and time issues, but ultimately, I am at fault.

We have continued to build the business, but finding merchandise appears to be our biggest hurdle. Our wholesaler has hinted at higher prices and, worst of all, that he might be out of our best sellers. Trying to crack the wholesale and return(s) market has been challenging. I have found several sites that sell pallet lots of returned and salvage merchandise, but it's all mixed merchandise. I just want to buy a pallet or lot of returned/salvage drones. Our sales have continued to grow and we are averaging roughly a dozen units a weekend. I also have placed some inventory on E Bay. My latest endeavor has been to improve our appearance by adding a banner and acquiring shirts. Although folks are essentially buying drones from the back of my car, it doesn't mean we can't look professional doing it. Plus, if it enhances the customer's experience and gives them a sense of security, it's a win win. Here's the banner in our flea market space. I promise to update more frequently in the future.

Broken; or Not?

I recently took the risk of purchasing a supposedly non operational Syma X8C. As a lot of you know we are not strangers to the internal workings of drones; especially Syma models. One of the things that endears the Syma to me is that every part and piece is available on the internet. So it just seemed natural to expand our knowledge and take this on. It also didn't hurt that we saved a ton versus the MSRP. Imagine our surprise when a seemingly unused X8C in a slightly damaged box showed up. Save for a few missing parts and a slightly damaged control stick, it appeared intact. We connected a battery and paired the drone with the transmitter and, Voila!, all four motors worked. We found one propeller damaged and replaced it and took it outside. The drone flew like new! Who knows why this drone was returned? I was curious what the demand would be and/or whether we could sell refurbished drones. Well, this one sold within 24 hours, so I guess my question is answered.

X8C Venture

I write this with mixed feelings as I have had many ups and downs with this quadcopter. My previous experience with quads was limited to those weighing around a half pound. The best way I can describe the difference is that the much heavier X8C "lumbers" around the sky. Some reviewers have been what I consider overly harsh about the X8C's flight and photo capabilities. I try to be fair and not too judgmental when I review a drone. However, I have an issue with the build quality of this quad. First, the motors are held in by two very short screws and they have a tendency to come loose over time. Not knowing this I damaged a propeller gear when one of the motor mount screws came out and got caught in it. Owners and prospective buyers should be aware of this and check the motor mount screws regularly. Luckily, other than requiring a bit of dexterity, motor changes are very simple and no soldering is required. Motors bring up another issue as they tend to fail and/or loose power. This may have something to all the weight they have to carry around. Yet another issue is the extremely limited range of the transmitter. I revert to my comment about build quality as the first X8C I flew could not maintain a connection between the transmitter and the quad. One such loss of contact resulted in the quad crashing from about 20 feet up which totaled the inside of the drone. The other eerie characteristic of this quad is that it occasionally drifts off and no amount of transmitter input or persuasion will bring it back. There are several documentations of this phenomenon on the internet. Like all Syma quads, the outer, plastic antenna on the transmitter is decorative. Both the quads and transmitters have a simple, short piece of wire coming off their boards that act as antennas. There are antenna hacks all over the internet, but I have yet to try one. The times I was able to fly the X8C without some sort of failure or malfunction were enjoyable and challenging. In my opinion it is not a quad for beginners. It is heavy and underpowered and requires a deft hand on the transmitter to fly it. I highly recommend taking off and landing on soft ground and or grass as this quad can be difficult to land. My situation requires that I fly from a gravel road and flipping the quad over when landing is somewhat routine. If your operating area is limited and you have no desire to perform professional photography, this quad will probably serve you well. Call me less than impressed.

Air Terminators Battle Drones

Let me first thank Riviera RC for allowing me to test some of their interesting and exciting products.

The item up for testing today is the Air Terminators Battle Drones, part number RIV-Y822, by Riviera RC. The product was packaged well and survived shipping without damage. In the box were two drones, batteries for the drones, two controllers (without batteries) and spare parts.

Set up was simple and the instructions were thorough and easily followed. Although these drones are easy to master and well balanced, you still need to know how to fly a drone to effectively battle or dogfight. So, I can't say that this product would be suitable for beginners. On the flip side, I'm not a expert pilot and I was able to fly them easily. To the products credit, the instructions admonish the user to become familiar with all the flight controls and practice before attempting battle. You battle by maneuvering your drone and shooting a laser; easily controlled by a button on the transmitter, at your opponent.  Each drone responds to a "hit"; the first and second change the drone's head position, the third causes it to flip and, finally, the fourth causes the drone to land and the fight is over. The transmitter control sticks were a little stiff, but were aided by the ability to adjust the "speed" of the drone (40%/70%/100%). Most drones have this ability, but I don't know why they call it "speed". To me the "speed" change simply alters how the drone reacts to the transmitter input. In other words you have greater maneuverability via a steeper angle of attack. Additionally, the drone has roll and flip capability and performs impressive acrobatics. Like a lot of drones, flight outdoors has to be performed in little to no wind. You will need and appreciate a second set of batteries to continue the fun.

This product is obviously a toy, but I found it to be durable and well built. I am disappointed that Riviera has chosen not to include a LED/LCD screen on its transmitters to monitor performance (something most manufacturers provide) and a on/off switch on the drones. Overall I found these drones to be thoroughly enjoyable to fly, both in and out of battle. I believe Riviera has a winner here.