Have you always wanted to try out drone racing? Well, today is your chance! Parrot, the French drone company, just launched the Parrot Mambo FPV (First Person Race) drone. It promises to be a compact, ultra-light, agile and fun to fly mini-drone, that also provides a First Person View (FPV) race experience.
We have not yet had a chance to try one ourselves but we’re hoping to do so soon and report about it here. If it is anything like the DJI Spark in sports mode that we did a first impression of earlier, it should be a lot of fun to fly.
The Parrot Mambo FPV
Let’s start with the features and specs on this new mini race drone. It comes in three different versions: the Parrot Mambo Fly, the Parrot Mambo Mission, and the Parrot Mambo FPV. See below for detailed specs and pricing information.
The first two options seem to be affordable and fun ways to get into drone flying, but if it is racing that you are after then it is the FPV package that you need. That package will offer you the Flypad, the FPV HD camera and the Cockpitglasses 2, both necessary for that real First Person View race experience.
Parrot advertises the Mambo FPV drone to be ideal for indoor racing, be it in the home or in the office(!). Friday afternoon drone racing at work, anybody? The Mambo drone offers 10 minutes of flying time and the HD camera provides a 120 degree viewing angle or Field of View (FOW) at 720p format. You can also use a microSD card (not included) to record photos or video. The view from the drone will be live streamed to your smartphone.
The Parrot Cockpitglasses 2
The Parrot Cockpitglasses 2 offer you that unique immersive bird’s-eye perspective and allows you to see exactly what the drone sees. Not only is this fun but for racing, this is a requirement. The Parrot Cockpitglasses 2 allow you to insert a smartphone up to 6 inches in size to provide the screen. The still wide field of view is reduced from 120 degrees to 96 degrees in this case.
The top speed of the Parrot Mambo FPS is 18mph (30km). Parrot promises the Mambo is very agile and zippy for all kinds of aerial stunts. For precision control the Mambo can be ordered with the Parrot Flypad, or without the controller the drone can be flown with the FreeFlight Mini app on your smartphone.
The Parrot Mambo is for sale right now and will start shipping this month.
Three different flight modes.
Easy mode – beginner mode with autopilot stabilizing the drone both horizontally and vertically as well as assisting in aerial maneuvers.
Drift mode – In this mode the horizontal stabilization is disconnected, allowing the drone to fly with quick precision and sharp turns.
Race mode – This is the ultimate race mode. The autopilot is completely disabled putting you in full control. You better know what you’re doing but this is where the fun is.
The various Parrot Mambo packages
Parrot Mambo Fly – $109.99 USD
- 1 Parrot Mambo
- 1 Set of propeller guards
- 1 Battery
- 1 USB/Micro USB cable
- 1 Quick start guide
Parrot Mambo Mission – $159.99 USD
- 1 Parrot Mambo
- 1 Cannon
- 1 Grabber
- 1 Snap accessory
- 1 Parrot Flypad
- 1 Set of propeller guards
- 1 Battery
- 1 USB/Micro USB cable
- 1 Quick start guide
Parrot Mambo FPV – $179.99 USD
- 1 Parrot Mambo
- 1 FPV HD camera
- 1 Parrot Cockpitglasses 2
- 1 Parrot Flypad
- 1 Set of propeller guards
- 1 Battery
- 1 USB/Micro USB cable
- 1 Quick start guide
Specifications
Parrot Mambo FPV
- Dimension with hull: 7×7 inch (180×180 mm)
- Weight: 2.22 oz. (63 gr) without propeller guards or accessories
- Max speed: 18 mph (30 km)
- Flight time: 10 min
Competition
Obviously, the DJI Spark comes to mind. The Spark also offers a very fast and zippy drone experience, as we wrote about here, but more expensive at $499 (or with the flight combo package $699) and without Goggles. The Spark does offer a higher speed, a better camera, and a longer flight-time.
DJI Spark
- Dimensions: 143×143×55 mm
- Weight: 300 g
- Max speed: 31 mph (50 km)
- Flight time: 16 min
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