Mavic Mini Suggestion

[alopeznj]

Pilots... I own a Mv Pro. Love it....
But I will not share it. Looking a Mavic Mini for a 15yo. I already received responses from many pilots but I am not sold !

Is this a good Drone ? Im sure it will not compare to my Pro (I think) I would hate to send 700.00$ airborne that will never come back.

 

[rscheff]

An expensive drone for a 15 yr. old but it's not gonna just fly away like the cheap ones. If you let go of the sticks it just hovers in place. Of course your kid could just fly it into a tree, or a pond, or a bldg. etc. It does not have avoidance capabilities like some of the more costly drones. You could get the insurance policy for it and they will replace it if you crash it, but you have to send them the complete drone. You can get the drone, controller and 1 battery for $400.

 

[dirkclod]

Don't know i would give one to a 15 yo having the wind issues it has unless he would listen to you and not fly it in the wind.

 

[bmwbob]

Are you going to give him the keys to the car and just let him lose too? Or spend considerable time with him to make sure he understands the implications?

 

[fificap]

Hi.

The mini is clearly not a toy, but if you manage the maximum distance and maximum altitude set up before each flight, it can be a great learning tool. Honestly it remain too costly for a 15yo kid in my opinion. My advice will be to go with a zinio or fimi a3 that can be found near 200-250$.

 

[Soxer123]

My first experience of my new Mini was a bit of a disappointment. It was mildly windy and it didn't like it. I was also less than impressed with the video quality. I guess I've been spoiled by the Air which I love. Then of course the lockdown arrived. I will be honest and say that I may be pre-judging the mini until I get to fly again. As drones go, it's not expensive for what it is, compared to the dross out there at the entry level end.

 

[Dannydperez]

Pilots... I own a Mv Pro. Love it....
But I will not share it. Looking a Mavic Mini for a 15yo. I already received responses from many pilots but I am not sold !

Is this a good Drone ? Im sure it will not compare to my Pro (I think) I would hate to send 700.00$ airborne that will never come back.

If it’s within your budget, I think it would be great, but— just my opinion, get him a toy drone with no gps to first learn how to fly manually. Once he can master some solid controlled maneuvers on the toy drone, then he will be able to manage the MM well, and will have the skills to really be able to fly it confidently. As far as concerns over the MM, maybe I’ve been lucky, but I’ve flown mine almost daily for 5 months, even hovering a couple of feet over water, with no issues, but I’ve flown non gps toy drones for several years, so I tend to maintain tight control over the drone at all times.

 

[hashfly]

not all 15 year olds are created equal...but a level headed one should be able to hang with the mini no prob and it's a fantastic entry level camera drone

my suggestion would be to skip DJI and get him a FPV RTF bundle, way cheaper and more fun at his age to fly FPV

 

[StubbornSwiss]

If it’s within your budget, I think it would be great, but— just my opinion, get him a toy drone with no gps to first learn how to fly manually. Once he can master some solid controlled maneuvers on the toy drone, then he will be able to manage the MM well, and will have the skills to really be able to fly it confidently. As far as concerns over the MM, maybe I’ve been lucky, but I’ve flown mine almost daily for 5 months, even hovering a couple of feet over water, with no issues, but I’ve flown non gps toy drones for several years, so I tend to maintain tight control over the drone at all times.

Good sound advice.

I still zip around in my RC Logger Eye One Xtreme for no other reason than to keep my drone flying skills honed. Just raw drone flying.

I believe it has made me a better and safer flier when it comes to the Mavic Mini.

 

[alopeznj]

Ok, Pilots. Talked me out of it. In addition, a 15y would probably fly twice and ends up in the drawer like the rest of his toys. If it survives.

Thanks.

 

[Ajkari]

I’d probably get the kid a Tello, its great fun, prop guards are probably a must, it uses your phone as remote and its cheap.

 

[Bosco Bear]

My first drone was a Tello. I have a Mini now. I am really glad that I didn't go straight to the Mini right off the bat because when I was learning the basics... well, let's just say I made a lot of mistakes. The Tello could take the crashes really well because of it's super light weight. That made it a really good learner drone. Once I had a few months of practice time with the Tello, I moved up to the Mini and never looked back.

 

[Lumpydog]

I'd get the mini for your kid in a heartbeat. The prop guards do their job. The lack of avoidance sensors will teach him/her to actually exercise caution. The mini makes you think and appreciate the limitations/boundaries of a drone. The Mini's weight will make him/her learn and assess weather and wind conditions - preflight. It's a tolerant drone in a lot of respects but it will quickly punish you - if you don't take the time to appreciate the basics.

Similar to - flip your kid the keys to the Porsche or hand over the keys the Honda CRV. One is expensive, over engineered and dangerous in the wrong hands - the other is safe but will get your kid out there learning and give you both a shared hobby.

 

[palo34]

Pilots... I own a Mv Pro. Love it....
But I will not share it. Looking a Mavic Mini for a 15yo. I already received responses from many pilots but I am not sold !

Is this a good Drone ? Im sure it will not compare to my Pro (I think) I would hate to send 700.00$ airborne that will never come back.

the mavic air is $599... has better wind resistance, and obstacle avoidance.