All things Mavic Air

ozmo · 02-01-2019 1:52am

tedpan wrote: »

It's 749? 20 pounds cheaper?

Yes - but then its from Amazon. Much better if anything is not right with it. Generally the drones are perfect.... but they have more that can go wrong with them than regular gadgets- worth considering anyway.

ScrubsfanChris · 02-01-2019 4:39pm

TheUnderfaker wrote: »

Can anybody recommend a tablet to fly this with that won't break the bank?

I read that apple products are far superior to Android for DJI, but they're awfully expensive. Was thinking along the lines of the Amazon Fire HD 10, but not sure if it would have enough power or be bright enough outside.

I've used an iPad mini 2 with both the Mavic pro and Phantom 4 controllers with no lag problems or app crashing issues.

The mini 2 is actually the main one I use for work.
Have also used a iphone 8 and Galaxy J7 with no issues.

16gb ipad mini 2's come up on the Apple refurb store every now and then, worth a look.

ScrubsfanChris · 02-01-2019 4:53pm

jogdish wrote: »

when I got it I tried to register, and something on the site didn't allow me to click - I emailed and never got a reply - never bothered after that. Should do so again.

Not sure what that training course thingy was, some Irish guy has a youtube channel etc and charges a fair bit for a course some kinda cert - perhaps for commercial use im not sure.

Ugh I should have known all this - dummy.

Any reference to training only applies for people seeking certification for commercial operation.

No training is required for people like yourself just flying for fun (or non-profit)

As regards where and how to fly, this bit form the IRISH AVIATION AUTHORITY SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT (DRONES) AND ROCKETS ORDER, 2015 applies

(5) A person who has charge of the operation of a small unmanned aircraft which has a mass of less than 25 kilograms, without fuel but including any articles or equipment installed in or attached to the aircraft and including cargo at the commencement of its flight shall not allow such an aircraft to be flown, unless otherwise permitted by the Authority and subject to such conditions as are required by such permission:

( a ) within a prohibited area, a restricted area, or controlled airspace;

( b ) in Air Traffic Services airspace, other than controlled airspace, within 5km of an aerodrome during periods of aircraft operations, unless the aerodrome operator has given permission;

( c ) at a distance of less than 30 metres from a person, vessel, vehicle or structure not under the direct control of the operator;

( d ) at a distance of less than 120 metres from an assembly of 12 or more persons not under the direct control of the operator;

( e ) beyond direct unaided visual line of sight and not farther than 300 metres from the point of operation;

( f ) at a height of more than 120 metres above the ground or water;

( g ) permitting or attempting to permit, any article or animal, whether or not attached to a parachute to be released from that aircraft.

(6) A person who has charge of the operation of a small unmanned aircraft shall not permit such aircraft to be operated from any place unless the aircraft may take-off and land without undue hazard to persons or property and nothing in this order shall affect the rights and interests of the owner or occupier of that place.

Homer · 02-01-2019 4:58pm

The 15m height rule still applies though as set out in paragraph 2 when in restricted airspace.

jogdish · 02-01-2019 4:59pm

Many thanks for all the above - regarding my misunderstanding of the height restrictions.

jogdish · 02-01-2019 5:01pm

I am worried I have flown over/by all the interesting things near me , sure there will be a thing to look at once in a blue moon but kinda out of flying places now

I live in an urban area so thats a no no, and don't really have to ability to travel more than 30min away by car.

Am I all drone'd out?

ScrubsfanChris · 02-01-2019 5:16pm

Homer wrote: »

The 15m height rule still applies though as set out in paragraph 2 when in restricted airspace.

Ah yes, forgot to mention that.
Although please don't be going up to the gates of the airport people

Homer · 02-01-2019 5:53pm

Unfortunately the vast majority of Dublin City and county is covered by class c restricted airspace so is restricted to 15m. Makes it difficult to fly most places.

tedpan · 02-01-2019 6:03pm

jogdish wrote:

Am I all drone'd out?

Maybe so

the air is still in demand so you shouldn't lose much when selling it on..

Peppa Cig · 03-01-2019 6:30pm

ozmo wrote: »

Dunno if any use to you - but there is a white one "as new" in the Amazon warehouse right now for a few quid cheaper - £729.12

Could be lucky and be just box slightly damaged. Their returns policy is good if it is not in an acceptable condition when you get it.

I pulled trigger on this Amazon Warehouse deal yesterday as the new version of fly more on site I was looking at went up by £100 to £850 by the time I went to purchase.

Amazon item described as “Used Like New”. Never used amazon warehouse before so bit nervous. I’ll send it back if it does not meet my high expectations.

delly · 03-01-2019 8:27pm

Peppa Cig wrote: »

I pulled trigger on this Amazon Warehouse deal yesterday as the new version of fly more on site I was looking at went up by £100 to £850 by the time I went to purchase.

Amazon item described as “Used Like New”. Never used amazon warehouse before so bit nervous. I’ll send it back if it does not meet my high expectations.

Fair play, you'll have a blast. My drone was also a warehouse deal for £300. When I got it the drone was absolutely perfect, but the box was a tad battered, so I got on to Amazon chat support expressing my disappointment that as new was technically not as new. They gave me 30% back cash in hand and did not want to take it back whatsoever, so if you're not happy with it when it lands, see if they can make it worth your while.

ozmo · 03-01-2019 9:42pm

jogdish wrote: »

I am worried I have flown over/by all the interesting things near me , sure there will be a thing to look at once in a blue moon but kinda out of flying places now
I live in an urban area so thats a no no, and don't really have to ability to travel more than 30min away by car.

Am I all drone'd out?

Try some other apps - eg check out droneddeploy you can build 3d models of buildings a from photos...very cool.
Try plotting an autonomous mission using eg. Litchi
Or fly your drone in google cardboard - again using Litchi

Peppa Cig · 05-01-2019 11:29am

Peppa Cig wrote: »

I pulled trigger on this Amazon Warehouse deal yesterday as the new version of fly more on site I was looking at went up by £100 to £850 by the time I went to purchase.

Amazon item described as “Used Like New”. Never used amazon warehouse before so bit nervous. I’ll send it back if it does not meet my high expectations.

Recieved this Amazon Warehouse Mavic Air “Used Like New” condition. Packaging pretty damaged but contents seem in very good but I would not say like new

Drone has clearly been flown previously. The previous person even left their SD card in it (no recordings on SD or internal memory).

How can I determine how much flight time taken?

I have checked each battery (x3) and app shows 0 times charges previously. Maybe it resets to zero as I have registered drone on my account?

Any advice on determining how much this “like new” drone has actually been used would be appreciated.

Thanks

tedpan · 05-01-2019 11:43am

Peppa Cig wrote:

Recieved this Amazon Warehouse Mavic Air â€œUsed Like Newâ€ condition. Packaging pretty damaged but contents seem in very good but I would not say like new

Call them and return it, I'd be raging..

Peppa Cig · 05-01-2019 11:54am

tedpan wrote: »

Call them and return it, I'd be raging..

If I could determine that it has had near zero flight time I’d like to fly it today.

If it has had a good bit of flight time I’ll send it straight back.

Ref my post above any way of determining previous owner flight time?

Battery recharge cycles show as zero in app. Is this reliable info or can it be reset by previous owner? Maybe it only counts a full charge cycle and batteries were removed from charger at 90% charge each time ....

tedpan · 05-01-2019 12:35pm

Peppa Cig wrote:

Battery recharge cycles show as zero in app. Is this reliable info or can it be reset by previous owner? Maybe it only counts a full charge cycle and batteries were removed from charger at 90% charge each time ....

From what I read online, it should be what's displayed in the app, although when I moved to a new phone one of my batteries said it had zero cycles, so I'm not sure how reliable it is.

delly · 05-01-2019 12:53pm

Get on to Amazon chat and read the riot act, you have to be firm, but not go overboard. Explain how the condition is way worse and that you are due to head away with it, as they may just say send it back. If they offer you 150 to 200 it back and the drone is okay, then it might be worth it. Even if you accept the discount, you can still send it back before 28 days.

Peppa Cig · 05-01-2019 8:00pm

tedpan wrote: »

From what I read online, it should be what's displayed in the app, although when I moved to a new phone one of my batteries said it had zero cycles, so I'm not sure how reliable it is.

DJI care refresh option available which suggests item is brand new and has only been activated by me.... (indicating it has not been previously activated i.e flown?).

Why someone left an SD card in it I don’t know.

I don’t think it can be flown without activating previously?

delly · 05-01-2019 8:16pm

Peppa Cig wrote: »

DJI care refresh option available which suggests item is brand new and has only been activated by me.... (indicating it has not been previously activated i.e flown?).

Why someone left an SD card in it I don’t know.

I don’t think it can be flown without activating previously?

I believe that is the case alright, you have 48 hours from activation to make the purchase, so looks like it has not had a flight. Strange about the SD card alright, but could also have been Amazon doing tests before putting back on sale.

So the big question is if you've decided to keep and have you been onto their chat service?

Peppa Cig · 05-01-2019 8:47pm

delly wrote: »

I believe that is the case alright, you have 48 hours from activation to make the purchase, so looks like it has not had a flight. Strange about the SD card alright, but could also have been Amazon doing tests before putting back on sale.

So the big question is if you've decided to keep and have you been onto their chat service?

They offered me a £109 partial refund which would leave it at £620 for the fly more combo. I declined but could go back to them.

They also already gave me a £10 gift credit for the hassle.

delly · 05-01-2019 9:55pm

That's a nice offer, at least you have options now. With mine it took a while to get over the 'used' paranoia, but I haven't had any bother with it and the few pounds back is great. Amazon customer service is the best, they aren't top of the game for no reason.

tedpan · 05-01-2019 10:12pm

What SD card was in the drone?

Peppa Cig · 05-01-2019 11:45pm

tedpan wrote: »

What SD card was in the drone?

San Disk 32GB Ultra

tedpan · 06-01-2019 1:42am

Peppa Cig wrote:

San Disk 32GB Ultra

Strange, I was thinking they got the slow memory card message and gave up. If it's a U3 card I have no idea why they returned it.

Did you fly it?

ozmo · 06-01-2019 2:06am

Peppa Cig wrote: »

San Disk 32GB Ultra

Is there any damage or scuffs to the drone or propellers that suggests its been used?

The battery count cannot be reset - I think its extremely limited what you can do without activating it and the battery's dont come fully charged as new - so cannot have been flown far if at all.

- you can extract any flight logs from the drone to see when it was powered up and if it was flown etc - using dji assistant 2 - available from dji's website...

https://forum.dji.com/thread-114810-1-1.html

If its unused Another 100 off and a free memory card - was a very good deal...

Peppa Cig · 06-01-2019 10:41am

tedpan wrote: »

Strange, I was thinking they got the slow memory card message and gave up. If it's a U3 card I have no idea why they returned it.

Did you fly it?

Hi yes I did fly it. All good except I got the slow SD card message with the SD card that was in it when it arrived (see photo of card attached).

Hopefully that error message will disappear if I try it with my new SD card (see packaging photos attached). This is the one Currys sell as a bundle with Mavic Air so should be good.

Peppa Cig · 06-01-2019 11:06am

ozmo wrote: »

Is there any damage or scuffs to the drone or propellers that suggests its been used?

The battery count cannot be reset - I think its extremely limited what you can do without activating it and the battery's dont come fully charged as new - so cannot have been flown far if at all.

- you can extract any flight logs from the drone to see when it was powered up and if it was flown etc - using dji assistant 2 - available from dji's website...

https://forum.dji.com/thread-114810-1-1.html

If its unused Another 100 off and a free memory card - was a very good deal...

its unused Another 100 off and a free memory card - was a very good deal...[/quote]

In fairness no damage or scuffs.

Laptop out of action with defective charger so can’t look at flight logs on dji assistant 2 as suggested. Does restoring to factory default in dji assistant clear flight logs anyway....

ozmo · 07-01-2019 2:09pm

Peppa Cig wrote: »

Hi yes I did fly it. All good except I got the slow SD card message with the SD card that was in it when it arrived (see photo of card attached).

I bought a few of these - so cheap - 64G for 13 pounds - and work fine - Ive never seen a slow warning in the mavic air even when recording in 4K.

https://amzn.to/2RBOoGe

You could also try doing a format of the card you have from within the drone dji go app - there might be a format on it that is not optimal.

tedpan · 08-01-2019 7:26pm

ozmo wrote:

I bought a few of these - so cheap - 64G for 13 pounds - and work fine - Ive never seen a slow warning in the mavic air even when recording in 4K.

That's weird, they're only U1 cards. I had the slow warning on my U1s.

Mymemory have much better deals on U3 cards. Just paid 18.99 for a 128GB Samsung Evo U3, unbelievable price. There's a thread in bargain alerts.

delly · 12-01-2019 3:07pm

Hey Peppa Cig, how are you getting on, any videos for us to get excited about?
A handy app below that you might be interested in, gives an indication of weather for drone flying, as well as other restrictions.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.uavforecast&hl=fr

Peppa Cig · 12-01-2019 5:51pm

delly wrote: »

Hey Peppa Cig, how are you getting on, any videos for us to get excited about?
A handy app below that you might be interested in, gives an indication of weather for drone flying, as well as other restrictions.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.uavforecast&hl=fr

Had to send it back. Kept losing connection with remote at close range :eek:

I suspect someone may have switched remote in this amazon warehouse deal.

delly · 12-01-2019 7:19pm

Ah no, sorry to hear that. I hope it hasn't put you off the drone experience.

ScrubsfanChris · 13-01-2019 4:05pm

delly wrote: »

Hey Peppa Cig, how are you getting on, any videos for us to get excited about?
A handy app below that you might be interested in, gives an indication of weather for drone flying, as well as other restrictions.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.uavforecast&hl=fr

Great app that, use it for work myself and very customizable.

Only thing I would say is it sometimes overestimates wind speed when compared to Met Eireann, Accuweather and others, but that's nit picking really.

VinLieger · 14-01-2019 4:42pm

Hey so got bitten by the drone bug over christmas when i bought myself a tello, now im already looking at a mavic air to pick up. I plan to practice a bit more with the tello to get the hang of it and a friend has an air id like to test fly first.

Beyond the black Friday sales last year is there likely to be a drop in price anytime soon that i should wait for? Looking specifically at the fly more combo bundle which is around 900-950 cheapest i can find.

delly wrote: »

Hey Peppa Cig, how are you getting on, any videos for us to get excited about?
A handy app below that you might be interested in, gives an indication of weather for drone flying, as well as other restrictions.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.uavforecast&hl=fr

Quick question on that app ive seen 2-3 different maps of ireland all with differing restricted airspace info. That one for instance seems to lack some large areas specifically around Dublin that are shown here https://www.flyryte.com/airspace .

Similarly that app seems to then have numerous small airports that don't exist on the above map i linked.

Then looking at https://app.airmap.io/ it seems to display a large swathe of the middle of the country as completely off limits.

Just trying to get an idea of where i should and shouldn't plan on flying.

McMurphy · 18-01-2019 7:44am

VinLieger wrote: »

Hey so got bitten by the drone bug over christmas when i bought myself a tello, now im already looking at a mavic air to pick up. I plan to practice a bit more with the tello to get the hang of it and a friend has an air id like to test fly first.

Beyond the black Friday sales last year is there likely to be a drop in price anytime soon that i should wait for? Looking specifically at the fly more combo bundle which is around 900-950 cheapest i can find.

Quick question on that app ive seen 2-3 different maps of ireland all with differing restricted airspace info. That one for instance seems to lack some large areas specifically around Dublin that are shown here https://www.flyryte.com/airspace .

Similarly that app seems to then have numerous small airports that don't exist on the above map i linked.

Then looking at https://app.airmap.io/ it seems to display a large swathe of the middle of the country as completely off limits.

Just trying to get an idea of where i should and shouldn't plan on flying.

Just my own opinion here V, but if you got 900+ budget, you should really have a look at the mavic pro second hand market.

I recently sold a fly more combo pack with the drone having only had 12 hrs flying time on it for 850.

There was lots of similarly priced on done deal at the same time.

VinLieger · 18-01-2019 9:30am

Johnny Dogs wrote: »

Just my own opinion here V, but if you got 900+ budget, you should really have a look at the mavic pro second hand market.

I recently sold a fly more combo pack with the drone having only had 12 hrs flying time on it for 850.

There was lots of similarly priced on done deal at the same time.

Thanks for the tip, ive looked at them both and theres a few options on the air that the pro doesnt have that i think i prefer like the directional sensors in the rear, the follow options and its more compact size

McMurphy · 18-01-2019 11:05am

VinLieger wrote: »

Thanks for the tip, ive looked at them both and theres a few options on the air that the pro doesnt have that i think i prefer like the directional sensors in the rear, the follow options and its more compact size

No problem, your call obviously, but apart from the directional rear sensors (I'm not sure how less compact the air is over the mavic, but the pro is extremely compact tbh) you will get considerable more range with the pro, and it also has the follow mode (if it's the same one I'm thinking of)

In saying that , and to be completely fair, 800+ is a lot of cash to be dropping on something that almost certainly won't have a warranty.

Cupatae · 18-01-2019 3:56pm

VinLieger wrote: »

Thanks for the tip, ive looked at them both and theres a few options on the air that the pro doesnt have that i think i prefer like the directional sensors in the rear, the follow options and its more compact size

I went for the air the range is more than enough, its compact design is ideal, and the footage is amazing, get the fly more pack and ull have more than enough flight time..

tedpan · 02-02-2019 5:41pm

Quick flight earlier, perfect day for droning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUuOPK-RMF8

BKWDR · 21-02-2019 2:03pm

hey all,

Ok so I started off thinking about potentially buying the Parrot Anafi then the Hubsan and to be honest the more and more I didn’t look at DJI products the more people told me that DJI are the way to go. I hate that kinda fanboyism like apple products so I was more adamant about going the other product direction, *however* the more and more I look at the Mavic Air the more im leaning this way. Fly More combo is coming in about 1049e but I see that people selling these on adverts for around 800-900 euro which is better value but I am apprehensive to buy second hand. Like they might be people who crashed them or just someone who splurged on it and then it got put in a press.

What should I be looking out for from adverts.ie sellers etc. Is there something I can look for off the app for flight time or possible problems with the drone that can’t be faked?

Couple things that are Mavic Air specific, I have picked these up from the countless reviews I have watched.

Noise: People saying it’s the props are louder side of mildly annoying. Whats it like in real life? Do people hear it and get bothered by it when out and about flying? Has anyone used different props that reduce noise?

GPS restrictions: I live near an airport and I know where are the no fly spots are and will abide by that but the difference in the EU and the FCC flying regulations ? What does it mean for me unboxing and trying to fly it in Dublin…

Flight time, in typical irish weather , what are we looking at?

Flight ability in typical irish weather, winds etc. , I know you have to make a call but bar a nice summers calm day, can you put these drones up in a normal windy day?

If I operate off an android phone is there any spec phone that is requirement? As in not off the dji official site, as in “Oh I bought a mavic air and never realised my Oneplus 3T phone wasn’t enough to run the DJI go software…”

Im a photographer enthusiast so do spend a few bob on camera / lenses and equipment, I just don’t have to have complete buyers remorse after spending this wedge and it for it to be a bit MEH where I could have bought a L series lens …

ozmo · 21-02-2019 2:29pm

BKWDR -> they are not that noisy - 80m or so up and you probably wouldnt notice it. 1050 sounds a bit expensive for a mavic air - check out gearbest, banggood, amazon etc..
If you are into Lens’ in a big way maybe consider also the hasselblad mavic pro 2 or the zoom- more expensive but you might get away with just the one battery for that one. I think dji anounced something this week about getting more precise boundaries around airports so might want to read up on that also.

VinLieger · 21-02-2019 3:08pm

ozmo wrote: »

1050 sounds a bit expensive for a mavic air - check out gearbest, banggood, amazon etc..

1050 is about right for the fly more combo from what ive seen

tedpan · 21-02-2019 3:24pm

VinLieger wrote:

1050 is about right for the fly more combo from what ive seen

No, it was 949e in Harvey Norman in Jan and there was 899e offers over Christmas. I would aim to pay around 850 at this stage.

VinLieger · 21-02-2019 3:54pm

tedpan wrote: »

No, it was 949e in Harvey Norman in Jan and there was 899e offers over Christmas. I would aim to pay around 850 at this stage.

While that is true ive been looking for it at lower than 950 since christmas and haven't spotted it once beyond what look like very unreliable sites.
The only place you will see it lower than 1050 is when its on sale prices.
Best price on Amazon right now is 960 and it hasn't been that low in weeks.

tedpan · 21-02-2019 4:00pm

I meant it's over a year old, it's value has definitely been reduced since the Mavic 2s were released, I love the air, but it's not worth over 850e.

It's 999e in Currys if you wanted to buy locally..

VinLieger · 21-02-2019 4:24pm

tedpan wrote: »

I meant it's over a year old, it's value has definitely been reduced since the Mavic 2s were released, I love the air, but it's not worth over 850e.

It's 999e in Currys if you wanted to buy locally..

I agree, id pay about 900 for it but nobody has it for that who id happy buying it from.

delly · 21-02-2019 9:43pm

I've retired my Parrot Disco drone and been looking at the anafi and mavic air, but the price went down to £460 today on Amazon for the anafi and that sealed the deal. While the air is a great piece of kit, the price is just to high imho.

One thing to consider on whatever you do decide, is the Amazon warehouse. The products can be hit or miss in terms quality, but you can send it back no questions asked within 30 days. Think of it as a trial before you buy so to speak.

VinLieger · 04-03-2019 10:48am

Just got a notification about Mavic air being reduced to 860 on a finnish site

https://www.hobbylinna.fi/tuote/dji-mavic-air-fly-more-combo-onyx-black/B480406/?&language=en&valid_country=IE

Still checking out the site before buying it myself but this is the best price its been in months

tedpan · 17-03-2019 2:23pm

Got a flight in this morning, just before the rain!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rCeF_vyUGI

jogdish · 17-03-2019 3:07pm

excellent video!
Been 4 months since I last flew

even upgraded my PC so actually stand a chance to edit the 1080 footage.

All things Mavic Air

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