Any Drone pilots here?

[Hugo Drax]

Been flying this Phantom 4 drone and I have to say its quite amazing the technology you get in a small package. The 4K videos just look amazing and these things handle great.

I was watching the traffic today parked up in the air in a safe area (in case it falls no cars or people injured) just watching the traffic jam and the mess going on. It was rock solid, no shaking etc. It just looks like you this eye in the sky 300 feet up in the air watching the world.

What was the first drone that was available to the public, Was it the parrot drone?

I could only imagine 10 years from now what kind of drones will we be able to buy off the shelf.

 

[lxskllr]

I used to make paper airplanes. They kinda go where they want like a drone.

 

[Thebobo]

Been flying this Phantom 4 drone and I have to say its quite amazing the technology you get in a small package. The 4K videos just look amazing and these things handle great.

I was watching the traffic today parked up in the air in a safe area (in case it falls no cars or people injured) just watching the traffic jam and the mess going on. It was rock solid, no shaking etc. It just looks like you this eye in the sky 300 feet up in the air watching the world.

What was the first drone that was available to the public, Was it the parrot drone?

I could only imagine 10 years from now what kind of drones will we be able to buy off the shelf.

I have a little drone, like 4 inches. Its tricky to fly because of ground effect. Doesn't have all the gps stuff.

I fly mostly RC gliders but about 15~ years ago a club member who worked at a fledgling drone company demoed one at a club meeting he bought from work. It was pretty sophisticated but it was using NIMH batts and ferrite motors and only flew like 5 minutes safely. It is amazing the progress that's been made, imo mostly because of brushless motors and Lipo batts.

 

[KMFJD]

Mavic Pro here, i had one of those 100$ ones from BB a couple of years ago, it was a pretty shitty drone, 2 years later i bought the mavic and it's been amazing

 

[Hugo Drax]

Mavic Pro here, i had one of those 100$ ones from BB a couple of years ago, it was a pretty shitty drone, 2 years later i bought the mavic and it's been amazing

DJI is the Apple of the Drone market They make great drones. I bought the P4 when they had this blowout sale for 760 dollars. (for the price of the P4 Pro I got two drones, incase one breaks etc) You get a lot of bang for the buck. I just flew it at night to check out the traffic jam. It looks amazing to see the city at night, the quality is very good DSLR quality. I am surprised with the sensor you can get such good videos at night via the ambient light,

I could only imagine how much better the Phantom 4 pro is since it uses a 1 inch sensor + mechanical shutter and aperture.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I have a phantom 3 and it is quite cool. Wish I had more places to bring it, the laws here are kinda strict, though they did loosen them a little. But still can't really fly it near buildings and such. So like most of the cool videos you see of drones online would be illegal here. Over 15k fine IIRC if caught and think you can even get jail time. I always thought the states were ridiculous when it came to petty crime but sounds like it's starting to be the same here.

I do have a field in front of my house though so that is kind of nice, though I don't tend to do any big flights, mostly bring it straight up and pan around. Would need a much larger field if I want to do some fast flights going in circles and stuff. Might bring it in the middle of the bush one day. Would be cool to do that in fall actually.


Couple vids:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVlPbSP4LhI - winter night

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSKNJ9mF0_E& - fireworks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZFJrFezl-w - lightning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y5y2Lmv_kQ - first flight

Couple pics too:

 

[Thebobo]

We have the problem of Geofencing around here where they block off areas if you are using modern GPS drones. A coworker was flying his inside at work all over but when he went outside it wouldn't fly.

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/03/drones-invisible-fence-president/518361/

An app to help you find where you cant fly.

https://www.faa.gov/uas/where_to_fly/b4ufly/

 

[bigi]

Phantom 3 4K here.

You have to fly it above open water / shoreline to really appreciate it. Flew mine above Lake Michigan for a few days over last summer with spectacular video results.

The range was great for P3. RTH is a bless. 4K video is very good, I just wish that still pics were better.

 

[brainhulk]

I'm waiting for 1 hr flight times in a spark sized drone

 

[Red Squirrel]

I want to eventually build my own drones, would be cool to test different designs and stuff. Airplanes sound like fun too, you could probably get 1h+ of flight if it's designed well, as they are more efficient than quadcopters by design. But quads give you more control and maneuverability for taking pictures and video and stuff.

 

[KMFJD]

http://www.portvapes.co.uk/?id=Latest-exam-1Z0-876-Dumps&exid=threads/drone-videos-of-nature.2472338/#post-38212017

Brian Stirling posted some amazing videos he took in that thread, i believe he has an DJI Inspire

 

[Thebobo]

I want to eventually build my own drones, would be cool to test different designs and stuff. Airplanes sound like fun too, you could probably get 1h+ of flight if it's designed well, as they are more efficient than quadcopters by design. But quads give you more control and maneuverability for taking pictures and video and stuff.

There us a healthy flying wing FPV market most are around 42" to 60" wing span and are very fun to fly. They are also a lot cheaper with one motor/ Speed controller ect.

I've had many 1+ hour flights in with motorless RC sailplanes. Some hand-launched some launched with a winch and some flown at a slope.

 

[Paratus]

Old school Phantom 1 pilot here.

Upgraded with:

• Phantom 2 9in props & guards vs P1 8 inch props
• 2800mah batt vs 2200mah batt
• Zen Muse 3D gimbal & GoPro Hero 3 Silver
• Mini IOSD and Immersion 600mw 5.8GHz SD transmitter
• 3D printed extended battery door
• 7” Flysight Black pearl monitor.

 

[Aikouka]

Mavic Pro here, i had one of those 100$ ones from BB a couple of years ago, it was a pretty shitty drone, 2 years later i bought the mavic and it's been amazing

I've got a Mavic Pro as well, and it's certainly a nice piece of kit. The only awkward part is probably how darn hot the thing gets when you're updating the firmware. I use a rather large laptop cooler to help keep it cool while updating.

The newly released Mavic Air is a pretty nifty little device too. It's sort of a mix of the Mavic Pro and the Spark.

 

[clamum]

I've only got a cheap drone that I won at last year's work Christmas Party. Just looked it up, it's the Holy Stone F181C. I've only flown it in my apartment's living room briefly but it was trickier than I anticipated to fly. I think it would be difficult to fly if I brought it outside if there was any sort of wind at all. I actually just charged up the two batteries for it so I might try it this weekend.

It would be cool to get a Mavic Pro or Mavic Air (the Phantom looks amazing too) but I just don't see myself using it much, at this point. Maybe down the road I'll get into it.

I just watched a short video of a fixed wing drone, the Parrot something-or-other, and the pilot had a VR setup on. Is that available for any DJI drones, a VR experience?

 

[Aikouka]

I just watched a short video of a fixed wing drone, the Parrot something-or-other, and the pilot had a VR setup on. Is that available for any DJI drones, a VR experience?

Yes, DJI sells goggles, which aren't terribly cheap, but they are a first-party item that works right out of the box. They have a normal set and a set designed for racing. Although, I'm not sure who buys DJI drones for racing.

 

[Thebobo]

I have a phantom 3 and it is quite cool. Wish I had more places to bring it, the laws here are kinda strict, though they did loosen them a little. But still can't really fly it near buildings and such. So like most of the cool videos you see of drones online would be illegal here. Over 15k fine IIRC if caught and think you can even get jail time. I always thought the states were ridiculous when it came to petty crime but sounds like it's starting to be the same here.

I do have a field in front of my house though so that is kind of nice, though I don't tend to do any big flights, mostly bring it straight up and pan around. Would need a much larger field if I want to do some fast flights going in circles and stuff. Might bring it in the middle of the bush one day. Would be cool to do that in fall actually.


Couple vids:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVlPbSP4LhI - winter night

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSKNJ9mF0_E& - fireworks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZFJrFezl-w - lightning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y5y2Lmv_kQ - first flight

Couple pics too:

Damn where are the mountains? That's as flat as you can get, video is extremely stable?

 

[Red Squirrel]

Damn where are the mountains? That's as flat as you can get, video is extremely stable?

It's quite stable. Pretty much stays where it's pointing if you let go the controls. And yeah I don't live anywhere near any mountains. Unless the ore piles from the open pit mine count. That is what you can see in the far end of the first picture.

I've only got a cheap drone that I won at last year's work Christmas Party. Just looked it up, it's the Holy Stone F181C. I've only flown it in my apartment's living room briefly but it was trickier than I anticipated to fly. I think it would be difficult to fly if I brought it outside if there was any sort of wind at all. I actually just charged up the two batteries for it so I might try it this weekend.

I had a similar drone, was my first one so I can mess around with them without worrying about crashing an expensive one, was a bit under $100 and for that price it was decent. The video would fail to save half the time though and the range was not that good so if I went too high I lost communication. But it was probably really meant for indoor use. If you try it outside make sure it's not too windy.

I have a video of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT9TAubP-ZQ

When it starts to tumble it's because it lost communication.

 

[luv2liv]

i have the p3 4k. best investment ever for doing photos and vids!
anyways, im curious where you get your insurance with zero deductible. Neary Aerial was in business, guess they are gone now

 

[Hugo Drax]

I have almost 9 hours (68) flights. It is addictive to fly the Drone and then viewing the amazing 4K footage. I went and ordered a Phantom 4 Pro for the 1inch sensor and 5.8ghz radio. There is lots of congestion in the 2.4ghz [verified with a spectrum analyzer] and the farthest I can go is 1,900feet away and keep reliable signal.(Urban area) I am surprised I even get that far.

I went up to 1000 feet to get footage of the city in the day and at night, holy shit does it look amazing and no shaking etc. The image stabilization on these drones are very effective it is like having a video camera on a damped tripod.

This tech sized up in the future and you will have flying cars as normal transportation (in 50-80 years from now)

 

[Thebobo]

You in the states? If so you can't fly above 400' and out of line of sight with a FPV. Think many European countries are the same? Unless you get a waiver from the FAA.

 

[Red Storm]

I had a DJI Spark for a day, but then returned it. Just couldn't deal with the ~15 min battery life (and 15 minutes was ideal). Once we get closer to 1 hour flight time I may jump back in.

 

[Thebobo]

I had a DJI Spark for a day, but then returned it. Just couldn't deal with the ~15 min battery life (and 15 minutes was ideal). Once we get closer to 1 hour flight time I may jump back in.

Unless some amazingly new battery and motor technology comes around you probably won't be around that long. Easy to solve now just have multiple battery packs. Charge them at home and have one being charged at the field while you are flying the others.

Even flying NICAD/NIMHs we were able to fly all day, just have lots of batt packs.

 

[Red Storm]

Unless some amazingly new battery and motor technology comes around you probably won't be around that long. Easy to solve now just have multiple battery packs. Charge them at home and have one being charged at the field while you are flying the others.

Even flying NICAD/NIMHs we were able to fly all day, just have lots of batt packs.

I mean the Mavic already does 30 minutes, and it's a pretty small drone too. I don't think 1 hour is so unreasonable.

 

[Thebobo]

I mean the Mavic already does 30 minutes, and it's a pretty small drone too. I don't think 1 hour is so unreasonable.

I noticed it has a 3850 batt that's pretty hefty so I could see it doing close to 30 being frugal. But thats no fun..