Perhaps you’ve been here too?..

[RadioFlyerMan]

I like just flying for the fun of it, and the ability to get shots from perspectives that are impossible to get any other way. It’s amazing what the average tourist cannot see.

 

[JMagnus]

I'm an "older" kid- looking at 70 this year. Got into this hobby last May (2018). I blame my 40 year-old drone-flying son! Long ago, I remember my grandparents talking about thinking and staying young (they all lived into their 80s and 90s). They said think young, stay active, and keep learning. My Mavic Pro keeps me active and young-thinking. And it has been an incredible catalyst for learning. I'm practicing flying learning to fly better, smoother, and more confidently. I'm learning multiple software programs- DJI Go, Litchi, and basic video editing software. I'm learning to solve problems- and there is no lack challenges since flying Mavic since May 2018. Disconnects, occasions of dropping into ATTI-mode, a couple of occasions of TBE (toilet-bowl effect), signal loss- all interesting situations that prompted me to dig in and find out my own pilot error and DJI idiosyncrasies. I've had to re-learn basic photography skills. I'm having fun, thinking young, and in the middle of study for my Part 107- not because of the money possibility, but just to stay young by learning. Not to mention that I've always enjoyed helping others, and I've recently engaged with a number of other "flyers" on this forum helping them navigate some of the same "troubled waters" that I've been through.

Took me a little time to realize that, considering the MILLIONS of drone-pilots around the world, it is really wrong to judge the "good" stuff and/or the "bad" stuff based upon what you read in these forums. For example, "fly-away" problems: I need to remember that not too many people write on a forum, "Hey I flew my drone today and my drone did NOT fly away." If one person writes about the disaster of a fly-away, in order to have fun flying mine, I'm going to be thinking about the 100,000 or others who might have flown today without a problem.

I love the forum because it is a GREAT place while I'm learning to fly AND it's a great place to find great people to help when it's my turn in the barrel to have a problem. And I agree with those who say that 99% of fly-aways and crashes is pilot error...some "dumb", some "ignorant", and even some "stupid". I've had my share of "ignorant" and "stupid", ignorant because I did something not knowing any better and stupid when I knew better but did the wrong thing anyway! And not too many "dumb" folks (i.e. dumb meaning completely unable to learn)...who are running around with $1500 to buy a flying camera.

I just want to thank you for your response to this post. I turn 70 this year myself. I just took up drone flying late last Fall. I live in MN and the weather isn't always great for flying so have very few flying hours in right now. Many things you stated in your post apply totally to me. I was afraid I was the only older guy suffering some of them. Thank you for enlightening me and the original poster!

 

[BrucenYvette]

I just want to thank you for your response to this post. I turn 70 this year myself. I just took up drone flying late last Fall. I live in MN and the weather isn't always great for flying so have very few flying hours in right now. Many things you stated in your post apply totally to me. I was afraid I was the only older guy suffering some of them. Thank you for enlightening me and the original poster!

I've been in St. Augustine, FL 18 years now from Saratoga Springs, NY, about 30 miles north of Albany. So I empathize with your climate woes. We used to claim 9 months of winter, 3 months of cold weather. I've found my Mavic Pro rather addictive!

 

[basophil]

I've been in St. Augustine, FL 18 years now from Saratoga Springs, NY, about 30 miles north of Albany. So I empathize with your climate woes. We used to claim 9 months of winter, 3 months of cold weather. I've found my Mavic Pro rather addictive!

Greetings fellow septuagenarians! Pleased to be in your company. Actually I think there are quite few of us codgers in this game. For me, the drone is an airborne tripod.

With respect to the OP, I’d say go for it. Yes, the rules are becoming onerous in some countries, but there are plenty of places where they are entirely reasonable and manageable. In any case, the regs are easily accessed online. I never travel without mine, unless my specific destination is prohibitively complicated.

You may find that the drone takes you on a path less travelled. Do it.

 

[BrucenYvette]

Greetings fellow septuagenarians! Pleased to be in your company. Actually I think there are quite few of us codgers in this game. For me, the drone is an airborne tripod.

With respect to the OP, I’d say go for it. Yes, the rules are becoming onerous in some countries, but there are plenty of places where they are entirely reasonable and manageable. In any case, the regs are easily accessed online. I never travel without mine, unless my specific destination is prohibitively complicated.

You may find that the drone takes you on a path less travelled. Do it.

Like your "airborne tripod" idiom! I have four kids, one (Brad) about a 2 years from retiring from the USAF who got me into playing with 10th-scale RC trucks about 7 years ago. During a Christmas visit in 2016, Brad was flying a Traxxas Aton, a very rugged and rapid quad-copter. So, I went home, sold my 2 RC trucks (can't afford two "pricey" hobbies at the same time) and worked my way up to the Mavic Pro. I loved photography back in my 30s had had some pretty decent 35mm SLR equipment, so when I saw the photographic capabilities of the DJI quads, both my wife and I agreed that we were NOT buying a "drone"- we were buying a "camera with propellers".

 

[Stephenmaycol]

Had a Cessna 182 for a number of years, many years ago...that hobby was fun and expensive....
cant afford that anymore... flying my Mavic is the closest thing I got and the views and excitement of flying the drone beats the s---- out of any simulator game. With the drone, the flying is real and the consequences are real. It is an incredibly inexpensive hobby for the joy and freedom it brings.

 

[BrucenYvette]

Had a Cessna 182 for a number of years, many years ago...that hobby was fun and expensive....
cant afford that anymore... flying my Mavic is the closest thing I got and the views and excitement of flying the drone beats the s---- out of any simulator game. With the drone, the flying is real and the consequences are real. It is an incredibly inexpensive hobby for the joy and freedom it brings.

Very cool. My Dad flew a Cessna 172 back in the late 60s and early 70s. 182- that was retractable gear?

 

[Stephenmaycol]

Very cool. My Dad flew a Cessna 172 back in the late 60s and early 70s. 182- that was retractable gear?

both the 172 and 182 had models available with retractable but my 6157B did not...

 

[Stephenmaycol]

both the 172 and 182 had models available with retractable but my 6157B did not...

funny, after posting this I went on line and google searched N6157B and there she was... There were 4 of us who owned it together and flew her out of Globe, Arizona. Unfortunately one of us, not Emde or myself, but one unnamed, overlooked the golden rule of "land with fuel". Returning from a round trip from Globe to the Grand Canyon, he failed to accurately consider AGL wind speeds.... and just like a drone operator fighting headwinds and running out of battery, he ran out of fuel... crashed... the pilot lived... one person died.... Havent thought about that in years....

 

[Dale D]

For myself, being a qualified scuba-diver for the past 40 years, I was researching several years ago a destination in the western half of the island of New Guinea known as Raja Ampat (ruled by Indonesia) that has the greatest variety of corals and coral fish in the world which I was intending to visit, when I came across a video on YouTube which intrigued me. It was obviously aerial footage but I was at a loss to explain how it was taken since it was shot too low and flying too slow above the sea's surface to have been a helicopter, otherwise I'd have seen considerable prop-wash, besides which it flew under a small bridge linking parts of the particular eco-resort I was interested in, Misool Eco-Resort! Further research found the culprit - an early version of the DJI Phantom! Unfortunately too cumbersome for me to include in my hold luggage or carry-on, as all available space was taken up with diving and underwater video gear. The problem was resolved when the Mavic Pro was announced and its small size and fold-away arms was just what I needed! Since then I've carried it with 3 batteries and additional accessories in its compact FlyMore bag as carry-on to Ethiopia, the Philippines, Dubai, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Indonesia with no issues from security or customs and in two months my Mavic and I'll be off to South Africa as well!
As for the UK, you're not far wrong. Still too many restrictions as to where one is allowed to fly but as I shoot underwater and land video mainly overseas, the ability to add aerial shots of the locations I visit is just the ticket. Imagine video taken 50 or a 100 meters up showing a jungle covered mountain-side, sweeping down to a beautiful, coral sand beach, edged by a crystal clear shallow reef and you get the picture. Aerial + land + underwater = why I do it!

It is interesting that you had no problems with the drone in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, or Botswana. I have been to these countries as well as most of Africa on 10 separate trips (Kenya,Tanzania,Uganda, DRCongo,SoAfrica,Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, etc). I am now traveling to Zambia for 6 day safari with professional photographers, and then 10 days in Madagascar. Both countries have very scary, and rigid drone requirements, and I am genuinely worried about either drone seizure or arrest at customs if I fly there. Trying the get permission is virtually impossible after months of trying by e-mail.
To address the main issue of this thread from Aikidoamigo
As an 80 year old life long photographer, my life has never been so happy as since I have obtained my little Mavic Air. I take it everywhere I go in South Florida, and even today, after my tennis match, I stopped by a nice waterway to do a drone run. In the process, I have added Adobe Premiere Pro video editing and After Effects to my armamentarium of Photoshop and Lightroom and I produce great travelogues for You Tube and Vimeo for my own pleasure and for sending to my friends and acquaintances I have met in my the travels. If that is not enough to stimulate your appetite for an exciting hobby then you had better not get into it.

The attached image is a panorama HDR above my home taken with the Mavic Air.

 

[Trailer12]

I used to water ski, knee board and snow ski but I got to the point I could not do that any more cause of my age. I got bored and restless. My wife said go get a hobby. Glad she told me that cause now I fly and am exited about it. Give it a try. You will not regret it. Have a GREAT journey and stay in touch with us

 

[Bob4131]

I have had a drone for over a year. I like getting a "sky view" of things. Flying the drone itself isn't a big thrill for me but I like seeing things in a different perspective, I use it as a flying tripod. Its has a social aspect if you share church photos with a local community group or offer to take photos of a friend's house. I have started to take it as I travel. When traveling (in the US), I mostly just do the "up, take photos and down". In areas, I am more familiar or if visiting for a couple of days in a specific area - I do more "up and fly to a better spot" to take the photo. I have started to take videos but am mostly focusing on learning how to use Lightroom to post process better images.
Try asking someone with one to try it a couple of times. Or buy a Spark ie low cost. Like alot of hobbies, many do this a few times then quit but some of us get hooked.
Note that traveling with a drone may mean you want to visit uninteresting areas. Industrial area near a harbor, for example. While you spent 45 minutes taking cool photos of boats in the harbor, your wife is looking at the side of a warehouse. ?

 

[Victorian Aerial Vision]

"camera with propellers".

What an awesome analogy for a camera drone!

As everyone here has said, go for it, buy a drone, you won't regret it. Especially going to the locations you plan, the opportunity for some totally epic footage will arise every day I think. Do share your footage here so we can appreciate it to. ?

Victorian Aerial Vision Videos

 

[BrucenYvette]

funny, after posting this I went on line and google searched N6157B and there she was... There were 4 of us who owned it together and flew her out of Globe, Arizona. Unfortunately one of us, not Emde or myself, but one unnamed, overlooked the golden rule of "land with fuel". Returning from a round trip from Globe to the Grand Canyon, he failed to accurately consider AGL wind speeds.... and just like a drone operator fighting headwinds and running out of battery, he ran out of fuel... crashed... the pilot lived... one person died.... Havent thought about that in years....

Wow...I just did the same thing and googled N2172Y (hilarious that I can't remember my own phone number but I still remember my Dad's tail-number) and found it registered in Nampa, Idaho!!

Very sad story you shared!. And similarly to the drone incidents, most aircraft crashes ultimately result from pilot error!

 

[Aikidoamigo]

Oh my.... now I’m terrified!

I’ve just ordered the Mavic2 Pro with fly more kit.

I’m mid fifties now so figured if the older guys live it so much, why wait?!

So that’s it.... game on.... will certainly keep you all posted as I feel sure I will need a great deal of help.

Thanks for the encouragement ?

 

[JL_Ware]

Sounds like a great plan. Don't know about the rest of Scandinavia, but Norway has reasonably relaxed drone regs - jus the usual stuff about being away from airports, below GA altitude and away from people and property. I'm just back from there and I can assure that some of the scenery is spectacular. The attached pic was taken in the Lofoten region.

View attachment 67576

This Picture Alone is a good reason to fly drones, from ground level, it would be impossible to see this much beauty. I have 4 DJI Drones, the Phantom 4, Mavic Air, Mavic 2 Pro, and the Spark, The P4 and M2P are the drones I fly the most, and its mainly over the San Pablo Bay, the MA and Spark are used when I'm traveling on Vacation, I find the Drones entertaining, and they get me out of the house to enjoy the outdoor scenery, I've never ran into problems while flying, I have been approached by people who are curious as to what's the flight range on them, and the drones safety features, as well as how easy are they to fly, I let an elderly guy view a flight through my DJI Goggles, the only words that I could here this guy say was WOW! the conversations with people are always very good