Ordered my Mavic 10/28 and watched the threads impatiently like everyone else. Swore when I got my Mavic (Peeper I) I would practice, practice, practice in the open desert until I was reasonably competent.
So I finally get my Fly More package from DJI just a week before I was wanting to take it to Jamaica to document a Pickleball tournament. BTW, I got pre-approval from the resort to fly/film above the tournament.
I practiced 3 batteries worth every day. Basic flight controls and a little bit with Litchi. My big problem was remembering to freaking focus!
So off to Jamaica. Mavic and batteries in carry on, no problem at all.
Day before filming went to the courts to set up the shots and preset waypoints for Litchi flight plans. The tennis pro was amazed and looked over my shoulder the entire time. What I was trying to do was pretty boring stuff so it was uncomfortable and I cut the planning short.
Next day I had a fly way shot programmed. It was going to be beautiful. Started with semi-close up of play on the court, then straight back and higher letting the resort and then the beaches/ocean unfold. So I kick off the flight plan...
Peeper I gets into position, starts filming, and backing off... OMG there's a light pole and it's not high enough quick enough! Abort! Ugh, not quick enough. Backs into the pole and then straight down to a sidewalk. The gimbal is a mess but all else looks ok. Back in the room determine not repairable by me. BTW, the flight path was purposely away from highly trafficked areas so the crash was away from everyone. But it could have been worse. I was stupid & lucky.
Back home initiate repair request. When packing it for shipping I noticed much more damage including the base metal plate bent near the SD card slot cause access issues to the card slot.
I must say the repair experience 100% better than the initial order experience. Very fast and kept me informed every step of the way. I should have Peeper II in a day or two.
Hopefully I've learned my lesson. And, of course, the video of the crash was out of focus...
So I finally get my Fly More package from DJI just a week before I was wanting to take it to Jamaica to document a Pickleball tournament. BTW, I got pre-approval from the resort to fly/film above the tournament.
I practiced 3 batteries worth every day. Basic flight controls and a little bit with Litchi. My big problem was remembering to freaking focus!
So off to Jamaica. Mavic and batteries in carry on, no problem at all.
Day before filming went to the courts to set up the shots and preset waypoints for Litchi flight plans. The tennis pro was amazed and looked over my shoulder the entire time. What I was trying to do was pretty boring stuff so it was uncomfortable and I cut the planning short.
Next day I had a fly way shot programmed. It was going to be beautiful. Started with semi-close up of play on the court, then straight back and higher letting the resort and then the beaches/ocean unfold. So I kick off the flight plan...
Peeper I gets into position, starts filming, and backing off... OMG there's a light pole and it's not high enough quick enough! Abort! Ugh, not quick enough. Backs into the pole and then straight down to a sidewalk. The gimbal is a mess but all else looks ok. Back in the room determine not repairable by me. BTW, the flight path was purposely away from highly trafficked areas so the crash was away from everyone. But it could have been worse. I was stupid & lucky.
Back home initiate repair request. When packing it for shipping I noticed much more damage including the base metal plate bent near the SD card slot cause access issues to the card slot.
I must say the repair experience 100% better than the initial order experience. Very fast and kept me informed every step of the way. I should have Peeper II in a day or two.
Hopefully I've learned my lesson. And, of course, the video of the crash was out of focus...