Droning

[dewilso]

Just got a Mavic Air and it is an AMAZING piece of technology. Small, very portable, and pictures that blow my mind. Bought it mainly to help us check the farm ( we’re in our70’s) and now I see the attraction of these things. 

[rockintom]

Thinking about this hobby....where did you get it and how much? Just curious. Any comments of how you researched it? Thanks.

[jpcoll01]

I also have the Mavic Air and agree it is fantastic.  I got the "Fly more" package so have 3 batteries.  The technology in these things is so advanced they can almost fly themselves.  I ordered mine direct from DJI as that avoided tax (Amazon has  distribution center in my state).

[Kirk W]

10 minutes ago, jpcoll01 said:

I ordered mine direct from DJI as that avoided tax

Do you have a link to them? I have been thinking of putting a drone high on my gift list!

[RV_]

Guys,

I got into this cheap buying a fun combination steerable car that leaps into the sky with good video and auto return. I have to go to a park with a  paved lot to run it as a car as it does not work in grass or gravel to use as a car. It is easy to fly and a lot cheaper to replace props and parts. I bought mine here and they have videos of it flying. The biggest difference between the thousand dollar drones and this an other cheaper ones is flight times. Mine gets 7 minutes with each battery and I need a screwdriver to replace the battery packs (I have five). The more expensive ones have 30 minute flight times. As well, there are expensive ones that can work through your cell phone screen but I prefer separate controller. I can't see much on my phone screen when sunny.  The other expensive feature is control distance. Mine has only 300 feet range. Many have auto return which mine does and when it loses signal goes back to where I launched from after setting auto return.

Here's mine which is all I want. https://www.gearbest.com/rc-quadcopters/pp_240667.html?wid=1205487

They also carry DJI and a hundred other brands, and do not do tax:

https://www.gearbest.com/rc-quadcopters-c_11333/?page=1&testKey=old&attr=293-4461

BTW, it does take practice to get to be a good pilot doing flips and fast threading through trees etc.

Mine is well built and fly long enough to have fun as a pavement remote car, or in the sky with its HD camera recording the fun.

GearBest also has the expensive DJI and other quad copters. They carry all the parts and accessories for drone pilots too.

The Chinese tariffs may cause a drastic rise in prices, I don't know but I bought my Vizio P series quantum 65" TV and new back up tower computer and 27 inch Acer quad HD monitor last month before any tariffs could raise the prices of electronic parts to make things elsewhere, or the finished products get more costly.

I can tell you they are fun. I am willing to spend on my toys but new ones I start less expensively until I decide I really will play with them.

[jpcoll01]

1 hour ago, Kirk Wood said:

Do you have a link to them? I have been thinking of putting a drone high on my gift list!

https://store.dji.com/product/mavic-air?vid=38961

[mptjelgin]

I've been involved in RC Airplanes and Helicopters for some time now, and this absolute explosion of "drones" has created some interesting new issues, legislation, registration, etc. 

While conventional RC aircraft and helicopters required significant training and skill to operate, thus limiting their use to relatively few trained pilots and locations, the current crop of nearly autonomous drones requires neither. This has led to numerous instances of drones being flown in places where they shouldn't have been (remember the drone crashing into the hot spring in Yellowstone), which has led to numerous restrictions and outright bans. 

The current FAA re-authorization bill is being written and voted on as we speak, and contains quite a few new requirements on UAS (Unmanned aerial systems) over about a half-pound. These restrictions include altitude limits, notification and permission from local airports, requirement to get permission to fly in certain classes of airspace, registration of pilot/models, perhaps a required test, etc...

So if you have recently acquired a drone, or plan to do so in the future, please (PLEASE) educate yourself on the rules and restrictions that accompany them, so that perhaps we'll have a fighting chance to continue flying in the coming years. 

Even now, there are current registration requirements for drones, but I'm certain that everyone on this forum with a drone is already aware of that, right?

Just in case:  UAS (Drone) Registration Site

[Jack Mayer]

I have a Spark, and it is truly amazing technology and easy to fly. Useful for many things, but I mainly use it for business to film projects in various ways when ground based images are not the best.  From-the-air perspective is nice.

[hdrider]

 I have a Mavic and mainly use it to get shots of lakes, revers and waterfalls. When I'm able I also like to get shots of places we camp but that is more challenging because we don't want to offend anyone and it's a crazy world no days and people get set off about any ol thing it seems.   

[mptjelgin]

25 minutes ago, Jack Mayer said:

Useful for many things, but I mainly use it for business to film projects in various ways when ground based images are not the best.  From-the-air perspective is nice.

This is another interesting element of drones. Drones used for any business purpose are subject to an entirely different set of rules, known as Part 107. 

Part 107 requires obtaining and maintaining a Remote Pilot Certification from the FAA, which involves passing an aeronautical knowledge test at an FAA-approved testing center, and a TSA security screening. 

FAA is getting serious about this drone thing...

[Jack Mayer]

7 minutes ago, mptjelgin said:

This is another interesting element of drones. Drones used for any business purpose are subject to an entirely different set of rules, known as Part 107. 

Part 107 requires obtaining and maintaining a Remote Pilot Certification from the FAA, which involves passing an aeronautical knowledge test at an FAA-approved testing center, and a TSA security screening. 

FAA is getting serious about this drone thing...

Mark, what I do with the drone does not fall under Part 107, but your general point is valid. For those wondering, here is a good article on it:  LINK .  

My drone is properly registered and my business partner is a commercial drone pilot (as well as a CFII). So we have our bases covered. If you are flying a drone you need to do it properly or you will mess it up for everyone.

[mptjelgin]

Just now, Jack Mayer said:

Mark, what I do with the drone does not fall under Part 107, but your general point is valid. For those wondering, here is a good article on it:  LINK .  

My drone is properly registered and my business partner is a commercial drone pilot (as well as a CFII). So we have our bases covered. If you are flying a drone you need to do it properly or you will mess it up for everyone.

Jack-

Good to know that you're up on the rules and doing it properly. As you well know, most are not.  Plenty more rules coming down the pipe with the FAA reauthorization.

[RV_]

You guys with DJI, are these good prices? https://www.gearbest.com/rc-quadcopters-c_11333/?page=1&testKey=old&attr=293-4461

[Kirk W]

The proliferation of drones of a very wide range in styles and sizes has rather amazed me. I have a neighbor who owns one of the $2000/3000 models that has Bluetooth to his phone that allows him to fly it visually as though he were onboard. The phone sits in a bracket on his control box. His is also quite large and even has a protective aluminum case and he is registered, but that is about all I know of his. A couple of weeks ago we were at the home of my son/grandson and those two have a fleet of drones with several that are only 2" or so across and recharge by USB port. Between the two of them, I believe that they have at least a dozen different versions, at least half of which are indoor only drones. The bigger ones with a good camera are more of interest to me. 

It seems to me that the control and regulation of them is going to become impossible very quickly. 

[mptjelgin]

20 minutes ago, Kirk Wood said:

It seems to me that the control and regulation of them is going to become impossible very quickly. 

I think that they (FAA) started with "impossible to regulate" and are working back from there!!  That is, things got out of hand very quickly and now the various governments and agencies are trying to put the genie back into the bottle. Can't fly in National Parks. Can't fly in National Wildlife Refuges. Can't fly in many state, county, and city parks. 

It reminds me a bit of the CB radio craze of my youth. You were "required" to have an FCC license to operate them, but virtually no one did. Eventually the license requirement was waived (As I recall anyway) as it was decided that they just couldn't regulate it. 

The current rules are that drones under 250 grams (.55 pounds) aren't regulated. No one cares about the tiny indoor drones or even the smallest outdoor drones. But  250 grams is pretty light and most "real" drones fall inside of the limit. What the FAA has going for it as that many of the big manufacturers (DJI included) are beginning to include geofencing software in their drones that will not allow them to fly into restricted areas. As time goes on I expect that software to become more and more sophisticated and for the restrictions to get tighter and tighter, including on-board transponders. In the meantime the wild, wild west of drones will continue. 

A couple of other interesting facts:

Did you know that you are required to hold an FCC license (Technician Class) to operate virtually all of the bigger FPV (First Person View, i.e. video camera transmitting from the drone) drones? I'll bet that less than 1% of users have the license. 

Did you know that you cannot legally fly beyond "Visual Line-of-Sight" unless you have the more complex Part 107 license described above?  This means that either the operator, or an observer must have eyes on the drone at all times. This is presumably to allow the drone to be controlled in case of a video transmission failure. Yet most people get their drone so that they can flyer over that hill and beyond that treeline.

As I have said, the FAA is starting to crack down on this, aided mostly by morons who break the rules and then post their videos on YouTube. Makes it pretty easy to prosecute!!  But for now the odds are pretty good that you can ignore the rules without consequences. Most are...

[Kirk W]

19 minutes ago, mptjelgin said:

As I have said, the FAA is starting to crack down on this, aided mostly by morons who break the rules and then post their videos on YouTube.

Kind of like the guy from Anderson Hitches who defaced the scenic rocks and posted pictures. 😏

[mptjelgin]

1 minute ago, Kirk Wood said:

Kind of like the guy from Anderson Hitches who defaced the scenic rocks and posted pictures. 😏

Yes. That does make identifying the guilty parties a bit simpler!

[dewilso]

Good to know we have a expert on board to help keep us straight.

[TLRam1]

How do you fly these, what has scared me away is difficulty of the RC cars and planes when they are coming back to you the controls are backwards.

 

So how do these work?

[dewilso]

Same way, it helps to be dyslexic! I can see a real advantage in scouting out Boondocking sites.

[Jack Mayer]

9 hours ago, TLRam1 said:

How do you fly these, what has scared me away is difficulty of the RC cars and planes when they are coming back to you the controls are backwards.

 

So how do these work?

The newer more sophisticated drones like the DJI Spark, for $399, are pretty simple to fly and have most of the capabilities of the very expensive larger drones. They also have an excellent camera, but not quite as good as the higher end ones. Really, they are simple to fly, and protect the operator from "most" things.

 

[mptjelgin]

10 hours ago, TLRam1 said:

How do you fly these, what has scared me away is difficulty of the RC cars and planes when they are coming back to you the controls are backwards.

 

So how do these work?

My understanding (I own several drones, but not one of the more sophisticated DJI camera drones) is that the drones keeps track of its own orientation, so when you pull the stick back, the drone returns back toward you, no matter which way it is pointed. This is completely different than traditional RC planes, cars, helicopters and even racing drones. 

 

[RV_]

10 hours ago, TLRam1 said:

How do you fly these, what has scared me away is difficulty of the RC cars and planes when they are coming back to you the controls are backwards.

 

So how do these work?

Headless mode may be what you are asking about:

http://www.rcdronearena.com/2015/02/18/what-is-headless-mode-quad-copter-drone/

I started out with an under $50.00 drone, and flew it until I could maneuver without panic landings. If fear of flying it is holding anyone back read the next linked article and start small. It's like learning to use a backing camera in your vehicle as you learn to trust the superimposed boundary lines. Its really fun to fly them.

Review Geek best inexpensive drones

[dennisvr]

I have the DJI Phantom Standard.  Bought it a couple yrs ago for $399.  I have had numerus RC airplanes and helicopters and crashed them all.

The Phantom is easy to fly, at anytime you can let loose of the controls and it will hover in place. (it has GPS) so it will stay right there even in the wind.  At anytime it looses radio signal it will automatic return to home and land itself.  Cant be any easier then that.  I actually get bored with it because its so simple to fly.  I catch myself itinually getting close to objects and testing myself.  One of these days I will crash it, but it not because its hard to fly.   

[TLRam1]

I never heard of the Headless Mode, thought this was how seemingly everyday people were flying these but I read they are only on toy models. 

Dennis brought up the one that will hoover if you let go of the controls, that can make this easier than a RC Airplane where by the time I figure out everything is backwards I have already crashed the expensive plane, you can't just let go of the controls that I know of.