Got a drone for Christmas

[Steuben Jerry]

And with the better weather, I’m finally getting some flying time in. Wife and the girls pitched in for a DJI Mini 2 drone for me for a Christmas gift. 
This is technically a lower end drone cost-wise but as a drone newbie, the technology is amazing. Cant wait to get some time on this thing and be a little more fluid in its operation.
I usually use the front camera view when flying instead of the map mode and it’s like looking through the windshield of the drone only on your phone.

[Lawdwaz]

Very cool Jerry.  I think they are neat!

[Lomax]

Great pics Jerry.  Might have to invest in one of those.  Pretty cool. 

[2012_taco]

Awesome, now you can scan your hunting area to see where the deer are before you even step in the woods!

[Steuben Jerry]

10 minutes ago, 2012_taco said:

Awesome, now you can scan your hunting area to see where the deer are before you even step in the woods!

Haha, I'm pretty sure that's not allowed. While it's not loud, it's not dead quiet either, sounds like a swarm of bees. I can hear it at 100-200 yds. I've had deer in the photos while I was at a high enough altitude (FAA requires a 400 ft ceiling) and I sure couldn't see any deer while I was flying, but did notice deer when I replayed the video on a bigger screen.

[Steve D]

Neat pics. Thought about the possibility of getting one but knowing my luck I would have it wrapped around a tree somewhere or it would fly away and I wouldn't find it..

Looks like it would a good time playing around with one.

We had a guy here last summer checking power lines with one and it was pretty neat to watch.

[ApexerER]

That is really awesome. I have been asking for one for Christmas for years now. I think people think i am kidding.....lol

What is the range it can operate? Do you have a link to that particular one? That is what i would be wanting is an entry level model....

[ApexerER]

Also curious what the run time is.....

[Robhuntandfish]

already a new retirement hobby !  i love it.

[Steuben Jerry]

15 minutes ago, ApexerER said:

That is really awesome. I have been asking for one for Christmas for years now. I think people think i am kidding.....lol

What is the range it can operate? Do you have a link to that particular one? That is what i would be wanting is an entry level model....

Run time is 25-30 minutes per battery. Range is a few miles but FAA requires you maintain VLOS (visual line of sight). They bought me the fly more kit which adds extra props, 3 batteries and a better charging system along with a case. I bought a hard sided case to protect it better. They also bought DJI's insurance policy which gets me up to two replacement drones (deductible applies) if something goes wrong like a fly away or if it crashes due to drone error. I think the insurance policy was maybe $100?

I say "they" picked it, but one daughter is now a certified drone instructor for the Fed, and that's what she bought for herself. I'd say that's a good source of advice.

The big thing about this drone is that it weighs less than 250 grams which means you don't need a federal drone license to operate it.

Amazon link to the kit they picked is below 

Amazon.com : DJI Mini 2 Fly More Combo – Ultralight Foldable Drone, 3-Axis Gimbal with 4K Camera, 12MP Photos, 31 Mins Flight Time, OcuSync 2.0 10km HD Video Transmission, QuickShots, Gray : Camera & Photo

Edited March 10, 2021 by Steuben Jerry

[rob-c]

We were just talking about this yesterday. I was saying these drones available to the public have really good cameras for the price. Just imagine what the military’s can do. 
cool pics jerry.. 

[ApexerER]

2 minutes ago, Steuben Jerry said:

Run time is 25-30 minutes per battery. Range is a few miles but FAA requires you maintain VLOS (visual line of sight). They bought me the fly more kit which adds extra props, 3 batteries and a better charging system along with a case. I bought a hard sided case to protect it better. They also bought DJI's insurance policy which gets me up to two replacement drones if something goes wrong like a fly away or if it crashes due to drone error. I think the insurance policy was maybe $100?

I say "they" picked it, but one daughter is now a certified drone instructor for the Fed, and that's what she bought for herself. I'd say that's a good source of advice.

The big thing about this drone is that it's less than 250 grams which means you don't need a federal drone license to operate it.

Amazon link to the kit they picked is below 

Amazon.com : DJI Mini 2 Fly More Combo – Ultralight Foldable Drone, 3-Axis Gimbal with 4K Camera, 12MP Photos, 31 Mins Flight Time, OcuSync 2.0 10km HD Video Transmission, QuickShots, Gray : Camera & Photo

Awesome, thank you. Going to have to drop some more serious hints......lol

[Steuben Jerry]

This is my worry, already had a couple of crows swoop by to check it out.

[ApexerER]

5 minutes ago, Steuben Jerry said:

This is my worry, already had a couple of crows swoop by to check it out.

Oh jeez, never considered that.....

[phade]

Legality of use aside, they have helped some people recover deer.

Plus they're just cool. I want one so bad. Haven't yet because it's a slippery slope. I'd be all in 6 mos. later with like my third or fourth upgraded drone....ha.

[GreeneHunter]

Always wanted to see a video of my property from a Drone ! Might have to buy one for a Retirement Project !

[grampy]

Are they hard to learn to fly them? Do they have a one button homing feature? They are soooo cool!

[Steuben Jerry]

1 hour ago, grampy said:

Are they hard to learn to fly them? Do they have a one button homing feature? They are soooo cool!

Super easy to learn. I was flying confidently in a couple of minutes. Two joysticks do everything navigation-wise. Has pre-programmed cycles to take off and landing. It does have a return to home feature at the press of a button or automatically if it loses connection with the controller for more than a few seconds.

I'm still in ultra-careful mode with it as I don't want to wreck it, but I'm looking forward to taking it out on the boat with us this summer. Probably would make some neat tubing videos! Can't get it wet though, not waterproof.

Edited March 10, 2021 by Steuben Jerry

[BizCT]

Pretty cool, jerry. I'm tagging @Elmo since he posts some cool drone footage on IG. Pretty sure he has flown his drone in several countries.

[ny hunter]

Love the pics.... Very cool toy enjoy..,

[Splitear]

That thing takes some great photos!

[Steuben Jerry]

4 minutes ago, Splitear said:

That thing takes some great photos!

It really does. And the ones I posted here are cropped and resized so they lost a little clarity. Takes 4k video too.

[Elmo]

@Steuben Jerry  Congratulations.  It's tons of fun and very addicting.

Here's are some random stuff.  Many you may already know so I apologize if I'm just repeating things.

1.  Download UAV Forecast for you phone and check it before flights.  I've had calm days and then have gust smack the crap out of my drone forcing me to emergency land.  And the mini performs not as well in the wind because of it's small size.

2. The under 250 grams only means you don't have to register it.  Still have to follow all the FAA rules.  The 107 license is only if you plan to use your drone for commercial use (land/construction surveys, event photography, roof inspections, etc.)  As a hobbyist, you don't need a license for any drone regardless of size.

3. I have not met a single drone pilot who has never broken a rule.  I'm just saying...

4. I don't know if the mini 2 has downward sensors but if it does, make sure you disable them when flying over water at a low altitude.  Reflections confuses the heck out of it and causes the drone to act all crazy.

5. The 400 feet AGL is not a solid limit.  If you have a water tower that's 200 feet tall, the 400 feet AGL extends 400 feet out sideway from that tower and 400 feet above it so technically, to clear the water tower, you're legally allowed to fly 600 feet up when you're right over it.  This is why you can over ride the 400 feet limit.

6. Never fly until you don't pick up at least 8 satellites.  Drone tends to drift and not be as responsive if there's less.

8. If a predatory bird gets close and you can't land in time, fly straight up as fast as you can.  This confuses them because no prey in the wild can do that.  This will buy you some time to make it back.  They may circle back again so you just keep doing it until your safe.  I have not had a bird strike but I've had hawks circle my drone several times before.  I always get the heck out of dodge when it happens.

9. Not sure about the mini but the signal comes out of the antenna from the flat side so to get the maximum range, you don't actually point the antenna directly at the drone but rather than point the side of it at the drone.  Look into how the antenna in the mini is positioned.  My controller, the antenna is on the exterior so you can see which direction it's pointing at.

Feel free to ask me anymore questions if you want.

[Elmo]

B4UFLY | Kittyhawk

 

FYI:  FAA created B4UFly app to show where you can legally fly and how to gain permission to fly in restricted areas.  They did a terrible job.  So they decided to outsource to a private company called KittyHawk to build a better app and website.  Go you the site to see all the restrictions in the area that you want to fly.  If you create an account on the app, you can request permission from the app and get authorized within seconds.

 

Sample of KittyHawk's website app:

[Steuben Jerry]

2 hours ago, Elmo said:

@Steuben Jerry  Congratulations.  It's tons of fun and very addicting.

Here's are some random stuff.  Many you may already know so I apologize if I'm just repeating things.

1.  Download UAV Forecast for you phone and check it before flights.  I've had calm days and then have gust smack the crap out of my drone forcing me to emergency land.  And the mini performs not as well in the wind because of it's small size.

2. The under 250 grams only means you don't have to register it.  Still have to follow all the FAA rules.  The 107 license is only if you plan to use your drone for commercial use (land/construction surveys, event photography, roof inspections, etc.)  As a hobbyist, you don't need a license for any drone regardless of size.

3. I have not met a single drone pilot who has never broken a rule.  I'm just saying...

4. I don't know if the mini 2 has downward sensors but if it does, make sure you disable them when flying over water at a low altitude.  Reflections confuses the heck out of it and causes the drone to act all crazy.

5. The 400 feet AGL is not a solid limit.  If you have a water tower that's 200 feet tall, the 400 feet AGL extends 400 feet out sideway from that tower and 400 feet above it so technically, to clear the water tower, you're legally allowed to fly 600 feet up when you're right over it.  This is why you can over ride the 400 feet limit.

6. Never fly until you don't pick up at least 8 satellites.  Drone tends to drift and not be as responsive if there's less.

8. If a predatory bird gets close and you can't land in time, fly straight up as fast as you can.  This confuses them because no prey in the wild can do that.  This will buy you some time to make it back.  They may circle back again so you just keep doing it until your safe.  I have not had a bird strike but I've had hawks circle my drone several times before.  I always get the heck out of dodge when it happens.

9. Not sure about the mini but the signal comes out of the antenna from the flat side so to get the maximum range, you don't actually point the antenna directly at the drone but rather than point the side of it at the drone.  Look into how the antenna in the mini is positioned.  My controller, the antenna is on the exterior so you can see which direction it's pointing at.

Feel free to ask me anymore questions if you want.

Wow, great info here Elmo, thanks! Especially the water info. It does have downward sensors.

I did download those two apps but didn’t create an account yet. So far I’ve only flown over the back woods.