It's hard to make the jump.

[WV. Rootman]

I was wondering if someone has a DJI mini pro 3 that lives in the northern WV. area? I would love to see it fly and how it performs. The drone I fly is a phantom 4, but looking in to get a mini pro 3.

 

[LoudThunder]

I was wondering if someone has a DJI mini pro 3 that lives in the northern WV. area?

I am sorry that I cannot oblige you with a flight demo, but I will say this. I own a Mini 2 and I have friends who have the Mini 3. It flies great and the quick shot features are fantastic. No, I am not sorry that I bought a Mini 2. I still laugh a bit when I see one, they do look like a flying frog… and one of my friends did name his drone Kermit…

If you get no response, at least you can check out the characteristics vicariously by watching YouTube Videos…

Final thought, did you check out the Member's Map. Perhaps there might be a fellow member nearby that you might shoot a PM to who might give you a lead.

 

[WV. Rootman]

I am sorry that I cannot oblige you with a flight demo, but I will say this. I own a Mini 2 and I have friends who have the Mini 3. It flies great and the quick shot features are fantastic. No, I am not sorry that I bought a Mini 2. I still laugh a bit when I see one, they do look like a flying frog… and one of my friends did name his drone Kermit…

If you get no response, at least you can check out the characteristics vicariously by watching YouTube Videos…

Final thought, did you check out the Member's Map. Perhaps there might be a fellow member nearby that you might shoot a PM to who might give you a lead.

I appreciate your reply with helpful info.
I didn't know there was a members map.

 

[philztoy]

Mini 3 pro is convenient and has long flight times. It seems to fly as good and as stable as the Phantom 4. I still have the phantom 4 and it is a nice flyer, But the flight time alone, on the Mini 3 pro, is reason enough to buy it. It makes everything way less hurried...so much more relaxing.

 

[okw]

I live in your area, but don't have a Mini of any kind. But from what I've read, it doesn't sound like you'll regret getting one.

 

[Chrislaf]

I don't live anywhere near you but I do have a Mini 3 Pro. It's my first mini drone and I was surprised at how well it flies. It is very stable in the air and is very responsive. It's small and very quiet so it will be harder to see and hear the farther away you go. I do not fly BVLOS so I can't speak to how the signal would be at some of the distances that some of the forum members that do would find the signal. Also, I fly mine with an RC Pro which has external antennas and has a more powerful signal than the DJI RC that is packaged with the Mini 3 Pro.

According to the specs the Mini 3 Pro max speed is 16 m/s whereas the Phantom 4 is 20 m/s so the M3P has less wind resistance I would assume. I'm not an expert so if this is wrong hopefully someone will correct me.

I bought the Mini 3 Pro to complement my Mavic 3 so that I would have more places to fly here in Canada. One of the things I was surprised about was how quickly it is to loose sight of the M3P. I can probably get to about 200 - 250m before I loose sight depending on the conditions because it is so tiny. For me strobes are not an option as that would push the M3P over the 250g limit and then it puts it in the same category as my Mavic 3 and my other drones (requiring registration/pilots licence) defeating the purpose of buying the Mini 3 Pro in the first place.

Hope this helps.

Chris

 

[Chrislaf]

One other thing that could be a factor is how/where you plan on launching and landing the Mini 3 Pro especially in windy conditions. I normally hand launch and catch but in the winter my hands get too cold so I usually use my landing pad. The M3P basically has little bumps for landing feet so there is not much there and because the drone is so light wind gusts can be a factor on take-off and landing. I have had a wind gust flip my M3P over as soon as I started my motors so you have to be more careful compared to the larger heavier drones. Once in the air the M3P can handle a brisk wind.

For example, I often fly from a local lake which is now frozen. I walk out onto the ice and launch from there. There is no place to find a sheltered spot to launch so I get the full brunt of the wind. Both my Mavic 3 and Mini 3 Pro can handle the windy conditions but I have to be much more careful launching and landing the Mini 3 Pro. Sometimes if the gusts don't seem like they will die down, I just let it hover while I warm my hands in my mitts then once warm, do a hand catch rather than risk it flipping on landing.

Chris

 

[WV. Rootman]

I appreciate all your comments.
I have read where people have flown the smaller drones and didn't care for them. Why? I love my P4 and how it handles. It is a great fishing drone that I will never give up if I don't have to. I don't know how much longer DJI will let me fly it with the rule changes coming. It has a few issues like it won't do videos anymore. Why? Stills are fine. It's being problematic as it wouldn't go higher than Initial take off at places I have flown before. Batteries haven't much life left in them. Hum, sounds like I talking about me. Lol.
We all have our limits and I have to evaluate cost as I'm married. Lol. It looks to be an ok drone. I love flying and photography. I know wind can be an issue with the mini pro 3. All models of drones have their quirks. I need to learn more about the mini pro 3. I have a big trip coming up in the SW.US. You might be seeing me flying in your backyards. Lol. I want to get a drone before leaving. Again thanks.

 

[WV. Rootman]

My mind can't grasp what they are saying. Could someone explain it to me?
"DJI Mini 3 Pro does not come with a power adapter. You can use your own USB-C power adapter. It is recommended to use the DJI 30W USB-C Charger (sold separately) or other USB Power Delivery chargers."

 

[Chrislaf]

I bought the drone only package, but it appears that all the other packages are the same - you only get the USB cable and have to buy the USB-C charger if you don’t already have one. I got mine off of Amazon.ca.

Chris

 

[LoudThunder]

My mind can't grasp what they are saying. Could someone explain it to me?
"DJI Mini 3 Pro does not come with a power adapter.

I do not own a Mini 3 but I do own a Mini 2 and I did not get a Power Adapter to charge my batteries either… The mini 3 is sold from various outlets and depending on the source, it may have different items in the kit.

The Mini 2 only comes with one battery unless you buy the Fly More Kit. I bought mine from Costco and the basic kit came with 2 batteries…

This link is for the DJI Web Site and you can view various videos there…

DJI Mini 3 - So Fly - DJI

DJI Mini 3 is a compact, ultra-lightweight camera drone, ready for adventure. It features an extended battery life, stunning 4K HDR, and True Vertical Shooting.

www.dji.com

This graphic shows the basic Mini 3 kit and you may get cable to charge it, but you will need to buy a separate Power Adapter as shown in the bottome of the graphic…

Hope this helps…

 

[vindibona1]

If I were going from a Phantom to something somewhat smaller and didn't have any other drones (like my Mavic 2 pro) what I would be buying would be a refurbished Air2 fly more combo for $1200 WITH a SMART CONTROLLER and a whole lot of goodies.

The difference between a refurb and "new" DJI drone is zero to near zero. My Mavic 2 is a refurb and there isn't an any sign of previously been flown/used. Packaging is immaculate as well. Perhaps the serial is different?
The Air2s already had the SDK released so Litchi and a a lot of other 3rd party apps are available that may or may not be available for the Mini 3. The smart controller isn't the DJI RC, but the old, out of production regular smart controller with brighter screen, more features. I'm not sure if you can connect a separate tablet or phone to it. It has an HDMI port which is promising. You would probably be able to hook up a set of DJI goggles to it. The Air2s will be more stable in the air due to increased weight and power. It should be slightly faster as well.

I gotta tell ya, I look at this package and think that perhaps I should sell my Mini 3 and buy this kit? The only advantage I can think of in favor of the Mini 3 pro is if you buy the extended batteries. The thing flies forever, so even if the intelligence in the battery drains it to storage level, there is still a lot of juice to fly with. However, it is my experience that the Mini 3 Pro's range is more limited than other DJI drones. The furthest I've been able to push a Mini 3 over open farm land, with a few trees in front of me is just under 5000'. It's not that the Mini 3 isn't a good drone. And if you need something under 250g, the Mini 3 Pro is one to look at. I've not yet tested the range with a RCN1 controller, which I will do as soon as the wind dies down a bit here.

Just something to think about.

Refurb Air2s Fly more combo.

 

[Anthony Ivory]

I appreciate all your comments.
I have read where people have flown the smaller drones and didn't care for them. Why? I love my P4 and how it handles. It is a great fishing drone that I will never give up if I don't have to. I don't know how much longer DJI will let me fly it with the rule changes coming. It has a few issues like it won't do videos anymore. Why? Stills are fine. It's being problematic as it wouldn't go higher than Initial take off at places I have flown before. Batteries haven't much life left in them. Hum, sounds like I talking about me. Lol.
We all have our limits and I have to evaluate cost as I'm married. Lol. It looks to be an ok drone. I love flying and photography. I know wind can be an issue with the mini pro 3. All models of drones have their quirks. I need to learn more about the mini pro 3. I have a big trip coming up in the SW.US. You might be seeing me flying in your backyards. Lol. I want to get a drone before leaving. Again thanks.

There are tons of YOUTUBE videos that will answer all your questions. It makes a great started drone for the wife .It is very quite . Be sure to get the controller with the built in screen

 

[LoudThunder]

The furthest I've been able to push a Mini 3 over open farm land, with a few trees in front of me is just under 5000'.

@vindibona1 has offered a lot of Great Advice but I want to remind you that you cannot legally fly your drone 5000' feet away from you. The speedometer on my car goes to 160 MPH, but I cannot get my car over 120 and I do not consider it an issue since I cannot drive that fast legally…

OcuSync 3.0 is the newest DJI transmission system, an upgrade to the OcuSync 2.0, allowing the DJI Mini 3 Pro to have a strong connection for up to 12 km (7.4 miles) from the controller due to the extra antennas, improved bandwidth, latency, and overall customization (DJI Magic…).

If you watch the various YouTube Videos of folks who fly their drone out for miles and up to thousands of feet in the air, even through the clouds, are in almost every case doing it illegally.

But to fly out to these distances, the pilot is using the First Person Video (FPV) feature of flying by the camera view and the FAA requires the pilot (unless there is a Part 107 endorsed Waiver) to maintain visual line of sight.

When DJI advertises these extreme distances, it is done in a specific location where there are no obstructions, little of no interference (radio, TV, Microwave, etc…), and these distance are really only the most optimistic and not a true indicator of what the average flyer will experience.

I would say that DJI is the market leader in the "transmission range" arena, but you should buy the most drone that you can afford that meets your requirements. Even if you can afford the DJI AGRAS T40 Agricultural Drone at about $25,000, why by it if it isn't what you want…

 

[Anthony Ivory]

What is the deal with all these people wanting to see how far their drone will go?
It’s these cowboys who are going to get us regulated into our back yards.
Professionals endorse and follow the rules. The rules are there for a reason.

 

[13_Dragons]

I do not have a Mini 3 Pro, and was looking at them. But went with a Air 2S. I really think that with all the features that the Air 2S has it is the Better of the two. Unless you really have to stay under the 250g.

 

[vindibona1]

@vindibona1 has offered a lot of Great Advice but I want to remind you that you cannot legally fly your drone 5000' feet away from you. The speedometer on my car goes to 160 MPH, but I cannot get my car over 120 and I do not consider it an issue since I cannot drive that fast legally…

The statement that one cannot fly legally 5000' out is not true- at least under certain conditions. There is no distance limit. It's just maintaining VLOS. With the use of strobes, with a dark sky I have kept my Mavic 2 pro within visual line of sight out to 10,000 feet without visual aids, being able to tell which direction it was headed at all times, particularly because I was flying straight out. In a bright sky, even with strobes it is difficult to keep a drone VLOS past 1600 feet. As the sky gets darker the distance in which you can see the drone becomes greater. It all depends on where you are flying. 99% of the time I have two strobes on the bottom, one on the rear and one on the bottom. As it gets near twighlight I add a strobe on top for collision avoidance. Over water or open farmland is much different than flying in an area with trees and buildings and such which obscure ones ability to watch your drone as it flies further away, even at high altitudes.

 

[3rdof5]

The statement that one cannot fly legally 5000' out is not true- at least under certain conditions. There is no distance limit. It's just maintaining VLOS. With the use of strobes, with a dark sky I have kept my Mavic 2 pro within visual line of sight out to 10,000 feet without visual aids, being able to tell which direction it was headed at all times, particularly because I was flying straight out. In a bright sky, even with strobes it is difficult to keep a drone VLOS past 1600 feet. As the sky gets darker the distance in which you can see the drone becomes greater. It all depends on where you are flying. 99% of the time I have two strobes on the bottom, one on the rear and one on the bottom. As it gets near twighlight I add a strobe on top for collision avoidance. Over water or open farmland is much different than flying in an area with trees and buildings and such which obscure ones ability to watch your drone as it flies further away, even at high altitudes.

Interesting point about VLOS...
So what is the actual official FAA definition of VLOS. If you can see your strobes in low light conditions from 10,000 feet away then "technically" it's in Visual Line Of Site, but, should the question be, can you see anything else there, like birds or other obstacles? Or is that not part of the definition? Because at that distance, if you are unable to see obstacles are you flying safely?
I'm in no way being judgemental or argumentative, just pondering the actual meaning of VLOS.

 

[LoudThunder]

The statement that one cannot fly legally 5000' out is not true-

You are right, my Bad, I got wrapped around your boast of being able to "push a Mini 3 over open farm land, with a few trees in front of me is just under 5000' ."

I should have used the words Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) and I also should have written about Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS). Even Superman with his "X-Ray Eyes" cannot see a Mini 3 out to that distance. Even if your vision is acute enough to see that "little, bitty" dot on the horizon, you cannot see to fly it. You are in really flying FPV. At that distance you cannot see wires, cables, possibly other aircraft (ie: crop-dusters--you wrote "Farm Land…), all of which present dangers to people and property.

And then you boast again of flying even greater distances…

"With the use of strobes, with a dark sky I have kept my Mavic 2 pro within visual line of sight out to 10,000 feet without visual aids"

Yeah, a Strobe, if FAA Legal, (those "strobes" sold at hardware stores are just "blinkie, blinkie lights…" should be visible for 3-statue miles, but that is for others to see your drone, not some type of flying control device. At almost two-miles, the best you can hope for is that you do not fly in front of another strobe light on a tower, building, etc… and lose sight of your drone and cannot discriminate it from other lights on the horizon.

I do not care how you defend your flights out to that distance; you lose your video feed and you cannot tell which way your drone is facing; you crash your drone into an electrical wire or you have any type of accident and the FAA will have your "tuches" (Yiddish…).

As I've written in the past, "Just because you can, does not mean you should…"

Fly Safe!

 

[LoudThunder]

So what is the actual official FAA definition of VLOS.

The FAA Rules concerning Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) are pretty unambiguous.


You have to know the Drone's location, not just, "It's over there, yonder…"

You have to know it its Attitude (direction it is facing), its Altitude (how high off the ground (AGL) the drone is, not just how high it is is above its original launch point…), and its direction of flight (its heading…).

You have to be able to see the area around the drone and see if there are other aircraft or hazards (wires, cables, towers, building, vehicles, people, and so forth…) around the Drone.

You have to be able to ensure that your Drone is not a danger to life or property…

Yup, pretty unambiguous reules… Flying a Drone Safely requires Knowledge and Skill, Not Luck!