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DJI announces to new Mavic Air drone. Its like the Spark & Mavic Pro had a kid...
- Thread starter Parisi
- Start date
That's some great footage. What are the laws with flying drones in the tri-state especially in nyc where i live? I was always interested in getting a cheap drone and learning how to fly it, but i don't want any trouble flying it in a no-fly zone, also what are some good cheap drones for a beginner?
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Makes me think we should have a drone enthusiast thread on here. Unless we do already?
I've got a Mavic 2 Pro and love the hell out of it. Here's some footage from a sunset in Bangkok. I've got tons of more footage from around the world I've just never uploaded for whatever reason. I should get on that.
That's great stuff! I agree that we should have a drone thread on here. This was the closest thing I could find when I was searching.
Thanks! Someone needs to get on it. I'm not an OP creating kind of guy.
Just a heads up that tomorrow the FAA is hosting a webinar talking about LAANC, which will open up to recreational drone pilots next week. The current law states that ALL drone pilots now need airspace authorization when flying in controlled airspace (this is different from notifying an airport control tower). There's no more arbitrary 5-mile airport boundary or the need to call the airport control tower. We'll now be able to instantly get authorization through LAANC, which so far has only been available to Part 107 pilots. So if you're diligent about following the law, I highly recommend reading up on LAANC and how to use it. It's probably going to be integrated into DJI Go at some point to make it even easier.
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Also, there are new FAA laws being put in place that even hobbyist drone pilots (non Part 107 flyers) will need to take a test to legally be allowed to fly a drone. I think they are going to discuss this during the webinar for LAANC.
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I live in Staten Island, and technically there are only like 7 legal spots to fly a drone in NYC, and they are all at parks that have model airplane fields...
I do know that ALL of Manhattan is a no fly zone, and of course if you live less than 5mi from an airport. Other than that, rules are murky at best as to where you can fly. For instance, I use this app called AirMaps and it shows you areas that are good to go areas, areas that are caution areas and areas that are no fly zones:
so in this pic, where I am its a good fly zone, but if you look over at the coast, that is a state park so its no fly, and then as you get closer to Newark it becomes more of a restricted airspace area...
I want to film at Coney Island, and even though there are no restrictions there and I've seen several videos on youtube of drone pilots filming Coney Island I still feel as if I am going to get hassled by the cops... heheheh
I used AEB mode. Manual settings. 800 iso. And I just took tons of shots with tons of exposure times. :) It's difficult to see the exposure on the phone screen accurately. The 800 ISO kept the noise away
Afterward, I pulled the photos into Lightroom. The photo above was an HDR combination of the 3 bracketed photos that I took. I adjusted highlights and shadows a little.
I have a bunch more photos to share. I'll post them.
Here's my DJI Spark gallery. All of the night photos are HDR merges using Lightroom. Actually, all of the photos below are HDR.
If you launch from the right spot and are a decent pilot, you will be too far to get the stink eye, but most of the time I will not take photos or be at a height were I am going to bother folks.
Thanks! Not even the cops batted an eye. I had several pass by me on the beach. Most people seemed interested in it. I was launching it from and landing it on my hand, which kept the sand out of it and looked really cool. ;-)
Most times the drone was way far away from me and the Spark is really tiny and fairly quiet.
Btw, the Spark has the same 4K sensor as the Mavic. But they limit it in software to 1080p.
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Thats cool. Yeah I think I always feel weird launching my Mavic 2 Pro, because I need to launch it from the ground and everyone always seems to look at me... like I am doing something wrong...
Thanks I'll keep that app in mind, but do you have any recommendations for cheap beginner drones?I live in Staten Island, and technically there are only like 7 legal spots to fly a drone in NYC, and they are all at parks that have model airplane fields...
I do know that ALL of Manhattan is a no fly zone, and of course if you live less than 5mi from an airport. Other than that, rules are murky at best as to where you can fly. For instance, I use this app called AirMaps and it shows you areas that are good to go areas, areas that are caution areas and areas that are no fly zones:
so in this pic, where I am its a good fly zone, but if you look over at the coast, that is a state park so its no fly, and then as you get closer to Newark it becomes more of a restricted airspace area...
I want to film at Coney Island, and even though there are no restrictions there and I've seen several videos on youtube of drone pilots filming Coney Island I still feel as if I am going to get hassled by the cops... heheheh
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Probably the Spark or the Air, but those are probably both about to get a refresh, so I would hold off for a couple of months to see what happens.
I was hoping for something in the sub $200 range or sub $100 lol. Something I more comfortable with Knocking around a bit, $350 is at that range for me right now where I'll be kind of hesitant to fly it lol.
The DJI Tello drone is pretty fun to fly. I got it for my nieces. It has a shit camera and battery life but it's a great starter drone, even can do flips and tricks, fly inside, and crash without worrying too much.
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Yeah, go with the Tello then... Or just go to a local mall and find the drone kiosk and buy one of those... they probably suck, but they are cheap and you can knock the shit out of them and not worry if it breaks, cause it wasn't that expensive...
So from the FAA webinar today:
- Anyone flying in controlled airspace (ie near an airport with a control tower) needs prior airspace authorization using LAANC, which is available to recreational flyers starting July 23rd.
- Check the UAS facilities map or use an app like AirMap or Kittyhawk to see if you need authorization. It's set up in a grid system with maximum allowed altitudes depending on how close the sector is to the airport/landing/takeoff path. https://faa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=9c2e4406710048e19806ebf6a06754ad
- Some airports (such as my own local municipal airport) don't have a control tower and are therefore NOT in controlled airspace. There's no need to contact the airport or use LAANC. Just follow community/FAA guidelines. Again, check the UAS map above before flying.
- Flying at night in controlled airspace requires a waiver, and waivers can't be used with LAANC. You have to use DroneZone instead, and that's only available to Part 107 pilots for now.
- You do NOT need to contact the airport control tower, and the 5-mile radius around airport rule no longer applies.
So yeah, some pretty good stuff. I can now fly in my town without worrying about skittish people and police getting all up in my business. Take that, ignorant lady who yelled at me for flying at the park.
- Anyone flying in controlled airspace (ie near an airport with a control tower) needs prior airspace authorization using LAANC, which is available to recreational flyers starting July 23rd.
- Check the UAS facilities map or use an app like AirMap or Kittyhawk to see if you need authorization. It's set up in a grid system with maximum allowed altitudes depending on how close the sector is to the airport/landing/takeoff path. https://faa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=9c2e4406710048e19806ebf6a06754ad
- Some airports (such as my own local municipal airport) don't have a control tower and are therefore NOT in controlled airspace. There's no need to contact the airport or use LAANC. Just follow community/FAA guidelines. Again, check the UAS map above before flying.
- Flying at night in controlled airspace requires a waiver, and waivers can't be used with LAANC. You have to use DroneZone instead, and that's only available to Part 107 pilots for now.
- You do NOT need to contact the airport control tower, and the 5-mile radius around airport rule no longer applies.
So yeah, some pretty good stuff. I can now fly in my town without worrying about skittish people and police getting all up in my business. Take that, ignorant lady who yelled at me for flying at the park.
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They mention anything about the test that hobbyists need to take to be allowed to fly their drone? Not talking about the Part 107 test, but some new test the FAA wants to implement to help curb all the new flyers out there who are buying drones?
Also I currently use AirMap and its a great tool to have!
The test is in development, but I'm not sure when it's supposed to be available. It's currently not a requirement though and probably won't be for a while.
One thing I forgot to mention which y'all probably already know: the FAA number that you attach to the drone needs to be visible on the outside of the drone. It can no longer be hidden in the battery compartment, etc.
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How do you guys attach it? I mainly fly in china and I have to have a QR code attached, I've tried with various types of tape but it always ends up coming off after a few flights, especially with high humidity.
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in the US, since its just a FAA license #, I print it out using a label maker and then just peel off the label backing and stick it on the drone...
Not sure how you would handle printing a QR code...
I've been printing on paper and sticking it with tape lol. Maybe I can get it done with a label maker though that's a good idea.
I've had a phantom 3 advanced since 2015 when they came out. I don't fly it nearly as much as I should.
Advice? Stick to DJI's. They are rock solid and flying them is basically playing a videogame. Nearly impossible to crash unless you something stupid or there is some type of mechanical failure.
Replying to a hella old post.
Seriously though someone make an official drone thread please. If no one else wants to do a good one I'll make a basic thread in a day or two. Someone good at OPs please volunteer though!
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The DJI Mavic Air was my first ever drone and like someone else said in this thread, they are rock solid drones and nearly impossible to crash (although it does happen).
I upgraded to Mavic 2 Pro last Sept because I wanted a drone that could offer greater distances and I am so glad I upgraded...
If you have questions, feel free to ask...
Really nice and for some reason I kept on thinking, "Hmm... wouldn't this be a nice setting for Stranger Things Season 4"
I just crashed my Mavic Air recently. Drop through a tree, hitting branches on the way down, and then hit a soft spot. So the damage doesn't seem all that bad, except for one arm that seems to have popped off the socket. Has anyone seen this kind of damage with the MA before? It really doesn't look like anything was broken, it almost looks like it was designed to pop off/dislocate. That said, I haven't been able to simply push it back into place, so maybe there's is something more broken there that I just can't see.
Which I guess leads to the next question...can anyone recommend a good drone repair company online with reasonable prices?
Which I guess leads to the next question...can anyone recommend a good drone repair company online with reasonable prices?
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I had the almost exact same type of crash when I had my air! I was trying to land and it was coming down through some trees, it clipped some leaves and a branch and fell into a pile of leaves (thank god). The only damage I had was one or two of the props cracked so I had to replace those, and then there was a tiny scratch on the body, but other than that, it was fine.
As far as a good drone repair company? You may want to check DJI's site and see if they recommend any close to your postal code.
I know this is a dji thread, but what are some of you guys thoughts on other brands? Especially parrot I was looking at the bebop 2 it's going for $225 (renewed)right in my comfortable price range.
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I am sure its a decent drone, but the way DJI has managed to corner the drone market, its hard to gauge how good other drones are... I think you're best bet would be to google the model drone you're looking at and read as many reviews as you can... Maybe even watch some YT videos to see how it handles in real world situations...
So I ended up getting a DJI spark I know it was out of my comfortable price range, but looking at reviews I figure it was the best for me plus I found a fly more combo for $399 at my closes micro center and I couldn't resist open box tho, and I only had to pay $200 told my girl she could go half on it for me for an early birthday present. I charged it up and updated it, didn't take it out tho it's 96 degrees with a real feel of 110 in NYC right now so i'll probably wait until tomorrow hopefully it doesn't rain too much.
You're going to need additional batteries and a way to charge them. I am going to suggest getting the Spark portable charging station. It also has a battery built in that can charge your batteries on the go. They have a package deal with two batteries for $140.
Oh nice so this doubles and a carrying case and a charging station, thanks i'll pick this up a bit later.
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Just be aware of your surrounds in NYC... not sure which boro you're in, but like the entire island of Manhattan is a no fly zone, and all state parks are no fly zones and if you live within 5mi of JFK or LaGuardia you need to get permission to fly near those sites.
Also, with the spark, I am not sure how the drone and your iPhone/controller communicate (although I assume its through WiFi) so do be careful when flying in areas with a lot of WiFi signals as that will severely degrade your connection and the last thing you want is for your drone to drop out of the sky... albeit that is a worst case scenario as they generally will return home when this happens.
Enjoy the drone though, its a nifty little guy.
The Spark should connect to the remote control using DJI's proprietary protocol. The remote controller connects to the phone using wifi. Or you can buy an OTG cable. I would suggest using a cable.
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The only drone that uses DJI's proprietary protocol (occusync) is the Mavic Pro line and higher... I believe the Air and the Spark connect over WiFi, which is why their overall range is limited...
Dude that looks really great! Are you using any filters for the daytime shots? It looks super crisp compared to my own work! Also I had no idea that the Spark's camera would do that well shooting after sunset. I need to take mine up at night and see what I can accomplish. Nice work!
