New Flyer...Rethinking my Purchase.

[CC Rider]

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.

Aww, man! What a drag. Before you send it back, REALLY give your brain a workout to see if there are OTHER alternative places to fly. I've seen posts here from several other pilots who live in Minnesota, too, and they have found places where their Mavics are legal.

Perhaps this could be a hobby that takes you out of your comfort zone and opens up new places for you to go, specifically to fly and film. Think it over. Nothing beats the rush the Mavic gives you. You'll be hard pressed to find something to replace it!

 

[moonlitnite]

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! ,<clip>

Please provide references leading you to believe we can't fly in Minnesota parks. Certainly not all City and local park reserves have the same restrictions, and my review of the Minnesota State Parks do not show such prohibitions:
Minnesota state park rules: Minnesota DNR

Additionally, the State of Minnesota does not have any "drone" laws on file:
Drone Laws by State - FindLaw

 

[Hellsbellsidaho]

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.

Keep the Mavic and move to another state lol.

 

[Arkarian]

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!

You do not know what you are missing. The Mavic Pro is a wonderful drone. I am having a blast with it! So easy to fly and sport mode for later when you are more experienced.

Flyaways are usually caused by not setting the home point. If you take off too fast you don't give it a chance. Wait until it says home point recorded. I watched a youtube video where the guy is convinced that RTH feature is evil cause of crashes.

Just stay away from your main airports, stadiums and downtown. You can get an app on your phone that shows airports. The rule says you have to call an airport if you are inside the 5 mile radius and let them know you are flying. Some Heliports and hospitals are hard to get a hold of. I just recommend not being too close. Aircraft are suppose to be above 500 feet so just keep your drone at 400 or less. Don't forget that hospitals have Heliports. Stay away from them.

Check the policy on local parks. I have several that are legal but some have banned them.

The number one cause of crash is not understanding the RTH function. Read the manual or if you don't like reading there are a lot of videos on youtube. Don't panic when flying. Just take your hands off the controls and it will hover. You can also use the pause button to stop RTH.

I have flown my new Mavic about 20+ times now with no mishaps. Just remember to set your return to home altitude above any obstacles. If you are having the drone follow you, just remember when the power gets low or it looses signal it is going to want to return to where it took off from. If you didn't set a high RTH altitude it will make a B-line back to take off point and likely run into something in the process. If you take off from a tight area like next to a tree or other obstacle, you might have to help it land. RTH is not perfect. Open areas are always recommended for takeoffs.

When taking off, hover about 30 feet and let it acquire satellites. I usually get about 16-18 connections but it takes a minute or two.

Do not fly out of line of sight. If there is a building between you and the drone it can and probably will loose transmission. This is against the rules anyway.

Stay away from cell towers. They can definitely cause interference.

Don't forget to take the gimbal protector and cover off. A blind drone is likely going to crash.

Small drones that seem like toys are likely bound by the same rules if they are not mini drones. Any drone that weighs between 0.55 pounds(250 grams) and 55 pounds (25 kilograms) will need to be registered.

 

[kneeL]

There is no attitude, I am just asking if everybody is having problems. It sounds like that is not the case.

I never understand how people have all these problems, mostly all the issues you read about are folks who are doing dumb stuff like using intelligent flight modes in places they have no business doing so as a novice user. In 3 years I have never crashed or lost a drone, have never even had to replace a propeller . I own two 3DR Solos and the DJI Mavic plus a ton of smaller quads and lots of RC airplanes. But I am still a beginner and have yet to experience any issues mostly because I am extremely careful and actually I learn a ton just reading about other people's mistakes. The mavic is a breeze to fly, the hardest part will be learning and understanding all of the various settings/configurations and flight modes before you start trying any advanced stuff.

 

[MustGoFaster]

Please provide references leading you to believe we can't fly in Minnesota parks. Certainly not all City and local park reserves have the same restrictions, and my review of the Minnesota State Parks do not show such prohibitions:
Minnesota state park rules: Minnesota DNR

Additionally, the State of Minnesota does not have any "drone" laws on file:
Drone Laws by State - FindLaw

I know since I also checked all of the websites. It's what I am being told when I talk to people. They are telling me that it isn't on the website yet but they are going to be prohibited because of danger to people or wildlife. I didn't make this decision lightly or without actually inquiring and talking to live folks.

 

[MustGoFaster]

Keep the Mavic and move to another state lol.

No kidding! For sure a warmer state!

 

[MustGoFaster]

Aww, man! What a drag. Before you send it back, REALLY give your brain a workout to see if there are OTHER alternative places to fly. I've seen posts here from several other pilots who live in Minnesota, too, and they have found places where their Mavics are legal.

Perhaps this could be a hobby that takes you out of your comfort zone and opens up new places for you to go, specifically to fly and film. Think it over. Nothing beats the rush the Mavic gives you. You'll be hard pressed to find something to replace it!

I am 57 years old and was planning to use it when we go on camping trips in our RV. We mostly go to the beautiful state parks and many county parks we have here. The scenery on our north shore of Lake Superior is mind-blowing. I made the choice of the Mavic because it was more discreet and easy to carry when hiking. I flew it Saturday and I had a blast. On Sunday I went to our local Three Rivers Park District Nature Center and I asked them if it was OK for me to to some video. The park ranger literally started shaking his head from side to side as soon as I said the word "drone". I think people view these things as sinister and invasive and feel threatened by them. I can spend my money doing something else to enjoy nature and I certainly do not care to spend my precious vacation time arguing with park rangers or staff.

 

[SRJ_Mavic_PRO]

Was this a local park or state park? Don't rely on just one park ranger...... Ask at the department level. That's what I did here in MD. Sometime you get the Barney Fife on duty that day and is clueless...

 

[AlanTheBeast]

I am 57 years old and was planning to use it when we go on camping trips in our RV. We mostly go to the beautiful state parks and many county parks we have here. The scenery on our north shore of Lake Superior is mind-blowing. I made the choice of the Mavic because it was more discreet and easy to carry when hiking. I flew it Saturday and I had a blast. On Sunday I went to our local Three Rivers Park District Nature Center and I asked them if it was OK for me to to some video. The park ranger literally started shaking his head from side to side as soon as I said the word "drone". I think people view these things as sinister and invasive and feel threatened by them. I can spend my money doing something else to enjoy nature and I certainly do not care to spend my precious vacation time arguing with park rangers or staff.

Ask the ranger to provide the written policy or reference a website with the policy.

 

[kneeL]

I live MN and fly in parks in Minnesota all the time. I thought the Mavic was a waste of money because I already owned enough drones, and I live in the city near the airport so the struggle is real to find legal and good locations to fly. But the Mavic is still hands-down the best drone purchase I've made so far. Also if you DID want to "bend" the rules a bit, the Mavic is the best drone to quickly get up in the air, get your shot and get out of the park before the ranger sees you

I wish i was able to be up north with an RV that would be perfect for shots, jealous. All I can do in my backyard is film airplanes landing on the runway at the MSP airport but for some reason they frown upon that and they didn't even let me do an orbit shot around the control tower before they took me to jail

 

[AlanTheBeast]

Also if you DID want to "bend" the rules a bit, the Mavic is the best drone to quickly get up in the air, get your shot and get out of the park before the ranger sees you

But we would never do that would we?

 

[Dtweiss]

In response to Dtweiss's post:

I understand how DJI might be overwhelmed however they are the ones setting expiations and just ignore their promises. I am an experienced drone pilot and absolutely love what DJI has done for the drone business. THIS experience is just horrible though. If its going to take a MONTH or more they shouldn't say 3-4 days. It has been stuck here since the 3rd. If it said 3-4 weeks I would be sitting quietly.

 

[MustGoFaster]

I live MN and fly in parks in Minnesota all the time. I thought the Mavic was a waste of money because I already owned enough drones, and I live in the city near the airport so the struggle is real to find legal and good locations to fly. But the Mavic is still hands-down the best drone purchase I've made so far. Also if you DID want to "bend" the rules a bit, the Mavic is the best drone to quickly get up in the air, get your shot and get out of the park before the ranger sees you

I wish i was able to be up north with an RV that would be perfect for shots, jealous. All I can do in my backyard is film airplanes landing on the runway at the MSP airport but for some reason they frown upon that and they didn't even let me do an orbit shot around the control tower before they took me to jail

The state leaves it up to the individual parks all of which so far have said no.

 

[MustGoFaster]

Ask the ranger to provide the written policy or reference a website with the policy.

No written policy but they all say it is not allowed. They say it falls under the written aircraft rules.

 

[AlanTheBeast]

No written policy but they all say it is not allowed. They say it falls under the written aircraft rules.

Then they are wrong. The federal rules apply to federal parks. If the state parks (or a state park) wants to ban drones they have to make it park policy and write it up.

QUESTION AUTHORITY.

 

[ZimCan]

My suggestion would be, if the cost is more than you should be spending, then return it or sell it. If you are just worried about all the problems and issues, don't be. It has been some of the most fun and joy I have had in years, and the great video and pictures is just an awesome bonus. It can be as simple as just basic flying (and it is great at that), or you can do research and get real techie and have it as complicated as your imagination can make it. I started with a simple $100 drone that lasted 10 minutes in the air and was work to keep it steady, so I anticipated the same with the Mavic. Was I wrong! It was so stable and responsive ... and precise, I was blown away. Go read forums on how much everyone loves them and don't stress about the nit pickers!

 

[Arkarian]

Was this a local park or state park? Don't rely on just one park ranger...... Ask at the department level. That's what I did here in MD. Sometime you get the Barney Fife on duty that day and is clueless...

I also panic'd. Where am I going to fly this thing. But I wrote several park managers and found out I could fly as long as I don't fly right over people having picnics or playing sports. Then there are places you can't fly like the stadiums and airports. Just have some common sense. You can find a place.

State Parks are illegal to launch a drone but what some people do is be just outside the park and launch their drone. They can only get you if you launch it inside the state park.

Don't panic. Also don't hover over people. They think you are spying on them.

 

[kneeL]

Don't panic. Also don't hover over people. They think you are spying on them.

I love those people. Yeah I am spying on you with 1x digital zoom from 300ft in the air and 750ft out

 

[Hivoltage]

A lot of RTH talk on here as being a cause for most crashes or flyaways. How does this feature work in hilly areas? If I set it for 200', is that distance from the ground while flying or 200" from where it took off.