New DJI Mavic Mini

[eltawater]

Old Man Peabody said:

Very tempted by this as I've been wanting a drone for a long time, but looking at the regs you're still restricted by the 400ft height celling.

That seems a bit restrictive.

Any thoughts?

The 400ft is from the surface of the earth so if you are standing at the top of a hill then you can for 400ft upwards. In reality, that's plenty high enough as you will lose visual sight of the mavic mini before then.

Your bigger issue is being able to find anywhere without airspace restrictions or blanket bans on remote controlled aircraft as part of their byelaws! Download the NATs drone assist app as a starting point and look around you but it is by no means exhaustive as many local parks are restricted by byelaws.

[red_slr]

400ft is plenty.

I have flown up to 1000ft AGL (under FPV exemption using a CO) and it can get pretty windy up there, plus you really do start to get into the realms of listening and watching for real aircraft and honestly I did not enjoy it. This was with a 550 *covered* in LEDs so quite large and could only just be observed properly - tried it with a TBS disco and ran out of eyeball about 600ft..

I think even at 400ft you will struggle to see the orientation of the mini - even lower if its cloudy due to the grey colour they have gone with.

I think on a drone of this type 100-200ft is going to be the zone most people fly in.

[Old Man Peabody]

Thanks both.

Will do some digging.

I keep seeing differing reports as to whether the 400ft applies to anything under 250g, but good to know it shouldn't be a problem even if it does

[red_slr]

Its 122m/400' AGL - does not matter what size drone it is. It is AGL though, so if you stand on the top of 400' cliff and hover just inside the edge you could get some shots that appear 800' - for example. You could not fly past the edge though. If its a hill you would have to follow the contour of the hill to stay within 400' AGL.

I would also check for RPZs as these are a fairly new thing and extend 5000m from the runway in both directions and catch out quite a few people especially in the south where there are many airports in a small space.

Also check NOTAMs for any restrictions as these might come and go literally overnight.

[Old Man Peabody]

Well I've looked at the NATs app and that has certainly made my enthusiasm wane.

400ft seems me than doable, but it's a case of where's appropriate.

Cheers guys. Food for thought....

[ecsrobin]

Old Man Peabody said:

Well I've looked at the NATs app and that has certainly made my enthusiasm wane.

400ft seems me than doable, but it's a case of where's appropriate.

Cheers guys. Food for thought....

I think you need to workout what you want to achieve with it and then decide if it’s right for you. I think at this price point I’ll bite as it would be great for capturing sailing images without worrying about the costs of a big drone going in the drink.

[gregs656]

I don’t see the height being an issue.

Getting under the regs is nice though.

I expect the Spark prices will take a bit of a dip on the second hand market, could be a good option for someone not using it anywhere that is likely to draw attention.

One thing with these light drones is they really need a still day. I don’t think the 400ft restriction is going to be an issue at all on a drone this size.

I can see me picking up a mini if I get some good use out of the Dobby - at the moment it’s difficult to justify the 7.5x increase in price.

[eltawater]

Don't forget though that a full blown mavic pro 1 is also about 500 pounds second hand so if you're worried about ditching it then it is quite easy to repair and replace. The biggest investment is always going to be in the batteries as the flying time is fairly limited even with a gentle breeze at ground level as it gets stronger the higher up you go.

Some of us leisure users are terrified of damaging them so you'll find second hand examples barely used and very well cared for!

[Old Man Peabody]

ecsrobin said:

I think you need to workout what you want to achieve with it and then decide if it’s right for you. I think at this price point I’ll bite as it would be great for capturing sailing images without worrying about the costs of a big drone going in the drink.

I don't have a specific use for it. I just thought it would be a nice idea to get some aerial shots on various days out, but looking at the regs. and the NATs app, I can now see that's easier said than done.

Shame as I only intend to be sensible with it, but I can see there is a lot to think about if you are flying these by the book.

[red_slr]

As with any hobby there are people who will ruin it for everyone else. My advice is to play by the rules and you will probably be surprised just how often you can use it. I also think the mini is going to be a good "stealth" drone due to its size and its not that loud either. Also its part of the fun doing your research into flying locations and checking the NOTAMs etc.

The mini is amazing value for money IMHO. £450 for 2.7k camera on a rock solid 3 axis gimble with 30 min flight time plus 3 batteries, carry case and multi charger. This is the stuff of dreams for me if you went back to 2012/13 when I was messing about trying to get my gopro and gimble to work well, charging lipos with the fear of burning my house down and getting the grand total of 7 minutes flight time. Then hacking the thing up to fit 5ghz video sender, EZUHF, OSD and FPV camera. Total cost in the end probably 2 grand if not more. I had 3 flight cases full of kit to get that thing in the air.

Today you can go onto DJIs site and buy something literally 1/4 the size that does everything my 550 did, better. Clip your phone on and download and app and away you go for £450... crazy.

[Old Man Peabody]

red_slr said:

As with any hobby there are people who will ruin it for everyone else. My advice is to play by the rules and you will probably be surprised just how often you can use it. I also think the mini is going to be a good "stealth" drone due to its size and its not that loud either. Also its part of the fun doing your research into flying locations and checking the NOTAMs etc.

The mini is amazing value for money.....

As you say, great value and I do agree that it's size and db level will hopefully not attract too much attention.

At this rate, I might just flip a coin, lol

[Mutts]

red_slr said:

As with any hobby there are people who will ruin it for everyone else. My advice is to play by the rules and you will probably be surprised just how often you can use it. I also think the mini is going to be a good "stealth" drone due to its size and its not that loud either. Also its part of the fun doing your research into flying locations and checking the NOTAMs etc.

The mini is amazing value for money IMHO. £450 for 2.7k camera on a rock solid 3 axis gimble with 30 min flight time plus 3 batteries, carry case and multi charger. This is the stuff of dreams for me if you went back to 2012/13 when I was messing about trying to get my gopro and gimble to work well, charging lipos with the fear of burning my house down and getting the grand total of 7 minutes flight time. Then hacking the thing up to fit 5ghz video sender, EZUHF, OSD and FPV camera. Total cost in the end probably 2 grand if not more. I had 3 flight cases full of kit to get that thing in the air.

Today you can go onto DJIs site and buy something literally 1/4 the size that does everything my 550 did, better. Clip your phone on and download and app and away you go for £450... crazy.

Dont know what ive spent on my 550, but its sat on a desk behind me at work, having not flown in the past 2 or so years.
Max flight time was 12mins and weighed in at just 2.4kg!!
The Mavic mini looks tempting so does a 2nd hand Mavic.

[Dan_1981]

Currently looking at picking up a 2nd hand mavic. They seem to pop up reasonably often at the £450 mark on facebook marketplace etc.

[eltawater]

Dan_1981 said:

Currently looking at picking up a 2nd hand mavic. They seem to pop up reasonably often at the £450 mark on facebook marketplace etc.

Do budget for some additional batteries, a compatible tablet, a tablet holder, a custom flight case and something to land on.

Don't worry about the car charger, the soft case or any ND filters. Hours in the air is fairly irrelevant as that just has an impact on battery life which are easily replaced. Oh and low noise props are snake oil, it still sounds like a swarm of angry bees!

[gregs656]

Old Man Peabody said:

As you say, great value and I do agree that it's size and db level will hopefully not attract too much attention.

At this rate, I might just flip a coin, lol

The good thing about the Mini is that it in a class of its own, the pricing is likely to be stable and I think demand will be strong.

If it’s not for you it won’t be difficult to move on.

[red_slr]

Few range tests coming through from the US, the US version in clear LOS and low noise conditions is starting to drop out around 4000m. That's pretty crazy. Great to have that level of confidence so if you happen to fly behind a tree by mistake at 250m you know you will not lose radio contact.

There only seems to be one UK / EU version which has been range tested and the range was reported as 500m which is a bit of a shame because in high noise environments it will probably be a lot less. Also if you happen to visit a country where there are no laws about LOS then you are still going to be pretty restricted with 500m range while the US version reaches out 8 times further.

I just hope the US don't get a superdooper version and us Brits get the toy version.

[br d]

red_slr said:

Few range tests coming through from the US, the US version in clear LOS and low noise conditions is starting to drop out around 4000m. That's pretty crazy. Great to have that level of confidence so if you happen to fly behind a tree by mistake at 250m you know you will not lose radio contact.

There only seems to be one UK / EU version which has been range tested and the range was reported as 500m which is a bit of a shame because in high noise environments it will probably be a lot less. Also if you happen to visit a country where there are no laws about LOS then you are still going to be pretty restricted with 500m range while the US version reaches out 8 times further.

I just hope the US don't get a superdooper version and us Brits get the toy version.

FCC'ing it will be a must I suppose. I have a Mavic Air and it's pretty poor on CE unless you're in the middle of nowhere, I imagine this will be similar. I do like the look of the Mini but having an Air and a Pro 2 I think my bases are already covered.
Does it have Waypoints?

[theboyfold]

Is that Mavic Pro a decent alternative in terms of cost? I assume it has pros and cons though, I've not paid much attention as they have always been to expensive as a toy. The Mini has bought it back to my attention though.

[red_slr]

br d said:

Does it have Waypoints?

No, I guess its possible they might add it in the future but very limited in features mainly due to the price point I think.

[Hoddo]

eltawater said:

Your bigger issue is being able to find anywhere without airspace restrictions or blanket bans on remote controlled aircraft as part of their byelaws! Download the NATs drone assist app as a starting point and look around you but it is by no means exhaustive as many local parks are restricted by byelaws.

Is there a reliable online resource to see restrictions or is the NATs Drone Assist App the best option?

One question about the NATs Drone Assist App, when it is a pink or very transparent red is that restricted air space or a recommendation to be very vigilant? Example being Manchester Airport, obviously very clear restriction around the airport and flight paths; however, there is a significant space surrounding the airport right down into Cheshire which shows this pink / light red colouring.