The Tiny Hawk (aka TinyHawk) range by Emax are hugely popular in the FPV community. Their all-inclusive starter kits are perfect for beginners to the hobby who don’t already own the required accessories and come in at a competitive price. However, Tiny Hawk drones are not just for beginners. By switching the flight mode into acro, these micro drones become super agile, fpv racing quads perfect for taking your skills to expert level.
In this article, I’ll go through two of the most popular models, the Tinyhawk 2 Freestyle and the Tinyhawk 3.
Emax Tiny Hawk Overview
Emax’s TinyHawk range started as a traditional woop-style drone with ducted propellers . This then morphed into the TinyHawk 2 Freestyle which looks like a small racing drone (which is what this company specialises in).
The Tiny Hawks are one of their most popular product lines. Other models include the Hawk, BabyHawk, NanoHawk and CineHawk but Emax also sell parts for DIY FPV drones.
TinyHawk 2 Freestyle Drone
The Tinyhawk 2 Freestyle is a very affordable all in one FOV kit for getting started. The main competitor for this model is the Beta FPV Kit. To see a overview of the Beta FPV Meteor check out the Micro Drones article.
This model has a few differences to the original Tinyhawk 2. Even though it’s suitable for beginners, it’s designed for adults – not kids. The Tinyhawk 2 Freestyle doesn’t have any prop guards but the props are really robust. The plastic they use is the same stuff skateboard wheels are made of so anything the propellers hit is likely to come off second best! The props are 2.5″ in diameter compared to 1.5″ on the original TinyHawk model. These larger props and improved motors were upgraded in response to the FPV community feedback, to make the drone speedier and more exciting to fly.
Flight Modes on the Tiny Hawk 2 Freestyle
What makes the Tiny Hawk 2 Freestyle the ultimate trainer is how well it performs in each flight mode. The 3 flight modes are easy, intermediate and advanced. These are selected with the top right switch (diagram below).
In easy mode the angle of the drone body stays fairly flat in comparison to it’s flight path. This makes the drone easier to control and limits the speed.
In intermediate mode the drone can fly on a limited angle and in advanced mode there is no limit at all. You have complete control, this is where things get wild!
Camera
The camera on the Tinyhawk 2 Freestyle is the Runcam Nano 2. This camera provides clearer footage with it’s 1/3″CMOS sensor than the 1080p EMAX cam on the original version.
It’s also compatible with the 360 Go but the extra weight of carrying a camera will slow down the drone and deplete the battery faster.
Battery & Flight Time
The flight time on the Tinyhawk 2 Freestyle is about 4 minutes which is pretty standard compared to FPV drones from iFlight or Beta FPV.
A lot of FPV pilots prefer the Tinyhawk 2 Freestyle because it feels like flying a full size 5″ quad but it’s light, weighing under 250g. The power to weight ratio is spot on. It’s also a lot quieter which is great for indoor flying.
TinyHawk 3
The TinyHawk 3 looks very similar to the woop design of the original TinyHawk 2 but is more robust and has better motors. It’s designed to be flown indoors so it’s a great option for winter when you need something with good control to zip around the house.
The drone body is a typical woop style with fixed ducts (propellor guards). The flexible plastic used for the body makes this drone super robust. It just bounces off walls and doors and keeps on flying.
The duct design also does a really good job of protecting the motors which are nicely encased. If one of the motors does need to be replaced, they plug straight in but in my experience, the motors are really durable.
Battery & Flight Time
The TinyHawk 3 comes with a 1s battery but it can also run on a 2s for more power. It’s a good idea to buy a couple of 2s batteries anyway because they’ll give the drone the juice it needs to fly outdoors in slight winds. Flying the TinyHawk 3 outside on a 1s battery isn’t impressive, it’s too light and gets blown around by wind.
On the 1s battery the TinyHawk 3 get about 4 minutes flight time.
Camera
The camera on the TinyHawk 3 is a RunCam Nano 4 which has a 1/3″ 800TVL high res sensor. This lens is good for correcting image distortion. The TinyHawk 3 can also carry the 360 Go but you’d need to use a 2s battery to power the extra weight.
Wrap up on Tiny Hawk drones
Overall, Emax has produced some really awesome micro FPV drones that can take you all the way from beginner to expert freestyle drone racing. Another really impressive freestyle FPV drone manufacturer that you might be interested in is Flight. They have a huge range and some awesome racing drones.
Although both the examples I’ve covered here are all-inclusive kits, both drones can be paired with many other controllers and FPV goggles. So if you’re an experienced drone pilot these Tiny Hawk drones can be purchased separately rather than buying equipment you don’t need.
