Distance

[495bigjoe]

I just bought the new Mavic Air.
It says that it has a flight distance up to 4km.
I would never fly that distance , however could I fly my drone 1km over a city and fly it with confidence??? Or should I be worried??
Thanks in advance

 

[Mrmund]

Probably shouldn't fly your drone OVER A CITY with confidence, you know PEOPLE living in a city, walking around and such.

Of course if you're not concerned about peoples safety that's fine but when you mess it up for the rest of us I'm going to be pissed!
Oh yeah, flying in your city is probably ILLEGAL

Go fly somewhere away from people, especially since you "I just bought the new Mavic Air", read this forum, watch videos and learn about these amazing aircraft and what they can do.

Good luck, fly safe and welcome to the forum

 

[JDawg]

I just bought the new Mavic Air.
It says that it has a flight distance up to 4km.
I would never fly that distance , however could I fly my drone 1km over a city and fly it with confidence??? Or should I be worried??
Thanks in advance

Depends. There are a lot of great city videos and pictures and all of the operators faced different obstacles to get them.

 

[BD0G]

When setting out to fly ask yourself this question:

Is what I am planning on doing a risk to others and /or myself.
Try and mitigate any negatives of the flight that would endanger other people , property, etc as well as yourself.

If you follow this simple step your drone experiences will be exponentially more fruitful.

Case in point: I often fly over South Lake Tahoe at a specific take off point from a parking lot. I do not park in the first open spot near the entrance , but instead drive all the way down to the last spot closest the water/lake. This way when I launch I am not flying over anyone , thier cars , thier kids, etc. I am up and out over the water quickly! This reduces the chances of a catastrophic failure ruining someones day (yours included).

 

[495bigjoe]

Probably shouldn't fly your drone OVER A CITY with confidence, you know PEOPLE living in a city, walking around and such.

Of course if you're not concerned about peoples safety that's fine but when you mess it up for the rest of us I'm going to be pissed!
Oh yeah, flying in your city is probably ILLEGAL

Go fly somewhere away from people, especially since you "I just bought the new Mavic Air", read this forum, watch videos and learn about these amazing aircraft and what they can do.

Good luck, fly safe and welcome to the forum

Thank you for the feedback. I would not fly over a city as I know it is illegal. I’m just wondering if there would be any interference if I flew it about a kilometre away. I will be flying it at my cottage. I’m just wondering if I should be worried about a kilometre radius distance?

 

[JDawg]

Thank you for the feedback. I would not fly over a city as I know it is illegal. I’m just wondering if there would be any interference if I flew it about a kilometre away. I will be flying it at my cottage. I’m just wondering if I should be worried about a kilometre radius distance?

Read the RTH section until you understand it 100%. It is your best insurance against losing your bird.

 

[Mossiback]

...It says that it has a flight distance up to 4km.
I would never fly that distance , however could I fly my drone 1km over a city and fly it with confidence??? Or should I be worried??...

Any maximum distance statement is based on perfect flying conditions which you will not find flying over a city. Perfect flying conditions are found away from cities with nothing between the RC and AC. Understand how RTH works and how to set it up to reduce the worry.

 

[Bigbird48]

Can you see a MA at that distance , I think not. Keep it in sight at all times and you should be fine. Read the rules and fly safe.

 

[Jackcutrone]

It appears that what he is asking about is whether structures would block the radio signals between the aircraft and the controller not the wisdom of such a flight. As to the latter I think we all agree that it would not be a good idea. As to the former, it’s my understanding, perhaps incorrect, that a building, especially tall concrete and steel commercial or residential buildings, would block the two way transmissions. I believe that even flying with trees in a direct line between aircraft and controller would degrade the signal.

I once had an experience where I was flying over a cornfield and looking at the Go4 iPhone image. I wanted to examine something in the cornfield. Because I was looking at the app I didn’t realize that as I descended I got below a small rise in the ground that came between me and the aircraft. As it should have it Activated lost connection RTH, ascended to my RTH altitude and came back home. While I thought it was a great demonstration of some fine engineering I have been careful since to maintain a clear path to the aircraft

 

[Yatesbfy46]

I just bought the new Mavic Air.
It says that it has a flight distance up to 4km.
I would never fly that distance , however could I fly my drone 1km over a city and fly it with confidence??? Or should I be worried??
Thanks in advance

Having been a commercial pilot for 40 yrs and commercial drone operator for 3 yrs, know that your drone is a mechanical device that is awesome but isn’t perfect. Always operate knowing it can fail and you can make mistakes as well. Once you feel very comfortable and have mastered the device that is when you really want to be on your toes. As always common sense is your best copilot.

 

[Aussie Oldtimer]

not sure where you are but here in australia, you must be able to see the drone at all times. i cant see something that small at 500 m

 

[Canuk]

I fly out in the sticks most times and can tell you 100% that if trees get between the controller and the bird the signal will be negatively affected .

 

[SkyWizard]

In a dense city I wouldnt try to go more than half a mile away.

 

[bob5action]

Thank you for the feedback. I would not fly over a city as I know it is illegal. I’m just wondering if there would be any interference if I flew it about a kilometre away. I will be flying it at my cottage. I’m just wondering if I should be worried about a kilometre radius distance?

Because the AIR uses the substandard wifi for communications people often say for maximum range you need to fly above 'wifi bubbles' , that is the standard wifi people are using in their houses and buildings. So if you have line of sight & high enough so as not to be affected by wifi in people's houses you have best chance of long distance without interference reducing the distance

 

[Vunda Air]

Probably shouldn't fly your drone OVER A CITY with confidence, you know PEOPLE living in a city, walking around and such.

Of course if you're not concerned about peoples safety that's fine but when you mess it up for the rest of us I'm going to be pissed!
Oh yeah, flying in your city is probably ILLEGAL

Go fly somewhere away from people, especially since you "I just bought the new Mavic Air", read this forum, watch videos and learn about these amazing aircraft and what they can do.

Good luck, fly safe and welcome to the forum

True Dat!

 

[CanadaDrone]

I just bought the new Mavic Air.
It says that it has a flight distance up to 4km.
I would never fly that distance , however could I fly my drone 1km over a city and fly it with confidence??? Or should I be worried??
Thanks in advance

I can easily reach those distances in urban areas, but every environment is different. Just start slow and turn back if you get any signs of issues.

Most countries require a spotter when flying beyond line of sight, so bring a buddy if you want to stay legal.

Also check your local laws - usually you can't just fly over a city (or people or traffic)

If you're just learning, find a big open field and get familiar with everything. A distance test is the last thing I would do if I just bought the thing, as tempting as that may be

 

[aokusman]

My max is 1300 meters in a congested urban area and with 4hawks antenna mod. For max distance you need and open area of land.

 

[Kanon025]

My max is 1300 meters in a congested urban area and with 4hawks antenna mod. For max distance you need and open area of land.

Beyond that you lose signal or start to lose signal?

 

[aokusman]

Beyond that you lose signal or start to lose signal?

I start to get spotty video so I just turn around. I could push further but I don’t.

 

[ScubaBob]

I just bought the new Mavic Air.
It says that it has a flight distance up to 4km.
I would never fly that distance , however could I fly my drone 1km over a city and fly it with confidence??? Or should I be worried??
Thanks in advance

Can you see your drone if it is 1KM from you? I can't see mine and since you are supposed to have VLOS at all times when using your drone then perhaps you might want to reconsider the flight. Just to check VLOS, today I took my drone out over the ocean (no chance of hitting anyone), and positioned it so it was against some nice white clouds in the background at about 45 meters above the water. At 500 meters away from me my drone was getting pretty hard to see and I brought it back. You are going 1,000 meters. Seems too far for me to comply with VLOS requirements.