Hi all.
Im sort of retired but one day I contacted a local drone videography company and asked them if a retired guy could get a drone, learn to fly, get Part 107 certification, and make some money while getting to fly enormously sophisticed aircraft. He said, most certainly. He has jobs/missions coming up and he was looking for another pilot. I don't need much encouragement. I researched the available drones commercial pilots were using and, while it was a tough decision between DJI and DJI, I went with DJI. I chose the Mavic 2 Pro because of its portability and capabilities. And, I thought it looked much cooler than the Phantom 4. Also, the future of the P4 seemed squishy - discontinued one year and an incremental upgrade reintroduced a year later. The M2P was the current "it" drone. So I bought the Pro and was dropped-jaw impressed with the technology. I was hooked. Then... I crashed the Pro. I was told I would. It was a flyaway and it was entirely new pilot error. Fortunately, since this was a drone intended for commerce, I purchased the DJI Care Refresh and I used it for this crash. The whole process of sending the drone in, analysis, repair/replace options (I replaced), and return worked flawlessly. I also realized that a second drone would be required for redundancy. I decided on a P4 since versions of that were in my price range (could not spend a penny more than my $1200 stimulus check) and found a DJI refurbished P4P for $1199.00. Bingo. I am now the owner of two drones, I just passed the part 107 exam on Friday (PSI testing centers are currently reopening and scheduling tests for those thinking of going commercial). The best part is Im pretty certain I have a job as a pilot. So, some positive news in the midst of this craziness.
Im sort of retired but one day I contacted a local drone videography company and asked them if a retired guy could get a drone, learn to fly, get Part 107 certification, and make some money while getting to fly enormously sophisticed aircraft. He said, most certainly. He has jobs/missions coming up and he was looking for another pilot. I don't need much encouragement. I researched the available drones commercial pilots were using and, while it was a tough decision between DJI and DJI, I went with DJI. I chose the Mavic 2 Pro because of its portability and capabilities. And, I thought it looked much cooler than the Phantom 4. Also, the future of the P4 seemed squishy - discontinued one year and an incremental upgrade reintroduced a year later. The M2P was the current "it" drone. So I bought the Pro and was dropped-jaw impressed with the technology. I was hooked. Then... I crashed the Pro. I was told I would. It was a flyaway and it was entirely new pilot error. Fortunately, since this was a drone intended for commerce, I purchased the DJI Care Refresh and I used it for this crash. The whole process of sending the drone in, analysis, repair/replace options (I replaced), and return worked flawlessly. I also realized that a second drone would be required for redundancy. I decided on a P4 since versions of that were in my price range (could not spend a penny more than my $1200 stimulus check) and found a DJI refurbished P4P for $1199.00. Bingo. I am now the owner of two drones, I just passed the part 107 exam on Friday (PSI testing centers are currently reopening and scheduling tests for those thinking of going commercial). The best part is Im pretty certain I have a job as a pilot. So, some positive news in the midst of this craziness.
