Drone for 5 year old son, too young?

[DoomMeister]

Hello

My son is 5 years old and loves watching daddy fly. I own the Mavic 3 and I do let him fly it. I get above tree lines and let him only use the right thumb stick. I am in super rural area in Sonora Ca, so not worried about endangering others. I have a few questions:


Is he too young to fly his own drone?
What model would you buy for a 5 year old?
Anything else you could think is important that I am over looking?


I would be willing to spend 500-1500 dollars. (or more, if the perfect fit)

Any and all advice is welcome

Dude you rock!!!

I started my son working with computers when he was three years old. I started him with Turtle Graphics which was a combination of game/learning/programming. He never lost interest in computers and we spent many hours gaming, programming, building computer systems, etc. He helped setup the new computer lab when he was in fifth grade. Used a presentation program to show what would be done with the lab for an open house for parents. In high school he got a job with the school taking care of the county wide education network and doing computer repair for the school. Today he is in upper management at a very well known IT company in charge of a team that deals with IT security for the company and its customers.

All I can say is spend that time with your son (and siblings) and nurture that bond. Don’t get a cheap toy drone that has terrible stability and blows away on the slightest breeze. Something along the lines of a Mavic Mini SE/2 would be my suggestion. The only thing for me is that he only gets to fly it when supervised by an adult, but I think you already have that covered.

I have a member in another forum that flies with his granddaughter and she absolutely loves it, and so does he.

 

[Saladshooter]

I'm another vote for the Mini 2. Its a fantastic drone with great capabilities. Buy a new Fly More combo with the Care Refresh and you will have everything you need for your son to be successful. A cheap drone without proper GPS positioning would just frustrate him and discourage the hobby.

If he crashes and its just as likely for a new pilot as a young pilot, it will be a life lesson for him and the drone will be replaced without any big extra costs. Just like falling off a bike, I think crashing a drone is a rite of passage.

I applaud what you are doing and hope to share similar times flying with my twin son and daughter when I feel they are old enough. They are three years old now and have already caught their first fish on fly rods..... something most people would also consider too young to do. Only you know your child well enough to make the decision to give him a drone.

 

[Tomk_]

I think it's a great idea.

For most of us, obviously, money is a major factor in a decision like this. You have stated that your criteria is a little different than most...

With money being no object, I'd go for the Mini 2 because of the better wind tolerance. It's actually easier for a child to fly than the majority of the toy drones.

Anyone who thinks a 5 year old is to young to handle a Mini 2 has never played video games with a 5 year old.

 

[Kola]

I like the idea of two drones. Flying indoors is fun but not worth it with my Mavic. Perfect idea.

I was more asking what I was overlooking when purchasing a drone for a 5 year old. Gear I wasn't aware of that helps protect against crashes, ext ext. Wasn't expecting people to give parenting advice. One guy even said to make sure he has life skills before flying a drone........ What the hell does he think, I have an out of control kid with zero skills and I want to buy him a drone? Jesus, use some common sense, right?

My son gets strait A's
Plays 5 sports competitively (Baseball, Soccer, Marial Arts, Basketball and wight lifting)
He drives my UTV on the property no problem
Works around powerful animals
Uses power tools
Explores nature by himself and with friends
Has chores like feeding the animals, cleaning his room, and unloading the dishwasher

In order to have things like drones, we have currency at our house. He has to read 10 books for the new drone. I buy the drone, put it above the tv and label it with a sticky note saying 10 books.


As you can see, he has plenty of hobbies.. Plenty of life skills. Just looking for drone and drone accessories recommendations.

Oh that comment from me was firmly tongue in cheek, hence the smiley…

He seems like a very fortunate young boy.

If I got money every time someone told me my kids are too young to learn something new, we would have done more stuff

 

[mobilehomer]

I would get the Mini2 Fly more combo. It is a much better kit than the SE. It is easy to fly and has a great camera. If he gets tired of it, you will thouroughly enjoy it. it will last a long time. I have a five year old grandson, I let him do the auto takeoff with my Mini 2 and 2S. I also get it above the trees and let him "control" the right stick only. I get it almost landed and let him initiate auto land. Before long, I will allow him to fly it.

 

[manc54]

I wish my old man was as encouraging and wanted his son to join him in his interests as you obviously do. Buy him a mini 2 he'll love it.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I am glad you are going for a decent, stable DJI type drone, we all know with proper setup and learning curve, there is almost nil chance of crashing and or having a bad experience over a cheaper atti type learner drone.
@Barbara picked up on that earlier.
Teach the youngster in a suitable location, and although I’m not familiar with Fly, I’m sure there will be a beginner mode (?) where you can lock in altitude and distance restrictions until much older / learned, also probably limits speed.
Heck enjoy the hobby together, he’ll be onto home built fpv by the time he hits double figures.

 

[zeusfl]

Get him a Mini2 with the prop guard and will be fine !!!! if you want to make sure he does not fly very far get maven and make a fence.

 

[Flippigan]

Hello

My son is 5 years old and loves watching daddy fly. I own the Mavic 3 and I do let him fly it. I get above tree lines and let him only use the right thumb stick. I am in super rural area in Sonora Ca, so not worried about endangering others. I have a few questions:


Is he too young to fly his own drone?
What model would you buy for a 5 year old?
Anything else you could think is important that I am over looking?


I would be willing to spend 500-1500 dollars. (or more, if the perfect fit)

Any and all advice is welcome

From my perspective, I believe your son would get more enjoyment out of a small Rc car rather than a drone at 5. I am 22 as of today and still vividly remember my dad buying me a toy helicopter at around 10 or 11 years old. I was thrilled, but was quickly overwhelmed by the complexity and difficulty of the controls after doing some research. Coupled with the possible devastation of a single mistake, I asked him to return it and to buy a similarly priced RC car. This brought me so much joy at that age, mainly because of the simplicity and range of things I could do with a car vs a helicopter or drone. With the car I could take it to the park with lots of obstacles and trees and have an absolute blast driving around a course constructed out of pinecones and sticks.

Also when I was around 6 or 7 we tried our hand at flying a model airplane, and we both quickly found out that its harder than it looks. My overall point is I remember being overjoyed and having endless fun with RC cars at that young age, and then progressing onto airborne RC vehicles. Which I use in my filming business to this day. Whichever direction you decide to take your kid is lucky to have a dad willing to foster this amazing hobby.

 

[March411]

I am 22 as of today

Happy Birthday!

I hope there were new toys involved!

 

[BigAl07]

From my perspective, I believe your son would get more enjoyment out of a small Rc car rather than a drone at 5. I am 22 as of today and still vividly remember my dad buying me a toy helicopter at around 10 or 11 years old. I was thrilled, but was quickly overwhelmed by the complexity and difficulty of the controls after doing some research. Coupled with the possible devastation of a single mistake, I asked him to return it and to buy a similarly priced RC car. This brought me so much joy at that age, mainly because of the simplicity and range of things I could do with a car vs a helicopter or drone. With the car I could take it to the park with lots of obstacles and trees and have an absolute blast driving around a course constructed out of pinecones and sticks.

Also when I was around 6 or 7 we tried our hand at flying a model airplane, and we both quickly found out that its harder than it looks. My overall point is I remember being overjoyed and having endless fun with RC cars at that young age, and then progressing onto airborne RC vehicles. Which I use in my filming business to this day. Whichever direction you decide to take your kid is lucky to have a dad willing to foster this amazing hobby.

Happy Birthday!!

Keep in mind, as you learned quickly, flying an older R/C Plane and Helicopter are night and day harder than a modern GSP/Gyro enabled Drone.

For the record, today's R/C planes and helicopters are MUCH easier to fly if you get on with all the bells & whistles that includes Gyro Stabilization. I've got some airplanes that to land I literally cut the throttle and I can then set the radio down and watch it land perfectly 100 out of 100 times.

 

[MARK (LI)]

Although I agree that if you can do it, that it is a great thing, and I hope that it works out and he surpasses any expectations that you have.....but I have to say that it was not cool to unload on the guys who said otherwise...it's not like you were flying with your son and someone walked up out of the blue and told you that it isn't a good idea....you did ask for feedback...I am probably considered an "old dude" ...but I think it would be a great way to spend time with your son...however we do have to respect the opinions of others...especially if you did ask for it

 

[March411]

Hey Mark, really not trying to be a jerk but this is what I am talking about, you posted: "I hope that it works out and he surpasses any expectations that you have...."

The OP Bulldog420 never stated he had any expectations for his son, he didn't ask about safety, peoples approval for a budget amount or how he should proceed if he did pick his son up a drone. He simply asked for peoples thoughts on whether or not it was a good idea to grab a drone for his 5 year old son. The post went south and he responded to people there opinion and strong feedback on topics that weren't even remotely close to his inquiry.

Spending to much money
Isn't legal age
Setting their age requirements when a child can make rational decisions
And assuming his kid wouldn't be supervised when they fly

How in the hell would that.....or should that be part of the conversation with someone they don't even know. Personally it's somewhat disrespectful.

 

[Chaosrider]

Hello

My son is 5 years old and loves watching daddy fly. I own the Mavic 3 and I do let him fly it. I get above tree lines and let him only use the right thumb stick. I am in super rural area in Sonora Ca, so not worried about endangering others. I have a few questions:


Is he too young to fly his own drone?
What model would you buy for a 5 year old?
Anything else you could think is important that I am over looking?


I would be willing to spend 500-1500 dollars. (or more, if the perfect fit)

Any and all advice is welcome

Get him a little tiny one, like the H823H for 30 bucks. He could bang it against the walls all day long and not break it. Trust me on that part! It even has trim, which makes a YUGE difference in a non-GPS drone.

Then, if he likes it and is decent at it, get him a slightly bigger one. I'd recommend the Holy Stone HS110D, which has a camera and trim, but no GPS. 100 bucks.

I'm working with an 8 year old kid now, and I introduce him to droning with exactly that sequence. Next month, he'll turn in the HS110D, and I'll load him the HS120D, which does have GPS. 200 bucks.

Let us know how it goes!



TCS

 

[Cymruflyer]

Hello

My son is 5 years old and loves watching daddy fly. I own the Mavic 3 and I do let him fly it. I get above tree lines and let him only use the right thumb stick. I am in super rural area in Sonora Ca, so not worried about endangering others. I have a few questions:


Is he too young to fly his own drone?
What model would you buy for a 5 year old?
Anything else you could think is important that I am over looking?


I would be willing to spend 500-1500 dollars. (or more, if the perfect fit)

Any and all advice is welcome

Will you adopt me... dad? I need a new drone!

 

[Chaosrider]

Hello

My son is 5 years old and loves watching daddy fly. I own the Mavic 3 and I do let him fly it. I get above tree lines and let him only use the right thumb stick. I am in super rural area in Sonora Ca, so not worried about endangering others. I have a few questions:


Is he too young to fly his own drone?
What model would you buy for a 5 year old?
Anything else you could think is important that I am over looking?


I would be willing to spend 500-1500 dollars. (or more, if the perfect fit)

Any and all advice is welcome

I didn't notice your price flexibility on first read. If you're willing to spend that much, just get him a Mini-2. Don't let him fly it alone until he's competent and safe, which may take a year or more at that age, but so what?

Starting at age 4, I intensely wanted to be a pilot. If I had gotten a Mini-2 to fly when I was 5, it would have changed my life greatly for the better.

Go for it!

TCS

 

[Grandpa]

I started my 3 year old grandson on the Syma X5C. After a couple of months, he was good enough on the sticks to land it in his baby sisters crib ( when she wasn't in it). He has been flying one of my P3Ps for about 2 1/2 years now. His 3 year old sister is just now following in his footsteps. I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed the experiences with them. Absolutely nothing better than that. agree with the Mini 2 suggestion although I have no experience with the foldy wingy thingies.

 

[KB9Radio]

Hello

My son is 5 years old and loves watching daddy fly. I own the Mavic 3 and I do let him fly it. I get above tree lines and let him only use the right thumb stick. I am in super rural area in Sonora Ca, so not worried about endangering others. I have a few questions:


Is he too young to fly his own drone?
What model would you buy for a 5 year old?
Anything else you could think is important that I am over looking?


I would be willing to spend 500-1500 dollars. (or more, if the perfect fit)

Any and all advice is welcome

Make sure he knows the rules and go for it. Kids now days pickup stuff so fast, give him a couple of weeks and he'll probably be flying circles around you. Just teach him to stay away from those props, they're like little knives flying around at 6000 rpm.

 

[Chaosrider]

Well, can he pass the TRUST test at that age?

Seriously I think it's to young and too much money. Maybe start with ground non motorized vehicles first like a bike or skates. If he can't handle those, should he really be flying things in the air that could hurt people, animals, cause accidents or break complicated FAA laws? I would wait until at least 12 for a drone. That's the youngest age where a kid can be left at home alone and make rational decisions not to burn the house down just because it looks fun.

I know you are excited for him, but teach him some other life skills first. Something like flying should be at the top of the pyramid of other skills not the first thing out of the gate. Start with teaching him basic responsibility so he doesn't turn into one of those A-Hole drone pilots causing all the problems ending up in the news.

My current 8 year old student is doing very well, and just loving it. I saw some vids of him flying taken by his parents, who are very supportive.

I wouldn't let him fly alone at that age, but he can still fly.

Let Dad worry about the rules and regs for a while, and let the kid just learn the joy first.

Still, different kids develop at difference rates. I had a seriously "free range" upbringing as a kid, and I was home alone at 5 on many occasions, without making any destructive irrational decisions that I can recall.

I think we're too protective of kids these days anyhow. If you want your kid to have a strong immune system, make sure they eat dirt.

TCS

 

[Cymruflyer]

I think a $50 limit would be more appropriate than $500 -$1500.
I would suggest loss of interest or a destructive crash are almost inevitable.
Besides is there a minimum legal age?
If you want to throw silly money at him then something like one of the Mavic's that allow primary and secondary controllers, he uses the secondary ONLY. You always use the primary.

I would also suggest that you should not be flying your drone if and when your son is flying his drone. You should be watching and supervising your son.
You can not give full attention to anything if you are flying yours and monitoring both your son and his drone at the same time. Thus, the Mavic primary/secondary might be the best combination for circumstances.

I read what I assumed you read from the OP. The OP did not state anywhere, that he would be flying his drone at the same time his 5 year old would be flying another drone. Therefore, your suggestion to him of not flying at the same time is a bit assuming and could come off a little rude possibly, if taken that way. Better worded might have been along the lines of... I would expect that you would not be a flying a drone at the same time your 5 year old would be flying one, until he is competent to do so alone.

Children have different abilities and some 5 year olds are still little children while others can be quite responsible little people. It all depends on the child and the way the parents have brought them up. From the sensible things this OP was telling us he has been doing, I would assume that he would not be flying while his little one was, until such time that the son was competent to fly on his own.

I do agree that a cheap $35-50 drone that can be flown safely indoors, is a good way to start and the least costly for repair and replacement, as the child's skill level improves. Once there, a better drone to whatever the OPs budget can take, is what will then be appropriate for the son. It is fair comment of course, that a 5 year old could soon be out of the drone phase and lose interest and move on to the next interesting thing, in his little mind. With that said, his dad should have the best idea of whether this will be a passing phase or truly a hobby the boy will want to stick with.

I have a 7 year old and he enjoys driving his R/C cars all the time and sometimes flying a tiny drone I bought him, from time to time, though he is not really into it by any stretch of the imagination. Though I'm hoping he will be eventually.