Any drone flyers?

[86 ssinit]

Looking into getting a drone. The dji mavic pro. Seems like a popular drone looking for any advice (other than how to shoot them down). Guy at work has one. It flys for over 20 min. And can go as far as 4 miles away and can fly at up to 40 mph. Takes great pictures And videos. So looking for advice from anyone who flys drones.

[Eric Coffey]

I think DJI has pulled away from the rest of the pack, and are continually widening that gap. They are quickly becoming the GoPro of the drone world, and I am surprised that GP hasn't made a (buy-out) play for them yet.
So yeah, as long as you have the budget I don't think you can go wrong with that one. It packs up super-small and the image quality/stabilization is pretty amazing, considering it's tiny size. Have fun, post some vids!

[SCadaddle]

Don't be a DJI sucker. Read the article and the linked ones in red.


https://www.suasnews.com/2017/08/us-army-calls-units-discontinue-use-dji-equipment/

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by SCadaddle

Don't be a DJI sucker. Read the article and the linked ones in red.


https://www.suasnews.com/2017/08/us-army-calls-units-discontinue-use-dji-equipment/

Doesn't seem any more ominous than the data collecting efforts by the likes of Apple, Google, Facebook, etc.
IMO, the real question is why were .mil folks authorized to use (Chinese-made) commercial drones for anything to begin with?? Something of that nature typically goes through a bid and TDP process/testing/approval.
While their concern may be valid, it is aimed at a product designed and built for consumer use, which the procurement honchos either didn't understand, or simply ignored. Strange.

Regardless, DJI has already addressed the issue:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-drones-dji-idUSKCN1AU294
https://techcrunch.com/2017/08/14/dji-adds-an-offline-mode-to-its-drones-for-clients-with-sensitive-operations/
DJI Develops Option For Pilots To Fly Without Internet Data Transfer

[Geronimo '74]

Originally Posted by Eric Coffey

They are quickly becoming the GoPro of the drone world,!

Sure hope not!
GoPro has been overtaken by more than one action cam brand and is now trying to catch up and failing at it...

Really diggin' the dji drones..

[HardDrive]

I have a UDI U818A. Love it. It's a light weight entry level drone. Only cost me $50. I have gotten hours of use out of it. Great starting point.

[86 ssinit]

Ok thanks for replying. Eric do you fly drones? I've read a lot of info on the mavic and it's all good looks like it's the Weber of drones. Just looking for user views of flying drones. SCaddle really? It's a drone why worry about conspiracy. I think the Chinese want all our selfies. Reason military may have stopped use may be because most of the drones being used are personal drones military personal brought with them. I know 10 years ago soldiers used to bring rc cars and trucks to use during off time.
HardDrive that's a nice drone but not recommended for outdoor use. Can you get extra batteries for it? Thanks for info and do you fly it outside.

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by 86 ssinit

HardDrive that's a nice drone but not recommended for outdoor use. Can you get extra batteries for it? Thanks for info and do you fly it outside.

Yes, I have 2 extra batteries. I think they sell them in a 5 pack. I fly it outside(only outside actually), but only if the wind is light. As I've gotten more skilled, I can handle windy conditions. The camera and video are junk, so count that out.

Like I said, this thing is entry level(with a price point to match), but I have been very pleasantly surprised how much use I have gotten out of it. If I lost it or crashed it, I wouldn't be.....all broken up about it.

[dennis in se pa]

Had a DJI Phantom, did not like, returned it. Got a Yuneec Q500. Much better drone. You have to add another app to your iphone to fly the DJI. Yuneec has it's own controller. Plus DJI's customer service is notoriously horrible.

[nota]

wife has a Phantom III for over a year now
needs an i-phone and updates but works well
self locates in the wind [hovers] and auto lands

side note just saw a 4000k uhd camera for $59 at aldi
that looked to be small and lite enuff for a drone up grade

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Phantom 4 - great setup. Get your sUAS certificate, it's worth it. Helps immensely with documenting roofs and similar things on projects.

[beepbeep]

I fly Dji Phantom 4. It works well,almost too well. It kinda gets boring.

It will fly back when battery status indicates bingo fuel, it has four collision avoidance cameras (both forward and downward), auto-stabilisation, GPS, compass, stabilized 4k camera etc etc.

I have flown 3 miles out and back. Only thing I miss is autonomous waypoint navigation via GPS.

[shinrai]

I have a Mavic Pro. As you probably know one of the best things about it when compared to the Phantom models is that it folds up so it's easy to take around on hikes/rides etc. I found out about these in April when a friend brought one on a motorcycle trip and it would follow us around and took incredible footage. Before that I never knew they existed at this level.
It really is a the toy we've been dreaming about since we were kids. Go get one.

[86 ssinit]

Shinrai I didn't know it could do that. Actually follow you without controlling it? There's a way for it to follow you? If so that's insane! Yes I'm sold will order one this weekend. Could you put up a video?

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by 86 ssinit

Ok thanks for replying. Eric do you fly drones? I've read a lot of info on the mavic and it's all good looks like it's the Weber of drones. Just looking for user views of flying drones.

I don't own one, but have flown a couple (they are becoming pervasive in the RE industry). Unfortunately, I've only had experience/exposure to the DJI stuff, so probably not too helpful if you're looking for comparative info. Specifically, I've flown the Phantom 4 and the Inspire (which is their "pro-sumer" version I believe), and I've also seen the Mavic Pro in action and held it in my hand. The Phantom flew well, and seemed to be pretty robust. Not nearly as portable as the Mavic though (which folds up to about the size of a brick) and the Phantom controller is larger as well. The Mavic seemed to do everything the Phantom did, but in a much more portable package. Bunch of cool features on it too, like the "follow" mode, controlling with hand-gestures, etc. The footage/stabilization was excellent on both. With all of the gyro stabilization and GPS/Wi-Fi location, the Phantom and Inspire were pretty "idiot proof" and didn't require much skill to pilot. I am sure the Mavic follows suit there as well.

The Inspire was pretty awesome, and the camera/gimbal was definitely a step up (though, I think the one I flew did have an optional camera upgrade), but flight time seemed to be quite a bit shorter, and it was bigger/heavier than the Phantom.
The one cool feature on that one was the "retractable" legs, which allows the camera to hang down and pan 360 degrees, regardless of direction-of-flight (no legs/skids obstructing the shot).

I am sure there are several options out there, but the Mavic Pro seems to hit a nice sweet-spot between image quality/resolution, stabilization, run time, and portability. I think they have one that's even smaller than the Mavic now, but it's not as feature-rich (no 4k video, shorter run time, etc.). So, it depends on what your priorities and intended use are I suppose. YMMV...


Side note: It's hard to believe that not too long ago, to get the same footage that modern drones are capable of would have required a helicopter with a gyro-stabilized camera rig @ $1k+/hr.

[KNS]

^^ I know of some helicopter operators who's business has taken a hit (from film/video work gone away) from the growth of commercial UAS operators. It was inevitable. Lots of police departments are taking a hard look at drones.

[stealthn]

I have a DJI, but the police are making it hard and harder with random rules about flyng it

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Local yokels have a lot less say about what goes on with regards to drone operations than they'd like to think. Operations in the National Airspace System (NAS) are under federal jurisdiction (under the FAA, typically). Locals can restrict OPERATION of drones and an "operation" is defined as a takeoff or landing. As long as you "operate" (take off and land) from your own property or from a location that is not restricted, they really can't do bupkis about it. That said, it's not a good idea to take advantage of that to fly like a jerk and give the rest of us a bad name - make sure to follow all of the applicable federal rules while you're flying around (reference 14 CFR Part 107 or Public Law 112-95, Section 336 depending on whether you're operating as commercial / non-hobby or strictly for hobby purposes / recreation) at a minimum, but legally, so long as you OPERATE (take off and land) in accordance with local rules, once you're airborne you're only required to follow the applicable federal regulations for your type of flight.

Generally speaking if you have a neighbor (or a local yokel power-tripping bureaucrat, more likely) you're best off trying to educate them, listen to their concerns, then try to reassure them that you'll use your drone in a way that's respectful and sensitive to those concerns as best you can, even though you're not legally obligated to. Cooperative outreach, a little communication and education of the unknowing / ignorant usually goes a long way. That said, there are dickheads out there who think they know the law and don't (and they tend to be disproportionately attracted to positions of authority, particularly when it comes to local governance). It seems a lot of people are quick to ASS-U-ME there's a law (or that they can just invent one) for anything and everything they don't like and want to play the "victim card" for (and given the pathetic state of our over-regulated society, I can't say it's a bad assumption a lot of times, but not so in this case).

Fly safely and courteously and in 99% of the cases you'll get cooperation and not have to worry about ignorant / uneducated people overstepping their bounds.

Note: if you're in Canada, none of the above applies (no idea how the laws work up there), but do your own digging / research - I'm sure there's a lot of info. available.