Actual Weight.

[GadgetGuy]

Unless of course if the pilot is (commercial) 107. Then each drone has a unique registration number.

Yes, that's why I specified for the hobbyist, where the pilot registers himself, rather than the individual drones. Even if the weight were to be over 249g, the hobbyist is likely already registered, and the only de minimus violation would be the failure to label the aircraft.

For the U.S. commercial operator, the Mini 249g weight offers no advantages whatsoever.

 

[old man mavic]

if you are only purchasing the MM as a way of avoiding the operator registration and flyer test ,whats the point if you already have a drone that needs to be registered, you might as well put your id no on the MM as well that way you could avoid trouble further down the line if the MM was over the 250 gram weight ,and apart from first time flyers, i would think that nearly all the drone owners on this forum are already registered anyway

 

[WithTheBirds]

The 250g isn't going to matter to me. I am registered for my other drones so if I have to label this one, no big deal.

The game changer for me is something so small and light with such a good flight time on one battery.

I don't know about anyone else, but I tend to find I lose the first 5 minutes of battery time sorting my shooting position and settings out, and like to return and land with 5 minutes or so of juice left, so with a 15 minute battery I only get 5 minutes to do whatever I want.

With a 25-30 minute battery, I get 15-20 minutes to do what I want, so its a huge difference in usability.

It's never going to compete with my bigger drones in terms of image quality, but in much the same way as I carry around a compact camera and even take photos with my phone despite having far more capable cameras I see this as something I will carry around much more frequently. if I find a great location I can always return with something more capable another time.

The weight could of course be very significant for visitors to the UK as they can legally fly their drone without needing to register or pass any tests/pay any fees.

The best camera is the one you have with you- a very simple and logical extension to drones.

I had an Inspire that saw little use compared to my phantoms, they have basically sat idle since I got the Mavic 2.

I’m not sure I would fly the mini in preference to the Mavic (based on imaging performance) however I would carry it with me on a day hike where imaging wasn’t the priority. That will make for images/footage I would never have otherwise.

New entrants to the hobby obviously aren’t the target market. They are just part of it. No doubt the mini will be an addition to an existing fleet for a large number of us.

 

[GadgetGuy]

if you are only purchasing the MM as a way of avoiding the operator registration and flyer test ,whats the point if you already have a drone that needs to be registered, you might as well put your id no on the MM as well that way you could avoid trouble further down the line if the MM was over the 250 gram weight ,and apart from first time flyers, i would think that nearly all the drone owners on this forum are already registered anyway

Less than 25% of drone owners have registered with the FAA. Our forum members are the exception! This makes the other 75% legal, if they are flying the Mini.

 

[SkyDogII]

It’s a travel drone. I’m all in.

 

[Thoraldus]

FYI Folks:

Most digital scale manufacturers conflate readout resolution with accuracy. This is wrong!

Important parameters associated with weight scales are, Precision, Accuracy, Resolution & Linearity

Resolution = Minimum display increment, ie. 1, 0.1 or 0.01 grams
Precision = Repeatable Results ie. the same object weighs the same every time you weigh it
Accuracy = Accurate Results ie. The scale reports an objects weight accurately
Linearity = Accuracy Over Range of Scale ie. The scale is accurate over all ranges of its capacity

Be sure you understand your scale's specifications. For example a digital scale could have a resolution of .001 gram with an accuracy of +-5 grams and a precision of +- 2 grams. Re: Linearity, a manufacturer may specify its scale accuracy as a % of its full scale reading (%FS) or actual reading (%AR)

Re: Weight of Mavic Mini A difference of 1 gram in 250 = .4% You would probably need a scale with .05% accuracy at 250 grams to to get a confident measurement. I can guarantee you that a $15 digital scale from Amazon wont give you the results you need.

From the above it's easy to see why there are wide variations in the reported weight of the Mavic Mini on the web.

cheers!
Rick (Retired Quality Assurance Engineer) ;-)

ps. You will probably need to purchase Class F1 calibration weights to calibrate your scale. (If it has calibration capability)
Here's a nice set

 

[Nskinner]

This actually could be a big deal for Canadian consumers, since June 2019 Transport Canada has introduced new regulations for drones 250g - 25kg. Not only are you required to register the drone (no big deal) but you must now obtain a basic or advanced RPAS operators certificate, for this you need to be at least 14 years old and pass an online exam, I tried it once without any kind of preparation just to see (it's only $10 to attempt) and failed miserably, it covers Airspace Law, Aeronautical communication, Flight theory and aerodynamics, etc, some very advanced and complicated stuff. It's up to a $5000 fine if you're caught operating without a license.
Since then I completed a (20 hour!) online training course and passed the advanced exam, but still need to do an in-person flight review to get that level of certification (allows flight in restricted airspace and closer to people if you meet other requirements)
My 13 year old son wants a Mavic mini for Christmas, and I thought this would be fine, now I'm not so sure...

 

[ryszardx]

Will adding anything like lights take you over the limit? Or is 249 grams for the basic aircraft.

 

[WithTheBirds]

FYI Folks:

Most digital scale manufacturers conflate readout resolution with accuracy. This is wrong!

Important parameters associated with weight scales are, Precision, Accuracy, Resolution & Linearity

Resolution = Minimum display increment, ie. 1, 0.1 or 0.01 grams
Precision = Repeatable Results ie. the same object weighs the same every time you weigh it
Accuracy = Accurate Results ie. The scale reports an objects weight accurately
Linearity = Accuracy Over Range of Scale ie. The scale is accurate over all ranges of its capacity

Be sure you understand your scale's specifications. For example a digital scale could have a resolution of .001 gram with an accuracy of +-5 grams and a precision of +- 2 grams. Re: Linearity, a manufacturer may specify its scale accuracy as a % of its full scale reading (%FS) or actual reading (%AR)

Re: Weight of Mavic Mini A difference of 1 gram in 250 = .4% You would probably need a scale with .05% accuracy at 250 grams to to get a confident measurement. I can guarantee you that a $15 digital scale from Amazon wont give you the results you need.

From the above it's easy to see why there are wide variations in the reported weight of the Mavic Mini on the web.

cheers!
Rick (Retired Quality Assurance Engineer) ;-)

ps. You will probably need to purchase Class F1 calibration weights to calibrate your scale. (If it has calibration capability)
Here's a nice set

He had a calibration weigh- the Mavic mini itself.

 

[Thomas B]

Will adding anything like lights take you over the limit? Or is 249 grams for the basic aircraft.

Anything added that weighs 2gm puts it over the limit. Just register it. Eree-Peezy.

 

[deleted member 877]

Will adding anything like lights take you over the limit? Or is 249 grams for the basic aircraft.

You can add a light so long as it weighs no more than 0.99999999 grams.

 

[Thomas B]

Anything added that weighs 2gm puts it over the limit. Just register it. Eree-Peezy.

 

[old man mavic]

even putting on the kit for decorating the drone will probably take it over

 

[apeel]

Curious about folks using their own scales and seemingly thinking they are accurate to within a gram or two. 1 gram out f 250 is a 0.4% accuracy. That is asking a lot of these home scales. I wouldn’t think they are that accurate.

 

[deleted member 877]

Curious about folks using their own scales and seemingly thinking they are accurate to within a gram or two. 1 gram out f 250 is a 0.4% accuracy. That is asking a lot of these home scales. I wouldn’t think they are that accurate.

Agree 100%. @Thoraldus explained the whole thing about the accuracy (or otherwise) of scales in post #66 above. People need to consider the ramifications for DJI if the Mavic Mini didn't weigh EXACTLY as advertised. In my country, given the significance of this particular drone's weight, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission would levy a huge fine and order the offending product to be immediately withdrawn from sale.

I understand the situation in Canada, and to a similar but lesser degree in the U.K. but seriously guys, how much more needs to be said before this thread dies a natural death?

 

[old man mavic]

weight for it weight for it arrrhhh its ok its dead

 

[Zoltram]

Mine is 248g with battery, not a scientific scale though:

 

[SkyDogII]

YEAH. Finally verification. Thank you so much Zoltan!!!?. With ? to spare!!!

 

[deleted member 877]

YEAH. Finally verification. Thank you so much Zoltan!!!?. With ? to spare!!!

Yeah, it's verification that the guy's scales are out by one gram. Again post #66 explains what needs to be done to accurately measure weight.

 

[SkyDogII]

You’re the best