Mini 2 Accessories Questions, Thoughts&Advice

[MavicMini2Rookie]

I am a rookie mini 2 pilot, only a few training flights so far. So, I have a few questions and would like feedback from the other pilots. BTW, thus drone is registrred abs has a tail number, also, I have my TRUST cert. I found out tgat the wind is not my friend, and RTH on a minni 2 is not very acurate

1. Since I am sk new is it a good idea to add prop guards?
2 I am almost 70, my eyes cannot see a gray drone agsinst a grey/blue sky, especially on a cloudy day. So I am thinking a strobe light might help, your thoughts please?

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Prop guards are really only of limited use, perhaps if you do a lot of flying in and around trees or indoor flying. They also add weight, which might take you over the 250g threshold, and surface area which would increase drag and might reduce its ability to fight the wind. I'd guess most people do not use prop guards.
Strobes ......maybe, I'd love to try some of the Firehouse? Arc? or what ever the latest ones are called but they are too expensive here for an experiment. I think they were £40 to £50 last time I looked and that would trigger import duty too.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

I am a rookie mini 2 pilot, only a few training flights so far. So, I have a few questions and would like feedback from the other pilots. BTW, thus drone is registrred abs has a tail number, also, I have my TRUST cert. I found out tgat the wind is not my friend, and RTH on a minni 2 is not very acurate

1. Since I am sk new is it a good idea to add prop guards?
2 I am almost 70, my eyes cannot see a gray drone agsinst a grey/blue sky, especially on a cloudy day. So I am thinking a strobe light might help, your thoughts please?

Your better off to fly in a bigger space than rely on Prop guards .
Getting a small strobe will help more than a bright skin.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mini 2 in the Rain.

 

[msinger]

Since I am sk new is it a good idea to add prop guards?

If you're not confident you can control your drone, then it would be safer to fly in a location with no obstacles. Prop guards can be handy for some, but most people will probably never need to them if they have ideal flying locations nearby.

I am almost 70, my eyes cannot see a gray drone agsinst a grey/blue sky, especially on a cloudy day. So I am thinking a strobe light might help, your thoughts please?

Any of these lights would be a good fit for the Mini 2.

 

[MS Coast]

Prop guards are really only of limited use, perhaps if you do a lot of flying in and around trees or indoor flying. They also add weight, which might take you over the 250g threshold, and surface area which would increase drag and might reduce its ability to fight the wind. I'd guess most people do not use prop guards.
Strobes ......maybe, I'd love to try some of the Firehouse? Arc? or what ever the latest ones are called but they are too expensive here for an experiment. I think they were £40 to £50 last time I looked and that would trigger import duty too.

Here's a decent light for $15. I have this and the Firehouse Arc V and this compares well. Both claim FAA compliance with 3+ mile visibility.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B096VCKR97/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Here's a decent light for $15. I have this and the Firehouse Arc V and this compares well. Both claim FAA compliance with 3+ mile visibility.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B096VCKR97/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks but that comes up as a landing pad for me. Indientally I have the Flytron STROBON Cree which is show in Msinger's link, which is good to know

 

[umanbean]

After I bought my first Phantom, got prop guards for it... never used them past the testing phase! Take the advice above, find an open space, fly it close at 1st, and just get used to it. Put strobes on it for max VLOS, and call it good.

 

[MavicMini2Rookie]

Salute!

 

[MS Coast]

Thanks but that comes up as a landing pad for me. Indientally I have the Flytron STROBON Cree which is show in Msinger's link, which is good to know

That's odd. It works fine for me on this side of the Atlantic. Try searching Amazon for "VIFLY Drone Strobe Light."

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Thanks, that found some, cheers.

 

[Faster]

I use the Firehouse Technology Arc-V with a bottom mount that can be used as a landing pad skid. It's one of the brightest strobes on the market. Made in the USA, fast and free shipping.

Mavic Mini Mini 2 strobe light kit

dji mavic mini spotlight headlight strobe light

www.firehousetechnology.com

 

[MavicMini2Rookie]

Salute!

 

[Chaosrider]

I use the Firehouse Technology Arc-V with a bottom mount that can be used as a landing pad skid. It's one of the brightest strobes on the market. Made in the USA, fast and free shipping.

Mavic Mini Mini 2 strobe light kit

dji mavic mini spotlight headlight strobe light

www.firehousetechnology.com

This looks great, I'm going to order one today!

I have FHT strobes on all three of my Mini-2s, one Arc V, and 2 of the "regular" Arcs, mounted on their butts, on the battery cover. The Arc V in particular is plenty visible up to 1.2 mi (2 km), but it ceases to be useful if I turn the drone around to bring it home.

I've been wanting to get a bottom strobe mount that didn't mess with the bottom air vents. Looks like I've found it!

Thx!!




TCS

 

[Chaosrider]

If I remember correctly from an earlier thread, white is the best color for visibility, yes?

Does anyone have even a semi-quantitative idea of how much the visibility (or lumen level) is reduced by using a different color? I went to the site and they have a blue color, and since blue is my favorite color...

I'm just looking for a ROM guess. Does it reduce visibility by 5%? 10%? 20%?

If it's 5% I don't care. If it's 20%, that might convince me to go for the white color instead.

Any thoughts?

Thx!

TCS

 

[Faster]

If I remember correctly from an earlier thread, white is the best color for visibility, yes?

Does anyone have even a semi-quantitative idea of how much the visibility (or lumen level) is reduced by using a different color? I went to the site and they have a blue color, and since blue is my favorite color...

I'm just looking for a ROM guess. Does it reduce visibility by 5%? 10%? 20%?

If it's 5% I don't care. If it's 20%, that might convince me to go for the white color instead.

Any thoughts?

Thx!

TCS

There is one multicolor (red, white and green) , that's the one I got.

 

[LoudThunder]

I am a rookie mini 2 pilot, only a few training flights so far. So, I have a few questions and would like feedback from the other pilots. BTW, thus drone is registrred abs has a tail number, also, I have my TRUST cert. I found out tgat the wind is not my friend, and RTH on a minni 2 is not very acurate

1. Since I am sk new is it a good idea to add prop guards?
2 I am almost 70, my eyes cannot see a gray drone agsinst a grey/blue sky, especially on a cloudy day. So I am thinking a strobe light might help, your thoughts please?

Congrats on joining our little fraternal group of Mini 2 flyers. The Mini 2 is pretty good in the wind so you should not consider the wind your enemy, but it isn't your friend either. Remember, flying with a tail wind will make the little Mini 2 cover a lot of distance quickly and if you are not paying attention (caught up in the FPV -- First-Person View) you might get really far away very quickly and trying to fly back, against the wind, will be a real challenge for a beginner. Remember, the wind is usually not a consistent at all altitude, it usually get lighter the lower you go, but then you have new challenges; you might be too low to fly over trees, houses, etc…

I live near the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia and I have found the wind picks up during the day and is the weakest in the morning and evening. That is the easiest time to fly.

Download the "UAV Forecast" from the Google App Store (Android) or the Apple App Store (IOS). The App will tell you the flying conditions at your location and the projected wind speed at various altitudes. You can set it for the altitude you are comfortable flying at…

Here is a link to a YouTube Video on the App…

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Because you will experience various and changing wind conditions coming off the Gulf, and as a new flyer, you need to become familiar with the DJI Fly App Attitude Indicator & Compass. This feature on the DJI Fly App will indicate if your little Mini 2 is experiencing wind conditions that are not apparent on the ground. So check out the following video on YouTube…

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So, Happy Droning and Welcome Aboard…

 

[MavicMini2Rookie]

Salute!

 

[IronSky1]

I am a rookie mini 2 pilot, only a few training flights so far. So, I have a few questions and would like feedback from the other pilots. BTW, thus drone is registrred abs has a tail number, also, I have my TRUST cert. I found out tgat the wind is not my friend, and RTH on a minni 2 is not very acurate

1. Since I am sk new is it a good idea to add prop guards?
2 I am almost 70, my eyes cannot see a gray drone agsinst a grey/blue sky, especially on a cloudy day. So I am thinking a strobe light might help, your thoughts please?

AT my age I have the same problem. I have used these Nitefox LED lghts on all my Mini's they help solve the distance issue at a low cost and only weigh 5g each. I just vecro one on each side upfront. Batteries last a long time.

AMAZON

Super Mini Small Tiny Keychain Flashlight, Smallest Bright Key Ring NiteFox 16.00 USD for 2​

 

[IronSky1]

I am a rookie mini 2 pilot, only a few training flights so far. So, I have a few questions and would like feedback from the other pilots. BTW, thus drone is registrred abs has a tail number, also, I have my TRUST cert. I found out tgat the wind is not my friend, and RTH on a minni 2 is not very acurate

1. Since I am sk new is it a good idea to add prop guards?
2 I am almost 70, my eyes cannot see a gray drone agsinst a grey/blue sky, especially on a cloudy day. So I am thinking a strobe light might help, your thoughts please?

 

[Torque]

63 year old here flying against the Pacific Northwest Skies, which most days are the same shade of gray that DJI selected for their drones. So yes, get a strobe. Get two in fact (yeah - my mini 2 is registered along with my other drones), one for the top, one of the bottom.

I also have bright colored skins on my drones. Once they are a 150 feet or so away the colors all appear as just darker than the sky, so the color doesn't really help with VLOS, but if you ever get hung up in a tree or a bush, the bright colors help you quickly locate the drone.

I also do about 25% of my flights with prop guards on - I have since back when I bought my first Phantom 1. I fly around a lot of trees at times, the prop guards help, or the rare times I fly indoors. In those cases they are my "Poor Man's Obstacle Avoidance."
But if you fly around family in your own yard, kids, grandkids, dogs, etc., I always use prop guards for extra safety.

When fly for the sheer joy of flying which is 75-80% of my flights, prop guards are never used.