Trying to figure out a more compelling use case for this drone..

What about a laser tag drone that hooks up to google cardboard? So two kids can have a dogfight in their backyard and maybe you can even go as far as to augment the sky with virtual drones for them to work together to down?

That's thing is definitely not for kids. From the video I see that it might get to quite a high speed and its quite heavy.

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2016/01/04/parrots-newest-drone-has-wi...

You won't be able to hover with that type of drone. With quad copter design you have more control on how the drone moves.

What if I slow down midair, let the nose drop and then go full reverse? Like a helicopter. Sure, it will spin uncontrollably, but I would be hovering.

This airframe is unlikely to have that capability, but so-called "3D flying" is a very well-established niche in the RC model aircraft hobby.

Start at 5:15 for an exciting transition from fast flight into steady hovering (note that yaw from the propeller can be corrected for): http://youtu.be/DDyRpiv5_ps

I haven't seen this much, but people have put collective pitch propellers on 3D models to support fast thrust reversing: http://youtu.be/6YkkZw9GVaU

Full-scale stunt planes can hover too: http://youtu.be/qvXGATdWhEk

Reading another post[1], it appears that the drone will reject maneuvers that could crash it.

"During the flight, the autopilot prevents any false maneuver which could bring the flying wing down."

[1] http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/4/10711178/new-parrot-disco-d...

Think of it like a propeller plane: the prop is enough to pull the thing forward but it doesn't generate more thrust than the weight of the plane

(thrust generated by the prop + the lift generated by the wings gets the plane in the air)

all of this attempting to have the prop helicopter the plane in the air is called a 'stall

I'm guessing (and really, just guessing) that they did a lot of surveys and found that a majority of their customers were using the flight plans, and moving over distances rather than spending a lot of time hovering. If that's true, a winged model makes all kinds of sense.

In return you get longer flight times.

For some reason, I laughed at "pilot tube" (it's "pitot tube". I guess I'm tired.

Interesting concept, though.

Poor copying from the source http://techcrunch.com/2016/01/04/parrots-newest-drone-has-wi... I'm guessing:

> The Disco also features a pitot tube, which is typically used on planes to measure airspeed.

Mistake, and corrected. Sorry.

45 minute flight time is awesome! going to be so much fun to fly this around with fpv goggles.

Are there any drones that marry quadcopter with fixed wing so the drone can switch modes? i.e. fixed wing for distance and speed and switch to quadcopter mode for maneuverability and staying in a fixed location.

Yes.[1]

The HQ drone takes off as a quadrotor on electric power, then transitions to gasoline-powered airplane mode. The quadrotors stop parallel to the fuselage, for minimum drag. Once airborne, it can stay up for 5-15 hours. This is most useful when you want to launch from a truck or boat and go searching for something.

[1] https://latitudeengineering.com/

Google Project Wing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRTNvWcx9Oo

Transition Robotics Quadshot: http://transition-robotics.com/

Second video has a shot of a feature list that says "Linux SDK."

Back in my day we called fix winged drones "model airplanes" /s

It's cool.. but I'm just not that impressed! People have been making wings that have rather tremendous flight times and top speeds for years... coupled with a Pixhawk or an Eagle Tree vector and you have something that will easily out perform. However this is a nice off the shelf solution.

Off the shelf is exactly why Parrot is so successful. It is harder than it looks to make it work perfectly every time for laypeople.

Is it water proof? Does it float?

Just curious – are these important factors?

By that, I mean, is the current Parrot offering water proof, and do they float? If they aren't and do not, I doubt this will deter buyers who would otherwise be buying a quadcopter from Parrot.

Who offers a water proof, floating drone?

Neat!

For me yes. For everyone else - I have no idea. The world is full of water, it even falls from the sky.

At 50 mph, it won't be waterproof after it hits the water, regardless!