Drone Shopping

72MachOne99GT

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My wife is looking into getting some variety of drone as a “family Christmas present” this year.

I’m no expert, but am not afraid of flying stuff. She’s an amateur for sure, and our 9 year old has little experience as well.

She wants something with a camera, ~15 minute flight times, and perhaps slightly higher on the durability side as we have younger children in addition to the 9 year old.

Curious what some of you with experience in beginner drones, as well as those of you who have progressed into fancier, higher dollar equipment recommend for my needs.

Thanks
 

CobraBob

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Here are a few threads you can look at. There are a number of members in these threads who have drones that you might want to contact.
 

72MachOne99GT

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Here are a few threads you can look at. There are a number of members in these threads who have drones that you might want to contact.

Thanks. I thought about using search after I had posted this thread but it was too late, it was posted.
 

Outlaw99

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I have a DJI mini fly more combo. Great drone. Use it for recreational flying and work.

Get your t.r.u.s.t. cert right away and if you plan to fly for any reason other than fun, you'll need an FAA part 107 license. I am almost through the class, it's not too hard.

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I have a DJI mini fly more combo. Great drone. Use it for recreational flying and work.

Get your t.r.u.s.t. cert right away and if you plan to fly for any reason other than fun, you'll need an FAA part 107 license. I am almost through the class, it's not too hard.

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Costco has a pretty good deal on those.
 

72MachOne99GT

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Costco has a pretty good deal on those.

Thanks, I’ve read through the threads Bob linked and the DJI Mini 2 seems like a safe bet for my needs (particularly the weight to atay under needing a higher registration)

I’ll check costco, I believe it was 599 at Best Buy (case, extra control sticks, three batteries)
 

L8APEX

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I have the DJI mavic Mini (fly more combo) , Go for the DJI mini 2 (fly more combo) at $599 same shell as the plain mini, but much, much better range and less issues with interference with OccuSync instead of just Wifi, 4k camera, better controller, more smart tracking features and like the original mini over 30mins of flight time per battery (you get 3.) And most importantly at 249g (under 250g) it does not require a license from the FAA for recreational flying. But if you use it to make money or post pictures/videos on youtube you'll need the license. They also have propeller guards you can put on while learning or flying inside.

 

CobraBob

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I have a DJI mini fly more combo. Great drone. Use it for recreational flying and work.

Get your t.r.u.s.t. cert right away and if you plan to fly for any reason other than fun, you'll need an FAA part 107 license. I am almost through the class, it's not too hard.

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A good friend of mine is a partner in a new drone startup that will be using drones to fly medical supplies (ie. body parts) from an airport to various hospitals. He was explaining the FAA license required, which got me thinking about how many unlicensed drone operators there might be out there. Like people who aren't aware of the requirement. ??

With the potential for thousands of drones flying in our airspace over the next few years, I can well understand the licensing requirement. I'm just wondering if it's possible that the private sector has lots of drones with a unlicensed owners. Maybe @Outlaw99 can chime in on this question.
 

13COBRA

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A good friend of mine is a partner in a new drone startup that will be using drones to fly medical supplies (ie. body parts) from an airport to various hospitals. He was explaining the FAA license required, which got me thinking about how many unlicensed drone operators there might be out there. Like people who aren't aware of the requirement. ??

With the potential for thousands of drones flying in our airspace over the next few years, I can well understand the licensing requirement. I'm just wondering if it's possible that the private sector has lots of drones with a unlicensed owners. Maybe @Outlaw99 can chime in on this question.
I'm sure there's a BUNCH.

Heck, I almost bought one. I didn't know I'd need a license for it.
 

Outlaw99

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A good friend of mine is a partner in a new drone startup that will be using drones to fly medical supplies (ie. body parts) from an airport to various hospitals. He was explaining the FAA license required, which got me thinking about how many unlicensed drone operators there might be out there. Like people who aren't aware of the requirement. ??

With the potential for thousands of drones flying in our airspace over the next few years, I can well understand the licensing requirement. I'm just wondering if it's possible that the private sector has lots of drones with a unlicensed owners. Maybe @Outlaw99 can chime in on this question.
There are a lot of people doing this, and the cause of much stricter FAA laws, rules and regs. I have seen people doing crazy stupid **** with drones. Everytime someone gets hurt or there's property damage...a new tough law goes into effect.

Toughest part of the class is airspace. What's controlled, and you have to be able to read and understand airport air space charts and traffic patterns.



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72MachOne99GT

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I have the DJI mavic Mini (fly more combo) , Go for the DJI mini 2 (fly more combo) at $599 same shell as the plain mini, but much, much better range and less issues with interference with OccuSync instead of just Wifi, 4k camera, better controller, more smart tracking features and like the original mini over 30mins of flight time per battery (you get 3.) And most importantly at 249g (under 250g) it does not require a license from the FAA for recreational flying. But if you use it to make money or post pictures/videos on youtube you'll need the license. They also have propeller guards you can put on while learning or flying inside.


I read the exemption from FAA Part 107 as using it recreationally. Using it for a business or in any other commercial way removes you from the exemption despite the weight <249g

You suggested that even posting pictures On-the-line negates the terms of that exemption?

Did I read that right, because it isn’t necessarily how I interpreted things in my brief readings.

Edit: just on-the-youtube possibly. Or inst-the-gram.

ie: a monetized social account?
 

Deceptive

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Disappointed, I thought this was gonna be about shooting down package delivery drones.


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L8APEX

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I read the exemption from FAA Part 107 as using it recreationally. Using it for a business or in any other commercial way removes you from the exemption despite the weight
You suggested that even posting pictures On-the-line negates the terms of that exemption?

Did I read that right, because it isn’t necessarily how I interpreted things in my brief readings.

Edit: just on-the-youtube possibly. Or inst-the-gram.

ie: a monetized social account?
Just if it's monetized, like YouTube or any other site that makes you money. Basically if you are not making money from it and under 250g you can operate without the license.

Still read up on the faa rules, especially if you are near airports and aircraft.

Basically don't fly over people or moving cars and don't fly above 400ft and never let the drone out of your sight.
The software will let you know of other flight restrictions.

IE one block from my house is a 60ft altitude restriction due to an auxiliary runway at ICT 14/32 used by small aircraft. So I don't go past 100 at my house and have flight traffic on my phone. Lots of restrictions here in Wichita. In the red you cannot takeoff, blue required authorization to even take off, orange is keep an eye out for aircraft but no restrictions on takeoff. The grey boxes are altitude limits leading to/from runways.

8b747691007eb4cb4e0fca125edf873a.jpg


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lOOKnGO

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I could Google when they started with FAA licensing but one of my older boys got his when he got his real pilot's license 7 years ago. He tried to convince me I should do it my business. I told him I'm to diversified already. He was planning to work for the border patrol, but passed.
I've been told you cant fly a drone in Washington DC even with a license.

I was involved in a multi million dollar sale of a commercial piece of property and the client hired a company to inspect all portions of the roof and penetrations. The camera could pick up the smallest defects. It was definitely impressive.
 

72MachOne99GT

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Nothing I plan to do is going to be remotely monetized, and if it is, I have a bachelors degree and I work in electronics, I have zero doubt I can pass a test.

Where we live/would mostly use it is likely nowhere near a “red zone.”

My dad’s property is about 1.5-2 miles from a small rural airport so having the app handy would be great.

Appreciate the advice thus far, the 600 dollar fly more package for the dji mini looks good.

Next question, how fast is something this entry level. And second, I assume videos are without audio for obvious motorized propeller reasons.. right?
 

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Video has no audio, correct. If you're just flying recreationally. Don't worry about the FAA part 107, but you will still need your t.r.u.s.t. cert. If you ever need to fly commercially, as long as you have a licensed person with you, you are covered. Your DJI Mavic M2 will have 3 speed levels. Cinematic, normal and sport. As you learn keep it in Cinematic and as you get better advance it to sport. SPORT mode is crazy fast. The control response is quick and I believe it Flys around 38mph which may not sound fast.

The class isn't about simple things, like drone maneuvering, it's more complex. It's understanding airspace charts, understanding and identifying airspace classes, where you can and can't fly legally. You may just fly recreational, but want to capture your sons soccer game. Can you legally do that? Nope. You'll need FAA part 107. Basically recreationally means an open field or private property with no public around and 0 risk of damage or injury. Anytime you want to fly near people or an event, you'll need a license and believe me people will be assholes and call the police.

It's not about being monetized or making money...example: Your buddy asks you to shoot his wedding with a drone? Allowed? Legal? As a recreational flyer, you can not do that. you'll need a license for that weather you are paid or not. Flying your drone at a car show to capture cool ariel shots. Allowed? Legal? You will need a license to do that.

I have had the police called on me several times, once at the beach. I was flying over the beach capturing an awesome view and here came beach police. Legally you can not launch nor land on any public beach in the US, but you CAN fly over the beach. I had to show my flight data to prove I didn't launch from the beach.

You may not live near an airport. But you may be in the traffic pattern for landing or take off.

Drones can be crazy fun, just be responsible and educate yourself on what's legal and what's not and don't try and guess.

400 feet is the maximum altitude you can fly legally without a license. Your drone is capable of much more. That's 400 AGL...above ground level. If you're on a hill or mountain, 400 feet altitude from where you launched.

I tried the FPV goggles once and got super sick...it felt like I was flying.





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CobraBob

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There are a lot of people doing this, and the cause of much stricter FAA laws, rules and regs. I have seen people doing crazy stupid **** with drones. Everytime someone gets hurt or there's property damage...a new tough law goes into effect.

Toughest part of the class is airspace. What's controlled, and you have to be able to read and understand airport air space charts and traffic patterns.



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That was the part that my friend focused on, airspace issues. He is an retired pilot and has flown all over the world for years. So he knows all about the current regulations and has a good sense of what's to come regarding drones.

My granddaughter was getting some sun in her backyard this past summer when she heard a buzzing sound, looked up and saw a drone hovering over their property. That freaked her out. I told her to call the police and they told her that if she saw it again to call them and they'd definitely investigate where the owner was. It was pretty obvious it was someone in her neighborhood doing some creepy crap.
 

Outlaw99

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That was the part that my friend focused on, airspace issues. He is an retired pilot and has flown all over the world for years. So he knows all about the current regulations and has a good sense of what's to come regarding drones.

My granddaughter was getting some sun in her backyard this past summer when she heard a buzzing sound, looked up and saw a drone hovering over their property. That freaked her out. I told her to call the police and they told her that if she saw it again to call them and they'd definitely investigate where the owner was. It was pretty obvious it was someone in her neighborhood doing some creepy crap.


Next year, the FAA requires all drones to have whats called a remote ID. New drones will have it built into the software, existing drones will have a tiny mod attached. With out it, the drone can not launch. The remote ID broadcasts an identifying signal so that law enforcement can see who is operating a drone improperly, or illegally.

The FAA also scans youtube and similar sites for videos showing violations and issuing fines and tickets by mail.

To the OP, if you're on social media, join some of the drone operators groups and you will learn a lot of what you can and can not do. Also join FAA Drone Zone.
 
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