Eight minutes, two batteries

There’s a specific kind of joy in flying something you don’t need a license for. No flight plan, no permits, just you, a remote, and a small drone that’s ready to go the second you press a button.

The Elite Drone MKX keeps things simple. One-key takeoff and landing gets you airborne before you’ve had time to overthink it, and the 2.4GHz remote holds a steady connection out to about 50 meters — plenty of room to explore the yard without losing sight of the thing.

Once you’re up, you can push it to 20 km/h, attempt a 360° stunt flip because you have to know if you can stick the landing, or just cruise low and let the LED lights do their thing as it gets dark.

The dual camera streams over Wi-Fi to your phone, which clips right into the holder on the remote, so you get a live look at whatever’s below — low-res, a little grainy, genuinely fun anyway.

Two rechargeable batteries mean two full flights before you’re back on the charger, and a return assist function is there for when you’ve flown a little farther than planned.

Compare today’s SideDeal price with other retailers
$40 at Amazon