Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it Henry Cavill in a cape? Well, unfortunately, it’s not likely to be Henry Cavill, but you might find yourself glimpsing strange shapes sifting through the summer skies. These are most likely to be drones (or possibly UFOs), the millennial version of remote-controlled toy planes, that have taken gadget lovers by storm. If you’re intrigued by these flying gizmos, then keep on reading…

Illuminator Drone

If you’ve had your interest peaked by drones and fancy giving one a bit of a test-drive, check out this Illuminator Drone available from Menkind. Perfect for beginners, this model is easy to pilot, as it comes with a Headless mode, which enables you to fly it based on your position, and includes auto-return, letting you bring the drone back to its original starting point.

As its name suggests, this drone is also handy for a bit of night-time-flying; the Illuminator Drone is equipped with some cool illuminated blade guards, with LEDs that make it easy to spot in the dark, giving you even more of a chance to practise your piloting skills. At £39.99, this little drone is a fun way to re-live flying your plane models freely in the great outdoors, or get kids excited about flying. The drone’s small size also comes in useful, as it is more practical to test both indoors and outdoors.

Ryze Tello Drone Powered by DJI

If you’re feeling more adventurous with piloting and want to channel your inner Maverick, try out the £99 Ryze Tello Drone Powered by DJI. This drone is packed with cool flight controller which lets you test out awesome flying stunts, as well as a Throw & Go feature, which lets you get started simply by throwing the drone in the air, and the Bounce Mode which lets the drone fly up and down from your hand automatically. It even comes with failsafe protection, meaning that if you lose connection, the drone will still land.

What’s more, you can take quick 720p HD videos and 5MP still photos with the Tello Drone, which is programmed with a 100m video transmission distance, and a battery life for flights up to 13 minutes long. By downloading the Tello app on your Smartphone, you don’t even need to worry about using a controller. And if you really want to get that Top Gun-feeling, you can get an amazing first-person view by connecting Tello with your smartphone VR headset, putting you in the pilot’s seat.

FX-179 Selfie Drone

This gadget doubles as both a drone and a selfie-stick – the ultimate millennial crossover. With its 720P camera, the FX-179 Selfie Drone captures photos straight to your device, allowing you to immediately update your social media with a cool birds-eye-view. It also comes packed with other cool features, such as Headless Mode, Facial Tracking and Optical Flow Positioning – i.e. the drone takes a photo of the ground underneath it, as a reference point in case it starts to drift away.

And as Facial Tracking indicates, the drone can recognise you based on your facial features, allowing it to track your position for another quick selfie. The pocket-sized drone is practical to fold down and open back up the moment a photo opportunity arises, allowing you to catch the perfect snapshot. This drone is available from Menkind at £149.99.