Total Rookie questions

[A.O.]

Complete rookie here looking for advice.. I do not own a real Drone.. yet! My 65th birthday is coming up and I think the wife is looking to get me a Drone. After tons of research I've come to the conclusion the Mavic Air 2 is my best choice but I want some opinions please.
We live way out in the country on our little 100 acre place which most likely be the only place I'll be flying, I'll be doing this just for fun, getting some good pics and videos and looking around my place. So my main question is, is this an easy drone to learn to fly? I'd hate to crash this $800 toy into a tree or something. And oh yeah, the obstacle avoidance is a big part of liking this drone. And is there some good videos/articles on learning to fly these things?

And any suggestions for me?

Thanks..

 

[Thomas B]

The MA2 is a good choice and likely will exceed you needs as described. Here’s A link to the online only full DJI manual to give you a better idea of the capabilities of the drone.

https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/Mavic_Air_2/20200615/Mavic_Air_2_User_Manual_v1.2_en_.pdf

 

[Platinum 4 ever]

Complete rookie here looking for advice.. I do not own a real Drone.. yet! My 65th birthday is coming up and I think the wife is looking to get me a Drone. After tons of research I've come to the conclusion the Mavic Air 2 is my best choice but I want some opinions please.
We live way out in the country on our little 100 acre place which most likely be the only place I'll be flying, I'll be doing this just for fun, getting some good pics and videos and looking around my place. So my main question is, is this an easy drone to learn to fly? I'd hate to crash this $800 toy into a tree or something. And oh yeah, the obstacle avoidance is a big part of liking this drone. And is there some good videos/articles on learning to fly these things?

And any suggestions for me?

Thanks..

Any DJI drone would be great. And the air 2 is certainly no exception. In addition to reading the manual. Go on YouTube and search for captain drone videos and ready set drone. Good luck and stay tuned to this forum. There is so much to learn

 

[TruGreen]

these things pretty much fly themselves. but i would recommend either getting the fly more bundle with extra batteries or if you dont think youd fly that much a single day, hit up Costco for the one they sell its cheaper than the basic package and includes a free 2nd battery

from DJI store
basic pack: $799 includes drone, remote, props, one battery
fly more: $988 gets ya drone, remote, props, 3 batteries, battery hub, filters, carry case, and the basics

from Costco
basic pack: $789 includes drone, remote, props, and 2 batteries

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Complete rookie here looking for advice.. I do not own a real Drone.. yet! My 65th birthday is coming up and I think the wife is looking to get me a Drone. After tons of research I've come to the conclusion the Mavic Air 2 is my best choice but I want some opinions please.
We live way out in the country on our little 100 acre place which most likely be the only place I'll be flying, I'll be doing this just for fun, getting some good pics and videos and looking around my place. So my main question is, is this an easy drone to learn to fly? I'd hate to crash this $800 toy into a tree or something. And oh yeah, the obstacle avoidance is a big part of liking this drone. And is there some good videos/articles on learning to fly these things?

And any suggestions for me?

Thanks..

The Air 2 is a fantastic Choice, but please do not rely on the Obstacle avoidance until you have learned how to fly the drone and its real abilities. To many beginners rely on the Obstacle Avoidance and get surprised it does not work like they thought it did. Now your 1 step ahead.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly you Air 2 in the Rain and Float on water.

 

[A.O.]

Thomas, I am sure it will exceed my needs!! Thanks for the manual!
Platinum 4, thanks for the you tube suggestions
True Green , Probably just get the drone to start and add on from there, good Christmas gift suggestions. And I guess you have to be a Costco member to buy from them, I'll have to look into it.

 

[A.O.]

The Air 2 is a fantastic Choice, but please do not rely on the Obstacle avoidance until you have learned how to fly the drone and its real abilities. To many beginners rely on the Obstacle Avoidance and get surprised it does not work like they thought it did. Now your 1 step ahead.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly you Air 2 in the Rain and Float on water.

Thanks, not planning on relying on that Obstacle avoidance, just a little extra help is all, but thanks for the advice. Eventually when I get better at it I would like to fly it through my woods and was thinking that would be a good place for the obstacle avoidance help . I have a couple of nice open fields to learn and get started in.

 

[TruGreen]

Thomas, I am sure it will exceed my needs!! Thanks for the manual!
Platinum 4, thanks for the you tube suggestions
True Green , Probably just get the drone to start and add on from there, good Christmas gift suggestions. And I guess you have to be a Costco member to buy from them, I'll have to look into it.

you dont need to be a Costco member. you can go to the customer service desk and ask for a 1 day pass. tell them you are thinking of becoming a member and wanna check the store out. the 1 day pass will allow you to purchase with just a touch higher pricing than if a member. same works for Sams Club too

 

[Heindrich1988]

Complete rookie here looking for advice.. I do not own a real Drone.. yet! My 65th birthday is coming up and I think the wife is looking to get me a Drone. After tons of research I've come to the conclusion the Mavic Air 2 is my best choice but I want some opinions please.
We live way out in the country on our little 100 acre place which most likely be the only place I'll be flying, I'll be doing this just for fun, getting some good pics and videos and looking around my place. So my main question is, is this an easy drone to learn to fly? I'd hate to crash this $800 toy into a tree or something. And oh yeah, the obstacle avoidance is a big part of liking this drone. And is there some good videos/articles on learning to fly these things?

And any suggestions for me?

Thanks..

100 acres?! Little? You sir are basically a minor feudal lord, minus the serfs. (presumably) Much jealous. lol

All the Mavics are easy to learn and the Air 2 is probably the best value for money drone for a beginner. It is what I picked as my first drone a few weeks ago.

I watched a lot of YouTube videos before and after I bought my Air 2. I'll share a few helpful channels for beginners:

Regarding the Costco deal vs Fly More. Admittedly the Costco deal is good, but I honestly feel that the Fly More combo is a no-brainer because you need at least 3 batteries. I recently paid $100+ for a 4th standalone battery because even 3 does not last a drone day-trip. They take 1hr 40s each to recharge, so it's just not feasible recharging them in the middle of the day.

Also the charging hub is really useful as it allows you to leave the batteries charging overnight without having to worry about coming back every 100mins to change a battery. Finally, as a beginner, the bag is really handy too, because you (presumably) won't have drone cases/bags from previous drones.

 

[JohnLietzke]

The Fly More Combo is the way to go. I am a tech person who had some fairly outrageous expectations for the Mavic Air 2. In almost every category the drone exceeds my need and expectations.

My complaint with MA2 are petty such as the LEDs should be brighter for flying at night, side collision sensor would be nice even though rarely used and altitude to ground in the DJI Fly app. Despite those wishes I am very pleased the drone.

YouTube is an excellent source for information and in my experience was far more helpful than any other resource. As, I was a first time flyer when I got the Mavic Air 2 the tips I would give you are fairly obvious such as learn in an open area, be overly cautious in the beginning and take the time to learn the features and get the setting customized correctly before going out on longer flights. Return to Home (RTH) and RTH height, Obstacle Avoidance, and setting in Safety are very important. Do not push the battery to the limits at first. Be mindful that the battery indicator percentage % is not indicative how much flying time you have left. Tap on it to check the time left before auto RTH and force landing.

 

[old man mavic]

100 acres?! Little? You sir are basically a minor feudal lord, minus the serfs. (presumably) Much jealous. lol

All the Mavics are easy to learn and the Air 2 is probably the best value for money drone for a beginner. It is what I picked as my first drone a few weeks ago.

I watched a lot of YouTube videos before and after I bought my Air 2. I'll share a few helpful channels for beginners:

Regarding the Costco deal vs Fly More. Admittedly the Costco deal is good, but I honestly feel that the Fly More combo is a no-brainer because you need at least 3 batteries. I recently paid $100+ for a 4th standalone battery because even 3 does not last a drone day-trip. They take 1hr 40s each to recharge, so it's just not feasible recharging them in the middle of the day.

Also the charging hub is really useful as it allows you to leave the batteries charging overnight without having to worry about coming back every 100mins to change a battery. Finally, as a beginner, the bag is really handy too, because you (presumably) won't have drone cases/bags from previous drones.

just have to jump in there, never leave lipos charging unattended ,the charge cycle is one of the times when they are at their most Vulnerable to issues and becoming unstable please dont go to bed while they are charging

 

[Deleted member 133794]

Lots of help and advise above from experienced pilots.
As a new pilot all i can say is that i purchased the MA2 3
months ago as my first drone and i'm loving it. Read as much
as you can and watch as many tutorials as possible and you'll
be fine. It's a great drone to fly, very smooth. Avoid sport mode until
you know what's what and take things slow to start with.
Happy Flying ?

 

[A.O.]

100 acres?! Little? You sir are basically a minor feudal lord, minus the serfs. (presumably) Much jealous. lol

All the Mavics are easy to learn and the Air 2 is probably the best value for money drone for a beginner. It is what I picked as my first drone a few weeks ago.

I watched a lot of YouTube videos before and after I bought my Air 2. I'll share a few helpful channels for beginners:

Regarding the Costco deal vs Fly More. Admittedly the Costco deal is good, but I honestly feel that the Fly More combo is a no-brainer because you need at least 3 batteries. I recently paid $100+ for a 4th standalone battery because even 3 does not last a drone day-trip. They take 1hr 40s each to recharge, so it's just not feasible recharging them in the middle of the day.

Also the charging hub is really useful as it allows you to leave the batteries charging overnight without having to worry about coming back every 100mins to change a battery. Finally, as a beginner, the bag is really handy too, because you (presumably) won't have drone cases/bags from previous drones.

WHOOHOO!!! A "minor feudal lord!!! Whoda thunk it! ; And at first I read it as minus the smurfs not serfs!!

Thanks for the videos I'll have a look when I'm done working for the day, much appreciated!

I'm stretching things a bit already asking for the drone so I'll work on building up my supplies and accessories as I go. And as I said, I'll most likely just be flying it here at my little kingdom! haha

 

[A.O.]

WOW, such great responses, thanks to all!!!

Hmmmm.. I wonder if I can change my screen name to Feudal Lord?? sorry... he started it!

 

[MA2 317]

Hello A.O..

I don't have much to add that hasn't been said.

Cool Avatar by the way.

 

[A.O.]

MA2 317" data-source="post: 1131738" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch">

Hello A.O..

I don't have much to add that hasn't been said.

Cool Avatar by the way.

Thanks.

 

[A.O.]

Wow, I watched that first video above... lots of information, a little over load maybe... I'll figure it out..

 

[Starz]

May want to look at something with more user friendly props.
M2 pro or zoom. They also will do better in higher wind conditions.

 

[A.O.]

So, should I start out with this thing in the tripod mode to be safe?

 

[A.O.]

May want to look at something with more user friendly props.
M2 pro or zoom. They also will do better in higher wind conditions.

So then I'd be doubling the price... don't think that would be necessary on a purely recreational drone for a rookie.
And I'll probably not fly in windy conditions for quite a while anyway.