When choosing your drone, there are a couple of things you need to consider to help you end up with a professional drone that best suits your needs. You need to consider budget, size, and speed, for instance, but also the distance it can travel, as this can vary greatly.
Now, not everyone will need a drone that can reach the furthest distances. For example, if you are purchasing a drone more just for a casual hobby, there is a good chance you might not need a large traveling option. On the other hand, if you are using the gadget for an important assignment, there is a greater chance you’ll need a professional drone that can go the distance. In this article, we are going to concentrate on the drones are able to fly some very impressive lengths!
One note of warning, please be aware that some areas may restrict how far you can fly your drone, so please do check the regulations before operating a drone. Failure to do so could result in a fine and even a criminal charge, so please do be responsible on this matter.
Also, wherever possible, it is a great idea to test run a drone before actually purchasing and parting with that hard earned cash of yours, sometimes claims made by the drone manufacturers, which includes the distance it can travel, are disputed amongst the drone community. All in all, it is mostly an honest game, but when taking in to account the costs can reach up to a good few grand for a professional drone, you do need to exercise caution.
1. Super Quadcopter
Let us start with a quadcopter. The Microdrones MD4-3000 has a mega range of 30 miles. I would hazard a solid guess and claim this is the longest range drone available in the commercial market. That is a serious amount of travel for a drone, and one that could be a great benefit for a range of projects where length is key, or even just to have a huge amount of fun with! It is very large, 6.5 x 6.5ft, so even your looking for a more compact drone this is not ideal.
But the MD4-3000 can fly at altitudes of up to 13, 000 feet and carry a sensor payload of up to 11 pounds, and a take-off weight of up to 33lb. This drone can keep flight for up to 45 minutes. It is strong and super able for long distance lengths, and if you don’t mind the size, it’ll be my number one recommendation for you.
2. Bargain Brilliance
Now, this drone does not have the longest range on this list, but I wanted to include it because its range is impressive for its price, and I wanted to cover the more wallet-friendly options, too. For around £130, which is a low price, especially for a quadcopter, you get 300-500 meters of range. The drone’s body is very durable and great to control.
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The Altair Blackhawk offers around 15 minutes of flight time, and although it does not come with a camera, you could attach a GoPro as it does have a mount for the action cam. If you are looking for a budget winning drone that still can go above the average distance, this would be a great buy.
3. Long Distance Hexacopter
Next, let us look at a long-range hexacopter drone. This drone can reach about 1.1 miles, which is not bad at all. The control is very good with this model. Remember that as it is a hexacopter, it uses six rotors to get going instead of the normal four, which does help add that extra bit of control for the user.
With this in mind, it would suit a novice or casual user who wants a fairly long-distance drone, but it would still represent a good bet for the general user.
4. The Premium Long Ranger
It is fair to say that drones can be quite noisy, but this one is likely the quietest of the longer-distance rangers. Above 500ft, this baby won’t utter a noise! This claim is made due to the drone’s use of larger but slower spinning propellors when in flight.
Now, the company behind this drone also claims its gadget can last an amazing 94 minutes in flight and have a range of over 22 miles. If this is the case, that is some seriously impressive stats. However, it would be highly recommended to test drive first if you can, as whilst hopefully the drone is capable of the claims, companies will sometimes exaggerate to sell, and at the price tag of around £45,000, you want to be sure!
5. The Small But Mighty
Just because a drone can travel a long distance in flight doesn’t mean it can’t be small and compact. If you don’t want too much bulk, may I suggest the DJi Mavic Pro? It only weighs 1.5 lbs and, when folded, is only 8 x 3 inches, but it can reach a solid range of 4.3 miles.
This is a very lightweight model that helps it reach speeds of up to 40mph and it can cope with a maximum altitude of up to 16, 000ft. The drone can record 4K footage and is pretty good value as you should be able to purchase one under £1000 if you shop around.
6. The Hero Of The List
Lastly, I just wanted to mention one of GoPro’s offerings. The Karma allows you to record excellent smooth footage while traveling up to 1 mile. It is the lowest-travel drone on this list, but in its price category, it is one of the furthest flyers. I have seen this drone sold for as low as £600, and it’s not lacking in the quality stakes. Firstly, it is so compact that it can fold and fit into a provided lightweight case.
Once your ready to launch, just unfold it and attach the propellers. The footage the cam can record is excellent and if you go GoPro, you also have the advantage of being able to use all of the existing GoPro mounts with your drone. If you need to go compact and need an option that is really easy to travel with but still need a good flying range, this is an excellent value product.
I hope you have enjoyed my collection of longer-flying distance drones. Of course, loads of great drones can fly a long way which I was unable to cover, but hopefully, it may of at least provided you with some inspiration.
Try to weigh up the pros and cons of each drone you are interested in; for instance, you may find one that can travel very far, but the camera may be of poor quality. Find the balance that will best suit you and your projects. Research your options thoroughly and you will soon have the ideal professional drone in your control. Have fun flying!
