Drone Reviews: Thrust UAV Riot 250R Pro Quadcopter

When I first looked at the Riot 250R Pro in the box, I thought, “This thing looks slick, and I bet it is incredibly fast.” All of this quad’s integrated parts are protected inside polycarbonate skirts that surround the body. It is intended for the racing pilot with enough flying skill to take advantage of all it has to offer.

HIGHLIGHTS
The body frame is carbon-fiber construction, and the sidewall skirts are polycarbonate. This allows the inside LED light system to show through. You can program the system to display different colors, and this allows each pilot to have an easily identifiable aircraft.
The Riot comes fully assembled and just needs a guidance system installed. I used a Spektrum radio and a DSMX first-person-view (FPV) racing serial receiver. To install the receiver, I had to remove the top plate and props from the Riot’s frame using the included torx driver and plugged the Spektrum receiver into the flight controller. By connecting my computer to the flight controller and using the Betaflight-configurator software, I programmed a few small adjustments into the flight controller and my Riot was now ready to fly. The instructions for any radio receiver you might be using and how to configure it are at thrust-uav.com. Even though all the quad’s parts are neatly connected to the board, it would be easy to access and replace the parts if needed. Most will just require the removal of a solder joint or screws to separate them from the frame.

 

LIGHT IT UP!
The Riot Pro looks terrific, but when the lights come on, this bird is really sharp. Fifty-two LED lights come installed, and the polycarbon-ate side skirts diffuse the hard LED lights and blend them together, giving it a smooth look. The best part is that you can program the lights in a number of ways using the Betaflight-configurator software.
Enter the LED strip page and you will see that all of the LEDs are mapped out on the program display. Use the mouse to select all or some of the LEDs, and change them to any of the available colors. They are easy to set up to flash, stay solid, or pulse. They are so easy to change that I find myself going back in all the time just to get a different look. Once you try it, you will find that you can’t stop changing those lights!

AERIAL RECAP
When the battery is plugged in, this racer lights up and everything comes alive. The Riot has a good amount of power, and it can shoot around quickly. The view through the camera is sharp and easy to see, and the on-screen display gives instant feedback on vital flying information, including flight mode, battery voltage, current draw, flight time, and arming status. When the battery power drops, a low-battery warning comes across the screen so that you know it is time to land.
The Riot flight’s performance is very good, and I like how solid and stable it is in the air in all its flying modes. It tracks well at all speeds, and when adjusted, it can really make some sharp moves. While it is designed for the die-hard racing pilot, this is a bird that can easily be dialed down to a level that would make it a nice fit for novice drone racers.
With this-size frame, speed is the big attraction, and with a center location for the center of gravity, the Riot is a stable flier while still sporting that powerful charge out of the gates and fast top end. This is a solid racer that pilots of any skill level will enjoy.

BOTTOM LINE
This machine is fast while still easy to fly. It is nice to have a competitive drone that has everything installed so that there is very little setup to do. With all that is included, this is a hard drone to pass up.