Odds of crashing for a newbie

[Artemis]

im in the final hours of making a decision, actually had decided on the mini 2 but now reconsidering, aside from all the other differences would you say that I have less chance of crashing if I went with the 2s due to the avoidance sensors, it really is twice the money but could save some by going refurb or by not getting the fly more package…. Trying to justify in my mind, I already took test and registered with the FAA so weight is not a issue…. I’m just after the least accident prone I can get

 

[Artemis]

I should note, if I destroy it I’m probably done, that was a reason why I was thinking mini might be better but I’m not even sure I would be willing to spend 500 again…. But can see my self flying a lot if I can enjoy it without issues…. I feel I’m capable of religiously following the checklist that seem to prevent most accidents I read about.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

There is no question you should go with the Air 2 or the Air 2s.
Having to worry about the wind can be Frustrating as well as changing weather.

Both these two drones give you the Best parts of what DJI has to offer and nice price point.

We dedicated an entire website to the Pictures and video of what these Two drones can do and how much enjoyment you can get from them.

When you consider that many compare the M3 to the Air 2S it says a lot about a drone.
If your flying at dusk than leads towards the Air 2S if not the Air 2 is a nice fit to fully enjoy the hobby .

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.

 

[Gagey52]

Artemis, I don’t have the Air 2 but I do know the mini2. It is a great little A/c to learn on, and if you do crash it does not hurt the pocket so much. Get out into the paddock and practice your drills, don’t rely on the sensors to keep you safe, that’s asking for trouble.
Anyway, what ever decision you make you will enjoy the experience, just take your time and practice.
Regards

 

[Prop Wash]

I read a book on drones. It talked about a bunch of stuff and had a page on crashes. In there, in summary, it stated it's not a matter of if, but when. Crashes happen. I bought a low-priced fixed-body drone before I bought my Mini 2. Sure enough I crashed it....several times. I had to replace blades, I had to replace some gears. But I learned from it and realized I was doing things I wasn't ready to do...yet. So far, knock on wood, I have not crashed my Mini 2. Hopefully, the knowledge I learned and my decision to raise my level of cautiousness, will keep me from crashing it.

So...you getting a drone like the MA or MA2, with obsticle avoidance will lower your risk, but mainly being aware of your surroundings, your own level of ability AT THE TIME, you can help minimize the crash risk. I'd say very few UAV Pilots are crash-free. Just my thoughts.

 

[Artemis]

There is no question you should go with the Air 2 or the Air 2s.
Having to worry about the wind can be Frustrating as well as changing weather.

Both these two drones give you the Best parts of what DJI has to offer and nice price point.

We dedicated an entire website to the Pictures and video of what these Two drones can do and how much enjoyment you can get from them.

When you consider that many compare the M3 to the Air 2S it says a lot about a drone.
If your flying at dusk than leads towards the Air 2S if not the Air 2 is a nice fit to fully enjoy the hobby .

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.

Artemis, I don’t have the Air 2 but I do know the mini2. It is a great little A/c to learn on, and if you do crash it does not hurt the pocket so much. Get out into the paddock and practice your drills, don’t rely on the sensors to keep you safe, that’s asking for trouble.
Anyway, what ever decision you make you will enjoy the experience, just take your time and practice.
Regards

Thanks guys, I do understand it’s important to learn how to fly well and be able to correct when things go wrong but I will be navigating lots of trees and power lines in the main area I will be flying…. So just thinking if the sensors work then they are likely to save me every now and then, with the mini I’ll be at the mercy of my skill level…. Currently zero

 

[Artemis]

Btw the cameras don’t even concern me…. Obviously they are nice but really even a 1080p cam would probably keep me happy…. I do have to note that although just about everyone raves about the 2s cam… to my eyes the color temp of the mini2 looks better…. I know you can adjust afterwards but I’ve always liked cool settings over warm settings…. But anyway , does not matter, Its Not the most important thing to me, reliable flight is

 

[Defens]

I read a book on drones. It talked about a bunch of stuff and had a page on crashes. In there, in summary, it stated it's not a matter of if, but when. Crashes happen. I bought a low-priced fixed-body drone before I bought my Mini 2. Sure enough I crashed it....several times. I had to replace blades, I had to replace some gears. But I learned from it and realized I was doing things I wasn't ready to do...yet. So far, knock on wood, I have not crashed my Mini 2. Hopefully, the knowledge I learned and my decision to raise my level of cautiousness, will keep me from crashing it.

So...you getting a drone like the MA or MA2, with obsticle avoidance will lower your risk, but mainly being aware of your surroundings, your own level of ability AT THE TIME, you can help minimize the crash risk. I'd say very few UAV Pilots are crash-free. Just my thoughts.

I'm in agreement with Prop Wash. A few years ago I decided I'd like a drone. I was considering either the Mavic Pro or a similar 3DR version. Instead, I bought a $60 drone off Amazon and flew it for quite awhile, until I got the hang of dealing with wind drift, etc. A non-GPS drone will teach you a lot about precision flying, since you don't have the benefit of station-holding corrections built into the UAS. That drone finally fell out of the tree where I crashed it a couple of years ago!

I felt a lot more confident in buying the Mavic after getting my feet wet with a cheapie. It might not be the route for everyone, but I'm pretty sure in general aviation, most pilots start in a single-prop Cessna or Piper before they go for a multiengine or jet rating!

 

[old man mavic]

@Artemis the odds of crashing whether the drone has obstacle avoidance sensors or not ,will be the same
when you first try to fly a drone ,especially one that costs a considerable amount of your hard earned cash
it is quite normal to be apprehensive and nervous ,but as you progress these feelings will begin to subside ,but always treat any flight as if it were your first
that way you dont become complacent and think you are invincible
there is only one real way to get really good at flying your drone and that is to learn simple manoeuvres repetitively until you can control the drone in any direction it is going in
every flight is an adventure ,and afterwards having safely landed ,the adventure starts again with the next take off
even after over a thousand flights and 4+ years of flying various types of drone ,i am just as likely to crash my drone as someone with just one flight
if it were me starting off in the hobby then i would go for the Mini 2 master the art of flying, and then move up to something more substantial in performance and capabilities

 

[Paint Rock Drones]

I would just add that when you are learning, plan to find an open space without those trees and power lines and spend some time experimenting to get used to how your drone flies. That will decrease your odds of crashing, regardless of whether you have sensors or not. In my experience, when you are flying close to things, you don't want to take your eyes off the drone, which means you have to be operating the controls without having to think about them.

I learned this shortly after my relatively new Mini 2 drifted into an ornamental tree and fell on a rock, resulting in an expensive repair. I only glanced down at my controller briefly... After that I spent some time away from the power lines and trees in my yard and learned not to glance away even a second when close to pretty much any object (even now that I have an Air 2S with obstacle avoidance). No crashes since. But then again I'm a pretty conservative pilot. And I don't have nearly as many hours as some of the other commenters here.

 

[Artemis]

I would just add that when you are learning, plan to find an open space without those trees and power lines and spend some time experimenting to get used to how your drone flies. That will decrease your odds of crashing, regardless of whether you have sensors or not. In my experience, when you are flying close to things, you don't want to take your eyes off the drone, which means you have to be operating the controls without having to think about them.

I learned this shortly after my relatively new Mini 2 drifted into an ornamental tree and fell on a rock, resulting in an expensive repair. I only glanced down at my controller briefly... After that I spent some time away from the power lines and trees in my yard and learned not to glance away even a second when close to pretty much any object (even now that I have an Air 2S with obstacle avoidance). No crashes since. But then again I'm a pretty conservative pilot. And I don't have nearly as many hours as some of the other commenters here.

Thanks… this is my plan… and I’ll most likely be very conservative also…. I’m leaning pretty strongly toward the Air2S now and likely will pull the trigger soon… was looking for best deal … Adorama is not really cheaper but they do have some good bundle deals… they even have one that includes a extra battery instead of having to spring for the fly more pak…. I think I could get by with two batteries.. how long do you usually fly?

 

[Paint Rock Drones]

Thanks… this is my plan… and I’ll most likely be very conservative also…. I’m leaning pretty strongly toward the Air2S now and likely will pull the trigger soon… was looking for best deal … Adorama is not really cheaper but they do have some good bundle deals… they even have one that includes a extra battery instead of having to spring for the fly more pak…. I think I could get by with two batteries.. how long do you usually fly?

I have to say that so far I have never flown more than about 30 minutes in a session. That involved two batteries, since I don't like to run them too low (also not good for the battery to run down too far). But I suspect you will get lots of different answers from different folks on this topic. I tend towards still pictures, so I pick a spot, shoot from a few angles and altitudes, and am done. Folks who make videos, especially in the field, most likely need much more time and use more batteries. I have 3 batteries, and keep expecting to need more charge than I end up using.

 

[Defens]

It’s nice to have three batteries, especially if you travel any distance to fly. But two can do, if you can charge one while you’re flying. If you have a Costco near you, they also had a combo with a spare battery for a decent price.

 

[Meta4]

Thanks guys, I do understand it’s important to learn how to fly well and be able to correct when things go wrong but I will be navigating lots of trees and power lines in the main area I will be flying…. So just thinking if the sensors work then they are likely to save me every now and then, with the mini I’ll be at the mercy of my skill level…. Currently zero

It's easy to avoid crashing.
If you fly where there's nothing to hit, it's hard to go wrong.
Trees are the #1 enemy of drones and involved in many crashes.
Stay away from trees and you drastically reduce the likelihood of crashing.
The reverse is true too.
Fly close to obstacles like houses, trees etc and you increase the risks.

Don't rely on obstacle avoidance to keep you safe - avoid flying close to obstacles.

 

[Yaros]

Both the Air 2, Air 2S, and Mini 2 are great choices! They all have GPS Stabilization, in a big field it's pretty hard to crash, if you see you're getting close to something just release the sticks and it will hover!
I would personally go with the mini 2 if it's your first drone. It can record 4K 30FPS very good quality video and photo. It also has a good range. Don't go with the mini 1 or mini SE, they have a poor camera and range. Also you don't need to register the mini 2 in the US.

Then when you know that you like to fly and you know how, buy something more expensive, the Air 2 or Air 2S for example.

What I wouldn't recommend is to build a DIY drone or buying a really cheap drone because it will be very hard to control and you will be scared to buy a mavic because you will think it's also that easy to crash. And that what's happened to me, more details about my story here: Recently switched to mavic - enjoying it after 1 year of struggle!

 

[Artemis]

Very helpful, thank you everyone

 

[twickers14]

A great read everyone and so many views and thoughts. Can’t wait to hear what you buy Artemis. I started with a Spark, lost it in a tree and in river mud but still have it and love it. With prices dropping like a stone on certain models I opted for a MA2 and love it-only a couple of months ago so I’m a newbie on the craft but do feel a lot more confident than I did 400 flights ago. Always slightly apprehensive when it’s in the air but the satisfaction of keeping it there and trying new things far outweigh the worries. Just need the wind to drop here and I’ll be off. good luck.

 

[MN.MavicFlyer]

im in the final hours of making a decision, actually had decided on the mini 2 but now reconsidering, aside from all the other differences would you say that I have less chance of crashing if I went with the 2s due to the avoidance sensors, it really is twice the money but could save some by going refurb or by not getting the fly more package…. Trying to justify in my mind, I already took test and registered with the FAA so weight is not a issue…. I’m just after the least accident prone I can get

I think it’s very simple. You get what you pay for!!! DJI knows there is a market for a $300. quad copter, and a market for a $700., and a market for $2000. You simply will not get a full featured product for the price of a entry level one. Good luck!

 

[funflyer]

I bought my first drone in september this year, a mini 2. I have never crashed or even come close to crashing. Great little drone, I’d buy another in a heart beat.

 

[macfawlty]

I should note, if I destroy it I’m probably done, that was a reason why I was thinking mini might be better but I’m not even sure I would be willing to spend 500 again…. But can see my self flying a lot if I can enjoy it without issues…. I feel I’m capable of religiously following the checklist that seem to prevent most accidents I read about.

A crash doesn't always result in a total loss. They can often be repaired. I've had a few crashes, in part because getting the most interesting cinematic video clips sometimes requires flying closer to features, combination moves, gimbal tilts, etc. As others have mentioned, trees are the biggest factor, particularly when flying sideways (POI's). The Mini 2, Air2 and 2S are all very worthy drones, fully featured. Video quality may not be quite as good on the Mini 2, but it's still very good and satisfies most amateurs. If you're mostly taking photos (as a novice), you're much less likely to crash.

With regards to crashes, I've accepted that crashes are possible any time I fly and worry more about the potential challenges with recovery:

Is there cell service?;
Is cell service good enough for satellite view?;
Was I recording video at the time of the crash in a way that helps determine crash site?;
Am I good at identifying tree types by the leaves and branching visible in the proxy video clip?;
Can I upload/analyze flight data (AirData app)?;
Do I know how to retrieve and upload the flight data file to the MavicPilots forum for assistance in real time?;
Is the area I'm flying over accessible by car and/or on foot (or is it on the side of a mountain ridge with heavy tree cover?);
How late in the day am I flying and is there enough daylight for a recovery attempt?;
Am I far from home, unable to return the next day?;
If I can get to the general vicinity, what location devices are on the drone to pinpoint location?; (ArcLightXL strobe/audible, Marco Polo)?;
How long will batteries on the location devices last if/when the internal drone functions cease?;
Did I have the foresight to purchase drone insurance and will it pay out even if I can't locate the drone (for me, yes, State Farm-$60/year for all of my drones)?