Worth the money?
Yes certainly. It's lower than the cost of putting a reasonable 450 heli in the air and I believe the secondhand price will likely be decent in case I get tired of. No regrets on the cost per smile in my opinion.
Inadequate range on wi-fi?
I have yet to have the Wifi cut down on me, so it looks greater than promoted so far.
Is the camera slow?
From time to time yes. Frequently it's fast and smooth and occasionally it stutters. Not suitable for FPV, add your cam system for that. However the video stream is fun and that's just what this bird is focused on
Simpler to fly without camera but looking at it?
Yes I am not sure whether it is me and my own heli flying habits, but I'm primarily watching the AR Drone itself, looking at the screen only if I remember it has video on it
Better with a 2.4GHz system?
Can be awesome to offer the choice to fly with a 2.4 transmitter. Still can feel weird controlling by tilting the iPad.
Decent in wind flow?
Much better than I expected initially. It's a bit rough but seems to hold up nicely overall
Better at hanging than moving around?
Better at hovering where there is a clear ground texture. See those promotional videos with a wildly patterned floor? I believe that is to get the most effective holding effect from the down facing camera. It is not as good on lawn, drifting within around a foot approximately. Forward flight appears to be real easy, much better at both than I was expecting.
Fragile?
Well yes and no. It's going to break if you drive in to a wall. It is not that tough but it is more robust feeling than I feared it will be. I suppose it'll hold up a lot better than your common RTF little heli. Let's wait and watch how it holds up.
