The HoverAir Versa camera-drone combo has dodged the FCC ban — meet the drone taking on DJI

TL;DR: HoverAir's new Versa — a handheld gimbal camera that converts into a drone with an optional Flight Kit — just became the first consumer quadcopter to clear the FCC's foreign drone ban. The Flight Kit itself contains no RF transmitters, so it doesn't need its own FCC certification, even though it turns the camera into a flying drone. The Indiegogo campaign is live now, with pricing starting at $449.

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Credit: HoverAir

HoverAir Versa

$449 at Indiegogo

 

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HoverAir says it's pulled off something no other Chinese drone maker has managed since the FCC's foreign drone ban took effect: getting a flying camera cleared for U.S. sale. The company's new Versa has launched on Indiegogo, and, according to HoverAir, its modular design is what lets it slip past FCC restrictions that have kept competitors grounded.

The Versa is a compact camera built for solo creators and vloggers. It records stabilized video up to 4K at 60fps, uses a fairly large Type 1/1.3 image sensor, and includes an OLED touchscreen. HoverAir also claims up to 17.5 stops of dynamic range, which would put it ahead of every other vlogging camera on the market, including DJI's newer Osmo Pocket 4P.

Once the Flight Kit is attached, the entire setup weighs 230 grams, which is light enough to remain under the FAA's 250-gram registration threshold. That means recreational pilots won't need to register the Versa or attach a Remote ID transmitter to fly it. Commercial pilots, however, will still need an external Remote ID transmitter, sold separately.

How the Versa gets around the ban

Since December 2025, the FCC has blocked new equipment authorizations for foreign-made drones — a rule that already cost HoverAir once. Its Aqua drone launched last year but never reached American buyers because of the ban.

The Versa is built differently. On its own, it's a handheld, gimbal-stabilized vlogging camera, similar in shape to DJI's Osmo Pocket 3. What turns it into a drone is a separate accessory called the Flight Kit, a set of propellers that snaps onto the camera magnetically.

A HoverAir representative told our sister site PCMag why: the Flight Kit doesn't contain any RF transmitters, so it doesn't need its own FCC ID or listing, even though attaching it lets the camera fly. That means the camera and its remote control show up in the FCC database, while the Flight Kit doesn't — it just connects to the camera through magnets and small pogo pins for data and power, without triggering the same scrutiny drones typically face.

None of this is settled, though. The FCC has pulled approvals from devices shortly after granting them in recent weeks, so there's no guarantee this one sticks. But if it holds, the Versa would become the first consumer drone to reach the U.S. market since the ban on foreign drones took effect.

The Versa is live on Indiegogo now, which means you're funding the product before it ships, not buying a finished item outright. The camera alone is $449 through Aug. 20, then $499.