Kaiser Baas Gamma Drone Review and Test FlightKaiser Baas Gamma Drone review from a first time drone owner. How good are budget drones and can they be flown by novices?
Kaiser Baas Gamma Drone is a low-cost drone from Kaiser Baas which has some great features for beginner pilots, such as obstacle avoidance. This is my first drone, and I have never flown a drone before, so this should be interesting!
I have previous experience with flying RC aeroplanes, which didn't quite go according to plan; you can check out the video in the post below.
Drones are advertised as being a lot more controllable. I've watched some amazing footage from professional drone photographers and was curious to try it. I didn't want to spend much money on something that I would probably crash or lose after the first couple of flights, nor did I want to spend much on something that could, theoretically, be a quick gimmick that would only entertain me for a few days.
Enter the Kaiser Baas Gamma Drone, a low-cost drone with a 720P camera, decent range and various features, including mobile phone control over WiFi.
Kaiser Baas Gamma Drone Features
- 720P HD camera with adjustable angles
- 80M Flying Range or 30M when using the Live FPV function from your mobile phone.
- Headless Mode lets you fly forward from your position, no matter the orientation of your drone.
- Experience flying from the driver's seat with Live FPV via WiFi from your mobile phone.
- Altitude Hold helps your drone stay in the air even when you let go of the throttle.
- Detachable Obstacle Avoidance module means flying safely without hitting large obstacles.
Kaiser Baas Gamma Drone Unboxing
The box is very light. A drone would have to be very light to fly using just four tiny motors; I was surprised at how light it was. The drone only weighs 120g, so it is very light, which would cause me problems later on.
Also in the box are the camera module, hazard avoidance module, remote control, rotor guards, spare rotors, battery and charger. Those go straight into the USB plug.
While the battery and handset were charging (2-hour charge time), I read the small leaflet on how to get started and how to fly. According to the book, it's as easy as moving the little joysticks up, down, left and right.
First Flight of the Gamma Drone
Eventually, the battery is charged and ready to go, so I connect all the modules, turn on the drone and handset, pair the radio controller, and turn it off! Pressing the Launch button starts the rotors spinning, and a tap on the throttle sends the drone up into the air, bouncing off the ceiling, into the bookcase, and back onto the floor. Upsidedown. At least I'm not duck-taping it together like the RC plane.
The second flight was more successful; a GENTLE tap on the throttle was much more controllable, and I was able to hover for a split second; however, the drone quickly went out of control, hit the table, ricocheted off the chair and onto the floor.
After a few more attempts, it seemed that the controller needed some trimming to maintain stability. It seemed better after making a few adjustments, but then the batteries died.
Two hours later, the batteries are fully charged, and I quickly pair the devices, calibrate the gyros and take off. Only the trim I applied before was not saved. After a few minutes of setting the trim, I could take off, hover, rotate, and the battery died again.
Long story short, the battery does not last long. Around 5 minutes in total. And it takes 2 hours to charge. This could get frustrating.
Heading to the Great Outdoors
After a few days of getting used to the indoor controls, I decided to take the drone to the park and play in a more open space. With charged batteries and a mobile phone power bank, I head out for a quick flight. The weather was good, with a slight breeze, sunny and warm. Perfect flying conditions.
I'm now much quicker linking the units, calibrating and applying a bit of trim so I can get airborne in just a few seconds. Being outdoors, I can fly much higher, so I go 5 feet off the ground! And for some reason, the drone decides to flip upside down and power itself into the ground. After a few more tries, I can hover and move around a little, but the controls are difficult to work out.
Pushing the right stick up makes the drone go forward, but when the drone is up in the air, spinning, which way is the drone facing? Right becomes left, up becomes down, then it spins a bit more, and the controls are reversed again.
I tried some more trim, but the batteries died. After plugging the charger in, going for a walk around the park and enjoying some of the Sun, I try again with some trim. Better but still not very controllable, there is now a slight breeze pushing the drone off course into the next field with the curious cows.
Back home, I did some research on drone flight and how to control these things, and I discovered that there is another flight mode. I have been flying relative to the drone (up on the controller is always moving the drone forward in the direction the camera faces, regardless of the way the drone is facing). The other mode is relative to me, so I push up on the controller, and the drone moves away from me; back on, the controller moves the drone towards me, regardless of which way the drone is flying.
With this now sussed, the flight is a lot easier. I head out again for a much more controlled flight, zipping around the park. I raised the drone slightly, only to get caught in a light breeze. This was more than the drone could handle, as it was quickly taken away. I ran to catch it up, but somehow, the controller lost connection, and I had no flight control. I watched the drone fly over the tree and into the next field. Luckily, the battery decided to run out, so the drone dropped out of the sky and was recoverable, but that was too close a call for me.
Thoughts on the Gamma Drone
I always keep two things in mind - you get what you pay for, and this is a cheap entry-level drone. I wasn't expecting GPS control, fancy programmable flight paths or anything. Still, I was expecting to be able to fly it with a lot more control than I have been getting.
The quoted range of 80m for the controller is less than that, given that the WiFi range is 30m. When I lost control, I still had the video recording (see below). Yet, the controller did not affect the drone or the emergency rotor stop button.
The drone is too light to fly above a light breeze; ideally, you need a perfectly still day, as the tiny motors don't have the power to fly against a breeze. You need to be very light with the controls, and it does not respond quickly to input. It's more like flying a hovercraft.
A good drone can hover in place without input while you're trying to get your bearings, but the Gamma Drone wouldn't sit still for me. It always wanted to go this way or that, spin or fall to the ground.
Having reviewed the video footage, I see poor quality and wobbles around something chronic. Some of the videos recorded had corrupt files which could not be opened. The camera is adjustable for looking down and up. However, there are only three preset locations, and it jolts each time you change it. Still, captures are not great, either.
Overall, the Kaiser Baas Gamma drone could be the answer if you want some fun down the park. Still, you need a larger drone for anything other than this. It's too large to fly indoors and not powerful enough to fly outdoors in a breeze.
