Update on FT Aviator - Shipping Date Information

[Joe4flight]

I reached out to Fluidity the other day and inquired about when the FT Aviator was going to ship. I expected it to ship by the end of March. Here is an update from the response I received.

Hi Joe4flight-

We understand your frustration and thanks for reaching out. We’ve made excellent progress on the FT Aviator manufacturing front. We are relentlessly fine-tuning and improving as early articles come off the line, incorporating the valuable feedback we received at CES. As we prepare for full production, the team is in China this week for final adjustments and approvals on our molded parts.

Our volume production and additional testing will start once reliability testing concludes late this month. With this, we expect the FT Aviator to start shipping in 2Q 2019 in the US, with international shipments starting 2-3 months after. While this is later than we originally anticipated, we want to ensure we are putting the best possible product into your hands. We should have a more solid date to communicate at the end of the month.

Thanks for your patience, and please let us know if you have further questions.

Best Regards,
Team Fluidity

 

[DarthSLR]

Thank you for sharing!
Although, I'm still trying to understand, how a much bulkier and expensive product that overloads one arm with all the controls while only using the other arm for support only is of any advantage over conventional controllers...

 

[Joe4flight]

Thank you for sharing!
Although, I'm still trying to understand, how a much bulkier and expensive product that overloads one arm with all the controls while only using the other arm for support only is of any advantage over conventional controllers...

Thx DarthSLR!!!! Appreciate your comments! As an older guy that has limited experience playing Xbox games, the idea of having a single stick for total flying control of a drone convinced me that the FT Aviator was the way to go to handle my new DJI Mavic Pro Platinum. After 15 or so flight experiences, I was constantly connecting my brain to both of my thumbs to control the drone, Up-Down-Left-Right-Yaw Rotate Left- Yaw Rotate Right, Etc. I’m hoping the FT Aviator releases my brain to focus on camera controls while I’m effortlessly (no focus) flying the drone like an expert drone pilot. Best!!! Joe4Flight

 

[Smalls]

Joe4flight, it will help you BIG TIME, I also think you will feel more comfortable flying around using the new “joystick”. Just remember to be patient with this product, it’s brand new and there are all kinds of software issues for them to work thru as well as manufacturing it. Probably a lot of parts used to build it and if just one doesn’t work correctly or is on back order it can put the entire project behind. Because we are “investing” (pre ordering) we get the new toy first and at better pricing, we just have to be willing to wait and keep cheering them on. They are everywhere with advertising, just got my copy of Roto Drone Pro magazine, they had a full page write up about their new product. I can’t wait to use it, hopefully over time it will work with other drones we have.

 

[Prismatic]

<*snip*> ... We should have a more solid date to communicate at the end of the month.

Have they been back in touch? (They didn't actually say they would, but kinda-sorta implied it.)

Or has anyone else received new news? I'm planning a road trip in mid-April and I sure would love to have my spanking-new FT Aviator along!

 

[Joe4flight]

Have they been back in touch? (They didn't actually say they would, but kinda-sorta implied it.)

Or has anyone else received new news? I'm planning a road trip in mid-April and I sure would love to have my spanking-new FT Aviator along!

Hello Prismatic, I was expecting Fluidity to send me a shipping notice update before the end of March. They did not. So I am in the dark as much as everyone else. If I send another Inquiry, I’ll copy their response to this thread. Best!! Joe4Flight.

 

[Smalls]

I think we will be looking at a mid May to June for shipping dates. They said 2ns quarter so we gotta be getting close. This is when it gets tough, so many of us are really looking forward to trying this new controller out but we don’t even have a date on when we can have it. It’s gunna be worth the wait, these guys are going to put out a great product and we’re gunna love it

 

[¬Nomad]

You guys still waiting for this pricey gimmick?

 

[Smalls]

Yes, but it’s gunna be worth it. If anything it will bring another way to fly. I think it’s going to be early June when they ship, just based on what they have been saying

 

[¬Nomad]

"If anything it will bring another way to fly "

That is certain and from what I've seen and read it will be usefull when rigidly mounted for those who have physical problems with a normal controller, but for everyone else it will a big, expensive step backwards
I've heard much made of the invlovement of an ex Astronaut, a good marketing hook but almost completely irrelevant

 

[Smalls]

Why don’t we hold off calling it a big step backwards until we at least have a finished product. It may help bring more people to the hobby because they may find it easier to fly with a stick vs our current set up. At least give it a chance

 

[Bigbird48]

So here it is the first week of May still no updates

 

[Former Member]

I asked them today and here is the email that I got:

Hi Rob-

We expect to start shipping this quarter in the US and next quarter for International. Please feel free to check back in a few weeks and let us know if you have further questions.

Best Regards,
Team Fluidity

 

[Smalls]

No updates is no reason to worry!! They are probably so busy right now doing everything they can to ship us the best piece of equipment possible. They can’t afford the luxury of doing what DJI can do. They send out equipment and we kinda help them tweak it, fine tune it. This is such a new development and totally new to the hobby they can’t afford any bad press about bad product batches or poor firmware. They said 2nd quarter they would ship, however long it takes it will be worth it. I am at the edge of my seat waiting on mine, I know it will show up when they are absolutely ready to ship. If it’s your first Kickstarter project I can understand your concerns. These types of delays and no updates are very common, it’s just the nature of this business. Be prepared to have your socks knocked off, this could help our hobby a lot by making it easier for new people to fly.

 

[Former Member]

No updates is no reason to worry!! They are probably so busy right now doing everything they can to ship us the best piece of equipment possible. They can’t afford the luxury of doing what DJI can do. They send out equipment and we kinda help them tweak it, fine tune it. This is such a new development and totally new to the hobby they can’t afford any bad press about bad product batches or poor firmware. They said 2nd quarter they would ship, however long it takes it will be worth it. I am at the edge of my seat waiting on mine, I know it will show up when they are absolutely ready to ship. If it’s your first Kickstarter project I can understand your concerns. These types of delays and no updates are very common, it’s just the nature of this business. Be prepared to have your socks knocked off, this could help our hobby a lot by making it easier for new people to fly.

I agree and hope they get it out soon.

 

[ChazzMonkey]

I have one on order. I don't see how combining all three control axes in one hand won't improve handling by an order of magnitude.

 

[Former Member]

Im encouraging people to wait for the product release. Its really a revolutionary device, and Im sure it spent countless hours in development. Im going to ping them again this week to see how things are going.

 

[Former Member]

Im encouraging people to wait for the product release. Its really a revolutionary device, and Im sure it spent countless hours in development. Im going to ping them again this week to see how things are going.

By the way, I dont work for them, and have not received a demo unit. Im just hoping the product does well.

 

[Prismatic]

Im encouraging people to wait for the product release. Its really a revolutionary device, and Im sure it spent countless hours in development. Im going to ping them again this week to see how things are going.

I have one on order, too. I'm doing a lot of travelling/camping in the western US this summer (April: SE Utah, June: WY,MT,ID,BC, Aug/Sep: CO). I'd really hoped to have the FT Aviator for Utah in April; now I'm on the edge of my seat hoping for delivery before I leave in mid-June, but I'll take it whenever it arrives. (Surely by August, right? Right? )

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

I don't get it.

I do understand about putting the multi-axis control from two sticks onto one joystick.

What I don't understand how this can in any way be called a "single hand" controller.

For one thing, you have to hold it with the other hand, if you don't have a lap or flat object to set it on. For another, the video I just watched showed that gimbal controls are on the base (not the stick), so it sounds like two-hand operation to me. If there are more than just gimbal controls on the base, this would especially be misleading (you can't put it on your lap if you want access to those controls).

Is it me?
Chris