HiSky HMX280 Quadcopter mid-sized racer – first look and review

This is a review and commentary on the HiSky HMX280 Quadcopter introduced in 2015 and available at Banggood using this link.

What is it? – the HM280 is an RTF (Ready to Fly) mid-sized quadcopter with powerful brushless motors. It comes complete with the Remote (TX), the quadcopter, a battery and a battery charger. It sells for approx. $175 which makes it a very good value in this category.

Who is it for? – These are not general purpose camera or hovering drones. Rather they are very active “sport” models which appeal to those who want to hone their piloting skills. Beginners as well as those who don’t care for manual piloting will not get the most out of this platform. However, if you want to become a REAL pilot and fly circuits around your local park or open space, this could make a good platform. The HM280 can also be fitted with FPV gear for the full immersive experience – but you had better be a good pilot first!

More General Specifics The HiSKY HM280 is based on a popular flight controller called the CC3D. This provides the “brains” of the quadcopter and is complemented by software which is inside the CC3D and in the Remote TX. These are “open” designs – meaning that anyone can develop and modify software and hardware based on the design. This provides maximum value (low prices) to the end user, as the designers of these drones do not need to reinvent the wheel.

The HM280 comes fully assembled except for the landing gear and propellers. A small phillips screwdriver is included so you won’t need additional tools. You’ll want to buy at least a 2nd battery (maybe more!) – a link to the proper battery is here.

Let me see it work – This is a fast and active quadcopter! In fact, probably too quick for me without some tuning of my piloting skills. The best way to look at this machine is through our maiden flight video – AND through the eyes of a younger (quicker reflexes) and more experienced pilot (coming soon!).

And so – we present two videos. The first is my setup and first flight(s) and the second (coming soon – Dronedude is currently flying this quad) is a more complete video review by DroneDude – Evan Lewis – who is a real (aircraft) pilot as well as experienced with reviewing many R/C products.

Enjoy!

—————–Initial First Flight and Binding———————-

—————–DroneDude Comments and Video (below).—————–

If you want to order the HiSky HM280 Quadcopter it is available at Banggood using this link.