Mavic Air 1 for inspections

mwwm84 · May 4, 2023

Hey there! Newbie here. I just got my BVLOS licence and want to start a new drone business. As I have to start somewhere and I don't have any money for investment yet I was wondering what could I do with my Mavic Air 1?
First things that come to my mind are of course roof inspections and photos - correct me if I'm wrong. What else would this drone be capable of? Thank you in advance for help!!

NOLADG · May 4, 2023

There are many mapping programs that will work fine with the Mavic Air. Check them out!

Capt KO · May 5, 2023

Air 2 have come way down in price, especially used. It's a much better drone than A1 and very capable for your use. Parts are readily available too.

4006448 · May 6, 2023

Real estate work?

mwwm84 · May 6, 2023

Capt KO said:
Air 2 have come way down in price, especially used. It's a much better drone than A1 and very capable for your use. Parts are readily available too.

Get it but I have a Mavic 1 so looking for opportunities without need to invest right away

mwwm84 · May 6, 2023

4006448 said:
Real estate work?

What kind of work specifically?

mwwm84 · May 6, 2023

NOLADG said:
There are many mapping programs that will work fine with the Mavic Air. Check them out!

Any hint for names and use of them? Would be great to hear that!

4006448 · May 7, 2023

mwwm84 said:
What kind of work specifically?

Video of the property from an aerial perspective - could be video, could be still images. With max height, there's potential for showing proximity of the property to schools, shops, parks etc.

Yaros · May 7, 2023

mwwm84 said:
Any hint for names and use of them? Would be great to hear that!

Check out Dronelink & dronedeploy!

Dangerly · May 8, 2023

mwwm84 said:
Hey there! Newbie here. I just got my BVLOS licence and want to start a new drone business. As I have to start somewhere and I don't have any money for investment yet I was wondering what could I do with my Mavic Air 1?
First things that come to my mind are of course roof inspections and photos - correct me if I'm wrong. What else would this drone be capable of? Thank you in advance for help!!

Is your Mavic Air 1 still working? I have a Mavic Air 1 and I can tell you that it's basically no longer supported because it's so old. I haven't been able to get it working, even with support from DJI. Is it working for you? You can read my thread on the DJI forum on this topic here: What Android software to use with original Air (1)?

That said, if you can get it working, you can definitely shoot some great video with it.

NOLADG · May 8, 2023

@Dangerly
I actually just sold my original Mavic Air recently and helped the buyer get it working. The Android software had to be downloaded from DJI directly, not the play store. Or you could use other software like Litchi.

@mwwm84 check out A Beginner's Guide to Drone Mapping Software - Drone Pilot Ground School

Dangerly · May 8, 2023

NOLADG said:
@Dangerly
I actually just sold my original Mavic Air recently and helped the buyer get it working. The Android software had to be downloaded from DJI directly, not the play store. Or you could use other software like Litchi.

@mwwm84 check out A Beginner's Guide to Drone Mapping Software - Drone Pilot Ground School

What model of Android phone did you use? My understanding is that only older Android phones are supported by the DJI app you download directly.

NOLADG · May 8, 2023

I personally have IOS products, but the buyer bought one of the new Samsung tablets to operate the Mavic Air. I believe it was a Galaxy Tab A7

I personally used an iPad mini 5 which still worked well for the drone and can be had for a realitvily lower price since it is not the latest version.

slup · May 9, 2023

Dangerly said:
...My understanding is that only older Android phones are supported by the DJI app you download directly.

Your understanding aren't correct... my MA1 is working perfectly fine & the latest DJI GO4 app directly from DJI runs without any problems on my Samsung Galaxy S20+ & my Samsung Galaxy S8 Tab, both running Android 13.

Yaros · May 9, 2023

Dangerly said:
What model of Android phone did you use? My understanding is that only older Android phones are supported by the DJI app you download directly.

I have sent you a private message about this subject, please check.

Mavic Air 1 is still a great drone, it is not supported by DJI officially, but still works. I'll help you get it working.

Dangerly · May 9, 2023

slup said:
Your understanding aren't correct... my MA1 is working perfectly fine & the latest DJI GO4 app directly from DJI runs without any problems on my Samsung Galaxy S20+ & my Samsung Galaxy S8 Tab, both running Android 13.

Thanks slurp. The DJI Go4 app failed to install on my Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. Not sure if the "Ultra" part makes a difference. I'm gonna try it again (haven't tried in a while) and record what happens this time.

Dangerly · May 9, 2023

Yaros said:
I have sent you a private message about this subject, please check.

Mavic Air 1 is still a great drone, it is not supported by DJI officially, but still works. I'll help you get it working.

Thanks Yaros, that was very kind of you. I'm going to go through the content in the message you sent me and see if it helps. I'll report back here for others in the future.