Drones

My Phantom doesn't like to fly out beyond about 300' in any direction any more.

It's frustrating as hell, but at least I didn't have to pay for it. My company toyed with getting all us field guys certified, but determined it was still cheaper to pay a guy to come out and take photos rather than handle it in house.
 
I build custom drones for people and also teach people how to fly, If you have any specific questions just let me know.

I have a bunch of drones too, from professional level fpv racing drones to huge cinematography drones to little baby toy ones!

All different shapes and sizes.
If anyone is interested in drones and wants help getting started, just let me know.

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Since your offering yes I would love some help. It seams like a lot seam to like the Mavic line of drones. I have never had one but I like the idea of the follow me option. While I am currently in Maui on vacation I talked with a guy that was using his video whales off the coast which was really cool to be able to see them. Any suggestion ?
 
Since your offering yes I would love some help. It seams like a lot seam to like the Mavic line of drones. I have never had one but I like the idea of the follow me option. While I am currently in Maui on vacation I talked with a guy that was using his video whales off the coast which was really cool to be able to see them. Any suggestion ?
Shoot me a PM for more questions if you got them. I would recommend the Mavic mini, affordable, easy to fly, and amazing quality.


EDIT: The mavic mini doens't have active tracking as brought to my attention by @rasband. Thank you
I personally have the DJI Spark and love the tracking and video options. I assumed DJI added it to their new Mavic Mini, I'm surprised they haven't. Here is a video of the spark tracking my friend on a longboard. At around 2:10, you can see some numbskull throw something at my drone!!!

 
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Shoot me a PM for more questions if you got them. I would recommend the Mavic mini, affordable, easy to fly, and amazing quality.

Im not sure if it’s changed, but doesn’t the mini not have the follow modes? Maybe there’s a hack for that.
 
What's the opinions on the various Hubsans? They seem to offer a lot of bang for the buck, and best of all from my perspective, don't involve a smartphone.
 
What's the opinions on the various Hubsans? They seem to offer a lot of bang for the buck, and best of all from my perspective, don't involve a smartphone.
Hubsan makes drones ranging from toys ($25) to higher quality "pro" drones on the same level as the mavic and spark from DJI. But I put pro in "" because I have only ever used them for their toy drones, I can't speak personally on how their professional line works. But from what I hear and see, they seem to be decent. Some of their pro level drones require a smartphone for live camera feed. But if I'm going near the pro level drone, for cinematography and ease of use, DJI is 1st.

Hubsans are definitely worth playing around with and learning through! They can take a beating!! I would question their higher quality drones...
 
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is the mavic air 2 still the bees knees? Back on the drone curiosity thing. I'd be totally on board with the mini if only it had the tracking features.

Do any of you guys go for the part 107 certification or do you just register as a recreational flyer? I don't really see doing this as a "business" but posting videos on YouTube might skirt the line if you got somebody with a particularly strict interpretation of the rules.
 
is the mavic air 2 still the bees knees? Back on the drone curiosity thing. I'd be totally on board with the mini if only it had the tracking features.

Do any of you guys go for the part 107 certification or do you just register as a recreational flyer? I don't really see doing this as a "business" but posting videos on YouTube might skirt the line if you got somebody with a particularly strict interpretation of the rules.
Any of the DJI ones will be good. Just have to decide what features you want and how much to pay.
 
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I don't really see doing this as a "business" but posting videos on YouTube might skirt the line if you got somebody with a particularly strict interpretation of the rules.
If your channel is monetized and popular the FAA might send you a notice, they have people just sitting around watching videos to check. It's one of those things, it only matters when allot of people start watching what you post. I saw the mavic at costco the other day, had to laugh.
 
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I bought a DJI Mini 2 a few weeks back, and I'm really enjoying this tiny little drone! For the size and cost, I'm really impressed with it.



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Speaking of FAA and fines, there is this guy PhillyDroneLife that was in a similar situation. He was flying in a city and taking video around the buildings and posted on Youtube. Not sure if he was reported or FAA came across his video randomly, but since he was flying in a city and had a monetized youtube channel (from what I recall, I don't remember the details of the story), the FAA SLAPPED him with a $182,000 FINE. Which is insane.

I understand he was endangering people by flying in a packed city near large buildings and what not, but that is an exorbitant amount of money. How did they come up with that number?

Here is a 45 minute video of him discussing the matter and how it basically ruined him financially. Sad stuff man.



 
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Speaking of FAA and fines, there is this guy PhillyDroneLife that was in a similar situation. He was flying in a city and taking video around the buildings and posted on Youtube. Not sure if he was reported or FAA came across his video randomly, but since he was flying in a city and had a monetized youtube channel (from what I recall, I don't remember the details of the story), the FAA SLAPPED him with a $182,000 FINE. Which is insane.

I understand he was endangering people by flying in a packed city near large buildings and what not, but that is an exorbitant amount of money. Here is a 45 minute video of him discussing the matter and how it basically ruined him financially. Sad stuff man.




I should probably just study up on the 107 cert. A slap on the wrist is one thing but I don't want to be the guy whose file happens to land on someones desk the day they have a bug up their ass about making an example of someone.

I'm not monetized or anything with my 25 subscribers but nothing to say I don't end up there at some point.
 
I should probably just study up on the 107 cert. A slap on the wrist is one thing but I don't want to be the guy whose file happens to land on someones desk the day they have a bug up their ass about making an example of someone.

I'm not monetized or anything with my 25 subscribers but nothing to say I don't end up there at some point.
Yea I believe there is an exam that you need to take at an FAA location and I think it costs about $175 to take the test. As long as you are a registered pilot and register your drones and follow the rules and don't monetize your videos (to be safe), you shouldn't need a 107 unless you truly plan on selling footage commercially like for real estate or anything else.
 
I should probably just study up on the 107 cert. A slap on the wrist is one thing but I don't want to be the guy whose file happens to land on someones desk the day they have a bug up their ass about making an example of someone.

I'm not monetized or anything with my 25 subscribers but nothing to say I don't end up there at some point.
The guy in that video has less than 6.4k subscribers. That's crazy fine numbers in comparison. I can't imagine he makes much with 6k subscribers.