Warning for potential Mavic Air owners in urban (i.e. high interference) areas

[K5423]

I would never attempt flying my Mavic Air in an urban area.That is a recipe for a total fail.

 

[Mike4884]

I've tried both auto which defaults to 2.4, and manually setting a 5.8 channel, with either I can't get any distance without receiving the high interference warning. I'm in Chicago, and fly at a forest preserve with a 100 yard square open lot with trees surrounding. It lost connection completely and flew back on RTH. I flew over the lake and at about 100 feet it started losing connection. I think the Air using WiFi is good for open or rural areas, but is going to be problematic in cities. I had a Mavic Pro, and a Spark, and the Spark seems to have held connection better than the Air.

You probably have a problem with yours because that isn't normal I'm pretty much in a city environment and I can achieve a few miles

 

[Mike4884]

I would never attempt flying my Mavic Air in an urban area.That is a recipe for a total fail.

Ehh huh? Not for me and alot of other people

 

[droneworx]

I've tried both auto which defaults to 2.4, and manually setting a 5.8 channel, with either I can't get any distance without receiving the high interference warning. I'm in Chicago, and fly at a forest preserve with a 100 yard square open lot with trees surrounding. It lost connection completely and flew back on RTH. I flew over the lake and at about 100 feet it started losing connection. I think the Air using WiFi is good for open or rural areas, but is going to be problematic in cities. I had a Mavic Pro, and a Spark, and the Spark seems to have held connection better than the Air.

im going to ask a stupid question. Are you making sure to extend the landing gear? they are antennas, they make a difference.

 

[tomnjfl]

There's one fundamental flaw in all these "Mavic Air range test" posts and videos. They assume that EVERY Mavic Air owner cares about range. I, for one, do not....at all.

Even with my Mavic Pro, I never flew it out of line of sight with the exception of maybe 1 or 2 times. And even then I don't think I ever flew it more than 1/2 mile away from me.

Range does not matter to everyone. I can't imagine that I'll ever try to fly my Air beyond 1000-1500 feet away from me, at the most. For me, it was the portability and ease of use that sold me. For capturing scenic views while hiking or most other outdoor situations, a one mile range is way beyond what I'll ever need.

Edit: Just wanted to add that if you're in an urban area like Los Angeles or New York City and you're flying beyond line of sight, you're just asking for trouble. I've lived outside NYC and travel to LA a few times per year, and considering the amount of commercial airline and helicopter traffic that flies at low altitudes around those cities, flying anywhere out of your line of sight is straight-up irresponsible and stupid. Flame me if you want, but you know it's true.

 

[nerdpatriot1776]

There's one fundamental flaw in all these "Mavic Air range test" posts and videos. They assume that EVERY Mavic Air owner cares about range. I, for one, do not....at all.

Even with my Mavic Pro, I never flew it out of line of sight with the exception of maybe 1 or 2 times. And even then I don't think I ever flew it more than 1/2 mile away from me.

Range does not matter to everyone. I can't imagine that I'll ever try to fly my Air beyond 1000-1500 feet away from me, at the most. For me, it was the portability and ease of use that sold me. For capturing scenic views while hiking or most other outdoor situations, a one mile range is way beyond what I'll ever need.

Edit: Just wanted to add that if you're in an urban area like Los Angeles or New York City and you're flying beyond line of sight, you're just asking for trouble. I've lived outside NYC and travel to LA a few times per year, and considering the amount of commercial airline and helicopter traffic that flies at low altitudes around those cities, flying anywhere out of your line of sight is straight-up irresponsible and stupid. Flame me if you want, but you know it's true.

I second this.

If you have to fly out thousand to two thousand feet out to capture a subject on video, then you are doing it wrong. - FAA is pretty clear about line of sight operation. If its not in view when you look up, it's too far out. Quit giving the FAA reasons to regulate it more.