New Flyer...Rethinking my Purchase.

[mlaczek]

Thanks y'all......got it out of the box, charged batts, going through all manuals and vid, flying my "toy" quad. Luckily weather is crap so not in a big hurry to get outside with it yet! One thing I have never been accused of is not reading a manual.

[emoji106]

 

[CC Rider]

Regrettably those on the right tail of the spread seem to be very few in number. Or perhaps you're not as critical of soft focus in parts of the image. Or perhaps you work for DJI? (jesting of course)

Good one!

I guess I'm just one of those Mavic pilots who fortunately has not experienced any trouble with my Mavic, from firmware updates to crashes or near-incidents to having any soft focus issues disaffecting my images. When I read and watch videos of such things happening I can only imagine what the poor pilot is going through since it has not happened to me. There is no denying there are some too common problems with the Mavic being reported that need to be -and probably are being - focused on by DJI even as we speak.

I say this because ultimately satisfying their customer base is DJI's only hope for survival and future growth. At the end of the day they ARE a business that needs a healthy financial bottomline, something any new high-tech business venture in this age of social media and mass communication knows depends upon establishing customer loyalty and having fantastic word of mouth via the internet on its side.

I DO see a wide range of experiences being reported about DJI customer service. I can only hope that DJI strives to keep pace with the positive experiences pilots report and will establish that as their standard.

 

[MAVA4]

Thanks for the positive advice, except "Probably for the best" which is of no help whatsoever. No restocking fee, I bought it off of Amazon. Never thought that mostly problems discussed on here which is a good thing.

Try to find the Mavic photographs group. Get to see people's artwork and almost no negativity. (which is fine in the right place-here-for owners with issues/questions)

 

[MAVA4]

PreFlight Checklist

I saw some PreFlight Checklists posted here and on the net so I gleaned some info and put together a checklist that has been working for me. I'm attaching copies of the checklist to this post in Pages, Word and PDF format in case anyone wants to add/subtract items. The original was made with Pages so the Word version may require some formatting. The forum would not accept the Word or Pages document so I posted the links to my Dropbox account.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/58082910/Mavic Pro Pre-Flight Checklist.pages

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/58082910/Mavic Pro Pre-Flight Checklist.docx

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmavicpilots%2Ecom%2Findex%2Ephp%3Fposts%2F94017%2F&share_tid=7320&share_fid=1514257&share_type=t&share_pid=94017

404 error...

 

[Hellsbellsidaho]

Hi, I just got my Mavic, it is still in the unopened box. I have been playing with smaller quad copters and having a blast. I was expecting a "sticky" on this forum for newbies with things to get prepared for the first flight, but see none. ( Anybody know of one) ?.

That being said.....after reading about all the FAA hassle, no fly zones, problems, issues, flyaways , crashes for no apparent reason,etc., I might send this thing back. Just seems like from the research I have done on here, this thing is more trouble than fun. Dont want any fines, people complaining, shot out of the sky, things like that. Just looking for some positive advise. I used to fly RC helicopters so flying the thing is the least of my worries. Thanks!

My local airport asked me to stop calling them everytime I go out for a flight. They said if I am further than 1.5 miles an under 400 feet they don't care.

 

[alvinmavic1]

I have flown my Mavic for total about 7.5 hour flight time. Beside some beginner errors I made in the first hour or so the Mavic has been very reliable and easy to fly. True, you need to educate yourself on the precautions and regulations but I would not say that diminishes the fun of flying a drone in the sky.

 

[Gtcuppels]

Thanks for all the positive comments, I am going to keep it. I live in rural Ohio so I am able to fly if right from my front yard and go in any direction. Then take it on vacations. I just retired and was looking for a hobby. Seen a guy fly his Phantom 3 out over the ocean and back. I was hooked from that point. Being an RC plane and helicopter flyer for years I am not a total newbie to this but much more sophisticated and complicated. We had a $1000 African Grey Parrot fly off into the sunset a few years back so it wouldnt be the first time...LOL.

By the DJI refresh package and enjoy it

 

[Rogat19]

I hope you get hours and hours of great fun out of your Mavic the same as 99% of people on here do, the reason I come on here is to read the stories and experiences of other Mavic owners and be part of the Mavic lovers family can't beat it and I learn things every time I come on here, it's a fantastic resource also another recourse that i love is youtube man there is so much you can learn on there about every little aspect of your machine, so unpack the bloody thing and fly it and enjoy !!

 

[Oyibo VFX]

It's like riding your car. Soooooo many restrictions and fines yet millions of people still step in their car everyday.
Just use common sense and enjoy the Mavic. But be careful opening the box. It is VERY addictive

 

[MustGoFaster]

I flew mine for the first time today, two batteries in the morning and two later in the day after recharging. 29 degrees in the morning with 15mph wind and it flew great. I had the same concerns as you do but I gave the local airport a call and they were happy I checked with them. My morning flight was in a local city park and I was told they are not allowed there but they were nice about it since the rule had not yet been posted on the park website yet . I flew in the afternoon at a park reserve well out of airport range and that went really well. I think that if you pay attention to the rules there are many great places to fly. I joined a local club and we are having an FAA representative come and give a presentation. I think you will enjoy your drone after you become familiar with what you can and can't do.

 

[Hutch]

There's nothing to worry about, I'm a rook and 9 flights later I'm loving this thing even my wife she never never did fly a drone before and she love it, so don't worry enjoy it, this is one of the pics my wife took yesterday

Brilliant shot Hammer. Kudo's to wifey who framed this NY shot great

 

[Oyibo VFX]

This is from 500m agl. That is what the MP can do

 

[MustGoFaster]

So now an addendum to my earlier post. Sadly here in Minnesota I can't use in State Parks, local park reserves or City Parks. Totally prohibited at all 3! I really have nowhere I can legally fly this thing! The whole point was photography of all the places I love to camp and hike. I was so focused on complying with the FAA that I didn't do enough research on the local laws. I just finished carefully re packing it and I am glad Amazon has a good return policy. I am hoping to return it to the DJI Store. This has been a very short lived hobby for me.

 

[Ifti]

Just one flight on mine but I had, and sometimes do have, the same thoughts as you.
Bad weather means I can't get out and fly it very often at the moment - then again I like to wait for bright days with little to no wind! And in the U.K. we don't get many if those unless it's summer!
Nevertheless I'll be keeping mine as the number of flyaway stories are now few and far between - far less then the Phantom 2 days - and that's always been my main fear!
Keep it and enjoy it! But be safe!

 

[dmanisgnarly]

Even after crashing mine in a warehouse sakteboarding session, I was easily able to replace the gimbal ribbon cable. The fact that these machines can be purchased and repaired by the consumer sells it for me.

Then again, if you're afraid of even flying it, i'd hate to see you open the hood of a MP post crash. If this is your first bird, buy a cheapo to practice with.

Some make it an investment. Mine serves as a tool for my business. Even as a hobby for you- it'll be some of the most fun you've ever had. If you have the guts to buy a cheap sub $30 VR headset you can load up Litchi and have a FPV drone capable of long distances and high resolution imagery.

 

[Hivoltage]

This is from 500m agl. That is what the MP can do

What / where is that?

 

[Hivoltage]

So now an addendum to my earlier post. Sadly here in Minnesota I can't use in State Parks, local park reserves or City Parks. Totally prohibited at all 3! I really have nowhere I can legally fly this thing! The whole point was photography of all the places I love to camp and hike. I was so focused on complying with the FAA that I didn't do enough research on the local laws. I just finished carefully re packing it and I am glad Amazon has a good return policy. I am hoping to return it to the DJI Store. This has been a very short lived hobby for me.

That sucks....surely there are other places you can fly it.

 

[Oyibo VFX]

What / where is that?

My project in Nigeria. 459MW power station. Check out my JoeTjoep movies

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[sosmaverick]

The bird flys like a dream, you'd be stupid to return it. It packs the size of a water bottle but flys like a beast. The camera is a compromise but honestly if you're not doing it commercially then you've got nothing to worry about, I and I'm sure many others have got some real special footage with the mavic. Don't care what you say, you're not trekking or going far with those stupid hardback backpacks with the phantom. It's a comprise I'd take again in a heartbeat. Go out, explore, hike and get up high and fly the drone from these remote vantage points. You'll be amazed at how well it functions!

 

[TomKemp]

No problems here with 12 hours and 160 logged flights nothing but positive reviews!!