Anyone in Nova Scotia

dronefreak2020 · Apr 30, 2020

I have a phantom 3 4k it is not bad has a nice camera takes nice photos and videos but it don't have the transmission range that the phantom 3pro has. I would love to have the phantom 4 they are a nice drone with a good flying range even though we cant fly them out of our site . Are you on face book?

dronefreak2020 · Apr 30, 2020

Kbviper said:
Hey dronefreak, welcome. I am in Charlottetown, PE, originally from Glace Bay, NS. I enjoy flying near the windmills when I am traveling through the Amherst area, a lot of great areas to fly near there. I think we are the same age. I will see if I can find a couple of windmill pictures to post. Perhaps we should start a NS picture page.View attachment 100138 View attachment 100139 View attachment 100140

Kbviper · May 1, 2020

Nice pictures. The P3 is a great drone to start with and the photo and video quality are pretty good. One of the good things about the DJI products is that the controls are all basically the same, even if some of the controllers are different.

I am amazed at the technology every time that I fly. I am the drone coordinator at work, so had to get my Advanced License and Flight Reviewer endorsement. If you ever pass the Advanced Exam and need to be flight reviewed, let me know.

I posted this video in a different thread: https://youtu.be/JnF0c0It4UI

Using a drop kit on the Mavic Enterprise Zoom.

No, not on Facebook.

dronefreak2020 · May 1, 2020

That is really neat your neighbour must love to see your drome coming to visit him lol. I like the look of the Mavic It looks like a good sturdy drone to. I don't know if I could pass my advanced exam the small basic was a hard one for me. I have a petition on here to try and change the fact that we have to rewrite our exams every two years I don't mind paying a small fee to renew my pilot certificate but I don't think we should have to rewrite the exam every two years. You sure have a nice video I enjoyed watching it and I'm going to show it to my wife she will love that.

Kbviper · May 1, 2020

dronefreak2020 said:
That is really neat your neighbour must love to see your drome coming to visit him lol. I like the look of the Mavic It looks like a good sturdy drone to. I don't know if I could pass my advanced exam the small basic was a hard one for me. I have a petition on here to try and change the fact that we have to rewrite our exams every two years I don't mind paying a small fee to renew my pilot certificate but I don't think we should have to rewrite the exam every two years. You sure have a nice video I enjoyed watching it and I'm going to show it to my wife she will love that.

There is not a DJI drone that I would say is a bad one. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, and I enjoy flying them all. I am particularly impressed at the photo and video quality from the Mavic Mini. I'll attached a link to a video clip I took with the MM in February.

I instruct on a drone Ground School Course and helped candidates prepare for the Advanced Exam. It is unfortunate that there are many questions on both the Basic and Advanced Exams that are irrelevant to safely flying a drone in Canada.

I get that for an Advanced License you should have a bit more knowledge than for a Basic License, but some of the questions border on bizarre. Some are near impossible to find a definitive answer to even if you have the time to "google them".

I will find your petition in relation to writing the exam every two years and definitely sign it.

dronefreak2020 · May 1, 2020

That is a nice video I see you had lots of ice in when you done that flight. I have to say a lot of the question on the basic exam did not make sense to a drone pilot some of it only airplane pilots could answer like we are not going to be landing our drones on the landing strip at the air ports and we are not flying our drones at 4000 ft so some of this really has nothing to do with flying a drone. Not to mention we would have to be a meteorologist to answer some of the weather related questions lol. I would love to have my advanced but it is just too crazy . I'm having a hard time finding my petition on here I found it once now I cant seem to find it they had to have it approved before I could put in on the forum . I don't know much about this forum I just joined it yesterday so you might find my petition before I do lol.

dronefreak2020 · May 2, 2020

Hi I was just told that we do not have to rewrite the small basic exam someone on this forum tells me we can go to the transport Canada site a take a quiz that the answers are there for and download it and print it off to keep on us when flying . Not sure if this is true or not but thought you might know where you work with drones.

Kbviper · May 2, 2020

dronefreak2020 said:
Hi I was just told that we do not have to rewrite the small basic exam someone on this forum tells me we can go to the transport Canada site a take a quiz that the answers are there for and download it and print it off to keep on us when flying . Not sure if this is true or not but thought you might know where you work with drones.

There is study material on the Transport Canada website that is of some help in preparing for the Basic or Advanced Exam.

I have never heard, or read anything that stated that you had to write every two years to retain a Basic License, but Transport Canada has suggested that you will have to prove you have kept your skills up to date every two years to retain and Advanced License. I will cut and paste in below what is on the TC website. There is nothing like this on the corresponding page in relation to Basic licenses.

After you receive your Pilot Certificate – Advanced Operations

To remain certified, you will need to keep your skills up to date. If you let your skills lapse for more than 2 years, you may lose your certification. This cycle follows a recurring 2 year basis. For holders of the Pilot Certificate – Advanced operations, the cycle begins the day you receive your certificate.

You must keep proof on you that you’ve retained your knowledge whenever you fly. Standard 921.04 – Recency Requirements outlines acceptable activities, including:

attending a safety seminar endorsed by Transport Canada Civil Aviation
completing a recurrent drone training program
completing a self-paced study program endorsed by Transport Canada Civil Aviation

I have not heard of Transport Canada challenging anyone for this as yet and I suspect that it is still a work in progress. Unless you are involved in a major incident with a drone and identified, TC likely would not be on the ground questioning drone operators.

In most jurisdictions in Canada, the first responder for the enforcement of the laws related to the operation of drones is the RCMP, and most officers are not aware of all of the fine points of the regulations. If there is a significant incident, the police of jurisdiction will liaise with TC investigators to ensure that the laws and penalties are properly applied.

For minor offences, such as flying without the proper license, or not having your registration number on your drone, the RCMP have been given a ticket book and officers can issue a ticket/fine on the spot.

dronefreak2020 · May 2, 2020

So is there something we have to print off from the TC web site to proof I kept my skills up to date like is there something I have to study or a quiz or something. I only have my small basics certificate

Kbviper · May 2, 2020

dronefreak2020 said:
So is there something we have to print off from the TC web site to proof I kept my skills up to date like is there something I have to study or a quiz or something. I only have my small basics certificate

From the way I read it, you only have to have proof that you are keeping your skills up to date if you have the Advanced License. If you just have the basic, you should be okay. As far as I know right now, you will not have to write a basic exam again in two years, and you do not need to carry anything other than your license with you.

I think TC is still trying to work out some of the details, and this may change at some point.

dronefreak2020 · May 2, 2020

Sounds great to me I will go with that lol. Thanks

Kbviper · May 2, 2020

dronefreak2020 said:
Sounds great to me I will go with that lol. Thanks
[/QUOT
Here are a couple of good sites for you if you are not aware of them already. The first is a National Research Council (NRC) website with a map that is fairly accurate in relation to where you can legally fly in Canada.

Drone site selection tool - National Research Council Canada

nrc.canada.ca

Amherst has an Aerodrome, but there are no legal issues in relation to flying in that area.

Aerodrome. Drone operations are permitted within the 1 nautical mile zone indicated by the yellow filled circle. Caution is advised, however, due to potential helicopter traffic. Operations when other aircraft are present are strongly discouraged.

When I am planning on flying somewhere that I am not familiar with, I check both the NRC map and the DJI map. The two do not always agree - there are times the DJI software will not allow you to fly where it is legal to do so in Canada, and times it willl allow you to fly in areas that are supposed to be prohibited.

Here is the link to the DJI site:

DJI FlySafe

www.dji.com

You can see on the screenprint below that DJI restricts max height on the flight paths into Charlottetown Airport, but this is not required under the TC regulations - you just have to stay under 400 ft where it is legal to fly.

No DJI restrictions around Amherst, but you cannot fly over prisons (and drop contraband).

Here is the NRC map showing Amherst and the aerodrome. The Confederation Bridge is a no fly zone.
Cape Tormentine is a great place to fly. Nice wharf, some fishing boats, a lighthouse, and a nice view of the Confederation Bridge, but you are well away from it.

dronefreak2020 · May 2, 2020

Thanks those are very handy sites to know about' I have a site downloaded it's called B4ufly and it will show some of the no fly zones and the weather. But thanks for the information I really appreciate that.

dronefreak2020 · May 5, 2020

Did you tell me you have a dji phantom 4 or a phantom 4 pro ?

Kbviper · May 8, 2020

dronefreak2020 said:
Did you tell me you have a dji phantom 4 or a phantom 4 pro ?

My first DJI drone was a P4 that I purchase in Jan. 2017. I still have it and it flies well and takes great pictures and video. I have over 70 hours flying time it and knock on wood, no crashes or problems with it. I bought my wife a P4 about 4 months after I purchased mine. She has fewer hours on hers, but like mine, no crashes or other problems.

My wife got a Mavic Mini a couple of months ago. She enjoys flying it and likes how compact it is to take anywhere. We have a P4P at work that I've flown. Not a whole lot different than the P4 other than a 20 MP camera vs 12 MP, and a few more sensors.

dronefreak2020 · May 8, 2020

Kbviper said:
My first DJI drone was a P4 that I purchase in Jan. 2017. I still have it and it flies well and takes great pictures and video. I have over 70 hours flying time it and knock on wood, no crashes or problems with it. I bought my wife a P4 about 4 months after I purchased mine. She has fewer hours on hers, but like mine, no crashes or other problems.

My wife got a Mavic Mini a couple of months ago. She enjoys flying it and likes how compact it is to take anywhere. We have a P4P at work that I've flown. Not a whole lot different than the P4 other than a 20 MP camera vs 12 MP, and a few more sensors.

What is the difference between the p4 and the p4 pro' is it just the control range I think the pro has a longer control range.

Kbviper · May 9, 2020

Both the Phantom and the Phantom 4 Pro have an advertised range of 7.0 kms (4.2 miles).

The Phantom 4 Pro is compatible with two types of controllers, standard and optional. both can switch between 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz frequency bands with a maximum controllable range of 4.3mi (7km) (Unobstructed, free of interference, FCC compliant.).

The Phantom 4 will fly over 4.2 miles away (in good conditions) and still maintain a decent video stream. That's more range than the average person can even handle without running out of battery.

I have never had the Phantom 4 that far. Of the drones that I fly, I have found the Mavic Enterprise has the longest range in the real world and keeps the best signal. It is rated at 8.0 kms.

dronefreak2020 · May 9, 2020

Kbviper said:
Both the Phantom and the Phantom 4 Pro have an advertised range of 7.0 kms (4.2 miles).

The Phantom 4 Pro is compatible with two types of controllers, standard and optional. both can switch between 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz frequency bands with a maximum controllable range of 4.3mi (7km) (Unobstructed, free of interference, FCC compliant.).

The Phantom 4 will fly over 4.2 miles away (in good conditions) and still maintain a decent video stream. That's more range than the average person can even handle without running out of battery.

I have never had the Phantom 4 that far. Of the drones that I fly, I have found the Mavic Enterprise has the longest range in the real world and keeps the best signal. It is rated at 8.0 kms.

The Mavic Enterprise is a one of the nicer drones but expensive though. Would you be interested in selling your phantom 4 some time this summer' I was thinking on a new one but don't think I'm going to have the funds to do that for a couple more years.

Kbviper · May 9, 2020

dronefreak2020 said:
The Mavic Enterprise is a one of the nicer drones but expensive though. Would you be interested in selling your phantom 4 some time this summer' I was thinking on a new one but don't think I'm going to have the funds to do that for a couple more years.

I get to fly the Mavic Enterprise Dual and Zoom quite often, but they belong to my employer. The light put out by the LED you can mount on the Mavic Enterprise is incredible.

The Phantom 4 I have works great and has never been crashed. It does have about 70 hours flying time on it and developed a couple of the common cracks on the arms that I fixed with a high end plastic cement. Given the repairs and hours on it, it is probably worth more to me than to someone else.

I do have a Mavic Pro with low hours, three batteries (1 non-DJI), charging hub, and a bunch of other accessories that I would probably sell at one point. The MP is in excellent condition, never crashed or gotten wet.

dronefreak2020 · May 9, 2020

Kbviper said:
I get to fly the Mavic Enterprise Dual and Zoom quite often, but they belong to my employer. The light put out by the LED you can mount on the Mavic Enterprise is incredible.

The Phantom 4 I have works great and has never been crashed. It does have about 70 hours flying time on it and developed a couple of the common cracks on the arms that I fixed with a high end plastic cement. Given the repairs and hours on it, it is probably worth more to me than to someone else.

I do have a Mavic Pro with low hours, three batteries (1 non-DJI), charging hub, and a bunch of other accessories that I would probably sell at one point. The MP is in excellent condition, never crashed or gotten wet.

How much would you be asking for Mp I will start doing some extra work on week ends to come up with some extra cash. Did you tell me you live in P E I ?