Newbie looking to buy 1st Drone Advice- I am in Canada this week, but live in the US

[Mr Bungle]

Hey all,

My first post here, I'm excited to be a part of the forums.

I am getting into drones for the main reason that I do Real Estate, and think it would help my business immensely. I will like to eventually get an Air2s, or the 3 when it comes out in the near future. For now, I am thinking of starting small (under 249 as a practice/starter), and also- I'm in Canada until mid July. I wanted to get something light to practice with up here. I've been reading this and other forums and doing a lot of other research in the past 2 weeks, and figured I'd buy something this weekend, as it was Canada Day yesterday and there should be some sales on at the moment and through the weekend.

Basically thinking of getting a small ( under 249 gr mini or tellos type, 100-200$ and better than "toy" quality - something I may actually be able to use in the future type of drone)- hopefully something with blade protectors so I can also practice indoors, just something to learn on up here and not have to worry about the registration issues. Looking for pros/cons to making the purchase for it up here in Canada as opposed to the states... open to recommendations if anyone has any. It seems that Best Buy and the Hobby Shops up here have comparable or even identical prices to the States when USD is converted to CAD at the moment. I have been looking for sales online too, but haven't seen much advertised yet.


Little Background on me: I'm doing the 107 course with pilotinstitute.com right now and plan to take the test in about 2 weeks, when I get back Stateside. After some practice, I'll eventually get into something better and over 249 Gr, and register it commercially; like the air2s for Real Estate photography purposes. I am in my mid 40's and have had a ton of Tamiya electric r/c buggies and trucks back in the 80's - 90's so I'm pretty familiar with all the comparable components and general radio tech as well. I am pretty tech savvy and mechanical as well. I used to repair cellphones and then got into networking and became a cell-site technician. I still do a lot of computer related and hardware mods/tweaks and such... I recently started thinking I might really want to eventually gravitate towards a ducted blade setup like a cinewhoop or something similar and maybe a DJI FPV but I want something with with excellent 8k type resolution... seems the DJI FPV isn't the best quality video, as opposed to a high res GoPro mounted on an fpv type drone. Some of the recent videos of real estate home virtual tours done via cinewhoop blew me away (check out Luke Bredar on YouTube to see how that inspired me to consider the 3" with a mounted camera platform).

Anyhow, I hope that was enough info to help y'all understand where I'm coming from. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

 

[manc54]

I've only recently got into drones and bought a mavic mini. its a great little drone to learn on and fairly checp. I do however regret not buying the Mini 2 as its basically the same drone with camera upgrades etc.
If I was starting from scratch again i'd go for the Mini 2.

 

[GFields]

Greetings welcome to the forum! Besides knowing the rules and your drone, practice is the most important thing I can advise you on

 

[DavidT_ NZ]

Hey all,

My first post here, I'm excited to be a part of the forums.

I am getting into drones for the main reason that I do Real Estate, and think it would help my business immensely. I will like to eventually get an Air2s, or the 3 when it comes out in the near future. For now, I am thinking of starting small (under 249 as a practice/starter), and also- I'm in Canada until mid July. I wanted to get something light to practice with up here. I've been reading this and other forums and doing a lot of other research in the past 2 weeks, and figured I'd buy something this weekend, as it was Canada Day yesterday and there should be some sales on at the moment and through the weekend.

Basically thinking of getting a small ( under 249 gr mini or tellos type, 100-200$ and better than "toy" quality - something I may actually be able to use in the future type of drone)- hopefully something with blade protectors so I can also practice indoors, just something to learn on up here and not have to worry about the registration issues. Looking for pros/cons to making the purchase for it up here in Canada as opposed to the states... open to recommendations if anyone has any. It seems that Best Buy and the Hobby Shops up here have comparable or even identical prices to the States when USD is converted to CAD at the moment. I have been looking for sales online too, but haven't seen much advertised yet.


Little Background on me: I'm doing the 107 course with pilotinstitute.com right now and plan to take the test in about 2 weeks, when I get back Stateside. After some practice, I'll eventually get into something better and over 249 Gr, and register it commercially; like the air2s for Real Estate photography purposes. I am in my mid 40's and have had a ton of Tamiya electric r/c buggies and trucks back in the 80's - 90's so I'm pretty familiar with all the comparable components and general radio tech as well. I am pretty tech savvy and mechanical as well. I used to repair cellphones and then got into networking and became a cell-site technician. I still do a lot of computer related and hardware mods/tweaks and such... I recently started thinking I might really want to eventually gravitate towards a ducted blade setup like a cinewhoop or something similar and maybe a DJI FPV but I want something with with excellent 8k type resolution... seems the DJI FPV isn't the best quality video, as opposed to a high res GoPro mounted on an fpv type drone. Some of the recent videos of real estate home virtual tours done via cinewhoop blew me away (check out Luke Bredar on YouTube to see how that inspired me to consider the 3" with a mounted camera platform).

Anyhow, I hope that was enough info to help y'all understand where I'm coming from. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Dive in the deep end. The Mavic Air 2 (Fly More Combo) should keep you more than happy with the stability and still/video performance. It is a dream to fly. Just stay outdoors and watch lots of YT videos before your first launch …….. ????

 

[Capt KO]

Mini 2 checks all the boxes. Much better than the m1 and still same weight class. May be all you will ever need. I've upgraded to the A2 but a little heavier. Enjoy and welcome.

 

[old man mavic]

@Mr Bungle welcome to the forum,as others have said the Mini2 is a great starter drone and has the least restrictions and amount of qualifications ,needed to fly it
but you still need to get a basic knowledge ,and take your time getting to know how it reacts to the controls

 

[Laborous]

Welcome to the forum from the beautiful woods of Maine!
My vote is for the Mini 2 also. I started with a P3P ($1250) in 2016 but I was scared to use it, afraid I’d either crash it or it would fly away, so it went into the closet. When the Mini came out, I picked one up and learned, after watching videos on YouTube and practice, how to take full advantage of its capabilities. I built up my confidence and now flow both! I also added a MA2 to my collection and choose which one to fly depending on the winds and the area. Flytpath has a good video series from unboxing to your first flight that you may want to check out.

 

[Cymruflyer]

Thanks for the link to that Luke Bredar video, that is amazing footage.

 

[RGallant]

@Mr Bungle

Bad news is you need to get a certifcate to fly Get permission for special drone operations

Under 250 might be ok but I would not bet on it.

 

[jeffcutler]

Hey all,

My first post here, I'm excited to be a part of the forums.

I am getting into drones for the main reason that I do Real Estate, and think it would help my business immensely. I will like to eventually get an Air2s, or the 3 when it comes out in the near future. For now, I am thinking of starting small (under 249 as a practice/starter), and also- I'm in Canada until mid July. I wanted to get something light to practice with up here.

Welcome to the forum. Lots of models for lots of different things. I have used as low as a P3Standard to do REALTORs' work, also the original Air and now the Air 2. The photos for MLS don't have to be great, so the sensor isn't an issue. The real trick is to get your clients to buy VIDEO clips as an upsell. Record up to 20 seconds of smooth video when you're there flying the house, then edit that into a view of the property and areas of interest.

OK, now for the SCOLDING!!!! Or little warning. As a US resident in Canada, I'm almost positive you will have an impossible time getting clearance to fly anywhere up there. Folks on YouTube who are Canadians AND have their Canadian equivalent to part 107 are having a bear of a time getting permission to fly. Part of it is Covid and in some areas you still can't be out. And the other is regional laws. Toronto is the worst area to try I heard.

Have fun. Be safe. Be a great ambassador for drones.

 

[Mr Bungle]

@Mr Bungle

Bad news is you need to get a certifcate to fly Get permission for special drone operations

Under 250 might be ok but I would not bet on it.

Yes indeed- I looked into that, and as long as under 250 grams, same as most countries - no permission needed as long as following basic safety rules, using common sense/courtesy, not flying over people and such. Appears that certificate is for over 250 g as in the states, although we have the 107, Canada makes it a step harder by needing permission before flying in most instances with anything bigger than a microdrone. Thinking of the tello boost just to practice with while indoors as well as out in the woods and fields away from people

 

[Mr Bungle]

Welcome to the forum. Lots of models for lots of different things. I have used as low as a P3Standard to do REALTORs' work, also the original Air and now the Air 2. The photos for MLS don't have to be great, so the sensor isn't an issue. The real trick is to get your clients to buy VIDEO clips as an upsell. Record up to 20 seconds of smooth video when you're there flying the house, then edit that into a view of the property and areas of interest.

OK, now for the SCOLDING!!!! Or little warning. As a US resident in Canada, I'm almost positive you will have an impossible time getting clearance to fly anywhere up there. Folks on YouTube who are Canadians AND have their Canadian equivalent to part 107 are having a bear of a time getting permission to fly. Part of it is Covid and in some areas you still can't be out. And the other is regional laws. Toronto is the worst area to try I heard.

Have fun. Be safe. Be a great ambassador for drones.

Thanks for the helpful info, @jeffcutler - appears that I'll wait until my 107 and back in the states before even attempting to get anything more serious than a practice drone. For now as long as its under 250 Gr in Canada, similar rules apply as in the states... so I'll get a small microdrone (tello) to practice on up here indoors and outside. Then, when I'm back in the states, I'll probably get the air2s - mostly for the ability to take better footage(video in 4k or better) for the actual individual upsell like you mentioned... a "flythrough" tour with a good indoor drone is much more impressive looking to me than a "walkthrough" - I've seen some amazing YouTube vids of people doing these kinds of tours on some amazing mansions and million $+++ houses ... kind of the direction I'd like to eventually go with it once I get better.

Found this handy lil infographic on the Canadian gov't website - It pretty much says: anything not a microdrone = tons of headache up here:

https://tc.canada.ca/sites/default/files/2020-06/2019-2020-AA-33_INFOGRAPHIC_EN_V8.pdf

I'm actually staying in Eastern Ottawa right now. Talk about strict; the only place in North America still not open for sit down indoor dining is the Canadian Province of Ontario. We just drove 10 min to cross over the river to eat in Chelsea, Quebec for dinner tonight ( One still needs a mask unless sitting down inside - similar to most places in the US, and 3 meter distance spacing while inline and such). It's amazing how the inter-provincial laws up here are almost like going between different countries at times. I can imagine that in Toronto, there is not much happening at all with the current lockdown still in place.

Anyhow, thank you so much for your post!

 

[RGallant]

@Mr Bungle it is a bit of gong show with drones up here, large cites are the worst with almost zero area's to fly, due to stupid blanket bylaws. Where I live there are no bylaws preventing it which is nice. But Vancouver west of the Fraser river no where to fly, for the most part.

 

[Mr Bungle]

Thanks to all for the input, I figure I'll start with the mini to learn on and keep it as its actually a very good machine for the price. After some practice and passing the 107 test I'll get something like the new Air 3 in a few months when it comes out.

 

[sigi.stiemer]

@Mr Bungle it is a bit of gong show with drones up here, large cites are the worst with almost zero area's to fly, due to stupid blanket bylaws. Where I live there are no bylaws preventing it which is nice. But Vancouver west of the Fraser river no where to fly, for the most part.

Yes, the Vancouver area is rather restricted when it comes to drone flying (check Drone site selection tool - National Research Council Canada). The same is happening to the automobile traffic in the city, where added bike lanes result in narrower car lanes or elimination of the latter.
While the Federal Government is rather fact-oriented with its regulations, this does not always apply to the local authorities. This protectionist attitude sometimes goes down to the individual level, when property owners believe that they own the air space above them.
For the frustrated Canadian drone pilots I recommend: Check out other countries, how their laws regulate drone flying. You might find, it is not too bad to live in Canada ...

 

[FlySkyJumper]

Welcome to the forum. Lots of models for lots of different things. I have used as low as a P3Standard to do REALTORs' work, also the original Air and now the Air 2. The photos for MLS don't have to be great, so the sensor isn't an issue. The real trick is to get your clients to buy VIDEO clips as an upsell. Record up to 20 seconds of smooth video when you're there flying the house, then edit that into a view of the property and areas of interest.

OK, now for the SCOLDING!!!! Or little warning. As a US resident in Canada, I'm almost positive you will have an impossible time getting clearance to fly anywhere up there. Folks on YouTube who are Canadians AND have their Canadian equivalent to part 107 are having a bear of a time getting permission to fly. Part of it is Covid and in some areas you still can't be out. And the other is regional laws. Toronto is the worst area to try I heard.

Have fun. Be safe. Be a great ambassador for drones.

I would have to agree when it comes to flying drones in Canada. I've spent ample time in Canada as a US resident. My wife is Canadian, but to be honest the Canadian government overall is very over-the-top socialistic and controlling of their people. More specifically when it comes to UAV's they have so many regulations that make it's near impossible to fly your drone anywhere "legally." It's possible, but it's probably the most restricted place in the world to fly a drone.
I will say Canada is beautiful and the people are of course great! They are over the top with their laws, but on the flip side, the RCMP doesn't really enforce them in most provinces and territories. Especially the smaller ones. (like the YUKON for example) You can fly their with zero worries of getting jammed up or laws being enforced. The RCMP aren't very well trained/versed in the law in general. So, good luck! Just fly smart in the US and you'll be fine.