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Published: 03 September 2019

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An American aerospace company, Bell has confirmed the 'Autonomous Pod Transport' (APT 70) drone has completed successful test flights.

Bell’s APT 70 is the first of an all new electronic vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) family of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's) the company is developing. It can reach speeds of over 100mph (160KPH if you're outside the UK) and has a payload capability of over 30 kilograms. I'll have to shed a few stone before it can carry me and they aren't going to win any design awards for it for sure. It kind of looks like a huge DJI Inspire that someone has chopped in to pieces and glued back together!

The successful first autonomous flight of the Drone named APT 70 took place at a company testing site near Fort Worth in the United Staes. Bell says it plans  further testing under an ‘experimental type certificate’ from the FAA in the States throughout the rest  of 2019. It is not conformed yet when this might land in the UK.

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Published: 10 May 2019

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This is a small comparison between the DJI Inspire 1 and DJI Mavic 2 (Zoom and Pro). There are lots of comparisons on line for the Mavic 2 V the Inspire 2 but they miss something. You have around £1,000 to spend on what might well be your first drone. This isn't really about image quality because it is kind of well known that the Mavic 2 Pro camera is better quality than the Inspire X3 camera. The chip in the X3 is actually the same as the Mavic 2 zoom but the Mavic 2 zoom has some clever tricks up it's sleeve One nil to the Mavic 2 but read on.... 

The short answer is if you can afford two drones then go and buy one Mavic 2 and one Inspire 1. Well actually you'd want three as the Mavic 2 Zoom and Pro are both great in their own right. The long answer is each drone has it's advantages and disadvantages. The two main factors of why I prefer flying the Inspire is I can fly it further with ease. I can fly it higher with more ease. At 400 feet high, the Mavic is a dot, The inspire is so much easier to see. The Mavic, you can't tell which way around it is flying, the Inspire is easy to tell. Most people that are looking for an Inspire want or have a License. They want to use it commercially in the end and the DJI Mavic looks like a toy, where as the Inspire looks the business. Looks shouldn't matter hey but often they do! 

I have both drones, I opted for the zoom as I find it more versatile but I still fly the Inspire far more often than I fly the Mavic. Perhaps it is just a comfort thing but you're actually comparing something that was new around three times the price. The chances are The Inspire 1 will be still flying way after the Mavic 2 has come and gone. The Inspire handles its self in such an elegant way. In a gust of wind the Inspire 1 just sits there and takes it where as the Mavic often struggles to cope. So if you are just starting out on this path then my first choice would be a good solid used Inspire 1. I know I'm slightly biased because I sell pre-owned Inspires but I only sell them because I'm 100% confident in the product and I've used one for so long. On the flip side, if you are just flying for fun (or you need something really small) and you want something portable that you can take hiking up the mountains / hills etc, then the Mavic might be for you. You could also consider the original Mavic (1) also. The Magic air isn't really a contender as it works off wifi and it can be extremely problematic. Having said that, the image quality is better than the original Mavic 1. 

My verdict : Inspire 1 still wins on overall value for money and capabilities.