The Pavo20 Pro II is a capable 2.5" whoop — compact, powerful, with a good camera and a surprisingly solid video link even on linear whip antennas. I wanted it as a mountain trip quad: something that fits in a jacket pocket, dives canyons, and has GPS Rescue as a genuine safety net. GPS is not included; I added a …

For years my drones travelled with me. A DJI Air first, then a Mini 3 — camera platforms that rode along on every trip, packed next to the rest of the gear. They were good at exactly one thing: hovering somewhere legal and taking a clean photo. That was the problem. Hovering at the permitted altitude, framing a …