MA2 - First flight ever (my impressions)

[jbeausol]

Got my first drone (Mavic Air 2) at Christmas. Given the temperature here it was not easy, but I got my first flight in today. Was very nervous, kept every simple.

First impressions:
- I was really nervous for this first flight. Even when only up at 50 metres altitude (160 feet) I kept getting thoughts of what would happen if it crashed to the ground... haha!
- Mavic Air 2 is pretty easy to handle for a first timer. Of course I'm at the very beginning of the learning curve, but it looks very promising.
- Take-off and landing was super smooth, and I left the remote at Tripod setting. Figure I will leave it at this setting for the first few times.
- Got 24 minutes of flight time, while temperature was at 0 degrees C (32 degrees F) which I found to be pretty good. Had 22% battery life left when I turned it off.
- Photo and video quality was superb. I have some high end DSLR's digital cameras, and I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised with the MA2 quality.
- Video quality was very good, I only set it at 1080 for now. However, it takes some practice to keep the drone smooth on turns, descents etc. Not there yet, but will continue practicing.

Overall I'm really happy to have the MA2 and look forward to having many fun times with it.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Your going to have a lot of Fun with the Air 2 .

Couple things to note , post your pictures a little bigger so we can see if the drone is truly capturing the details
You might consider getting a Wet Suit to keep you drone a bit warmer including the Battery .

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Air 2 in the Rain/Snow

 

[DanMan32]

If you leave your remote in any mode other than P, verify when you take off that you are actually in the intended mode.

I don't know if they continued this for the MA2, but in Go for earlier models, TO will always be in P regardless of the switch and the app will inform you of this.
The reason is because in the original remotes, the switch was on the side and could easily be bumped into another mode without you realizing it, or you may just plain forget what you had set it to last. One certainly doesn't want to unexpectedly fly in Sport after all.

 

[jbeausol]

Your going to have a lot of Fun with the Air 2 .

Couple things to note , post your pictures a little bigger so we can see if the drone is truly capturing the details
You might consider getting a Wet Suit to keep you drone a bit warmer including the Battery .

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Air 2 in the Rain/Snow

Will do... thanks. Force of habit from posting on Facebook that I reduce the pictures I post.

 

[Hauptmann]

Welcome to our forum, from Hauptmann in the friendly skies of Texas!

 

[JackL]

Welcome to the forum from sunny South Florida. My first impression was basically the same as yours and it only gets better from here! I'm only 2 months in and I have 326km on mine already!

Always remember that 10% battery pretty much means 0% and you can avoid having to drive far to go get it

 

[vindibona1]

Congratulations! You're going to have a lot of fun. The MA2 is probably the best DJI drone for the price, and a great drone to learn to fly on.

If I'm might suggest, once you get comfortable just getting up in the air, get out into a big open space where you can start to develop more advanced maneuvers once you get the raw basics worked out. IMO taking the time to learn to do more complex maneuvers (in a safe space) is time better spent than trying to see how far you can send your drone without losing it.

 

[Deleted member 133794]

I started with my MA2 back in August with all the same feelings as
you, what if.......... If you're sensible which it sounds like your being
and listen to all the great advise on here you're be fine. As you're finding
already the MA2 is a great bit of kit and very kind to new pilots. Watch as
many tutorials as you can and most problems you come across in the
early days are mentioned and answered on here, if it's not on here ask
and someone will help. Avoid sport mode for a few more flights
and enjoy ??

 

[DavidT_ NZ]

Your going to have a lot of Fun with the Air 2 .

Couple things to note , post your pictures a little bigger so we can see if the drone is truly capturing the details
You might consider getting a Wet Suit to keep you drone a bit warmer including the Battery .

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Air 2 in the Rain/Snow

24 minutes at 0 degrees, with 22% battery left ......... I’m off to put my Air 2 into the freezer ...... ?

 

[Phantomrain.org]

We made a video of the Air 2 battery in the Freezer over night, with the Wet Suit and Without . ?

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Air 2 in the Freezing Cold / Rain /Snow and Land on Water.

 

[GlenM]

Although not to be intimidated by operation of the craft, don't take any chances where you're not sure of the outcome.

 

[MavicMan64]

Welcome to the group. Like many others, I started out flying a drone with the MA2 back in July 2020. And I still get that nervous feeling when I'm about to take off even after tons of flights. Remember to watch lots of YouTube videos and take it slow. Wide open fields are the way to go. If you're flying now in winter, wait until summer. You'll want to be out all the time. Another things that always saves me when I loose LOS, just stop the drone, turn to the map and look for the direct RED line back to you. Can't go wrong. Happy Flying

 

[GlenM]

Welcome to the group. Like many others, I started out flying a drone with the MA2 back in July 2020. And I still get that nervous feeling when I'm about to take off even after tons of flights. Remember to watch lots of YouTube videos and take it slow. Wide open fields are the way to go. If you're flying now in winter, wait until summer. You'll want to be out all the time. Another things that always saves me when I loose LOS, just stop the drone, turn to the map and look for the direct RED line back to you. Can't go wrong. Happy Flying

Yep, that's what I do, the maps are invaluable.

 

[tlswift58]

Got my first drone (Mavic Air 2) at Christmas. Given the temperature here it was not easy, but I got my first flight in today. Was very nervous, kept every simple.

First impressions:
- I was really nervous for this first flight. Even when only up at 50 metres altitude (160 feet) I kept getting thoughts of what would happen if it crashed to the ground... haha!
- Mavic Air 2 is pretty easy to handle for a first timer. Of course I'm at the very beginning of the learning curve, but it looks very promising.
- Take-off and landing was super smooth, and I left the remote at Tripod setting. Figure I will leave it at this setting for the first few times.
- Got 24 minutes of flight time, while temperature was at 0 degrees C (32 degrees F) which I found to be pretty good. Had 22% battery life left when I turned it off.
- Photo and video quality was superb. I have some high end DSLR's digital cameras, and I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised with the MA2 quality.
- Video quality was very good, I only set it at 1080 for now. However, it takes some practice to keep the drone smooth on turns, descents etc. Not there yet, but will continue practicing.

Overall I'm really happy to have the MA2 and look forward to having many fun times with it.View attachment 121025View attachment 121026

The MA2 is great. I loved my little Mini, but with only WiFi and no sensors - was tricky getting close to obstacles, which the MA2 does much better - but caution is still needed.

YouTube is your friend on learning more about these drones. Lots of great insider tips on features you may not even know about. So, watch, learn, and try it out.

Video is good even in 1080p, as I was doing it in 4k; but file size if HUGE when going over 30 seconds. 1080p is about half that even at like 30fps. Only thing I have issues with in video is the "zoom" capabilities. 1x is pretty decent. Anything 2x or above is pure garbage - esp in lower light conditions. Still have to experiment with all the settings when doing 2 or 4x in 1080p or even 2x in 4k.

You'll have tons of fun flying the MA2. Would suggest also getting an app like Kittyhawk or others that tell you more about the area you plan to fly in - whether restricted or not / etc. You don't want to be flying (taking off / landing) in areas not allowed. National and many state parks do not allow drone usage without special permission and that typically is not given. You can always request it though and see what happens.

107 training is a should get - just so you know the rules of flying. If you think you want to do commercial flying, then a 107 is required. Many drone schools offer this training and while pricey - well worth the investment IMHO.

DRONE ON!

 

[jbeausol]

The MA2 is great. I loved my little Mini, but with only WiFi and no sensors - was tricky getting close to obstacles, which the MA2 does much better - but caution is still needed.

YouTube is your friend on learning more about these drones. Lots of great insider tips on features you may not even know about. So, watch, learn, and try it out.

Video is good even in 1080p, as I was doing it in 4k; but file size if HUGE when going over 30 seconds. 1080p is about half that even at like 30fps. Only thing I have issues with in video is the "zoom" capabilities. 1x is pretty decent. Anything 2x or above is pure garbage - esp in lower light conditions. Still have to experiment with all the settings when doing 2 or 4x in 1080p or even 2x in 4k.

You'll have tons of fun flying the MA2. Would suggest also getting an app like Kittyhawk or others that tell you more about the area you plan to fly in - whether restricted or not / etc. You don't want to be flying (taking off / landing) in areas not allowed. National and many state parks do not allow drone usage without special permission and that typically is not given. You can always request it though and see what happens.

107 training is a should get - just so you know the rules of flying. If you think you want to do commercial flying, then a 107 is required. Many drone schools offer this training and while pricey - well worth the investment IMHO.

DRONE ON!

Here is Canada we have to get a Basic Operations License (with exam to be passed). I passed it already. I know more now on flying, the rules, the things to look out for, the planning, etc. than I ever could have imagined. It's all great stuff to know.
The funny thing is that when I watch an episode of Mayday on TV regarding air crashes I understand a whole lot more of what they are talking about.
Right now I am in my baby steps... will have a chance to do a couple flights by next week, after that it will get real cold here and I'll have to put it on a shelf for 2 months. It'll give lots of time to view how-to videos, and come springtime I will feel alot more confident trying new things out.
Cheers!