07/24/2015

Tips and Hacks for Navigating Recreational Drones

17:31 minutes

This first-person-view aircraft won the first sanctioned U.S. race of the Academy of Model Aeronautics. Photo courtesy of Zoe Stumbaugh
This first-person-view aircraft won the first sanctioned U.S. race of the Academy of Model Aeronautics. Photo courtesy of Zoe Stumbaugh

Do you know the difference between a remote-control helicopter and a drone? Want tips for piloting your pocket-size drone or hacking your quadcopter? Drone educator Steve Cohen guides us through building and buying a hobbyist drone, and professional drone racer Zoe Stumbaugh tells us what it takes to zip a hexacopter around a track at 70 miles an hour.

Segment Guests

Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen is president of the Drone User Group Network – NYC/NJ Chapter and a UAS technology specialist at Bergen County Technical Schools in Ridgewood, New Jersey.

Zoe Stumbaugh

Zoe Stumbaugh is a UAV pilot and Multirotor Superstore team pilot based in Santa Cruz, California.

Meet the Producer

About Alexa Lim

Alexa Lim was a senior producer for Science Friday. Her favorite stories involve space, sound, and strange animal discoveries.