Wanting to get a M2Pro, but worried about losing it. Am I being irrational?

[Huckleberry]

The Tello is a fun craft to tinker with. Just realize it is no where near the same level of tech as a M2P or M2Z. You will be limited with what you can do with it, but to get the FEEL of flying it’s a good one to have. I bought it more so to chase my kids around the yard (lots of big oak trees that I wouldn’t want to fly my Mavics around), and to fly indoors when the weather does not let me fly outdoors. Make sure you get the boost combo so you get the three batteries. One battery only lasts about 13 minutes in perfect conditions.

 

[paulatkin73]

Tello is very basic. There are more toys in $100 range, with 1080p video and gps position hold - like potensic t18 or similar - with basic rth function and gps modes. Waste of money in my opinion, mavic is not difficult to learn. Just need to respect it and be careful.

 

[Ophidia Snaketongue]

I'm going to be a bit contrary now just 'cos . I'd recommend that if you want a Mavic 2 Pro, get the Mavic 2 Pro. Not a different model to see how it goes. Get the one you want.

I own a Spark, a Mavic 2 Zoom, and at work I fly a Phantom Pro 3 and a Mavic Pro. The easiest to fly? The Mavic 2. The hardest to fly? The Spark.

Spark is a unique little beastie and I love mine to bits for its palm launch and easy transportability, but due to its smaller size and price, it has less redundancy and fewer safety systems. It is more prone to magnetic interference and weather problems, and that short battery life does not allow for mistakes.

I am a recent Mavic 2 user, but my impression of it so far is that it is bomb-proof. Expensive, but worth it.

Otherwise, I echo the advice of the other pilots on this thread: get to know your bird in beginner mode before you take it out into the wilds. In particular, test your ability to do the following:

- If you lost sight of the drone (Yes, we all know that shouldn't happen, but it does, even to the most responsible pilots- ever sneezed and then realise you can't see the drone any more?), could you navigate it back to you without using Return-To-Home?
- If you crashed the drone in an unknown location, could you find it again? Try asking a friend to hide your drone while it is switched on- see if you can locate it using the controller and app.
- Can you assess the weather and whether it is safe to fly?
- Can you recognise structures that can cause compass interference, and do you know how to mitigate a compass fail situation?
- Do you really understand what Return-To-Home actually does?
- Do you understand the limitations of obstacle avoidance?

Don't be afraid of crashing, just be informed- once you know what can go wrong, you can mitigate the risks. We can all mess up, but if you know how to fix the screwups, it'll make you a more confident pilot. Drones are meant to fly, so go to it and have fun!

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

... but then I started reading comments about ...

The comments you read about crashes / losses are for those that come here after a crash or loss. They represent a small portion of the total flights.

Take those posts as warnings of what not to do (like taking off with a battery that you already partially discharged in a previous flight).

It's still not a bad idea to buy a much cheaper device to crash ... err, I mean ... learn on. But when you do finally get the M2P, it will come with all the obstacle avoidance and better flight control and therefore less chance of crashing.

Just keep reading these boards and pay attention to the "fell out of the sky" threads to see what not to do.

Eh?

 

[ajkm]

Start with a tello develop hand eye get used to trusting your screen.

Does "trusting your screen" imply watching the camera feed on your device rather that watching the drone you're flying?

 

[firstbase]

Last but not least go to the FAA site and learn the rules.

Which I truly believe is the most complicated and worrisome part of the entire hobby.

 

[JSM]

Thanks all for the advice, info! I think maybe I should start with something less expensive, get my skills up and then upgrade when I think I"m ready.

Cant go wrong with the Spark and you could probably pick up a good second hand one to start with!

 

[dave canada]

well i couldn,t afford to lose my spark or my mavic pro but it happened have another pro and will replace my spark soon and since i use litchi dji care refresh is useless i have got the marco polo locator and losing another is most likely not gonna happen again , although since i lost them in a malpias area and believe it was becuase of magenitic interference ,i know the garmin gps is useless in the area but so far the marco polo has been accuarte good luck

 

[Topherdk]

I say go ahead and buy the one you want and start with small flights.

If you buy a small drone to start, you are just going to want to upgrade immediately and will have wasted time and money doing that.