Newbie sorry if already asked.

[triathlon007]

Hi,

I’m looking at buying Mavic 3 (drone only)to capture footage of the whales where I live. My question is that I have mini pro 3 with screen controller and I know that will work on Mavic 3. But my question is how far is the distance versus the pro controller anybody tested? . I need to go at least 4km off shore.

I’m also interested if there is a new model
Of Mavic 3 coming??

 

[akdrone]

You'll find a lot of youtube video distance tests that you might look at. Regardless of whether you find one that says you can make it 4km it would be super sketchy because you will never know what the wind is doing 4km offshore. You might make it out but have no chance getting back. There are some places with very predictable wind patterns where you might have a very solid knowledge the the wind is off shore so it will be hard to make it out but easy to get back and in that case you might have some confidence that if you make it out you'll get back. According to DJI that flight distance is well within the specs for the Mini 3. In the U.S. it would be illegal to make that flight fwiw. I have no clue how that plays out in the upside-down world. I would expect no problem at all with a Mavic 3 but again, the big issue would be wind to say nothing of the time spent finding the whales assuming you don't have a whale corral...

 

[wco81]

Plus there are a lot of restrictions on flying along the coasts.

There are marine wildlife sanctuaries and other special zones, with sea birds, where you're not allowed to fly drones.

In some areas, you may be allowed to fly near the coast but can't fly over people on beaches nor fly over whales -- that is come within a certain distance of them.

You might want to research those policies before spending thousands on a drone. The citations and fines could be much more.

 

[anotherlab]

Hi,

I’m looking at buying Mavic 3 (drone only)to capture footage of the whales where I live. My question is that I have mini pro 3 with screen controller and I know that will work on Mavic 3. But my question is how far is the distance versus the pro controller anybody tested? . I need to go at least 4km off shore.

I’m also interested if there is a new model
Of Mavic 3 coming??

You'll want to review the regulations for where you are intending to fly. Since you listed your location as Sydney, I'm going to assume that you are in Australia. If that is the case, you'll want to review Australia’s recreational drone rules.

You'll also want to review the local & regional regulations for flying over the beach that you want to fly over. What may be legal in some parts of where you live, there may be a prohibition for flying over the beach that you want to use. If there are any people on that beach, then you would be prohibited from flying over them.

You mentioned going at least 4 KM offshore. Australia has the same visual line of sight (VLOS) requirements that most countries have. While there can be different interpretations of what the VLOS distance is, you can use 500 m as a reasonable distance. If you are launching and controlling the drone from a boat that is 4 km out, that would be legal, albeit risky for a new drone owner. If you are launching from shore, 4 km would not be legal for you. It would also be a good way to send your drone on a one-way trip to New Zealand. The other posts in this thread covered that point.

 

[Meta4]

Hi,

I’m looking at buying Mavic 3 (drone only)to capture footage of the whales where I live. My question is that I have mini pro 3 with screen controller and I know that will work on Mavic 3. But my question is how far is the distance versus the pro controller anybody tested? . I need to go at least 4km off shore.

The Mavic 3 with the standard controller will easily make the trip 4 kilometres offshore (and back).
But heading 4 km out and hoping to film whales is almost impossible for a few reasons.
Someone already asked about what you are considering a while back.
This thread will answer some of your questions:

Watching marine life - which drones work best?

Hi all, new to drones but I am particularly interested in using it to spot marine life such as whales and sharks around where I live and whilst travelling. I am aware of regulations around how close you can fly to these animals so I am wondering what zoom capabilities I will require. The mini 3...

mavicpilots.com

I’m also interested if there is a new model
Of Mavic 3 coming??

DJI keep that sort of thing under wraps until just before they release.
But it's probably unlikely they would have another Mavic 3 model coming.

 

[Bob in Savannah]

I take my M3 out on intercoastal waterways here in Savannah three miles out quite easily with zero drop of any bars in reception and take perfect vids and still shots...no problem.
Another mile? I don't see why I couldn't. Not sure about your exact variables but on a perfect windless and cloudless day with a ton of sun out? Shouldn't be a problem, I would think...

 

[Meta4]

Not sure about your exact variables but on a perfect windless and cloudless day with a ton of sun out? Shouldn't be a problem, I would think...

Clouds ?? Sun ??
Neither makes any difference.

 

[Bob in Savannah]

Clouds ?? Sun ??
Neither makes any difference.

It makes ALL the difference to me.

A bright sun filled day offers better (to ME as a novice photographer) opportunity to catch a shot from a distance. Certainly, with the 7x zoom lens which is needed here.

Yes, clouds are a non-entity other than obscuring a nice bright light filled shot to post process.

 

[Meta4]

It makes ALL the difference to me.

It makes no difference to the potential range of the drone, which is what your previous post seemed to suggest.

 

[Filmarik]

Hi,

I’m looking at buying Mavic 3 (drone only)to capture footage of the whales where I live. My question is that I have mini pro 3 with screen controller and I know that will work on Mavic 3. But my question is how far is the distance versus the pro controller anybody tested? . I need to go at least 4km off shore.

I’m also interested if there is a new model
Of Mavic 3 coming??

Perhaps a good start would be downloading the OpenSky App which would tell where you can and can not fly, and complete the self educational test "Know Your Drone" on CASA website, if you have not done so already.
Flying 4km away is BVLOS and that in itself without authorization is illegal in OZ. Doing so in coastal areas of Sydney where there are frequent helicoper joyflights conducted daily, search and rescue sorties, as required by lifeguards which fly often well below 500" altitude, millitary helicopter excercises from HMAS at Watson's Bay, not to mention the Sydney airport with approach paths over Coogee and Clovelly beaches, is a recipe for disaster. Also the entire Sydney Harbour from North Head to Parramatta is a restricted airspace and no drones are allowed to fly there without a special authorization obtained from CASA.
In short, do your research and due diligence before parting with your hard earned

 

[mike foy]

You'll find a lot of youtube video distance tests that you might look at. Regardless of whether you find one that says you can make it 4km it would be super sketchy because you will never know what the wind is doing 4km offshore. You might make it out but have no chance getting back. There are some places with very predictable wind patterns where you might have a very solid knowledge the the wind is off shore so it will be hard to make it out but easy to get back and in that case you might have some confidence that if you make it out you'll get back. According to DJI that flight distance is well within the specs for the Mini 3. In the U.S. it would be illegal to make that flight fwiw. I have no clue how that plays out in the upside-down world. I would expect no problem at all with a Mavic 3 but again, the big issue would be wind to say nothing of the time spent finding the whales assuming you don't have a whale corral...

There is a great video on YouTube about a drone pilot who was flying over islands in thailand and while the outward journey was ok and he had plenty of battery when he turned it back, he ran into trouble with headwinds and he only just managed to reach a remote island half way home. He then had to hire a boat to recover it. The funny thing is the crew wondered why he had left the drone on this remote island in the first place.

 

[akdrone]

There is a great video on YouTube about a drone pilot who was flying over islands in thailand and while the outward journey was ok and he had plenty of battery when he turned it back, he ran into trouble with headwinds and he only just managed to reach a remote island half way home. He then had to hire a boat to recover it. The funny thing is the crew wondered why he had left the drone on this remote island in the first place.

Saw it. Yep...perfect example. I fly with a friend who pushes it on almost every flight. More than once he has been unable to make it back to our start and has had to land next to a road much to my delight and chuckles. I try to land with 15 - 20% of battery life. It's good for the batteries to not be drained all the way too....

 

[mike foy]

Saw it. Yep...perfect example. I fly with a friend who pushes it on almost every flight. More than once he has been unable to make it back to our start and has had to land next to a road much to my delight and chuckles. I try to land with 15 - 20% of battery life. It's good for the batteries to not be drained all the way too...

Landing with a good percentage of battery capacity is what you are meant to do. It appears too many people fly and assume that the battery reading is gospel and it does appear from various videos I have seen that batteries do not discharge at the same rate, but quicker as the battery empties.