Mavic 2 Pro- General durability

[HTNFSH]

Hey All,

I'm still a pretty new pilot with 5 1/2 hours of flight time on my Mavic 2 Pro. So far I've been impressed with the system, but still do not like using my phone as the display.

However, I have to give a shout-out for durability. Where I fly is rural and sometimes lots of trees. I was attempting to shoot fireworks one evening and lost orientation in the dark. Well, I drifted right into a 40-foot tree canopy and thought all was lost. The next morning I figured that a decent sized weight on a long rope was the easiest way to retrieve it. It took about 25 tries to hit the branches just right and the drone pinballed it's way to the ground. Not even a broken prop was found. Just a little dirt and she was flying again that afternoon.

 

[Drone Master]

Consider yourself lucky and yes, the M2P is a fairly stout aircraft. It is usually the camera and gimbal that get most of the damage in most cases. Good to see your back up and flying.

 

[Barbara]

Glad to hear your M2P was no worse for the experience.

I'm with you on not having liked using a phone for a display device. Too dim, too small, and being an older model, simply not up to the task. A tablet of some sort would be the way to go, in my opinion. I went with the 7.85" CrystalSky, though I think the new 8" Tripltek would be my choice today.

Enjoy your drone.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

I'd suggest you perform the following checks.
1) Open the the arms of the drone as if you were going to fly it then hold the drone at eye level and check if the front arms slope by the same amount as each other.
2) Set the drone on the ground and use the CSC position to start the motors, slowly give the drone throttle but only a little throttle, enough that you can see the motors speed up but not enough to cause the drone to lift off, then let go off the throttle. Do the outer ends of the rear arms lift by a significant amount and or by significantly differing amounts when the motors are throttled up?
Reasons for the tests.
1) the front arms pivot on a metal mechanism, a 'pin' projects from the top of this mechanism, this pin can be bent in a crash. The pin fits into a hole in the drone's shell and it seems that, if bent, it can push the pivot askew. In my M2Z this caused the left arm to sit low when the drone was opened out. Straightening this pin cured the droop BUT if the pin is badly bent I think the pivot mechanism should be replaced, that is a fairly simple task.
2) There is a lug on the inner end of the each rear arm's pivot shaft, it has various functions but one is as a travel limiter. This lug seems susceptable to being broken off. If broken off the rear arm may lift from its opened out position when the it's motor is throttled up. It may also lead to the drone wobbling in flight. There need not be any external damage to the arm and it took me a post rebuild test flight to spot the drone wobble and the arm lift.
If you see any of these symptoms let us know, there are details about fixing them that are useful to be told about BEFORE you try the fixes yourself.
Also switch all the obstacle avoidance sensors on and check AT SLOW SPEED that they work. I lost the front sensors.

The Mavic 2 Pro and zoom have the same body but differing cameras and gimbal.

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

Yes, lucky. But then, you mentioned that you can fly again and said nothing about the camera / gimbal. The craft might be durable, but the camera/gimbal package is fairly sensitive.

I agree you should run checks and also concur on the tablet recommendation. On the rare occasion where my tablet is out of juice and I have to switch to my phone, I get a stark comparison of the difference in size and readability. Plus, the tablet I use is non-cellular, so the battery doesn't run down as much as the phone would.

Chris

 

[Droniac]

Hey All,

I'm still a pretty new pilot with 5 1/2 hours of flight time on my Mavic 2 Pro. So far I've been impressed with the system, but still do not like using my phone as the display.

However, I have to give a shout-out for durability. Where I fly is rural and sometimes lots of trees. I was attempting to shoot fireworks one evening and lost orientation in the dark. Well, I drifted right into a 40-foot tree canopy and thought all was lost. The next morning I figured that a decent sized weight on a long rope was the easiest way to retrieve it. It took about 25 tries to hit the branches just right and the drone pinballed it's way to the ground. Not even a broken prop was found. Just a little dirt and she was flying again that afternoon.

I love a successful recovery story. Like a warm quilt. Flysafe & Godspeed

 

[Mavic Maxwell]

Great outcome!
Have you considered retiring the bird and taking up Hammer Throwing? LOL

 

[macfawlty]

I HIGHLY recommend using a tablet instead of a smartphone. I only used a smartphone one time in 4 years of flying, descended into a river (MA2 included cable was too short for tablet). I couldn’t read the telemetry or touch the control points or have adequate depth/proximity perception. I just bought a iPad Pro 12.9” to replace my 9.7”. Bigger the better and it’s actually easier to hold than the 9.7, using my forearms bracing against the sides of the tablet.

 

[HTNFSH]

I HIGHLY recommend using a tablet instead of a smartphone. I only used a smartphone one time in 4 years of flying, descended into a river (MA2 included cable was too short for tablet). I couldn’t read the telemetry or touch the control points or have adequate depth/proximity perception. I just bought a iPad Pro 12.9” to replace my 9.7”. Bigger the better and it’s actually easier to hold than the 9.7, using my forearms bracing against the sides of the tablet.

Thanks for the advice. Definitely something worth upgrading. Call me crazy, but I'm anti-Apple, so I need to find an alternative option.

 

[macfawlty]

Thanks for the advice. Definitely something worth upgrading. Call me crazy, but I'm anti-Apple, so I need to find an alternative option.

Yeh, I get it and you ain't crazy. I'm too committed to the Apple universe with MacBook, iPad and software, although I do use a Samsung Galaxy s21+ for my phone. There are many threads on tablets here and iPads are certainly one of the more expensive options.

 

[Barbara]

Thanks for the advice. Definitely something worth upgrading. Call me crazy, but I'm anti-Apple, so I need to find an alternative option.

Still think the new Trpltek is worth looking at.

 

[KingRat]

Still think the new Trpltek is worth looking at.

I don't know what the tripletek is, but I use a Huwawei M5 8" tablet having measured up against a friends 9" version the screen is exactly the same size, but the 9" just has a larger housing with the same size viewing area - the 8" fits into the standard controller arms, JUST, the 9" no chance and you have to use a tablet holder which is a pain.
The M5 is very bright and because I have turned off all the apps, everything except DJI... the battery lasts me days, many many flights without having to recharge and even then I don't think I have gone below about 40% battery on the tablet even with the screen turned right up for defeating the sunshine! Cheap too, I only paid about £90 for it.