Parrot Swing Drones are unique flying devices with a long flight time and impressive battery life. You want the best drones. This means you need to be able to choose from different flight modes and have spot-on control. A well-functioning remote controller such as the Parrot Fly Pad controller is essential for anyone looking to buy the Best Fixed Wing Drone.
Read on Staaker’s guide below about Parrot Swing Drone Review to get more information.
Parrot Swing Pros & Cons
Pros:
- High-speed Cool design
- Amazing tricks.
Cons:
- Some app issues
Design
- 160 x 78x 9.8mm, 295g
- Wings made of polystyrene
- Plastic center shell
Parrot’s latest small drone was an experiment. Instead of using a quadcopter with four arms that can only fly in one direction, the Swing can fly with its propellers pointed upwards or forward. It can also look more like an X-Wing Fighter than a quad-copter.
The arms of the Swing are made from a polystyrene type to keep them light. To maximize surface area, these large blade-like wings are narrow but broad. These wings can be used as wings by the Swing when it flips 90 degrees to fly in plane mode.
These slanting arms or wings make up most of the drone’s surface area. The skeleton is attached to the drone’s brain via a thin plastic piece. It sits in a small, shuttle-like frame at the center.
This plastic shuttle’s front has a face or two LED lights that look like eyes. They flash different colors depending on the status of your drone. They are solid green when connected with the controller and red when they can’t fly any longer.
On the opposite side of the shuttle are a micro USB, camera, and pressure sensor. The underside is mostly hollow, rounded plastic.
Parrot Swing Drone Tech
- Ultrasound sensor to measure altitude
- 550mAh removable battery
- 0.3-megapixel camera
Parrot’s drone is more than a Christmas gift. An array of sensors measures altitude to ensure that the Swing remains in the air.
There are a 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, and a 3-axis accelerometer inside. These can measure speed, tilt, and the impact it has on obstacles. An ultrasound sensor is also located underneath. It can measure the distance to the ground, provided it doesn’t fly above four meters.
You won’t find the same high-tech wind resistance or obstacle avoidance that you would get in a professional drone. This limits your ability to fly the Swing.
Parrot Swing: Control
- Included flypad controller
- Up to 60m range
- Android or iPhone app (20m range)
You have two options to control the Swing. Either you can use your smartphone to download the control app or the included Parrot Flypad controller. Flypads have a 60-meter range. Your smartphone’s connection is likely to be limited to 20 meters.
The included control pad makes it as simple as possible to use. The Swing drone hovers steadily at about 2 feet from the ground thanks to a dedicated landing and physical take-off button.
Once the drone is in flight, the left joystick on the pad controls the drone’s height and rotation. The right joystick controls the directional movements.
There are also other buttons. There are also buttons for A, B, and R. These buttons all have pre-programmed patterns which direct the drone along a predetermined path. R1 takes photos, and L1 makes a U-turn. For fly speeds of up to 18.4 mph, press-and-hold R2 or L2 to switch to plane mode. The drone will face forward with its propellers facing forward and its nose facing forwards.
Although you can only access a third of the range with your phone, the app is extremely easy to use and has a setup almost as simple as the controller. The app will pair automatically over Bluetooth. As long as your drone is connected, the app should launch.
Two large virtual joysticks can be tapped on the screen. An automatic take-off button and landing button are also available. You can also adjust elements such as maximum height or speed.
Click here to see our comparison between DJI Spark Vs Parrot Bebop 2.
Simple flying
- Automatic take-off and landing
- The battery lasts a few minutes
- Second battery included
- 30-minute recharge time
Although the Swing was not designed to be used indoors, its weight and size make it easier to fly indoors than any “proper” drone. The Swing is also small and lightweight, so any wind outside will send it flying into trees, sheds, or people.
It’s small and lightweight, making it very responsive. This is what you need in a drone. Your joystick control should result in fast, fluid movement. However, in a tight space, this is not always a good thing. We crashed into some windows, doors frames, and ceilings because we were trying to be cleverer than others.
The Swing drone will shut down the propellers when it detects an impact. This sounds worse than it is. Because of its size and weight doesn’t cause any real damage to the ground when it falls. It isn’t heavy enough to break; it usually just falls on its side like a feather.
The main problem with flying the drone is that the battery can die while trying to get used to the controller and drone response. Although there is a spare battery in the box, it is not enough.
Parrot claims that the battery will last for seven minutes in quad-copter flight mode and eight minutes in plane mode. However, it was not close. The average time was five minutes, or less, most of all. After just 10 minutes of fun, there is a 30-minute charge per battery.
Let’s fly the Parrot Swing drone!
You will need to charge the Parrot Swing using the micro USB cable provided. The charge takes approximately 30 minutes. I suggest that you charge one battery and then remove it. Then, put the second battery in place and charge it. You can then swap batteries to double your flight time. Parrot does not include an external charger to charge both batteries simultaneously.
Next, you will need to download the FreeFlight Mini app for your Android or iOS device. Although you can use your smartphone as the controller, it is much more fun to fly with the Flypad.
Once the Swing’s battery has been fully charged, the Flypad installed on your smartphone, and the app is activated, you can head outside.
The Swing can be powered up by pressing the power button. Next, place it on the ground facing the propellers.
If the two “eyes” of the drone glow solid green, the FreeFlight mini-application can be launched on your smartphone. Make sure Bluetooth is enabled. The app will detect the drone and connect to it. The Flypad controller can be turned on, and the app will connect to it.
The dedicated landing and take-off buttons on the Flypad will activate the Swing propellers and raise the drone a few inches. The drone will fly up and down by moving the left joystick of the Flypad. The drone will also fly side-by-side if the right joystick is used.
The Swing will initially be in quad mode when you start it flying. This means that it can fly left to right, up to down, and left to right, just like a normal drone. If you press the right shoulder button of the Flypad controller, the Swing will change to plane mode.
This flips it over and makes it look like a flying dragonfly (other photos in this review). The Flypad’s joysticks and buttons react differently to the mode you are in.
You can also use the buttons to do a U-turn and a loop in mid-air. If you are flying directly towards a tree or building, the U-turn button is extremely useful!
You can also fly the Swing using the flight time Mini App’s on-screen buttons. The Flypad is my favorite.
You can see details about each flight, and you can also download or share images you have taken with the Swing’s camera to Facebook. Trust me; you won’t be sharing any images.
It wasn’t easy to get a photo of myself, and I tried many times. Even if I could have taken a decent picture, the resolution is very low.
FAQs On Parrot Swing Drone
Is the parrot swing drone equipped with a camera?
The drone does not have a camera that can record video or other features. The drone also uses Bluetooth. This means that the range is limited to 20m. However, you can increase it to 60m by using the Flypad controller. As mentioned, battery life is not very good, but you can always swap out a new one as needed.
Source: https://www.cnet.com/reviews/parrot-swing-minidrone-preview/
How can you fly a parrot swing safely?
To switch to airplane mode, press R2 on the back of your device or L2 on your belly to switch to plane mode. Press R2 or L2 again to accelerate. Parrot Swing can fly in airplane mode at a variety of speeds. Parrot Swing will fly faster if its wings are parallel with the ground.
Source: https://support.parrot.com/ie/support/products/parrot-swing/flying-parrot-swing
How can I reset my parrot swing?
You can factory reset the Parrot Mambo mini drone by following these steps:
- Turn on the Parrot mini drone and wait for the LEDs to turn green.
- For approximately 30 seconds, press the Power button once more.
- Clear the mini-drone’s memory (see Troubleshooting: Clearing Parrot Minidrone Memory).
Source: https://www.mathworks.com/help/supportpkg/parrot/ug/parrot-factory-reset.html
How far can a parrot drone go?
Built-in stabilization allows the camera to avoid shaking and jitters, leading to nausea while using moving cameras. The Wi-Fi range is up to 1.2 miles when connected to the Skycontroller accessory.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2015/03/04/parrot-bebop-drone-review/
How do I connect my Parrot Drone?
Go to Settings > Wireless Networks > WiFi if you’re using an Android phone. Choose the network “ardrone2”. Wait for Parrot AR Drone2.0’s WiFi network to connect to your smartphone. The WiFi icon will appear on your smartphone’s screen to signal that the connection has been established.
Source: https://support.parrot.com/us/support/products/parrot-ar-drone-2/how-connect-smartphone-ar-drone-2
Conclusion
Parrot Swing Drone offers a unique flying experience with a long flight time and impressive battery life. This drone can reach speeds of up to 19 mph thanks to its unique X-Wing technology. This drone lets you customize your pilot controls to extend your flight range to up to 196 feet.
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