What kinds of features can you look forward to in the Ruko F11 GIM drone?
There are many! Today, toy class drones for both adults and children have gotten better. For example, on a single full charge, you are going to get up to 28 minutes of flight time. This is a good deal considering that the charging time is about 4.5 hours. However, for more fun, you need to order a spare battery or two.
Well, there are many good things to say about this drone. However, there are some downsides too. While these are really not deal breakers, it is important that you know about them. For instance, many newbie users complain that calibrating the quadcopter with the remote controller is too hard.
In addition, this drone does not have any form of obstacle avoidance. Therefore, you should only fly it in wide-open spaces.
Ruko F11 GIM Features & Technical Details
Here, we shall consider the physical features that this drone comes with. We shall start with the design, build quality, battery, camera and so on.
Design and Build Quality
By design, this is a foldable quadcopter. Therefore, when it is unfolded, it measures 17.7 by 15.9 by 3.2 inches. You can see that it is quite big. On the other hand, when it is folded, the size reduces to 6.9 by 4.1 by 3.2 inches. Therefore, you can see that it folds down to a small and compact size. This makes it good for packing to store or travel.
You will have to register this drone with the FAA or the civil aviation authority of your country. Most authorities require you to register any quadcopter that exceeds the weight of 250g. Therefore, weighing 585g, you can see that you need to register it. Thankfully, it is simple to register it online and it will only cost you $5.
For better flight performance, the Ruko F11 GIM comes with brushless motors. Therefore, the motors can fly long without overheating. In addition, they require minimal care and maintenance.
This drone is built with high quality material. The manufacturer uses ABS plastic, which is resilient, light in weight and protects the electronic parts well.
Camera Quality
This is a camera drone, with a 4K HD camera. Of course, many drones within this price range come with high-resolution cameras.
The camera comes with EIS – electronic image stabilization. Therefore, when the drone shakes or slants, the EIS kicks in to keep the photos and the videos that you take distortion-free. Therefore, even when you fly the aircraft in low velocity wind, it can take decent footage.
Since this drone also has a 2-axis gimbal, the flight system keeps it fairly stable all the time that it is flying. Therefore, the 2-axis gimbal also contributes to making the footage free of distortion.
To store videos and photos that you take with this drone in high resolution, you need to store them in a TF card. Thankfully, it has a slot for a card and it supports a size of up to 128GB. However, it does not come with the card, therefore you have to get one separately.
The drone is also FPV (first person view) enabled. However, for that, you should download the relevant app and make sure that it is compatible with your smartphone. For instance, it supports IOS v9.0, Android v5.0 mobile phones.
The camera also has 5 times zoom ability. Therefore, you are going to be able to take clear pictures of distant objects.
Battery and Flight Time
You will be pleased with the flight time of up to 28 minutes for one battery. In addition, this quadcopter comes with 2 batteries, so you will get almost 60 minutes. If you like, you can find out whether you can order a third battery for even longer flight time.
The charging time for one battery is a bit long at 4.5 hours, which is probably the reason why you get two of them. In addition, these are intelligent batteries, so you will always know how much voltage is remaining in the battery.
These are modular batteries so they charge out of the drone. In addition, the battery is easy to remove and insert. It is also safe to handle.
Remote Controller
If you like, you can fly this quadcopter entirely using the remote controller. However, you will not be able to access all the functions that it comes with. Therefore, you need to use the app too.
The remote controller is light in weight. It is also easy to use with buttons for different things. Therefore, even if you fly the F11 GIM blindly, you should still have a lot of fun.
The control range is huge at almost 5000 feet.
Flight Functions
This drone comes with a few flight functions. These make it easy to fly and have fun. For instance, it comes with the following:
Point of Interest
This is a GPS function. Therefore, you can engage it when you want the F11 GIM to fly around a certain monument taking footage from all angles. With proper editing, this function makes it possible to capture nice videos for YouTube.
GPS Positioning
GPS positioning helps your drone to hover steadily. In addition, it is coupled with the smart air pressure system. Therefore, when you want to capture steady video footage from a height, the drone will do a good job. At the same time, the drone can fly easily indoors.
Loss Protection
If you ever lose your quadcopter, just open the map interface on the app. It will show you the last position where the drone was recorded last. Therefore, you will know where to start searching for it.
Follow Me Mode
Get the quadcopter to recognize and lock onto you. In addition, it will follow you everywhere you go. In addition, it will keep taking footage.
Return Home
If you think the drone has flown too far, especially considering the long flight range, just punch the key for return to home. It will turn immediately and come home. Like follow me mode and point of interest, this is a GPS-assisted function.
Short Summary of Feedback from Existing Owners
I think this drone is too costly considering that it does not really come with any extra features. It should be at least $100 cheaper! Alex H.
I love having fun with this drone during the weekends. For that, I find the two batteries quite helpful. In addition, I am looking for a third battery. Tagashi J.
The brushless motors give this quadcopter a powerful performance. For instance, it can rack up a speed of up to 15m/s, which is quite good. Andy W.
This camera takes really good footage. The drone also flies very well thanks to the brushless motors. However, make sure you get a TF card to store the footage. Shannon P.
I think they should have thrown in a free TF card for this price. Otherwise, the drone flies really well. Conor P.
Ruko F11 GIM Pros
- Comes with a hard shell case for storage
- Two batteries and each with 28 minutes flight time
- Good flight performance from the brushless motors
- Distortion-free footage with 2-axis gimbal and EIS
- Camera has a zoom ability so you can get good shots from far away
- Many GPS-assisted functions
Ruko F11 GIM Cons
- It does not have the headless mode function
- The price is a bit steep
- The hard shell case looks a bit bulky
Who Should Buy The Ruko F11 GIM Drone?
This is a high quality quadcopter with long flight time, easy to fly and so on. However, there are no special features to warrant the high price. Therefore, you can buy it if you know you are going to have it for keeps, so that you can get the full value of your money.
The manufacturer gives the age rating as 14 years. Therefore, you can buy it for your teenage child as a gift. You can also use it yourself and you will love it.
Conclusion and Recommendation
If you get this drone, read the user manual before you can fly it. In addition, it has a long flight range for both the remote controller and first person view. Therefore, do not let it out of your sight, at least until you learn how it flies.
Since the Ruko F11 GIM quadcopter does not have an obstacle avoidance system, fly it in wide-open spaces. In addition, do not fly it where there are people or animals.
