New Flyer in MN. Hope you vets can answer some questions...

[jackth]

So, I've been looking to dip my toe in the drone game for a while, and was thinking of getting a Spark. Once I saw that the recent Target sale came and went, I've been watching craigslist/offerup/letgo to see if I can find a good price on one. Low and behold, I found a great deal on a Mavic Pro with a bag, extra batteries, control, chargers, cables, etc...

Anyway, I put in an offer that was accepted, and it's going to be here later this week. I'd like to check it out and make sure there's nothing wrong with it (seller says there definitely isn't), so I've been watching some of the DJI instructional/welcome videos to try to learn the ins and outs. Any recommendations on things to check to make sure I'm getting good hardware? I'm not exactly sure where to start on that front.

I thought I'd try to take it out for a quick, short test flight, as that would tell me if it flies and if the camera works, but being in MN, I'm running into a problem. The highs at the end of the week will be 21, 12, 8, 8, 22 (all in F. -6, -11, -14, -13, -6 C) over the span of days I think I should be getting it. I've read that flying in that type of cold is at best not ideal, and at worst a no no, at least for someone who isn't likely to be super prepared for it.

I've got 2 days from when I get it to make sure there's nothing wrong before the sale is finalized. Any tips/help/advice anyone is willing to offer would be much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Former Member]

To protect yourself, did you pay with Paypal? Before you even fly it, you might want to consider buying a State Farm insurance policy for it. Also, do you know if you can buy DJI Refresh for it?

If it's too cold to fly outside, you can make your first flight indoors but I dont recommend it.

Do you know any other pilots that can take a look at it for you?

 

[jackth]

To protect yourself, did you pay with Paypal? Before you even fly it, you might want to consider buying a State Farm insurance policy for it. Also, do you know if you can buy DJI Refresh for it?

If it's too cold to fly outside, you can make your first flight indoors but I dont recommend it.

Do you know any other pilots that can take a look at it for you?

I didn't buy through Paypal, I bought through Offerup which offers a buyer protection service. The funds are held by Offerup for 2 days after delivery. I can file a protection claim if there is undisclosed damage or item isn't as described. If I don't do so, after 2 days, the funds are released to the seller and the sale is final.

Having just done this recently, I haven't looked into an insurance policy or if I can buy DJI Refresh for it, but those are good tips that I feel like would be a good idea to look into.

Unfortunately, I only know a couple of other pilots, both of which are hundreds of miles away, so no.

 

[Ynksfan27]

Jack, what part of MN are you from?

 

[dirkclod]

Welcome to the forum.
I hope you will find our site helpful and look forward to any input , photo's/video's you might post .
Don't be shy and ask anything if you can't find it by searching .

 

[Mossiback]

Fully charge everything and keep the batteries warm and you should be okay for a test flight. You should check the battery health in Go 4 before flying. Fly in an open area away from obstacles.

 

[Sfusiondj]

Why buy a Mavic Pro, though? The Air is clearly superior in all respects (other than Occusync)

 

[jackth]

Jack, what part of MN are you from?

Twin Cities

Fully charge everything and keep the batteries warm and you should be okay for a test flight. You should check the battery health in Go 4 before flying. Fly in an open area away from obstacles.

I've been reading up on this, and it's sort of my last resort. Sounds like as long as I keep the battery warm, take it easy, and make sure the Voltage doesn't drop, I should be able to at least hover and check things out to make sure nothing's defective. Obviously, given the climate here, I'm not going to be doing much flying until warmer temps come around.

buy a Mavic Pro, though? The Air is clearly superior in all respects (other than Occusync)

Because I found a Pro for much cheaper than I've been able to find any kind of Air, with extras to boot. I got the Pro for in the neighborhood of what I was seeing most Sparks with any kind of extras at all (if you consider the remote to be an extra).

I wasn't necessarily looking for a Pro, I'd have just as likely jumped on an Air if I had seen one, but they were all at least $200 more than what I got this Pro for.

 

[msinger]

Welcome to the forum!

Any recommendations on things to check to make sure I'm getting good hardware?

Here are some things to check:

• Ensure you have all of the promised accessories. You can find a list of what normally comes with a new Mavic Pro here.
  
  
• Look over everything and make sure there are no signs of damage. If you're unsure of anything, take a closeup picture and post it here.
  
  
• Install DJI GO 4 on your mobile device (you can find a list of commonly used mobile devices here) and make sure no errors appear at the top of DJI GO when it's connected to your Mavic Pro. When a piece of hardware fails, DJI GO often displays an error message.
  
  
• Find a wide open location that is free of all obstacles (no buildings, trees, etc.) so you have enough room to take a test flight. Since you don't have enough time to learn how to fly, you don't want to take your test flight in a location with nearby obstacles where it's easy to crash into something.
  
  
• Take off with the throttle in the full up position and let the Mavic Pro hover when it's at 10 feet or so. Make sure it's able to hover in place without moving much when the sticks are in the center of the remote controller.
  
  
• Try some simple maneuvers and make sure the Mavic Pro is able to respond to the commands you give it.
  
  
• Look at the live video feed in DJI GO and make sure it's clear and displaying without any strange artifacts.

Sounds like as long as I keep the battery warm, take it easy, and make sure the Voltage doesn't drop, I should be able to at least hover and check things out to make sure nothing's defective.

Right on. Fully charge the batteries and keep them warm before flying. Let the Mavic Pro hover for 30 seconds or so after taking off so it has some time to warm up. Keep it close (within sight) so you're able to make it back before the battery is too low.