Discussions

Hello all, first off thanks for providing a community of folks who operate and build these sorts of things.

I am not an rc guy, don't build these as a hobby, etc. Just an average joe in this regard. I have been looking to purchase a UAV for the longest time but still have not been able to find anything, I'm hoping some people on here can point me in the right direction.

I am wanting to purchase a UAV quadcopter VTOL type drone that is ready to fly out of the box or close to it, I don't have any knowledge in what parts do what or how to build one so please keep that in mind. Though flying/operating one I can do.
I am wanting this for search and rescue type applications and also for aerial videography, though high quality HD video is not necessary...trying to keep the price point down. As far as controls, I would prefer it be controlled and monitored via my ipad, or from a small briefcased monitor/control station - Open to options however.

I came across the perfect platform for what I need, the Cyber Technology "Cyberquad"

Unfortunately I just found out the price point is around $20,000...and that is just way out of my budget range. Since then I haven't been able to find any drones for my price range, or any at all really. The only other option I seen was the Parrot AR Drone which is more of a toy, after looking into it more the range just doesn't go as far as I need.

Can anyone help me out with this? My ideal budget is around $500 or less, less is always better but more is expected. Maybe there's a company/model I haven't found or maybe someone here builds customs?

Thanks for reading.