Beagle NOVA FPV Drone on Kickstarter

by Florian GintenreiterNovember 16^th, 2020

Drones are not only incredibly useful tools for filmmaking, they are also fun. Dwight Neptune reached out to us regarding a new product his company “Beagle Drones” just launched on Kickstarter. And this one looks like a ton of fun.

Beagle Drones was founded in 2017 and took only a year to launch its first drone — an indoor aircraft named “Neo 1”. In early 2020 Beagle Drones began developing its 3rd drone, the NOVA. And a few days ago they released it on Kickstarter and they are already funded way beyond their initial goal of $5000.

The NOVA FPV drone in a nutshell

The NOVA is a tiny FPV (First Person View) drone that allows users to see in real-time what the drone sees, using goggles. When maneuvering around an environment, FPV allows for more precise flying.

The NOVA FPV weighs only 248 grams, so no FAA registration or drone license is required in the U.S. (In other countries different legislation may apply.)

The drone has a built-in camera than films in 4K 60/30 fps and 1080p 120/60/30 fps to a micro-SD card. The image is simultaneously transmitted to the FPV goggles for the pilot.

If that is not enough, an external action-cam — for example, a Go-Pro — can be attached to the outside of the drone.

The drone’s chassis is a sturdy black “cyberpunk-style” outer shell made from space-grade carbon-x material. Circular prop-guards protect the drone and everything around it from damage. Beagle Drones claim a flight range of 3200ft (~975m) for the aircraft.

Two batteries come with the drone. Each provides energy for around 7 minutes of flight and can be recharged in under 15 minutes

Flight Modes and Styles

The NOVA features different “modes” and “styles” that change the way the drone reacts to input. Cinema Mode is ideal for filmmaking as it provides smoother flights. Boost Mode unlocks more power and enables the drone to carry the extra weight when an external action camera is attached. Stability Style helps pilots to get controlled shots, by keeping your flight steady and balanced. Finally, Acro Style unlocks full access to drone controls without any assist. This enables you to flip around subjects and capture dynamic videos.

Our products, although technically an FPV product, it’s geared toward a content creator. That’s really who we build for. With the NOVA, you take it out of the box and you go.

Dwight Neptune, CEO

Pricing and Availability

NOVA is available on Kickstarter, starting at $369. Delivery is estimated to start in December for U.S. orders and in January of 2021 for international backers.

We mention this at the end of every crowdfunding-related article: Please be aware of the risks when backing a project on a crowdfunding platform. Please read the Accountability info on Kickstarter before backing anything. Keep in mind that there can be significant delays when delivering the product. Some projects even don’t get delivered at all.

If you have experience using FPV drones or are interested in the NOVA — please let us know in the comments!