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I'm afraid to fly mavic mini

Chrislopez

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I have seen and read many cases of lost mavic minis, with loss of strength, that do not respond to control, some have been lost with a lot of wind and others with little wind, it is normal to have this fear paying a drone of 500 dollars, actually it is worth It's worth paying this for a drone that you know that at any moment you can lose it even if you have security protocols, I think that a lot of people believe that the person in charge is always the driver, but in reality I could believe that he is DJI, for selling a drone that does not comply which promises in terms of quality, wind resistance, power, distance.
what do you think?
 
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I think the majority of lost drones (not just the Mini) are down to pilot error. People too eager to get in the air without reading the manual. They watch a couple of YouTube videos before they get their equipment, and think that’s all they need to know. They don’t consider their environment or weather factors. They’re not aware that a light wind at ground level is a decent wind 150 feet higher. They don’t know pressing rth multiple times will start the process then cancel it. Lastly, they expect the Mini to perform the same as a bigger Mavic. It’s not built for that.

That said - fly you’re drone. Read the manual. See what other people are doing wrong on here. Otherwise, it’s an expensive paper weight.
 
You have to remember that on these forums, folks very rarely post about the flight that went great. Maybe they sort of do in the Photos/Videos section, but otherwise, folks mostly report their losses hoping to find out why.

The Mavic Mini - which I do not own - is interesting to me. It is a very capable UAV in many ways - max range, flight time, camera quality... - but it has one very big weakness. I just does not have the power to take on winds as they near 20-30 MPH. My P4 and Mavic 2 Pro laugh at such winds, but not the Mini.

I suggest being very familiar with its wind limitations - whatever they are in the manual - and remember that winds at 200+ feet are typically going to be higher velocity than at the surface.

And go fly. You will have fun.
 
I think y'all have really high expectations for a 400 dollar entry level drone that's basically designed for teenagers to take selfies with

I do not think so, friend, settle for taking selfies, I think I can do that with another drone much cheaper, if dji puts specifications and distances of up to 4k I think you should comply with it and if it cannot comply it is a product with misleading advertising and of poor quality
 
I come from other forums, cars, as well as videogames, in both people settle for paying 60 dollars for example for a video game that came out 11 months ago and only changes clothes, or many people in car forums are made up of pay 600 dollars for some headlights that are identical to those of previous years, the same thing happens here lambebly people settle for paying 500 dollars to take selfies with a drone, instead of demanding for that money a better product, DJI knows perfectly that He is unique in this market and is the company that sells the most, and if we do not demand as a community, do not doubt that 1 to 2 years we will pay annual subscriptions for flying drones, or we will pay 1000 dollars for flying a drone that flies 100 meters.
 
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I have had about ten flights with my Mavic Mini. Of those ten flights I can say one was bad because I had little or no idea what i was doing being a newbie. In a way even that one bad flight can be considered good because I learned a lot by my mistakes. Also I was extremely lucky because I was flying over a lake in winds that were to high for the Mini.
 
I just wrote this in another thread, and it's also appropriate here...

Because of the reasonable price of the drone, a lot of new drone pilots - including myself - got into the hobby. Some of us - including myself - were interested enough to take a Part 107 class and take the commercial test. I learned a lot about how a drone flies and how weather and conditions can effect the performance of the drone. I also read the manual.

Now, we have all of those new drone pilots out there who charged up the batteries, charged up the controller, downloaded the app to their mobile device, plugged everything in, and immediately went outside and hit the "Take Off" button. Hell, I did the same thing.

This social/human nature factor greatly increased the probabilities things would go wrong for those new flyers.

My experience was different simply because I hit the "Take Off" button and nothing happened. (I was in a Blue Authorization Zone and the drone could not fly there at the time.) In hindsight, that may have saved my *** and saved my drone that day, because it gave me some time to read the manual, safety guidelines and disclaimer, and find this forum.

Digging into it, I figured out the issue and I had to wait for the "late December" firmware upgrade. Occasionally I did drive out to a spot where I could fly, but I was very conservative. The "holding pattern" I was in gave me enough time to take the Part 107 class and take the exam. I passed the exam four days prior to the .04 firmware release.

I'm not saying you need to take a class. But definitely read the manual, be familiar with the limits of the drone and be conservative when you get started. You'll be fine and enjoy the experience.

Concerning wind... realize wind forecasts at the surface and at altitude are just forecasts. Wind forecasting at an altitude of 100-feet can easily be off by a factor of 2, 3 or more. The Mini - nor any drone - is capable of flying more than it's published speed. If the wind is more than that .... nothing you can do will make it go faster.
 
but in reality I could believe that he is DJI, for selling a drone that does not comply which promises in terms of quality, wind resistance, power, distance.
what do you think?
What promises, and how does it not comply?
Quality: How do you promise or measure quality? That is totally subjective. In general I find DJI products to be of very high quality.
Wind Resistance: The maximum wind capabilities of the MM are clearly stated in the manual. If you as a pilot choose to test those limits or don't know enough to check what the winds at altitude are, then that is not DJI's fault.
Power: What promise here? How does the MM not comply? It can lift it's own weight and can withstand wind up to its published maximum.
Distance: The distance estimate for all drones is published as the maximum under perfect conditions. It is almost impossible to achieve and every pilot knows that. What do you expect for a simple WiFi controller link? Also in the USA you are limited to VLOS flight by law, so the MM is more than capable of flying as far as you are allowed to fly it.

Remember that this is the cheapest, smallest, and lightest DJI drone. As such you need to go into it with realistic expectations. I have a couple of DJI Spark drones and I enjoy flying them. However I know that I cannot expect them to perform anything like my P4P or my I2. It comes down to knowing your equipment well, reading, practicing, and knowing the flight environment.
 
The maximum wind speed for a Mini is 15kts. A Beaufort Force 4. A moderate breeze.

Now if you are getting 10kts at ground level , then it can easily be in excess of 15kts at 50m or 20kts at 100m. This obviously depends on a lot of factors but the point is that you don't know until you are up there. That's without allowing for gusts.

Realistically you are probably looking for ground conditions to be closer to a Force 2 or about 5kts to be safe, allowing for gusts. This is almost dead calm.

A Mavic Pro has a maximum of only 19kts, I have learnt that I need a wind speed of around 10kts at ground level to ensure I don't get high wind speed warnings once at altitude.

A Mini will get blown away by a 20kt wind, it cannot defy physics.
 
The distance estimate for all drones is published as the maximum under perfect conditions. It is almost impossible to achieve and every pilot knows that.
here i have to say that i have passed the distance that DJI promises, here in europe is 2km, but i was able to go 2650 m without broken signal, indeed i was in the open field, but i have beat the manual :)
 
I have a Mini and I don't think you need to be afraid to fly it. Just be mindful of the conditions and start slow. Practice in an open field, or a park.

I've been mindful of the wind and not really had any issues. A few gusts here and there, but that just means it's time to take it down and fly a different day or a different place.
 
Here's a tip: During your flight be extra mindful of where an emergency set down area may be other than where you began your flight. That area will change during your flight. If things get scary, resist the urge to hit RTH. Don't try and fight the wind. Go to your closest emergency landing area, set it down and retrieve your Mini.
 
What promises, and how does it not comply?
Quality: How do you promise or measure quality? That is totally subjective. In general I find DJI products to be of very high quality.
Wind Resistance: The maximum wind capabilities of the MM are clearly stated in the manual. If you as a pilot choose to test those limits or don't know enough to check what the winds at altitude are, then that is not DJI's fault.
Power: What promise here? How does the MM not comply? It can lift it's own weight and can withstand wind up to its published maximum.
Distance: The distance estimate for all drones is published as the maximum under perfect conditions. It is almost impossible to achieve and every pilot knows that. What do you expect for a simple WiFi controller link? Also in the USA you are limited to VLOS flight by law, so the MM is more than capable of flying as far as you are allowed to fly it.

Remember that this is the cheapest, smallest, and lightest DJI drone. As such you need to go into it with realistic expectations. I have a couple of DJI Spark drones and I enjoy flying them. However I know that I cannot expect them to perform anything like my P4P or my I2. It comes down to knowing your equipment well, reading, practicing, and knowing the flight environment.

they do not meet exactly flight time, it does not reach 4000 meters in the United States that promises, my mini-bone mavic or resist wind of 15 km because it is already sending me a message and it is because I check the wind application
 
they do not meet exactly flight time, it does not reach 4000 meters in the United States that promises, my mini-bone mavic or resist wind of 15 km because it is already sending me a message and it is because I check the wind application

In cold conditions - at or near freezing - my flight time has exceeded 24 minutes on multiple occasions. The 30 minute flight time is in ideal conditions. After a recent 10 minute flight in temps well below freezing, I landed after 9 minutes with the battery at approximately 60%. I was also pushing the throttle forward full for about 85% of that flight.

There are reviews online showing the Mini reaching 4k in what would probably be close to ideal conditions for the wifi signal and weather. That's also well beyond VLOS. At 4,600 feet away - my maximum flight distance so far - I would have an occasional drop in signal, but it was still mostly at 100 percent. Again, that's beyond VLOS.

The drone specs indicate a maximum of 8 m/s for wind (Just under 18 MPH). Flying up into an average wind speed of 8 to 9 MPH with occasional gusts to 15, and I was at 17.5 MPH on average in P Mode. On the way back with the wind I was hitting 22 to 23 MPH in S Mode.

Every drone manufacture list distances, and speed on ideal conditions, of which we rarely experience. Most flyers know this and understand it.

Wind application forecasts are just that. Forecasts. They can easily be off by a factor of 2, 3 or higher when you're looking at altitudes between 100 and 400 feet AGL. The example below shows a ground wind speed estimate for the flight of 6 MPH. But when you look at the in-flight data, it's showing between 9.2 and 18 MPH. (Airdata has not published a Mini profile to determine wind, but some well-known folks on this board suggest Airdata is over-estimating by about 30%)

 
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Even flying the simplist drone requires airmanship to be successful. Winds are not controllable, neither are trees, either hitting them or their interference with control and video signals, poor satellite positioning, interference from WiFi routers, rain, snow, temperatures beyond the specs of the drone, etc.

There are good reasons for real pilots being tested and licensed to fly before allowing solo.
 
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I have seen and read many cases of lost mavic minis, with loss of strength, that do not respond to control, some have been lost with a lot of wind and others with little wind, it is normal to have this fear paying a drone of 500 dollars, actually it is worth It's worth paying this for a drone that you know that at any moment you can lose it even if you have security protocols, I think that a lot of people believe that the person in charge is always the driver, but in reality I could believe that he is DJI, for selling a drone that does not comply which promises in terms of quality, wind resistance, power, distance.
what do you think?


Stop reading internet forums and start slowly flying and learning how to fly.
 
I have seen and read many cases of lost mavic minis, with loss of strength, that do not respond to control, some have been lost with a lot of wind and others with little wind, it is normal to have this fear paying a drone of 500 dollars, actually it is worth It's worth paying this for a drone that you know that at any moment you can lose it even if you have security protocols, I think that a lot of people believe that the person in charge is always the driver, but in reality I could believe that he is DJI, for selling a drone that does not comply which promises in terms of quality, wind resistance, power, distance.
what do you think?
if you will not climb to 500m altitude and fly out of VLOS - this little drone operates just fine. it has limitations on the strength of wind it is possible to sustain, so, you will need to learn the limits of its abilities, that is all.
other than that - it works quite fine, for what it is.
 
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