Mavic Air 2 as a beginner's drone or Not?

[NewbieNewbie]

Hi to all the experienced members here

I was hoping to ask for some advice please.

The situation is that I am on a vast farm (therefore private property). Over here farms get invaded by intruders who are dangerous.

I was advised to buy the Mavic Air 2 in this CE country I am in, then hack it to FCC to get at least 8km range (and 8km return to home) on our massive farm (for surveillance) in this CE country, and also at the same time have the 4 x zoom capability on the farm (intruders are dangerous here on the farms).

The Mavic air 2 is second hand, but will still cost a small fortune (it has not arrived yet).

My question is, do you think a man in his 60’s who is a total beginner can start off with this expensive drone OR do you advise I first buy a cheaper drone to learn how to fly with first?

Just the mere thought of crashing a Mavic Air 2 immediately gives my heart palpitations.

If you think this is not the drone to practice to learn to fly with for the very first time, then which CHEAP drone would you recommend please? I would rather crash a cheap drone.

Thank you to everyone here. I highly appreciate your advice.

Best wishes

 

[zeusfl]

A Mavic Air 2 is a perfect drone for you. The sensors will help you as a beginner to avoid be crashed. Base in your what you want to do in your farm is perfect. The MA2 like others DJI Drones are very easy to fly, do not feel intimidated by the price.

An cheap drone without sensors or GPS lock will be very easy to crash and will create more frustration. My recommendation is to watch YouTube videos in how to fly, read the manual for your Mavic Air 2 and you will enjoy your drone.

 

[NewbieNewbie]

Zeusfl
Thank you for reassuring me. I extremely cautious considering it breaks the bank LOL. I know young people spend easier, but of course here there are also tax import duties. I am going to follow your advice
Thank you again
Best wishes

 

[NewbieNewbie]

Thank you also to MA2 317 and dirkclod

 

[zeusfl]

Do not hesitate asking questions. There are not stupid questions, We are here for help.

 

[dirkclod]

Your not to old to learn . Zeusfl told you right and when you start
just do so in a open area. Take baby steps and don’t get overconfident. Would hate for you to get consumed by a critter
from you out looking for it. ?

 

[eaglesurfing]

I watched a lot of YouTube vids plus read the manual.
Then I joined this forum and DJI forum to get more info.
Then I practices a lot for a month.
I read a lot posts that they forgot that they are also the pilot plus the photographer.
Because of that they would lose track of what is around them and run into to objects.
Break down your farm into sections then make a list what is in that area so when you fly there you will know what to avoid.
There are apps that can help you and you need to get to know them.

 

[iamcostas]

Hi.
I guess if you fly your drone from the ground all the way up above the trees, whatever accidental move you do with the remote control up there is perfectly safe because is not going to hit anything except some birds maybe attack your drone. Wou could do a lot of practice with your remote control, watching directly your drone and at the same time watching your phone or remote control screen. Personally i still learn how to make complex moves in a smooth way, like going forward, rotate and change altitude at the the same time. But what ever you do make sure that you could safely return your drone back. If you loose direct visible contact with your drone you could still bring the drone back with the assistance of the remote screen. And of course spared full recharged batteries will be very handy for emergency situations ?

 

[Meta4]

My question is, do you think a man in his 60’s who is a total beginner can start off with this expensive drone OR do you advise I first buy a cheaper drone to learn how to fly with first?

Any recent DJI drone is going to be much easier to fly than you imagine and much easier than any cheap "learner" drone.
You would do better to put your effort into learning how your Air 2 is programmed, than playing with a toy that's nothing like the Air 2.

Just the mere thought of crashing a Mavic Air 2 immediately gives my heart palpitations.

Do your learning flights in a large, open area, well clear of trees, buildings and other obstacles.
If there's nothing to hit, it's very hard to get into trouble.

 

[NewbieNewbie]

Thank you to

dirkclod and​

eaglesurfing and​

iamcostas and​

Meta4​

I must add that this forum has been blessed with really good, helpful people here!

A last question if I may. I might have the wrong info, but somehwere I read the Mavic Air 2 has airsense which will warn of other nearby aircraft. Is this true?

 

[Repaid1]

A last question if I may. I might have the wrong info, but somehwere I read the Mavic Air 2 has airsense which will warn of other nearby aircraft. Is this true?

It has it, just not outside the US at present, you got low flying aircraft in your area? I am more worried about this statement, care to expound? "Over here farms get invaded by intruders who are dangerous." Are we talking people or critters? Seems to me if you want to survey your farm area, you would be more suited to use a autonomous mission drone (Which the MA2 can do with extra software). That way while your learning to fly you can accomplish the reason your buying it in the first place

 

[NewbieNewbie]

Hi Repaid1 we are talking about criminals (unfortunately)

 

[A.O.]

Hi newbienewbie I am you a month ago! I'm mid 60s, never flew a real drone before and started on the MA2 I got in November to surveil my little 100 acre property.
The MA2 is, in my opinion, a great starter drone. Read all you can, watch all the starter videos of which there are many.
Read the on line users manual https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/Mavic_Air_2/20200615/Mavic_Air_2_User_Manual_v1.2_en.pdf
And make sure to set up your return to home (RTH) feature so if you have to use it, it will miss things on the way back to you. Got questions?? Just ask, there is a wealth of knowledge here!

 

[Smooth Rhythm]

Hi to all the experienced members here

I was hoping to ask for some advice please.

The situation is that I am on a vast farm (therefore private property). Over here farms get invaded by intruders who are dangerous.

I was advised to buy the Mavic Air 2 in this CE country I am in, then hack it to FCC to get at least 8km range (and 8km return to home) on our massive farm (for surveillance) in this CE country, and also at the same time have the 4 x zoom capability on the farm (intruders are dangerous here on the farms).

The Mavic air 2 is second hand, but will still cost a small fortune (it has not arrived yet).

My question is, do you think a man in his 60’s who is a total beginner can start off with this expensive drone OR do you advise I first buy a cheaper drone to learn how to fly with first?

Just the mere thought of crashing a Mavic Air 2 immediately gives my heart palpitations.

If you think this is not the drone to practice to learn to fly with for the very first time, then which CHEAP drone would you recommend please? I would rather crash a cheap drone.

Thank you to everyone here. I highly appreciate your advice.

Best

I can only tell you that I’m in my 70s, a total beginner, purchased a new Air 2 six months ago as my first drone, have put over 100 miles on it, and I am completely happy with my purchase with no regrets. No crashes, no fly-aways.
I know and experienced the angst about crashing just as you, so I read the manual twice, viewed YouTube videos, and became thoroughly familiar with the drone before putting it in the air. I always do a preflight check before every flight and that helps keep me out of trouble. It took me several months of flying before I got the nerve to fly out over the Chesapeake Bay but I loved it. Hope this helps!

 

[NewbieNewbie]

Hi A.O and Smooth Rhthm

Thank you for the encouraging words of reassurance. It is highly appreciated.

If I may ask Repaid1, how this autonomous software system works for an autonomous missions?

This sounds interesting if possible.

Thank you again

Best wishes

 

[Howard70]

Hello Newbie:

Like A.O. And Smooth Rythm I’ve recently become a drone pilot and an Mavic Air 2 is my first drone. For me it was the perfect first drone - forgiving enough for my blunders yet capable enough to keep me captivated. I think it would be the perfect first drone for you.

A bit upthread Iamcostas made passing reference to bird attacks. If your farm is home to many raptors I think bird attacks could be a real concern for you. I nearly lost my drone to a bird attack that I initially thought was due to a pilot fumble or error until I inspected the drone closely and saw marks from talons on the airframe. I don’t really know much about how to avoid bird attacks, but if you can contact other drone pilots in your region they may have advice?

Also, while potentially considerably more expensive, one of the DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise drones might be even more helpful for your patrolling. Some of those models can be equipped with speakers and spotlights - thus if you detect trespassers you could possibly scare them off via the speaker or light. Just a thought.

Finally, while I can imagine purchasing a used drone could appear less expensive than a new aircraft there can be hidden problems and issues you might not detect upon purchase. In your situation I’d probably consider new. Of course if the 2nd hand drone you are considering comes from a dealer or other source with a satisfactory guarantee then you’ll have some protection.

You sound like a pretty cautious person - so I suspect you’ll avoid a non-recoverable crash with any craft you choose. However, if the Enterprise models I mentioned above sound good, but too expensive for the initial learning, you could consider the new Mini 2 as your learner drone and then go for the Enterprise model. The Mini 2 is roughly half the price of the MA2, but lacks most of the obstacle avoidance features.

Good luck and keep us posted,

Howard

 

[NewbieNewbie]

Hi Howard

Thank you kindly for this, The problem with the mini 2is that it cant reach at least 8km away and 8km return. I was hoping the loud speaker would be compatible with the MA2?

But may I ask you what you meant by this:

"so I suspect you’ll avoid a non-recoverable crash with any craft you choose"

I am not sure what it means?

Can you kindly let me know please?

Thank you

Best wishes

 

[Howard70]

The problem with the mini 2is that it cant reach at least 8km away and 8km return. I was hoping the loud speaker would be compatible with the MA2?

"so I suspect you’ll avoid a non-recoverable crash with any craft you choose"

Hello Newbie:

You’re correct about the mini 2’s range - although the MA2 will be stretched to routinely function at 8 km away unless you are able to fly from an elevated position with a pretty clear line of sight for that distance. I fly my MA2 from a bluff above the Rio Grande out over a cottonwood forest along the river here in New Mexico, USA. I usually start losing signal about 6 km out - then with careful orientation of my controller and taking the drone up a bit I stretch that out to just under 8 km before bringing the drone back when I lose nerve. All this aside of the the legal requirement (US) for visual line of sight. When suggesting the Mini 2 I was thinking of it as a training drone prior to getting the enterprise model that would actually become your patrol drone.

I don’t know if there is anyway to make a loudspeaker compatible with the MA2, but I suspect it would require a third party solution. It might involve a pre-recorded message within the speaker unit that only required transmitting a signal to initiate the announcement. Others here can probably help more with that!

”...non-recoverable crash with any craft you choose...”. A recoverable crash is a minor bump or unplanned landing where you recover the drone! With luck it still flies well, but if not, because you have recovered the drone, you can pursue repairs or replacement via DJI Refresh or other insurance - assuming those are available in your region!

Howard

 

[NewbieNewbie]

Hi Howard and everyone else

Thank you for this, May I ask if you would advise insurance?

When I looked at insurance I noted that there were 10 000 exclusions/conditions including looking at your flight path, modifications and flying in a way that is not legal plus a minimum number of hours,'

On another note, does anyone know if the remote controller of the Mavic Air 2 is compatible with a long range antenna and yaggie?

Thank you

Best wishes

 

[Peter B]

Hi.
I guess if you fly your drone from the ground all the way up above the trees, whatever accidental move you do with the remote control up there is perfectly safe because is not going to hit anything except some birds maybe attack your drone. Wou could do a lot of practice with your remote control, watching directly your drone and at the same time watching your phone or remote control screen. Personally i still learn how to make complex moves in a smooth way, like going forward, rotate and change altitude at the the same time. But what ever you do make sure that you could safely return your drone back. If you loose direct visible contact with your drone you could still bring the drone back with the assistance of the remote screen. And of course spared full recharged batteries will be very handy for emergency situations ?

Also, remember to use the return to home button if you lose sight of the drone or yours become confused. It’s a life saver, and don’t forget to pre set your return altitude for return to home and understand how the drone reacts under different return to home scenarios (requested or drone activated).