Skydio 2 - The End of an Era - Final Flight
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- Sadly, today August 2nd Skydio announced that they are exiting the consumer drone business. I got the drone out and flew it for what very well may be my final flight. I'm sad and disappointed that consumers will have one less choice for camera drones. It was great fun while it lasted!
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Business email: IdahoQuadcopter@Yahoo.com
Actually, I lost respect for Skydio some time ago because they are a major lobbyist to Federal, State, and Local entities for elimination of DJI drones in the public sector, and even the consumer sector.
Of course they are. If you sell drones, why would you NOT want your main competitor out of the market your trying to sell too.
I doubt that the real answer is as simple as many would have us believe. It was great to have a domestic DJI competitor. Now we don't.
Same as DJI, they are not just a lobbyist to CCP, they are working for them 😀
I doubt federal agencies want Chinese made drones with gps, microphones, camera feeds and WiFi to used on US government operation projects. lol. Of course the feds are going to use secure enterprise US made options. lol.
@@zupp.social Where is the proof of that? The only issue Skydio has is that they are not as experienced or capable as DJI. DJI has complied with any changes the government in the US has demanded. The truth is what Skydio is doing should never be allowed. Millions of Americans will be affected both professionally and as hobbyists.
For anyone wondering what the ongoing support for Skydio 2 looks like, I was gifted a skydio 2 purchased in 2019 with the pro kit, and have been corresponding with skydio support to get the drone updated through years of backlogged versions. They've been active and responsive in helping me get this drone flight-worthy again!
Yes, their customer service is quite good!
Thanks for all your help yesterday! It was great to fly with you :). Also, I am gutted by Skydio's announcement as competition is good for drones AND consumers.
It was absolutely my pleasureTania! Thank you!
It's a real tragedy that skydio are pulling out of the consumer market, in the end we all lose with a lack of competition. DJI definitely caught up with their tracking, but now they have little incentive to be competitive on price. Great video, Marcus 👍
Yes Alan, sadly DJI tracking is nowhere even close to what this drone can do. I recently tested the Skidio 2 and the Air 3 back to back, and the Skydio 2 blew it out of the water from a tracking perspective. It's a loss for the consumer drone world for sure.
DJI will compete with itself, with self improvement.
@@IdahoQuadcopter if the drone was so good, why leave the market? Skydio unfortunately is a corrupt company. They could have focused on innovation, but instead decided to lobby under the table to get rid of DJI. This is something that seems to sit well with some people, but when there is truly no innovation we will hear from the same people first.
I was an early adopter as well. I don’t believe I’ll sell mine as it’s a unique moment in drone history.
I'm not completly sure that I'll sell mine either. It was an emotional day.
My father was stationed at Meridian. I lived there. Mississippi. And I left a comment, that there were none being sold, no stock. Glad you read them.
I was stationed at So.Weymouth Mass. The most over 5lbs bass I ever caught, was in cranberry bogs. Every time we fished them. Great fishing, I will never forget.
Yes, sadly it looks like no one will ever be able to buy a new Skydio drone ever. 🙁
Just found your video and it is 1 year old. I just got my FAA ID updated and took the recreational flyer test to get that certificate. Not interested in flying commercially and I was surprised when you mentioned that it would update and provide RID. I bought a cheap module to stick on and thought I would have to use that. Looks like I have to do some more research to see if the drone will do the RID it self. I bought a Solo 3DR and flew it a few times and having to put the Hero camera on it was not convenient. Only flew the Skydio around my back yard a couple of times. Bought the same things you did and then after all the anti drone stuff that was going on I decided to just put everything on the shelf. Now I want to fly before I can't and hope that I can stay out of trouble. I bought my adult son a DJI FPV drone and he has never flown it at all. Hoping to get him motivated to get it charged up and flying. Still frustrated with all the hassle of registering and all the restricted areas. I flew control line model planes for many years starting at about 10 years old and was some the best fun and friends I ever had. Subscribed and will be watching.
It's great to hear you are enjoying the video and I hope you get your son flying! Yes, the Skydio 2 is standard remote ID compliant now. I would be careful trying to attach a module to it as it could affect the vision sensors. Thank you for watching!
Let’s get that-bird in the air for the last time
Sad but true Robert. 😥
Great drone. Yes it’s a sad day. They’ve continued to improve it that’s why it’s so sad. They have control work on the flight connectivity for longer range as you noted. If you are high enough without obstacles you can get her way out there. Again. Way beyond VLOS. It’s tracking is impeccable and the camera has gotten better as well. The new features of panorama shots is awesome and adding tech to make it compatible with remote ID was a good consumer oriented decision. It is truly a sad day Marcus. We need more of this tech for consumers to fly safely.
Yes, the drone was a revelation when it was introduced, and they steadily improved it. It's a loss for consumers.
The S2, S2+ and X2 are all the same internal processing engine. When they update one it updates all. My guess is that they'll be introducing new hardware next month that might break compatibiliy with the Skydio 2 series. Once they EOL the X2 that will be it.
I always enjoy your videos and candor Marcus.. I have been a DJI aficionado for quite some time; for only one reason - they do it better than anybody else. However, the lack of any real competition for them will hurt us consumers more than most are willing to consider at this time. There is no reason for DJI to continue to push the technology forward at the same pace as in the past and there is no reason for them to hold prices down (to a competitive level). But possibly as important is the lack of a "spokesman" representing consumer drone manufactures to the FAA or other agencies in other countries. We all benefit from competition and the lack of will cost us much.
And there is a real potential that DJI could be banned in the US. Sad news indeed.
Beautiful place !!
Thank you for watching!
If they would release one just like it but with a remote made as well as the drone and something at least like occusynch 2.0 they’d have a killer product on their hands. Especially if you had the option to turn sensors off in manual flight with the controller for night flying.
Exactly Sean! I know you were a big proponent of the S2 early on, but you have always been upfront about the drones deficiencies too.
@@IdahoQuadcopter they give dji a run for the money if they just made a better controller with a better signal.
I was hoping Skydio would create a mini drone. That would be cool to see a tiny blue version of the original!
Ha! That would have been something!
Marcus, nice video 👍 saying farewell to your Skydio 🇺🇸.
I’m hoping 🤷 Dji will someday send us a firmware update improving the RTH landing precision of the Mini 3 Pro.
Thank you! One thing about DJI, is that they're always improving!
I enjoyed this video. An oldie but a goodie.
Thank you Steve, it was a fun drone to fly.
Many thanks for making this video and letting us know about Skydio but it was limited to the market and comes with a big cost. Many thanks for sharing the info Marcus :)
It was an amazing product Shaun. DJI is really our only choice now.
Hi Marcus, it's always somewhat sad to see a drone drop into the drone dustbin of history. Recent Skydio politics was making me sick. So long Skydio and good riddance.
I disagree Richard. They made a great product, and we all lose without a DJI competitor.
Hi Marcus, IMO Skydio was never a DJI competitor.If it was, I would own one. Autel came close to DJI in the consumer market, but even that is ending. It now seems that DJI will be competing with itself. Too bad.
Thanks for your flight and observations about Skydio.
It is absolutely my pleasure! Thank you George!
Why is "final flight" ? You want to throw it away,or what ? It's a good drone, keep flying !!!
Skydio is sunsetting the drone. 😥
@@IdahoQuadcopter surely it can still be flown just not supported?
Exactly, keep flying!
Shame to hear Skydio is pulling out of consumer market. One thing I have noticed is that everywhere is quiet. Basically a whole park to yourself. So lucky, no chance of that where I live..
Yep, I was there at a not so busy time. 👍
How do I know that my S2 can be updated? Then what is the latest firmware version as well as software.?
It will prompt you on your mobile device for an update. 👍
Its such a shame that dji can not get this technology in there drones even if they downgraded the camera because i know it takes alot of processing with the cameras so it would take alot if it had the sort of tracking the skydio do...anyways Marcus ive just purchased the autel evo lite plus based on watching your quality videos and it has not disappointed me. Looking forward to take it on my holidays along with my mini 3 pro. Keep up the great work Marcus 😁👍👌🇬🇧
Thank you @UKBUBBLERS! You will really like the video quality from that Lite+!
The mini 3 pro and air 3 track just fine
If Skydio doesn't want to participate in the consumer market, and it sounds like they were basically just phoning it in recently, they should sell it off! There is a lot of potential and its an American company.
I doubt they'd want to sell off their tech.
My miss my Skydio 2+, crashed it, thought the 3 was coming out, now im wondering if i should get it fixed.
It's a great drone! I'd say it's probably worth fixing.
@@IdahoQuadcopter so I would still be good to fly even though they are catering to the big guys? If not, how long before they say the consumer version can not fly anymore?
Is Autel Robotics going to be the next manufacturer to officially withdraw from the consumer drones market? Nothing official but they have not updated firmware on the Nano/Lite for some time now. Nor has Autel come out to deny the rumours.
I've been hearing the same thing, Ross. It's too bad. I like DJIs products, but we need a healthy competitor.
MFD sweeps through the parks with various Engines as part of their preventative activities.
That ladder truck looked brand new. 👍
what I can tell is the gimbal is not very steady, other than that it's impressive for an older drone.
Thank you!
In your opinion what is the best tracking drone (consumer) right now given Skydio have pulled out ?
I would say any of the top tier DJI drones.
Over time, I've grown to question their consumer product strategies, or lack of, sans its superior tracking. DJI has kicked their butts across the board. I do feel for those drone enthusiasts who took the plunge and are now facing looming "end of product life" issues. No comment on their future endeavors? Kudos for giving them a fair shake all these years. Thanks for sharing and not editorializing. Time to sell that puppy as it no longer complements your Channel's formula.
It was a nice thought that we would have a domestic competitor for DJI. Sadly it's over now. Thank you Del!
A US Company has a huge challenge competing with companies in China like DJI, specially in technology. The government in China subsidizes some of these companies with tons of R&D money, and they are not under pressure of investors and wall street like US companies are to. maximize every penny and constantly grow profits. They also have cheaper labor, and a large pool of engineers and workers and much less regulation. That's why it's hard for a company like Skydio to do everything, they need to cover the government gap that the DJI ban left in the US.
DJI needs a beacon, it will crush the market when they do.
Looks like they are following the route Parrot took. Consumer tech is a tough business. I worked for IBM when they sold their PC business to Lenovo. Just digesting the fact that IBM wouldn't be selling COMPUTERS anymore - at least the ones that they changed the world with -was a bitter pill. The assembly and shipping areas, all empty and quiet. Disturbing images. Like Detroit as the the US Automobile industry imploded.
I am just a big cup of cheer this morning, huh?
Corporate decisions can be so weird. I worked for a Dairy manufacturer that had a world class logisitics department. A consultant convinced them to outsource. I watched my entire career's work get dismantled overnight. And oh yes, once outsourced their logistics costs literally doubled.
@IdahoQuadcopter Yes, one of those times when there is absolutely no joy in "I told you so".
Final flight? Why? The drone will still fly, support and part sales will remain. It's not like they're grounding all drones...
You never know. I might fly it again.
you should keep your skydio drone no traking like it and obstacle avoidance
I agree! It tracks better than any other drone!
Tracking
Great video Marcus 👍🏼 it’s hard for a small company to do everything, specially with the DJI ban for government and the increase in demand, they will need all hands on deck to fill the gap..
Thank you, Chris, I suspect you're right. They need the engineering talent.
Nice video Marcus!!! I had my order in when the Skydio first came out. Cancelled it as I'm more of a casual flyer, and not much into tracking. For those who do want tracking. Excellent drone!!! I wonder if skydio knows that DJI will soon have something better, and Skydio will lose their market share. So maybe smart to work on military drones as the US won't buy DJI.😁
Skydio's tracking technolgy is the best in the business. I understand why the military finds it so compelling. Skydio is now firmly entrenched in the military industrial complex.
Skydio is also funding policies to shut down Chinese made drones!!
Have you heard anything about Autel ending the Nano and lite series drones ?
I have not, but it wouldn't surprise me.
Thanks for your awesome video
I really think you should keep your skydio 2 drone.
I just might. 👍 Thank you!
Hello. Love your videos! Where do you usually sell your drones? eBay takes a very big commission and was looking for another selling site.
I don't often sell any drones.
too bad. I think it was this drone system that forced other companies (not saying names...) to start developing a 360 obstacle avoidance. End of an era!
I agree! Competition is good for all of us.
I’m guessing they were given a contract by the government and part of the deal was a requirement to end their commercial version of the product.
I'm sure that's possible.
Maybe GoPro can take over! Partner with Skydio and make mini 240g drones for consumers then it would be great!🤪👍
Yeah, GoPro let us down too.
From day one I knew that they are suitable for enterprize market instead of consumer market.
Yeah, I think their defense business really took precedence over the consumer side.
Always sad to lose a drone option. The video quality looks pretty good on my monitor. I'd say it's at least as good as an Air 2. I wonder if Autel will be publishing a similar notice.
I get the feeling Autel is moving to enterprise products too.
Hi - why can't I find a message on Skydio's homepage confirming what you say, that they are exiting the consumer program.
They sent out a press release.
What a shame they stopped and never carried on making consumer drones at the rate DJI do 😢 They could have been a big competitor by now…
American companies are lazy- they'd rather regulate dji out of business then go toe to toe properly
It is sad Jackie. In the end it's we consumers that lose. 😥
Hi Marcus......Sad to lose that kind of tech to the consumer.
Thank you Jim! It sure is...
case landings are harder for it if there's a breeze. As an owner of a 3DR Solo this isn't my first time dealing with the end of a product line. But I think they are looking at what their investors want, not what's good for the community and ecosystem. Every time I demo the Skydio tracking skills for people they smile. It has "personality," and that makes it a great ambassador for sUAVs in general. My guess is they don't have enough revenue to have a loss leader product to get new market share. Maybe military pricing will make that possible and they can come back into consumer space sometime down the road.
By focusing war and police (industrial users are invisible) it will keep the public afraid of drones. It's already bad enough seeing footage from homebuilt and modified COTS drones being used in Ukraine. You can bet everyone who owns infrastructure or property is going to do what they can to lock out the airspace.
I suspect the ongoing European war has kicked the military's desire for intelegent autonomous drones into high gear.
I have the 2 plus and have had it up far sale before the news came out,i think i will regret selling it but it doesn't get flown as often as it should.I also think its a great drone and far ahead of any other for its obstacle avoidance,It is a shame skydio are shutting down the consumer market,seems all the good drone companies are doing this.
Yes, we're pretty much left with only DJI for consumer drones. It's sad.
Well, thankfully they are only shutting down THIER participation in the consumer market, not the market itself, lol - we knew what you meant 😉
Yea I heard about this a few weeks ago but I didn't believe it.
Yep, the rumors have been hot and heavy. Our uncle must be paying a lot for drones.
@IdahoQuadcopter believe it or not, I ran into a guy here in Chicago that uses a Skydio 2 and Skydio Enterprise software ($1500/year) to do building facade scans. Even he says he'd never use one to fly for anything else.
If they would be comparable to DJI for quality in the camera department I would much rather support a company that makes products in the USA. Sadly Skydio tried to ban DJI drones because I believe if they would've had a chance they should have launched another drone in 2021.
It was fun to be able to buy a US designed and built drone.
Video quality is great to me
Yes, it's pretty good. 👍
I wonder if this decision is based on the U.S. ban on Chinese drones (like DJI) particularly for Law Enforcement. Since Skydio is U.S. based it gives them a clear path to receive additional funding and support to advance their technology. Maybe 5 years from now Skydio will be back in the consumer market after they advance their drone technology and gain marketshare with the U.S. Government.
Great comment, you may very well be right!
I heard... Oh well.. Looks like DJI will/can , hike their prices even more. Autel is also (it is said) getting out of the consumer market... but that may just be rumour... Autel Robotics denies they are moving over .
You can’t help but concede to the fact that DJI has an unbeatable team producing an awesome line of products that consumers love
I suspect Autel is going all enterprise too GM. I love my DJI drones, but it's not good to have no competition.
interesting flight. shame to retire it, but you've so much to choose from loads better
Yeah, there's no other drone like the Skydio 2 though.
Dji don’t come close to the tracking on this.they need this tracking on their phantom
It works quite well!
Skydio drones just don’t have the value! especially selling it for used! Dji used drones have a great value even though Dji keep producing every months and year!
Action sports people love them.
What @mihaildorian said “..It's a good drone, keep flying !!!”
Thank you! It is a good one!
Sadly, I took the plunge and purchased the 2+. Now, it's a paperweight.
I'm still deciding what I want to do with it Barkley. I may hang onto it until it's little more than a trophy.
I don't understand this. It's been 6 months since you wrote this comment, and unless you crashed your drone, I bet it's still functioning. Just because the manufacturer discontinued a product doesn't mean the product you already have no longer works. I plan to use my Skydio 2 for years to come.
eBay scammers with zero feedback is taking advantage of this, and collecting your money while they deliver no drone or they say wait 14 days for delivery. Buyers beware
I saw some "too good to be true" eBay ads as well.
yes I saw one of those ads didn't think and bought it, a few days into no track shipping. I decide to message to seller. well now guess what he's no longer a member of eBay. and I just told eBay I cannot message him because he is no longer a member of eBay. they then check the seller to see if he sent the Drone, he had not done so so they just refunded my money, I was very satisfied how eBay took care of this, the only thing is my money won't be posted back into my account and probably till after Memorial Day. yes still waiting on the money with my fingers crossed
Well don’t get me wrong I absolutely love my DJI drones but what do we have left Autel will probably dump consumer drones and Fimi while a good drone has QC problems and can’t ever seem to get new models out on time ,finally Hubsan is kinda wishy washy especially since the whole EXO fiasco ,we need competition in the advanced consumer drone market and it looks pretty thin right now
Yeah Jimi, it appears DJI will be the only game in town for serious droners!
It’s an amazing and unique product that does things no other drone can. Why would you want to sell it? Who cares if the company is getting out of the market, I say keep it!
You never know. It does have some unique capabilities.
I dont understand. We barely have any domestic tech or anything to compete with foreign tech. They nit only stop selling to consumers from what i understand they are lobbying against other foreign consumer drones.
Yes, I wish Skydio would have continued in the consumer space.
v-coptr for the skydio
🤣😂🤣😂😁🤣😂🤣😂
I've reviewed about every consumer and budget drone there is. I've never found much intrest in Skydio. I'm really glad I never did. No disappointment here! 😎🌮🌮
It's a great product, I'm grateful that I was able to experience it.
DJI, DJI only !
I still have my Skydio 2. It's a good one.
Skydio vs EVO2 after Final Flight.
Yes, I suspect Autel is moving away from the consumer drone space too. 😥
nice skydio
Thank you!
Skydio betrayed all of it's original customer base. From now on I'll buy DJI...
I so understand.
That's too bad! They just want to follow the big money I guess! Hobbyists don't matter any more! So sad.
I'm sure the DOD is compensating them well. I'm glad our troops will have acess to this tech.
Hey Marcus Crawford
👍
I’m doing this today put both up for sale $3500 Canadian for both
They're perfect for action sports individuals. 👍
Just sold them as I was doing my last flight he lives in Vancouver British Columbia I am in Ontario Newmarket
He will pick it up next week
He is coming to Toronto on business
Im sorry, but no comparison. I dont care if its domestic. Its basically an 80s GM product. Trash
skydio has put me out of business
Oh no! I'm sorry to hear it!
How?!
Send the Skydio to Nephew Sammy.....😎 Trade you my FIMI 2020 X8 SE for it...
No deal there, but I do have three Fimi X8 SEs that I'll pay you $100 each to take. 😎🤣😁
@@IdahoQuadcopter 😂😂😂 Nice try. Stay safe my friend. Say hello to Sarah for me.
I love this drone so if you decide to sell, please keep me in mind 🙏
I'm still not certain that I want to sell it. 🙂
Completely sad all way around.
I agree!
Look at the camera, not the monitor.
That's a horrible drone...sorry. For what you paid you could have purchased a DJI Mavic 3 Pro with much more capabilities. Sadly, due to this company's efforts, we are all going to be prevented from using the best products. DJI is so far superior to this drone.
I'm a big fan of DJI drones and own many of them including the Mavic 3 Pro. This Skydio drone is a great piece of tech and I enjoy flying it.
It’s a toy and can not compare to DJI
I disagree, it tracks better than even the newest DJI drones.
@@IdahoQuadcopter if it was so good our law enforcement and first responders will be using it… DJI is a more dependable drone.. that is a fact..
@@Buffalosoulljah ua-cam.com/video/34xCS2yvzIY/v-deo.html