Hello from Vancouver Washington

[oldman71]

I'm glad to have stumbled across this forum during a search about maintaining AGL in hilly areas. Your sites results were near the top of the results and my first time seeing this forum. Great to see other Mavic pilots. I waited a long time to get a drone and finally jumped on a Mini 2. Love the tech and capabilities of such a small product.

I will likely be searching the forums for other threads for questions but one has to do with the Mini 2's 249g weight. I see some ND filters can add a gram. I'm assuming that I'm likely going to need to register this drone if I buy a filter. I don't see a way around it if I hit 250g. The big selling point on these small drones is you don't need to register.

Thank you for having me as part of your international group.

 

[GFields]

Greetings from Birmingham Alabama, welcome to the forum!

To answer your question; if you add anything to change the weight, the rules change.

 

[Gagey52]

Welcome to the forum from the outback of Australia. Look forward to your input on the forum.
Regards

 

[dirkclod]

Welcome to the forum.
I hope you will find our site helpful and look forward to any input , photo's/video's you might post .
Don't be shy and ask anything if you can't find it by searching .

 

[SethB]

Greetings from across the mighty Columbia River!

A Mini 2 actually weighs about 238g, plus or minus. ND filters and smaller strobes don’t tip it over 250!

On the other hand, online registration of a drone over 250g costs five bucks for 3 years. ONLY register at faadronezone.faa.gov, IGNORE any other sites offering registration.

You may know that recreational pilots now are required to
pass a free online training called TRUST, pilotinstitute.com is where I took mine.

 

[Lykus]

Welcome to the forum. Mini 2 is a great place to start your drone journey. The forum is full of helpful members who can answer questions you have. If you happen to need a handy case for your mini 2, you can look at our MM200 hard case. Have fun.

 

[MA2 317]

Hello from the Crossroads of America oldman71.

Welcome to the Forum.

 

[wjkrysak]

Welcome to the forum. We look forward to your participation and your view of the world.

 

[CaptainMavic]

Welcome from Michigan! You are in the right place for great advice and lots of knowledgeable people! Happy flying

 

[LoudThunder]

I will likely be searching the forums for other threads for questions but one has to do with the Mini 2's 249g weight.

Welcome from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, USA. We have a Member's Map in the Upper Right of the Title Bar.

Members map

mavicpilots.com

First off as SethB told you and I'm telling you it too; the Mini 2 is a less than 250 Grams. Actually, mine weights exactly 238.5 grams... The Average weight of an ND Filter is less than a Gram; most weigh 0.75 to 0.85 Grams. To get a grasp of a gram, a Penny (1-cent coin) weighs 2.5 Grams. Go ahead, pick up 4-pennies, that's 10-grams... If you taped these onto your Mini 2, it would still weigh less than 250 Grams. So, unless you are going to put a saddlebag onto your drone to carry all the spare ND Filters, you have nothing to worry about…

Ok, moving on… In your part of the country Washington State, there are a couple of Legal Things you may need to do…

If you have not already done so, you will need to get your TRUST Certificate. You can get that at the Pilot Institute Web Site (FREE…) . If your Drone weighs less than 250-grams (0.55 pounds) and you are flying under The Exception for Recreational Flyers, you are not required to register your Drone.

I registered my Mini 2 because the TRUST Certificate and FAA Registration established me as a "certified" Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Flyer.

Link to the Pilot Institute Web Site (FREE…)

FAA TRUST Online Portal for Recreational Drone Operators - Pilot Institute

Get your FAA TRUST Certificate of Completion to legally fly drones for recreational reasons in the United States.

trust.pilotinstitute.com

Link to the FAADroneZone (Optional for Drones under 250-Grams…)

FAADroneZone

faadronezone.faa.gov

Since you live in Washington, there are specific laws and rules for you to follow, please check to ensure these are current.

Drone Laws in Washington State [Updated September 23, 2024]

Drones are allowed in the State of Washington for recreational and commercial use, subject to FAA and local regulations. Read on for details.

drone-laws.com

Even if you have flown Drones before, here is some Good Old Fashion Advice…

Do not let the excitement of the moment get the best of you. When you are going out to fly, do it slowly and deliberately. Get used to a set procedure and even practice it.

There are so many things I could write but these are the highlights that I feel need mentioning.

Plug in your phone/tablet into your controller; turn on the Controller and DJI Fly App (if it does not start on its own…). On the Drone, open the front legs, then open the back legs, then remove the Gimbal Cover.

The Gimbal is the most delicate item on the Drone and banging or bumping can damage it. I also fastened a short "Remove Before Flight" ribbon to the cover so it's more noticeable and I do not forget to remove it…

Turn on the drone and watch it come to "life." Watching the Gimbal go through its self-check is almost like watching a kitten or puppy opening its eyes for the first time…

Place the drone down (preferably on a Landing Pad) while it finishes its self-test (collecting satellites, etc…).

Check your battery status (Phone, Drone, and Controller), check the Signal Strength, by now the Controller should have reported it updated the Home Point.

Lift off, 4-5 feet (1-1/2 meters) or so, hover a bit, check the controls (move the drone a bit forward, back, left, right, yaw left and right). By now, your Controller will probably report again, Home point Updated.

If you go out in a rush and race thru your start up and take off before the drone has finished it prep, it may update its Home Point over that pond or that old tree you are flying over and in your excitement, you'll fly the drone long past it Low Battery point and when it engages Return to Home and lands in the pond or in a tree; it will be all on you…

Now go have fun, learn to fly the drone by sight before you try to fly it out a distance depending on the video feed, FPV.

I would also advise you to use YouTube and watch a lot of the Videos on flying and setting up the Drone. When it is too dark, too cold, or too wet, you can "fly it vicariously" through YouTube. Also watch some of the Blooper Drone Videos and learn how not to fly your "New Baby."

Below is the link to all of the downloads offered by DJI for the Mini 2, including the User Manual.

After you read the Manual, read it again, you will be surprised what you missed the first time and you will be better prepared for that first "scary moment…"

DJI Mini 2 - Download Center - DJI

Learn and download DJI Mini 2 related apps, software, and manuals at the DJI Download Center

www.dji.com

Happy, Safe and Legal Droning…

 

[old man mavic]

welcome to the forum

 

[Kendallfordguy]

Welcome from Wisconsin!

 

[careless]

Welcome from Kentucky USA

 

[Laborous]

Welcome to the forum from the beautiful woods of Maine!

 

[JoelP]

Welcome to the form. I used to live in Vancouver and then later on Livingston Mountain.

While parks in Washington are somewhat restricted, there are many parts of Washington State that are designated as part of the Bureau Land Management (BLM) where you can fly legally and away from people.

While it is no big deal to register a drone, if you are so worried about the weight of an ND filter you should know that you don’t need one to get good footage. These are only useful to make your videos look a bit more cinematic by allowing you a little motion blur. I expect that even with the Mini3 you can set that drone to a good exposure setting on any day in WA State.

 

[YVRGUY]

I'm glad to have stumbled across this forum during a search about maintaining AGL in hilly areas. Your sites results were near the top of the results and my first time seeing this forum. Great to see other Mavic pilots. I waited a long time to get a drone and finally jumped on a Mini 2. Love the tech and capabilities of such a small product.

I will likely be searching the forums for other threads for questions but one has to do with the Mini 2's 249g weight. I see some ND filters can add a gram. I'm assuming that I'm likely going to need to register this drone if I buy a filter. I don't see a way around it if I hit 250g. The big selling point on these small drones is you don't need to register.

Thank you for having me as part of your international group.

Welcome from Vancouver, BC Canada …neighbour.

 

[mavonover]

I'm glad to have stumbled across this forum during a search about maintaining AGL in hilly areas. Your sites results were near the top of the results and my first time seeing this forum. Great to see other Mavic pilots. I waited a long time to get a drone and finally jumped on a Mini 2. Love the tech and capabilities of such a small product.

I will likely be searching the forums for other threads for questions but one has to do with the Mini 2's 249g weight. I see some ND filters can add a gram. I'm assuming that I'm likely going to need to register this drone if I buy a filter. I don't see a way around it if I hit 250g. The big selling point on these small drones is you don't need to register.

Thank you for having me as part of your international group.

hi back at ya from Adams,Tn. I use to live on Evergreen Blvd. in Vancouver. I had a front row seat on my patio of PDX

 

[Drone Master]

Welcome to Mavic Pilots! Enjoy the forum!

 

[akdrone]

I'll be down your way in the deep south and plan to fly Aug 8 and 9 and thought driving to the upper NW corner at the jetty above Fort Stevens State Park might be an interesting place to fly with waves and boats and such. Previous to those "free" days I'll be driving from Vancouver along the Columbia on Hwy 14 eastward to Lake Wallowa, Oregon and filming, at least a bit, along the way. Any thoughts you might have for interesting spots would be appreciated. I'll have my Mav 3 and 5 batteries.

 

[oldman71]

Welcome from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, USA. We have a Member's Map in the Upper Right of the Title Bar.

Members map

mavicpilots.com

First off as SethB told you and I'm telling you it too; the Mini 2 is a less than 250 Grams. Actually, mine weights exactly 238.5 grams... The Average weight of an ND Filter is less than a Gram; most weigh 0.75 to 0.85 Grams. To get a grasp of a gram, a Penny (1-cent coin) weighs 2.5 Grams. Go ahead, pick up 4-pennies, that's 10-grams... If you taped these onto your Mini 2, it would still weigh less than 250 Grams. So, unless you are going to put a saddlebag onto your drone to carry all the spare ND Filters, you have nothing to worry about…

Ok, moving on… In your part of the country Washington State, there are a couple of Legal Things you may need to do…

If you have not already done so, you will need to get your TRUST Certificate. You can get that at the Pilot Institute Web Site (FREE…) . If your Drone weighs less than 250-grams (0.55 pounds) and you are flying under The Exception for Recreational Flyers, you are not required to register your Drone.

I registered my Mini 2 because the TRUST Certificate and FAA Registration established me as a "certified" Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Flyer.

Link to the Pilot Institute Web Site (FREE…)

FAA TRUST Online Portal for Recreational Drone Operators - Pilot Institute

Get your FAA TRUST Certificate of Completion to legally fly drones for recreational reasons in the United States.

trust.pilotinstitute.com

Link to the FAADroneZone (Optional for Drones under 250-Grams…)

FAADroneZone

faadronezone.faa.gov

Since you live in Washington, there are specific laws and rules for you to follow, please check to ensure these are current.

Drone Laws in Washington State [Updated September 23, 2024]

Drones are allowed in the State of Washington for recreational and commercial use, subject to FAA and local regulations. Read on for details.

drone-laws.com

Even if you have flown Drones before, here is some Good Old Fashion Advice…

Do not let the excitement of the moment get the best of you. When you are going out to fly, do it slowly and deliberately. Get used to a set procedure and even practice it.

There are so many things I could write but these are the highlights that I feel need mentioning.

Plug in your phone/tablet into your controller; turn on the Controller and DJI Fly App (if it does not start on its own…). On the Drone, open the front legs, then open the back legs, then remove the Gimbal Cover.

The Gimbal is the most delicate item on the Drone and banging or bumping can damage it. I also fastened a short "Remove Before Flight" ribbon to the cover so it's more noticeable and I do not forget to remove it…

Turn on the drone and watch it come to "life." Watching the Gimbal go through its self-check is almost like watching a kitten or puppy opening its eyes for the first time…

Place the drone down (preferably on a Landing Pad) while it finishes its self-test (collecting satellites, etc…).

Check your battery status (Phone, Drone, and Controller), check the Signal Strength, by now the Controller should have reported it updated the Home Point.

Lift off, 4-5 feet (1-1/2 meters) or so, hover a bit, check the controls (move the drone a bit forward, back, left, right, yaw left and right). By now, your Controller will probably report again, Home point Updated.

If you go out in a rush and race thru your start up and take off before the drone has finished it prep, it may update its Home Point over that pond or that old tree you are flying over and in your excitement, you'll fly the drone long past it Low Battery point and when it engages Return to Home and lands in the pond or in a tree; it will be all on you…

Now go have fun, learn to fly the drone by sight before you try to fly it out a distance depending on the video feed, FPV.

I would also advise you to use YouTube and watch a lot of the Videos on flying and setting up the Drone. When it is too dark, too cold, or too wet, you can "fly it vicariously" through YouTube. Also watch some of the Blooper Drone Videos and learn how not to fly your "New Baby."

Below is the link to all of the downloads offered by DJI for the Mini 2, including the User Manual.

After you read the Manual, read it again, you will be surprised what you missed the first time and you will be better prepared for that first "scary moment…"

DJI Mini 2 - Download Center - DJI

Learn and download DJI Mini 2 related apps, software, and manuals at the DJI Download Center

www.dji.com

Happy, Safe and Legal Droning…

Thank you for the information. I do have the Trust Certificate but I'm not sure I need the commercial license yet. I'm glad to hear that the drone will likely be under 250g with filters. Just want to avoid surprises. I do appreciate your advise and to have a set plan and script you follow pre-flight and throughout the flight. I have watched plenty of youtube prior to purchasing a drone so I'd be ready for it.