Jim here.

I’ve had three “real” quadcopter drones. The first one was a 3DR Iris in 2014. It was fun to learn. It needed several modifications to use a camera. The technology was still pretty new.

We were full-time RVers spending the winter in Casa Grande, Arizona, with a big area to practice flying.

The worst thing that ever happened with it was early on when I sent it into a tree. The camera continued to run and captured the short flight and rescue operation. It met its demise in the Bay just outside of where I’m writing this on Long Beach Island.

My second drone was specifically built for the GoPro Camera and was called the Karma Drone.

That was in 2017. I have a few nice videos created with that one. I still have it and expect it would work if I wanted. The Karma is pretty large and the flight time is about 15 minutes.

The third drone was a DJI Mini 3. Very light and small when folded. Very stable, too. The problem was, that we are now settled in a townhouse near an airport which means I cannot practice flying unless I travel some distance out of town.

Drones really require practice to get good at, just like anything. I have seen professional videos from drones flying over the coastal villages and thought mine would look as good. Ha!

Time for a reality check, Jim. It takes dedication I’m not prepared to give it.

Because I didn’t practice, I was increasingly nervous and uncomfortable whenever I did fly. My Garmin smartwatch was repeatedly warning of an abnormally high heart rate! I crashed the DJI Mini 3 drone in Italy. I expect it will be my last.

I’m too old for the stress of flying drones. I think I’ll stick to flight simulators in virtual reality. When you crash them, no one’s heart or wallet gets hurt!

Here is a YouTube Playlist with my drone videos