> but during autorotation the terminal velocity is still much lower than if the blades were fixed
it's not that straightforward, whether or not braking or freewheeling causes more drag depends on the prop.
[1] https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?3753127-Freew...
There's no collective so you can't "flare" for landing like a helicopter, but during autorotation the terminal velocity is still much lower than if the blades were fixed.
The drones in this video fall a lot slower though. This looks like controlled descent, not autorotation.