DJI Mavic pilots - Australia

bushie · Jul 1, 2020

Phill said:
QLS is much less restrictive than other states when it comes to drones.

Same in WA

ThommoPerth · Aug 4, 2020

Hello form Manjimup, WA. Mavic Air 2. Learner, only done 1 flight so far because the weather is so bloody cold and wet, but been watching lots of vids and reading.
Couldn't find anything on the local councils website about drones for what ever thats worth so will just have to abide by the CASA rules and common sense ..........
One thing I am not sure about yet is wether I can fly in National Parks here...

SkyeHigh · Aug 4, 2020

ThommoPerth said:
Hello form Manjimup, WA. Mavic Air 2. Learner, only done 1 flight so far because the weather is so bloody cold and wet, but been watching lots of vids and reading.
Couldn't find anything on the local councils website about drones for what ever thats worth so will just have to abide by the CASA rules and common sense ..........
One thing I am not sure about yet is wether I can fly in National Parks here...

WA National Parks, unlike other states encourage use of drones - they see the benefits of free advertising to a wider audience. Some restrictions apply where a larger number of people gather such as swimming areas and of course CASA rules apply.

We would have had some amazing footage last year if it wasn’t so windy in Spring as we drove from NT through WA to SA.

bushie · Aug 5, 2020

ThommoPerth said:
Hello form Manjimup, WA. Mavic Air 2. Learner, only done 1 flight so far because the weather is so bloody cold and wet, but been watching lots of vids and reading.
Couldn't find anything on the local councils website about drones for what ever thats worth so will just have to abide by the CASA rules and common sense ..........
One thing I am not sure about yet is wether I can fly in National Parks here...

Some WA local authorities think they can restrict take of and landing of drones. My local council (Mandurah) thought about it and has legal advice they do not have the power to do so, so the same probably applies to all in WA. You may need to have deep enough pockets to fight them in court, not aware if it has ever been tested.

ThommoPerth · Aug 5, 2020

bushie said:
Some WA local authorities think they can restrict take of and landing of drones. My local council (Mandurah) thought about it and has legal advice they do not have the power to do so, so the same probably applies to all in WA. You may need to have deep enough pockets to fight them in court, not aware if it has ever been tested.

Thanks for the reply. Don't think it would be a problem here unless you do the wrong thing....

wombat · Aug 5, 2020

Sorry to disagree here guys but you do require a permit to use a RPA in National Parks within WA, I have done this in the past, suggest you contact the NP office in the area you intend to fly, here is the list of offices.

Home | Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions

www.dpaw.wa.gov.au

SkyeHigh · Aug 5, 2020

wombat said:
Sorry to disagree here guys but you do require a permit to use a RPA in National Parks within WA, I have done this in the past, suggest you contact the NP office in the area you intend to fly, here is the list of offices.

Home | Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions

www.dpaw.wa.gov.au

If that’s the case then I can only assume the Park’s staff aren’t aware or something has changed since 2019. I checked with Regional Park offices and staff at every location we visited and apart from obvious No Drone Zones we were advised simply to follow CASA Guidelines. The only reason for very few eventual flights was the constant Spring high winds.

ThommoPerth · Aug 5, 2020

Ok mate, thanks

wombat said:
Sorry to disagree here guys but you do require a permit to use a RPA in National Parks within WA, I have done this in the past, suggest you contact the NP office in the area you intend to fly, here is the list of offices.

Home | Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions

www.dpaw.wa.gov.au

Thanks for the info. Best I call them and find out about the local rules here befor I go into any National parks.

bushie · Aug 7, 2020

You used to require permission. Now they only request you check with them in case they have any operations in the area you wish to fly. Generally I just go ahead as it is often difficult to contact the relevant office, and it is not a legal requirement so long as you follow CASA requirements.

wombat · Aug 7, 2020

SkyeHigh said:
If that’s the case then I can only assume the Park’s staff aren’t aware or something has changed since 2019. I checked with Regional Park offices and staff at every location we visited and apart from obvious No Drone Zones we were advised simply to follow CASA Guidelines. The only reason for very few eventual flights was the constant Spring high winds.

I would not assume anything with the NP rules, I just phoned 9219 9000 and was advised that you would need a permit to fly a RPA.

they also told me to have a look here Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) - Drones - Parks and Wildlife Service

DougyDougy · Aug 9, 2020

Gi'Day from Melbourne, HorseStralia. I have to admire the Mavic 2 rebustness. Endorse "do not fly in Sports Mode in vicinity of trees & buildings". M2P just clipped a tree top & stalled 12m up. Falling 12m down, the drone head butted a solid BBQ table but lived to fly again. The motors were protected by inbuilt power cut. Performed careful check as recommended by DJI TS:--
Remove all props, perform IMU calibration & check status all good each step; check Compass, Gimbal & Controller calibration all good. Check Camera & Video.
All these checks passed & fly test gave stable hover & accurate fight control. M2P pilots, please practise "P" mode around obstacles !!! Emergency Power Down knowledge also learned from this incident. All these procedures detailed in latest User Manuals. Personally impressed with damage bill of $15 for replacement front nose cover, in stock DJIStore, Melbourne. Good Flying !! Stay Safe ...

Davros007 · Aug 9, 2020

wombat said:
Sorry to disagree here guys but you do require a permit to use a RPA in National Parks within WA, I have done this in the past, suggest you contact the NP office in the area you intend to fly, here is the list of offices.

Home | Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions

www.dpaw.wa.gov.au

Nope. No permit needed. It’s requested but not necessary or enforced.

Beet · Aug 12, 2020

G,day from Victoria.
a couple of shots of the backyard.
Mavic Mini.

ThommoPerth · Aug 12, 2020

Beet said:
G,day from Victoria.
a couple of shots of the backyard.
Mavic Mini.View attachment 110353 View attachment 110354

Nice yard there

Hawkeye. · Aug 15, 2020

AirJordan said:
I felt like we should have one central location for Australian Mavic Flyers, so that we don't feel so isolated.

So, Aussie flyers, introduce yourself, state where you are from and feel free to ask or comment on anything DJI Mavic.

I'm from Adelaide by the way.

G'day from WA ?

Ezebook.com · Jan 27, 2021

Hawkeye. said:
G'day from WA ?

Gidday from NSW - Sydney West

Anyone have experience videoing over trees , and can you control the view to 45 degrees whilst flying videoing? doing a friends large property for free, tried it already but it was all washed out flying during the day.

AnzacJack · Jan 28, 2021

Gday mate.
‘what drone are you using?
You can control the camera angle with the adjustment wheel on the controller.
The washed out video could be the video format you are filming in, and may just need a LUT applied.
A LUT is basically a set of adjustments that can be applied to the video to do the colour grading and turn a washed out image to a colourful dynamic image. That’s a very basic explanation. You can also make adjustments manually within software for working with video or you can make some basic settings direct on your drone to get a reasonable result

Ezebook.com · Jan 29, 2021

anzacjack said:
Gday mate.
‘what drone are you using?
You can control the camera angle with the adjustment wheel on the controller.
The washed out video could be the video format you are filming in, and may just need a LUT applied.
A LUT is basically a set of adjustments that can be applied to the video to do the colour grading and turn a washed out image to a colourful dynamic image. That’s a very basic explanation. You can also make adjustments manually within software for working with video or you can make some basic settings direct on your drone to get a reasonable result

Hiya and thanks for responding.

Its a Dec 2017 Mavic Pro (So not the newer 2 )

So the wheel on the front will alter the camera angle - will try it out in a few weeks time when I get back to my mates forest property.

I watched the video at this link if anyone else requires an overview.

Controller Overview - DJI Mavic Pro - dronegenuity

Learn about what all the control sticks, buttons, and dials do on the DJI Mavic Pro controller, how to fly, and see examples of the controller in action.

www.dronegenuity.com

I Just read some more , about washed out. I will admit I have only had the drone out a few times. I took it out over Lake Jindabyne on everything auto, and on a perfect day , no haze, and the footage was fantastic. Did that a few times.

Had it out at Blue Bay , Central Coast, and filmed well. The mavic was not used between early 20218 and just recently. So I am at beginner level, but willing to learn .

Had it out filming a forest recently , and it was all washed out. Did not notice any over - exposure warning . Now I have read a bit more, I figure I might have accidentally altered the right hand wheel , and I have never even checked the camera settings. Yes yes, I know ....

So I have a link here I read tis post from msinger (Thanks)

So now I know to check the ev setting plus other settings

I will try a few things , like...

1. getting up early and avoiding the hazy day in the first place
2. Checking the exposure setting- perhaps trying a few settings adn tweaks on the day, to test out the image on hte phone to see if it looks good on the phone (Thats a good start maybe, so then it will be a good picture maybe on hte laptop prior to post processing ) ps. I am a beginner at photography, but will learn more about post processing.
3. I must remember that if I want to take a picture during flight I need to stop videoing , take the photo, then resume videoing.

4. "You can also make adjustments manually within software for working with video or you can make some basic settings direct on your drone to get a reasonable result" Thanks I will look into the basic settings direct on my drone first up. I found this link which gives too much to cut and paste here, but I might try some of these tips Optimized Settings for the DJI Mavic Pro - Erwin van Dijck Videoproducties (This link is for a Mavic Pro - not the Mavic Pro 2)

5. Remember that shooting over a forest I get less range and flying time than complete line of sight of drone. So try and get in a higher position to overlook the forest, rather than set off from a clearing in the forest.

6. Get more experience ! Take a lot more videos and photos. Start turning off auto and experimenting with manual settings, and then compare the results.

AusGeoff · Mar 29, 2021

(not sure whether you can search this thread, so just jumping in with a question)

What Android app are people using to see no-fly zones in Australia?

Thanks, ...Geoff