G+_Jim Kopps Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Dumb question probably already answered when I wasn't paying attention (ADD)... When buying a quadcopter, is there a difference between a drone & an RC Copter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Wayne Black Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Not really, unless you're talking about Honey Bees. Google the word "Drone" and under Images and you'll see more pictures of military UAVs or Unmaned Ariel Vehicles. Google the word "RC copter" and those UAVS disappear. You'll also see more Helicopters and less quadcopters. Some people in the RC world would like for people to not use the word "Drone" when referring to hobby radio controlled models because it has too much of a military tone, but I think it's too late to change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Wayne Black Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 I might add, that when shopping for an RC model, the main difference will be in the number of motors and the size or the distance between motors. There are, tri, quad, hexi, and octa copters. 3,4,6 and 8 and helicopters are just the old fashion single or double prop. Technically, they're all "Helicopters" as the term is Greek and means "spiraling wing". Eh, I was bored this morning.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Eddie Foy Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 marketing. drone if you want 2b 1337, quad/copter if you prefer not to turn the hobby nomenclature into what hacking has by the uneducated masses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Reese Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 The way I've heard it explained (maybe on knowhow?, maybe on Hak5?), calling it a "drone" implies it has some built-in intelligence. Some (i.e. DJI) definitely fall into this category. It could also be argued that they all do since they all have gyroscopes and automatic flight controllers that drive the motors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Wayne Black Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 The term "Drone" has changed drastically over the years, but it's current military use got it's start during WWII when the first unmanned radio controlled aircraft were used as targets for gunnery practice. Almost 10,000 were built by a company called Radioplane. As a curious sidenote, a girl named Norma Jeane Dougherty worked at Radioplane assembling the drones. In 1945 she was discovered by Hollywood and changed her name to Marilyn Monroe. "And now you know.... The Rest Of The Story!" Oh, heck, did I just date myself or what! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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