Final Light- Selection for my Mini- Firehouse Arc II content

[Skybuyer]

As a new pilot, with about 10 days of (functional) drone ownership under my belt, I felt that I needed a good light to spot my mini. A few days ago I'd visually lost it even though it was at eye level, probably less than 200 ft away. If I were more experienced with FPV I might be feeling and thinking differently. At this time I thought most importantly was finding a light that could tell me when the MM was pointed at me. A few days ago I came across this model light; the Arc II in a headlight mount. As a beginner I like having a light on the front, but I also wanted mounting options. So with the modern wonders of velco technolgy I came up with three different ways I would mount the light to my Mavic Mini. [See photos below] Yeah, it was $40, more than I thought I was willing to spend, but the thing is bright and I guess meets FAA collision avoidance standards.

First flight, with the headlight mount in broad daylight I took it few hundred fee out and over 200 ft up. With the strobe facing me I had no trouble seeing when the MM was pointed right at me and made it easier for me to know which way to push the sticks. No problem spotting it where I was having difficulties before. When it was way up in the air and I'd brought it back overhead to bring it down I completely lost sight of it, and had to rely on FPV to know it was right above me. I'm not sure if mounting on the bottom would have helped me as looking straight up a 100 feet+ is hard. I know I really like this light. The question is, in the opinion of the more experienced, should I typically mount it in front, top or bottom?

[FWIW, the light is held in the mount via velcro]

 

[Starz]

Front and rear is my preference. Doesn’t matter to me if someone can see it from above as I’m not flying in their space.
Bottom doesn’t work well in how I fly.
What works for you is the best choice.

 

[Starz]

This is another light that I believe is brighter than what we have all been using.

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[Skybuyer]

This is another light that I believe is brighter than what we have all been using.

Amazon.com: Drone Strobe, 5 White Cree LEDs Drone Strobe for Night Anti Collision, Fits All Multirotor Quadcopter Drones Like DJI Phantom, Mavic, Spark, DJI Inspire 1 2, Matrice, 3DR Solo, Matrice: Toys & Games

Buy Drone Strobe, 5 White Cree LEDs Drone Strobe for Night Anti Collision, Fits All Multirotor Quadcopter Drones Like DJI Phantom, Mavic, Spark, DJI Inspire 1 2, Matrice, 3DR Solo, Matrice: Toys & Games - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

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That looks like a good one too. The Arc II is a little smaller, 1.12" x 0.875". (30.5mm x 22mm), though a few dollars more.

 

[lannes]

I would mount it on the rear battery door (vertical section), that way you could tell which way the AC was facing

 

[Skybuyer]

I would mount it on the rear battery door (vertical section), that way you could tell which way the AC was facing

That would be another option. But, as per the picture, it's forward facing so does the same thing... though it could help me spot the thing going away, I think I like it facing forward. I'll have to test it on the bottom. The headlight mount worked well today, but of course uni-directional. I modified the mount further, building up the perimeter walls so the light doesn't protrude beyond them. The velcro pushed it out farther than expected, but I like having a temporary mount with options. I think if I were to put a light on the rear it would be a red light. Or I'd stick the strobe on the bottom and put red/green navigation lights on the legs. It's all new to me.

 

[DrizzyDrones]

Honestly it doesn’t take long before you get the confidence flying fpv and use of the mini map gives you direction of the drone. I find now rather than looking and keeping track of the sky i use the screen and its to the point where based on the screen i can look up and quickly find it. My first few flights i was nervous and wanted eyes locked on in sky but as I gained experience it got easier... i know everyone probably has had those moments of losing orientation.. and while I wouldn’t mind a light i tend to prefer less attention drawn to the drone from other people lol lots of people want to know about it and they think it’s awesome then u get others that don’t so i like to fly with the least amount of people noticing when I have not done much night flying but would definitely want more lights tor that

 

[Skybuyer]

Honestly it doesn’t take long before you get the confidence flying fpv and use of the mini map gives you direction of the drone. I find now rather than looking and keeping track of the sky i use the screen and its to the point where based on the screen i can look up and quickly find it. My first few flights i was nervous and wanted eyes locked on in sky but as I gained experience it got easier... i know everyone probably has had those moments of losing orientation.. and while I wouldn’t mind a light i tend to prefer less attention drawn to the drone from other people lol lots of people want to know about it and they think it’s awesome then u get others that don’t so i like to fly with the least amount of people noticing when I have not done much night flying but would definitely want more lights tor that

You make some good points. I'm getting more comfortable with FPV. But what I haven't learned yet is how close "close" is when using the screen. In some respects it's like backing your car out of a parking spot having limited vision of what may be out of your line of vision. I hate that "where-the-hell-is-my-drone" feeling. Just the other day I was in the park practicing and decided to try to "run the bases" on a ball field only three or four feet off the ground and I was about 100 feet away. I was following in the screen but let up on the sticks to get oriented where the drone was. As I looked up I could not find the drone as it hovered only a few feet off the ground and not very far away. It got worse as I flew it to the end of the park. When I put it in the sport mode for one of two moments to see how fast it would go, FPV wouldn't have saved me from crashing into a tree or baseball backstop as I couldn't have reacted quick enough.

So far I've tried to avoid shooting where any people are. The aformentioned park had a family playing soccer and they had to be aware of my drone but didn't pay it any attention as I tried to be respectful, keeping being close enough but far enough away at the same time. I wonder if the strobe might have changed any of that?

 

[DrizzyDrones]

You make some good points. I'm getting more comfortable with FPV. But what I haven't learned yet is how close "close" is when using the screen. In some respects it's like backing your car out of a parking spot having limited vision of what may be out of your line of vision. I hate that "where-the-hell-is-my-drone" feeling. Just the other day I was in the park practicing and decided to try to "run the bases" on a ball field only three or four feet off the ground and I was about 100 feet away. I was following in the screen but let up on the sticks to get oriented where the drone was. As I looked up I could not find the drone as it hovered only a few feet off the ground and not very far away. It got worse as I flew it to the end of the park. When I put it in the sport mode for one of two moments to see how fast it would go, FPV wouldn't have saved me from crashing into a tree or baseball backstop as I couldn't have reacted quick enough.

So far I've tried to avoid shooting where any people are. The aformentioned park had a family playing soccer and they had to be aware of my drone but didn't pay it any attention as I tried to be respectful, keeping being close enough but far enough away at the same time. I wonder if the strobe might have changed any of that?

Yeah I know exactly what you mean. As you log more flights you’ll gain more confidence in the drone as well what I mean is that When I would get that feeling id stop stick input and knowing its now hovering either look at the map in the corner and see what direction its facing from home and click the map if you want to make it bigger and I would practise bringing the drone back just by screen. And before i got the hang of the manaully changing direction to home i would fly far as i felt confident and if i got nervous id press rth on controller until the drone was pointing home then id cancel and it’s straight flight back usually id hear it first. And each time id fly a little further and in no time i was flying till signal loss confidence grows .. I stayed close or grounded when the wind was questionable but the ideal condition days I tested my limits lol that first time i lost video was a panic but remember panic never helps and has definitely been the lead cause of many crashes.. if its not windy and screen goes blank. I am definitely not a veteran and still a new flyer I thank the people here all the reading i did waiting for delivery helped me know how to handle and learn from others mistakes... I think the map in corner is probably under utilized by many but I find it easier to get the orientation and direction from the map sometimes than the video itself. If you test your comfort zone during good fly conditions doesn’t take long... dont go pushing limits during windy days that’s asking for trouble I built my confidence on good condition first then almost started over for wind and started taking it up in less than ideal conditions and its alot easier to deal with strong winds when u are comfortable and confident i see many people have two flights under their belt taking mini in high winds to each their own but thats how i did it.. dbl check everything before taking it way out and unless you’re drone malfunctions it should go good sorry for the long *** post aha a few beers will do that

 

[DrizzyDrones]

And to what u said about fov wouldnt help u not hit a tree cuz reaction time...i always try to stay well above the highest Thing definitely don’t depend on the video to guage what altitude u should be at but should be able to pick a safe altitude at start

 

[Skybuyer]

...As you log more flights you’ll gain more confidence ... I think the map in corner is probably under utilized by many but I find it easier to get the orientation and direction from the map sometimes than the video itself. If you test your comfort zone during good fly conditions doesn’t take long... dont go pushing limits during windy days that’s asking for trouble I built my confidence on good condition first then almost started over for wind and started taking it up in less than ideal conditions and its alot easier to deal with strong winds when u are comfortable and confident i see many people have two flights under their belt taking mini in high winds to each their own but thats how i did it.. dbl check everything before taking it way out and unless you’re drone malfunctions it should go good sorry for the long *** post aha a few beers will do that
And to what u said about fov wouldnt help u not hit a tree cuz reaction time...i always try to stay well above the highest Thing definitely don’t depend on the video to guage what altitude u should be at but should be able to pick a safe altitude at start

Great advice. I particularly like the idea of hitting RTH, letting the drone orient itself, then flying it home manually. I do try to stay above everything, but learning to judge height is something I have to learn to do better. This is all new, but slowly getting the hang of it. RTH kind of scares me. I had a bad experience with my first drone, which I attempted to fly for two days and gave up and requested a refund. When I pushed RTH on that thing it would shoot up in the air and run away! It was just awful to fly, but one of the recommended drones that one of the most visible reviewers recommended. As a newbie-never-ever pilot that Chinese-branded drone was a scary thing. It never flew right out of the box and so when I got the MM I was gun-shy with a minor PTSD hangover . The MM is giving me my confidence back because it actually flys where I tell it to. But I'm still extra cautious after my first experience.

 

[Hill Top Rez]

I have had my mini for just a couple of months but have found that FPV is much easier to fly than trying to watch it. I flew RC planes and gliders and this is much easier using FPV. You do not need to try and figure which way to are going and figure out which way you need to work the controls. With FPV, the controls are aways the the same. Just watch the monitor and check your position but when you first take off, make the orientation is correct on the screen.

 

[raymairjr]

As a new pilot, with about 10 days of (functional) drone ownership under my belt, I felt that I needed a good light to spot my mini. A few days ago I'd visually lost it even though it was at eye level, probably less than 200 ft away. If I were more experienced with FPV I might be feeling and thinking differently. At this time I thought most importantly was finding a light that could tell me when the MM was pointed at me. A few days ago I came across this model light; the Arc II in a headlight mount. As a beginner I like having a light on the front, but I also wanted mounting options. So with the modern wonders of velco technolgy I came up with three different ways I would mount the light to my Mavic Mini. [See photos below] Yeah, it was $40, more than I thought I was willing to spend, but the thing is bright and I guess meets FAA collision avoidance standards.

First flight, with the headlight mount in broad daylight I took it few hundred fee out and over 200 ft up. With the strobe facing me I had no trouble seeing when the MM was pointed right at me and made it easier for me to know which way to push the sticks. No problem spotting it where I was having difficulties before. When it was way up in the air and I'd brought it back overhead to bring it down I completely lost sight of it, and had to rely on FPV to know it was right above me. I'm not sure if mounting on the bottom would have helped me as looking straight up a 100 feet+ is hard. I know I really like this light. The question is, in the opinion of the more experienced, should I typically mount it in front, top or bottom?

[FWIW, the light is held in the mount via velcro]


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Great points, I think I will get lights as I'm 62, my 20/20 vision isn't as sharp as it used to be, anything to help keep an eye on the drone as a beginner

 

[Skybuyer]

Great points, I think I will get lights as I'm 62, my 20/20 vision isn't as sharp as it used to be, anything to help keep an eye on the drone as a beginner

Wow... That's a quote from what seems like a lifetime ago!
I'm in my 60's too and while I have 20/20 I get corrected for astigmatism it's still hard to see the drone after a certain distance. DJI makes all their drones in an overcast-gray color which certain doesn't help things. A single strobe on the bottom should get you well beyond 1000' before losing it visually. I have red and green strobes now on the front arms, but a solid light facing forward will help with orientation so you know when it's pointed at you (or not). As a beginner a "headlight" is what I wanted and needed because I wasn't about to fly very far for awhile and as you know the stick control is reversed when it's pointing toward you.