New Mavic Air Pilot Questions

[mjbok]

Are there any accessories that people would recommend me buying?

There are several threads that are around accessories, but I will chime in with my opinions.

1. Landing Pad - especially for taking off. You can land on cement, roads, but you're not supposed to take off from them. Keep the grass, dirt, rocks away from your drone.
2. Extra batteries (if you didn't get fly more bundle) 3 is the minimum I like to have ready
3. Legs - unless you are hand launching I recommend the small leg extensions.
4. U3 memory card
5. Tablet - I enjoy using a tablet rather than a phone.
6. Tablet holder - should be less than $20 unless you get a Thor (which are good)
7. Air specific case
8. Extra props
I'm sure I'm forgetting some things, but these are def. must haves for me

As far as advice:
Take it slow. The Air can do lots of cool stuff (though it can't do waypoints, which is BS)
Make sure you have acquired enough sats before you take off.
Don't feel the need to do stress testing (flight duration, distance away, etc.)
Keep in VLOS.
Be aware of your surroundings and try to do your first flights around nothing (open field)
Keep an eye on your drone. This sounds stupid, but with the phone/tablet feed I've seen too many people fly solely by that and have them crash because of it.
Be respectful
Have fun.

Since you're a photographer you will have the eye for framing, etc. That should be the least of your worries. Wade into the hobby.

 

[Deleted member 94047]

If you have a nice hard case, it doubles as a good launch pad. As for landing, I find hand landing to be much safer, easier, and fun. I have this compact case from MC Cases and love it. It is small enough that I can throw it in to a back pack if i need to.

Professional Carry Case for DJI Mavic Air - Smart Edition

FREE EXPRESS Shipping for US Customers. Use this Coupon code: "FREEUSA18"

mc-cases.com

 

[offtheback]

They absolutely still offer a personal articles policy. Some agents aren't familiar with "Drone Insurance", so you have to use the proper wording when you inquire. Call and ask for a stand alone personal articles policy specifically. They will ask you what articles you want to cover and what are the value(s). I have heard that some State Farms in certain states such as California do not offer the coverage if its for a drone, but I have not seen or heard this directly from State Farm. But they definitely do offer this in my state and many many other states that I've heard of. Either call back and discuss further or try a different agent in you area with different wording.

Exactly.On my 2nd call to a Fla agent(1st said St Farm doesn't do it)they knew immediately what was going on.The had me do facetime to prove I had the drone+all set.Not available in Massachusetts and maybe not New York+Wisconsin.

 

[bmoore1118]

Wow I called yesterday and I am in Washington state. 1200 coverage no deductable 30 a year

 

[kjcbid54]

Wow I called yesterday and I am in Washington state. 1200 coverage no deductable 30 a year

I had a similar experience when I called for a quote. I was needing $1000 of coverage and was told it was $22 a year. This is based on $2.20 of premium per $100 of value. But when we actually wrote the coverage, the agent discovered that this type of policy has a minimum premium of $60, although this might be different in your state. Either way, $60 was very reasonable and if you want to add coverage for other items there won't be an increase in premium for a large amount of more coverage. I've placed my computer and Ipad and gopro onto my policy for coverage as well. It's great for other cameras too.

 

[e143slime8]

Purchased from State Farms in NY within past month and another "pilot" purchased in NY a few days ago. He actually went to two agents due to first one not having proper information, claiming there was a deductible. NOT.

 

[kydroneman]

Would these be good?

Amazon.com : Neewer 6 Pieces Pro Lens Filter Kit for DJI Mavic Air Drone Quadcopter Includes: ND4, ND8, ND16, ND4/PL, ND8/PL, ND16/PL, Made of Multi Coated Waterproof Aluminum Alloy Frame Optical Glass(Black) : Camera & Photo

I use the Neewer filters because they are reasonable and have been very satisfied with them.

 

[Jscuzz]

"I saw a post on a drone forum about 9 months ago that that person got an letter from state farm that they are canceling it. On state farms site it is not listed anymore."

Can't imagine why, $30-$60 premium. What do you suppose the loss rate was??

 

[Enlin]

Just fly slow and smooth. Enjoy!

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[Rick455]

Good Day everyone. I am new to drone flying and new to mavicpilots.com.

I have been a still (ground) photographer for over 10 years but decided to take the next step and get into drones as a hobby. I got the fly more mavic air pack at best buy on a screaming sale. I have been flying all weekend and love love love this thing. I know the photos are not going to be the best because if the fixed focus but the 4k video is stunning. I love flying (almost had my single engine license until life got in the way) so flying drones comes easy to me.

I just had a few questions before i embark.

Are there any tips and tricks that people have to make sure I have fun and stay safe. (I am aware of the faa rules)?

Are there any accessories that people would recommend me buying?

Anything else people can let me know about please let me know.

Thank you all!!!

On Amazon I got these ND filters for 80 bucks...use mostly the ND16
PolarPro Vivid Collection Filter 3-Pack (ND4/PL, ND8/PL, ND16/PL) Cinema Series for DJI Mavic Air

 

[johnnyinak]

Don’t underestimate that little camera! Shoot RAW and fly during blue and golden hours. You will be pleasantly surprised!

I would say a first must buy is a set of good ND filters.

I would most agree with this member on both counts. Shoot in good light and the ND filters will allow you the 24FPS, 1/50th second cinema rate so trusted for about 100 years now..

 

[RODRIGO_JAÚ]

If you have a nice hard case, it doubles as a good launch pad. As for landing, I find hand landing to be much safer, easier, and fun. I have this compact case from MC Cases and love it. It is small enough that I can throw it in to a back pack if i need to.

Professional Carry Case for DJI Mavic Air - Smart Edition

FREE EXPRESS Shipping for US Customers. Use this Coupon code: "FREEUSA18"

mc-cases.com

I use mine too ( It look like it!), and it´s great to launch!

 

[MavicFlyer]

There are several threads that are around accessories, but I will chime in with my opinions.

1. Landing Pad - especially for taking off. You can land on cement, roads, but you're not supposed to take off from them. Keep the grass, dirt, rocks away from your drone.
2. Extra batteries (if you didn't get fly more bundle) 3 is the minimum I like to have ready
3. Legs - unless you are hand launching I recommend the small leg extensions.
4. U3 memory card
5. Tablet - I enjoy using a tablet rather than a phone.
6. Tablet holder - should be less than $20 unless you get a Thor (which are good)
7. Air specific case
8. Extra props
I'm sure I'm forgetting some things, but these are def. must haves for me

As far as advice:
Take it slow. The Air can do lots of cool stuff (though it can't do waypoints, which is BS)
Make sure you have acquired enough sats before you take off.
Don't feel the need to do stress testing (flight duration, distance away, etc.)
Keep in VLOS.
Be aware of your surroundings and try to do your first flights around nothing (open field)
Keep an eye on your drone. This sounds stupid, but with the phone/tablet feed I've seen too many people fly solely by that and have them crash because of it.
Be respectful
Have fun.

Since you're a photographer you will have the eye for framing, etc. That should be the least of your worries. Wade into the hobby.

As to accessories, I'd add a UV filter...something should be covering the lens and filter threads at all times, to reduce the chance of damaging either.

As to advice, I'd suggest doing screen recording for the whole flight, and viewing it post-flight. If something goes wrong, it will be so much easier to figure out what happened. It's not likely that most people will be able to understand all that info on the screen in realtime.