Flying in mountains & monetizing footage

[AKLogan]

Hi,

I previously owned a Mavik Pro but recently ordered a Mavik 2 Pro, I will be flying to Alaska and will be flying it in the mountains far away from civilization. I'm a bit concerned as I will most likely have no cell signal and will be way higher than the sea level. Will I have any issues taking off with no signal and already being at a high starting point? Is there a setting I can change to help?

Also has anyone had experience selling their photos or footage of their stuff on websites like Envato or something similar?

Thank you!

 

[MtnMan1985]

I have no experience on the financial side but I have plenty with the no cell signal side. No issue whatsoever. I live in AK and haven't had any problems with flying from the peaks of mountains. The issue I have found is that on a sunny day the drone becomes very difficult to keep an eye on as the landscape is so vast. Where do you plan to fly, what part of Alaska?

I posted one of my recent videos from the top of a mountain here in Alaska.

View above the peak of Lazy Mountain, Alaska

 

[AKLogan]

I have no experience on the financial side but I have plenty with the no cell signal side. No issue whatsoever. I live in AK and haven't had any problems with flying from the peaks of mountains. The issue I have found is that on a sunny day the drone becomes very difficult to keep an eye on as the landscape is so vast. Where do you plan to fly, what part of Alaska?

I posted one of my recent videos from the top of a mountain here in Alaska.

View above the peak of Lazy Mountain, Alaska

I will be going up in Hatchers Pass specifically but also Whittier or Fairbanks depending and some other places. Is there a way to raise the agl when flying so I can make it over the peaks or is it set to 400ft from takeoff point?

 

[MtnMan1985]

I will be going up in Hatchers Pass specifically but also Whittier or Fairbanks depending and some other places. Is there a way to raise the agl when flying so I can make it over the peaks or is it set to 400ft from takeoff point?

I wouldn't raise above 400 FT as I believe it's set at 400 ft above the controller but i'm new to this so easily could be wrong. The way to overcome this is to climb the mountain. I live 10 min from Hatcher Pass, it is my favorite place in AK and I spend most of my summer exploring and climbing in Hatcher Pass. It's beautiful, but unforgiving. Many small aircraft, para-gliders operate in this area so beware. If going to Whittier check out Portage Pass, beautiful spot. Enjoy Alaska, not many places like it. If you have any questions I'll help where I can.

 

[Victorian Aerial Vision]

Cell service shouldn't be an issue, the phone I use with my controller has no SIM card. You do need satellite coverage for GPS flight however, I don't think that would be an issue in the mountains unless you fly through a deep narrow gorge that may block the controller and/or satellite signal.

 

[FormerMember07122019_2]

The Mavic 2 maximum altitude can be set as high as 1640ft. The legal limit to fly is 400ft AGL. You could legally takeoff and fly up the side of a mountain up to 1640ft if you stay within 400ft of the mountain terrain. Now, whether that is a good idea or not is another story. Winds in the vicinity of mountains can be very strong and unpredictable due to updrafts and downdrafts and turbulence caused by terrain.

 

[brett8883]

Hi,

I previously owned a Mavik Pro but recently ordered a Mavik 2 Pro, I will be flying to Alaska and will be flying it in the mountains far away from civilization. I'm a bit concerned as I will most likely have no cell signal and will be way higher than the sea level. Will I have any issues taking off with no signal and already being at a high starting point? Is there a setting I can change to help?

Also has anyone had experience selling their photos or footage of their stuff on websites like Envato or something similar?

Thank you!

I have a lot of experience flying at high altitude 8-12000’ MSL and my advise would be to mindful of the wind and your motor speeds. Your motor speeds are in the upper right corner of your remote. Also if you put it into sport mode and turn the mini map into the attitude radar it will show you the power output as s percentage. Ideally you want to keep it close to 35%. Avoid going over 60% for more than a a few dozen seconds at a time.

The air is much thinner so it has to spin the motors faster to provide the same amount of thrust. At the same time there’s less drag on the aircraft. So hovering uses noticeably more energy but going full speed ahead doesn’t take a whole lot more energy. Sometimes considerably less then hovering.

Use height to your advantage. It’s much easier to climb in altitude then to meet a headwind right on. So by climbing in height and then facing the headwind while reducing altitude the aircraft can use its power to move forward more efficiently if it doesn’t need to use power to maintain altitude.

otherwise it flies remarkably well at high altitude. Oh and remember to cache satellite maps before hand. They are much easier to navigate around the mountains with and since you won’t have cell service you have to do this somewhere you do have service before you go flying.

 

[TheRock]

Judging from the stock price Envato charges, it pretty much undervalues photography and even has the micro or free stock. Anyway, you'd have to sell a ton of images and footage to make any real money it looks like to me based on the fee schedule and you have to be exclusive to do that.

Envato rates

These days stock is a very tough business but it would provide a tax write-off for your gear if you made a sale. You might scout around for an agent that gets better value for your work if you really want to be serious about this.

 

[AKLogan]

I have a lot of experience flying at high altitude 8-12000’ MSL and my advise would be to mindful of the wind and your motor speeds. Your motor speeds are in the upper right corner of your remote. Also if you put it into sport mode and turn the mini map into the attitude radar it will show you the power output as s percentage. Ideally you want to keep it close to 35%. Avoid going over 60% for more than a a few dozen seconds at a time.

The air is much thinner so it has to spin the motors faster to provide the same amount of thrust. At the same time there’s less drag on the aircraft. So hovering uses noticeably more energy but going full speed ahead doesn’t take a whole lot more energy. Sometimes considerably less then hovering.

Use height to your advantage. It’s much easier to climb in altitude then to meet a headwind right on. So by climbing in height and then facing the headwind while reducing altitude the aircraft can use its power to move forward more efficiently if it doesn’t need to use power to maintain altitude.

otherwise it flies remarkably well at high altitude. Oh and remember to cache satellite maps before hand. They are much easier to navigate around the mountains with and since you won’t have cell service you have to do this somewhere you do have service before you go flying.

Thank you this is super helpful.

 

[Gizmo]

I live at 8000ft, usually fly around that height, you won't notice any difference with flying at sea level, you'll be fine.