The concern I've gotten here (and on the Phantom forum) for flying the Mini in high wind conditions is quite reassuring. Trust me, I did give significant consideration to the
Mavic Air 2, and also to the
Mavic 2 Pro. In the end, while all have their pros and cons, the
Mini 2 has won out for the reasons listed above.
That said, flying a drone (any drone) from a boat (any boat) is a dicey proposition. Regardless, the decision when to fly lies with me, and if there's too much wind - then I don't launch. I'm a conservative pilot and rarely flew the Phantom in more than 15 knots at ground level. And yes, the wind threshold for the Mini is obviously lower than it is for the Phantom, but this is not flying on land or launching and recovering on land while flying over water. When winds pick up at sea, so does the sea state. Trying to launch and recover any drone on a boat moving through just a moderate sea, even if stopped, is quite difficult.
Many of you may find it interesting that of all the times I nearly lost the Phantom when flying from the boat - which are more than I care to recall - it wasn't because of wind conditions, but usually because of the motion of the boat. And, the Phantom's own obstacle avoidance systems nearly caused the loss of the drone on more than one occasion. I quickly learned to fly when we were at anchor, or in very light weather conditions when we were underway. We also learned to stop, or at least slow the boat as much as possible when recovering the drone. Launching is easier and safer to do with the boat moving, as opposed to recovering.
To be honest, I'm quite surprised I haven't lost the Phantom, considering some of the situations I've been in with the bird. Losing the Mini would (will?) be a much easier financial hit than losing the Phantom or the
Air 2 or the
Mavic 2 Pro would be, plain and simple. And the Phantom has whipped by my body and head as well; there was the time when I was attempting to hand catch the Phantom from the bow of a small moving motorboat, and the drone went unexpectedly from P-Mode into Atti Mode. That was not fun. (And no, I did not hit the mode switch on the controller!)
The weight of the Mini did play a big role in my decision. This is mostly to avoid potential legal issues when traveling. When we clear into a country arriving by our boat, it's a different experience than if we were arriving by a commercial airline with a drone packed in luggage. We are subject to more inspections, scrutiny, etc. I have heard stories of customs officers seizing UAV's from vessels when the owner of the drone could not show a license or similar from their country of origin, to be returned when the vessel and crew departed the country. (Full disclosure; I don't personally know anyone this has happened to.) Because my boat is my legal residence/home, I cannot get a 107 license, as my legal
mailing address is a mail forwarding service. Accordingly, the FAA does not regard me as having a 'fixed, permanent, residential address which can be inhabited,' even though the boat federal registration number is on the address line of my Florida issued driver's license. Thus, no address the FAA recognizes, no test. I've tried. Hence the appeal of the Mini's weight.
Lastly, the ability to charge the Mini's batteries and controller through the boat's own 12vDC system, or portable USB power banks, is huge. Until you live 'off-grid,' which we do much of the time, and depend on either mechanical or solar methods for all of your power generation needs, it's tough to understand how miserly one must be with power budgets. This is a big plus; I'm sure opportunities to get great footage and shots were missed because the power to charge the Phantom's batteries simply couldn't be spared.
Thanks all!