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DRONES ?
- Thread starter mjbff
- Start date
richc
NES Member
I have a Mavic Pro Platinum bought a few years ago. I use Litchi for preprogrammed flight missions. Or sometimes I just freehand around the area.
Here's a video I took a few years back up in Nova Scotia. It was a crystal clear day with little wind. I was on a hill so I had plenty of line of sight range. IIRC I sent the drone out 12,500+ feet and then brought it home with the video camera on.
It's just fun!
Rich
Here's a video I took a few years back up in Nova Scotia. It was a crystal clear day with little wind. I was on a hill so I had plenty of line of sight range. IIRC I sent the drone out 12,500+ feet and then brought it home with the video camera on.
It's just fun!
Rich
chinalfr
NES Member
One advice on drone, drone tech advanced very quickly. Price drop also very rapidly. If you have the budget, get something good. If you just want to start flying, a cheaper older drone work too. Only invest what you can afford.
New DJI drone is releasing on April 27.
New DJI drone is releasing on April 27.
ReluctantDecoy
NES Member
Yeah, they do tend to have less features making them less flight-friendly, but the Mavic Mini does have one important one over other DJI drones. It's only 249 grams. 1 gram under federal registration weight limit.
I fly a Mavic Pro, it is 3 years old now iirc, I have only had one problem with it (gimble cable) in all the time I have had it, and I have hundreds of hours in the air.
The Pro2 is a nice upgrade...
If you go get one make sure you put a "reward if found call XXX-XXX" label on it, it is amazing how many of those things have gotten away from their owners.
DO NOT fly low over water, the downward facing sensors get all wonky and it tries to become a submarine, most of the time successfully unless you are paying attention.
Beginner mode is your friend
Tripod mode is your second best friend.
Don't cheap out on the memory card, it has to write fast and have large capacity
The people on this forum are pretty sharp: Mavic Pilots website
Study and learn the things you need to know to be a Part 107 FAA licensed sUAV Airman, as a commercial operator you get to do a lot of things a recreational operator does not, including being able to get FAA permission to fly inside of controlled airspace and it drops the requirement that you have to notify every airfield including hospital and business park heliports within a 5 mile radius of where you are going to fly, and there are a lot more of those out there than you think.
As a Part 107 you can sell your work or use it for non personal use legally.
You can also get permission for night flights.... it takes some work but it can be done.
Get some Cree Strobon lights and mounts, trust me once that thing gets 200 feet up it is near impossible to find once you take your eyes off it and try to find it in the sky again.
I have pictures that have been used commercially or published , I don't do many real estate flights, but I do stuff for websites.
The Pro2 is a nice upgrade...
If you go get one make sure you put a "reward if found call XXX-XXX" label on it, it is amazing how many of those things have gotten away from their owners.
DO NOT fly low over water, the downward facing sensors get all wonky and it tries to become a submarine, most of the time successfully unless you are paying attention.
Beginner mode is your friend
Tripod mode is your second best friend.
Don't cheap out on the memory card, it has to write fast and have large capacity
The people on this forum are pretty sharp: Mavic Pilots website
Study and learn the things you need to know to be a Part 107 FAA licensed sUAV Airman, as a commercial operator you get to do a lot of things a recreational operator does not, including being able to get FAA permission to fly inside of controlled airspace and it drops the requirement that you have to notify every airfield including hospital and business park heliports within a 5 mile radius of where you are going to fly, and there are a lot more of those out there than you think.
As a Part 107 you can sell your work or use it for non personal use legally.
You can also get permission for night flights.... it takes some work but it can be done.
Get some Cree Strobon lights and mounts, trust me once that thing gets 200 feet up it is near impossible to find once you take your eyes off it and try to find it in the sky again.
I have pictures that have been used commercially or published , I don't do many real estate flights, but I do stuff for websites.
I have a Pro zoom, a pro 2, and a spark. I live in Brockton and would be happy to do a small demonstration for you if we can during (or after) the pandemic.
I have been considering selling the pro 2 or zoom or both?
There is a mavic forum which may help aslo.
MAVIC PILOTS
I think DJI is more or less the gold standard for consumer drones. I have a Mavic Pro that I play with from time to time. The images will never be as good as you want them to be (unless you’re willing to shell out some serious cash), but it’s a fun toy to play with and gives a really unique perspective on the world.
Don't the drones have GPS that blocks their usage in controlled areas? If you have a license are you able to get that feature disabled or removed from your drone?
they are geo-fenced, for example if there is a NOTAM directive saying no flying because of a MLB, NFL, Div 1, NASCAR race, Presidential Visit, etc, then it won't even let the props spin in GPS mode, in WiFi mode it might let you get 20 feet up and 20 feet away....
If you look at the sectional chart for Boston Logan, you sill see there is an 8 nautical mile circle around the airport, that is Class B controlled airspace from the ground to X thousand feet ( I forget at the moment and I am too lazy to pull up a chart to look)
You can not legally as a hobbyist or commercial( part 107) operator fly there.
Hobbyists don't have the option of going online and filling out a request and getting clearance. Part 107 operators do
As a Part 107 I have gotten permission to fly in Medford, below 200' AGL, when I was under the flight path for one of the KBOS runways and there were jets at 1500' AGL above me.
The approval is entered into a system that will let my drone props spin and let me fly.
Where I am in FL. I am about 2.2 miles from a fly in community Pine Shadows Air Park (94FL)
In theory a hobbyist is supposed to notify the airport every time they fly within 5 miles of an airfield, where I fly under Part 107 I am exempt from that.
So I can legally fly as long as I operate in a manner that does not endanger other aircraft and I give planes and helicopters the right of way...
Part 107 sample test : FAA Part 107 Test Questions (65 Questions Explained) [2019] -
I might buy one if you're selling , was looking into one for my company
I use 2 different apps, the DJI App for flying the drone, then there is another app called AIRMAP that I can use to get almost instantaneous approval thru the FAA LAANC ( Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability system ) plus NOTAM's and other information. My Airmans certificate info and drone registration info is on file with them.
If a drone is used for anything outside of personal use, as in the furtherance of a business (anything except your own pleasure) you have to have a commercial (part 107) license.... not that people are not using drones for commercial use ( roof inspections, real estate pictures and stuff) and chances are you'll never have a problem, but if something did go wrong, it can get real messy.
greencobra
NES Member
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i'm too old to fly a drone. tried to do it a few years ago and found the learning curve very steep. i gave it to the neighbors kid and she was successfully in flight in an hour...maybe a little longer, lol. me, went back in the house and put an lp on the turn table and was thankful i maneuvered the tone arm down onto it without incident.
Some of the newer ones make it fairly fool proof. Sensors all around to avoid hitting anything, can identify and track you automatically, or just hover / fly to a predetermined location and film. Honestly sounds like a nightmare come true for a few regulars on here...
edin508
NES Member
First camera drone, get a used Mavic Pro and save some money. The Mavic 2 is a great platform but there are some great deals on the Pro which is still a great drone, just not the latest and greatest.
greencobra
NES Member
- Joined
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this certainly doesn't sound like the drone i had, censors....wtf?
I’ve come to learn that no matter what, there will always be fool big enough such that you could never proof against them. “Fool resistant” has become my phrase of choice.
I could have gotten a low hour Pro from Florida Drone Supply a few months ago for $300 without the controller, I almost grabbed it just to have a spare.
Controllers are cheap as guys that have lost their drones are always selling off the spare batteries and controllers.
The Pro, even with the camera it has, is still more drone than most people will ever be able to get all the function out of. I have yet to try "fixed wing" mode... someday I'll get brave and give it a go.
I am very risk adverse, my only long flights have been in Florida over the open field in back of my house.. it is about 2 square miles of grass and cows. I like dropping in on the cows and seeing what they are up to ( see below)
I am always afraid I will damage it,or it will not come home. I always "stick fly" mine and in 3 years I have had 2 instances where the communications got screwed up and I had to use the panic button (RTH, return to home) to get it back to me.
I haven't been following drones lately.... what are the rumors for what they are releasing on the 27th?
I bought the Mavic Mini last year, would not work, was on with online tech support for 3 hours until they finally agreed that it really doesn't work. I had to return it. Sad.
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