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Operating Drones


IUFLA

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  • 1 month later...

So, Costco had a Ascent ASC-2400 for $50 bucks and my wife bought one for me...I think she applied the same theory we used when buying our kids their first cars ("we're not going into debt to buy you something to learn how to drive in. Here's a beater...Be happy you have a car at all.")

Tried it out today...the wind was only maybe 5 mph, but that makes it a challenge. Scuffed it up a bit, but I'm getting the hang of it...

PXL_20211018_230138158.thumb.jpg.d0b70138f135bc109f5ff2617c22711a.jpg

 

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10 minutes ago, IUFLA said:

So, Costco had a Ascent ASC-2400 for $50 bucks and my wife bought one for me...I think she applied the same theory we used when buying our kids their first cars ("we're not going into debt to buy you something to learn how to drive in. Here's a beater...Be happy you have a car at all.")

Tried it out today...the wind was only maybe 5 mph, but that makes it a challenge. Scuffed it up a bit, but I'm getting the hang of it...

PXL_20211018_230138158.thumb.jpg.d0b70138f135bc109f5ff2617c22711a.jpg

 

Ya gotta adjust for that cross wind and slow that final approach speed Capt! :)

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On 4/25/2021 at 9:28 AM, Seeking6 said:

All I can offer up is practice, practice, practice. Figure out the the RTH (return to home) deal and not sure if the kid has animals but don't practice around them. I guess drones send out some ultrasound that dogs don't like (think Barney Fife when he was training his dog Blue with that whistle). 

I'd find a big open field and put some work in first. My realtor buddy uses these for her property listings and let's just say she destroyed about 5 before figuring it out. Have fun!

Practice is right...I took it out yesterday afternoon and scuffed it up a bit, but took it out right at dusk and did much better. 

The battery only lasts 18 minutes, but it's a lot of fun...I'm hooked...

Now I just have to figure out how I break it to my wife about that DJI Air 2S I'm planning on buying 😉

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I'm pretty heavily into photography and have been looking at them for a while as an additional photographic tool. Haven't been able to justify it yet given other more pressing needs. But when I see some of the work produced by others, it sure is tempting. You all have me green with envy.

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18 minutes ago, cthomas said:

I'm pretty heavily into photography and have been looking at them for a while as an additional photographic tool. Haven't been able to justify it yet given other more pressing needs. But when I see some of the work produced by others, it sure is tempting. You all have me green with envy.

Been reading a lot on this subject...If you do buy a drone you want to use for photography, get one with a mounted gimbal...Mine doesn't have one (not expected for $50 bucks) and it's very difficult to get a still image that isn't at least somewhat blurred...

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9 hours ago, IUFLA said:

Practice is right...I took it out yesterday afternoon and scuffed it up a bit, but took it out right at dusk and did much better. 

The battery only lasts 18 minutes, but it's a lot of fun...I'm hooked...

Now I just have to figure out how I break it to my wife about that DJI Air 2S I'm planning on buying 😉

Just tell her you'll get your drone license and use it to make money. It would probably be a breeze for you to get. Then you should probably get the nicest one you can...for work purposes.

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1 hour ago, Leathernecks said:

Just tell her you'll get your drone license and use it to make money. It would probably be a breeze for you to get. Then you should probably get the nicest one you can...for work purposes.

The thought kinda crossed my mind. I have about a year and a half til I retire...might be a good hobby/side job

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1 hour ago, IUFLA said:

The thought kinda crossed my mind. I have about a year and a half til I retire...might be a good hobby/side job

I got my license a few years ago, and it was almost all about knowing what airspace you can and can't fly in. I didn't know anything about it going in, and I was able to figure it out pretty quickly. I'm sure for you it wouldn't take much studying at all.

I bet it would make a great side job.  I had to get my license for the school, so I never did any jobs with it. I feel like it is one of those things that the more you look and can do with it, the higher price you can justify. Pretty soon you'll be trying to justify a drone that costs a few thousand dollars lol.

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I mentioned this before and it would probably require a pretty decent investment, but. There is a business model of have a couple hundred drones, all flight path programmable, with different colored LED lights, you can perform arial events and make some cash. They did one at the Lakeland airshow this year that was probably just the tip of the ice berg and it was phenomenal.

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11 hours ago, Leathernecks said:

I got my license a few years ago, and it was almost all about knowing what airspace you can and can't fly in. I didn't know anything about it going in, and I was able to figure it out pretty quickly. I'm sure for you it wouldn't take much studying at all.

I bet it would make a great side job.  I had to get my license for the school, so I never did any jobs with it. I feel like it is one of those things that the more you look and can do with it, the higher price you can justify. Pretty soon you'll be trying to justify a drone that costs a few thousand dollars lol.

Do you use any of the apps, like B4UFLY? Tells you if you're in any class of airspace. Out here in the sticks it's of course uncontrolled, but it'd be handy if you were travelling...

Screenshot_20211020-070541.thumb.png.4b44b74a638a03251ab3773f5e573037.png

I was flying it last night in the pasture and my wife was pretty impressed. I said something like, "yeah, this is ok, but I might want to progress a little bit from a toy." She said, "well, Christmas is coming up." So she knows...

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35 minutes ago, IUFLA said:

Do you use any of the apps, like B4UFLY? Tells you if you're in any class of airspace. Out here in the sticks it's of course uncontrolled, but it'd be handy if you were travelling...

I was flying it last night in the pasture and my wife was pretty impressed. I said something like, "yeah, this is ok, but I might want to progress a little bit from a toy." She said, "well, Christmas is coming up." So she knows...

I downloaded that app, but I only flew at our school which was in the middle of nowhere, so I never needed to use it.

Come on Christmas! 

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On 10/19/2021 at 12:32 PM, cthomas said:

I'm pretty heavily into photography and have been looking at them for a while as an additional photographic tool. Haven't been able to justify it yet given other more pressing needs. But when I see some of the work produced by others, it sure is tempting. You all have me green with envy.

My neighbor got his license a year ago with thought of taking pictures for realtors and making some side $. I've seen his pics and videos and they come out very nice. As far as making $, I'm pretty sure he is still working to recoup the cost of his Drone. 

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9 minutes ago, Reacher said:

My neighbor got his license a year ago with thought of taking pictures for realtors and making some side $. I've seen his pics and videos and they come out very nice. As far as making $, I'm pretty sure he is still working to recoup the cost of his Drone. 

No doubt. The drones with the camera specs I saw were pretty pricey. Without a clear path to recoup the investment, it's probably just something for me to drool over and not really purchase.

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5 minutes ago, cthomas said:

No doubt. The drones with the camera specs I saw were pretty pricey. Without a clear path to recoup the investment, it's probably just something for me to drool over and not really purchase.

I don't know. I've been looking at the DJI Mini 2 bundle from Costco is only $489 and I'd think you could recoup that pretty quickly...One drone site said this about it...

"This is the best beginner drone option you can get on the market. You’re able to receive professional results without it being an overwhelming experience."

DJI looks to be the industry standard. Sure, you can go crazy and spend a couple of grand, but I think I'll go slow on this...

Now, the one I bought for 50 bucks let me know it's something that piques my interest, and let me know it's something I can do...but the range is about 100 yards and that makes it tough, especially when I wanted to get up to altitude. I lost connectivity once and came about 10 feet from hitting a pickup truck driving by...I was probably 100 feet in the air and about 150 feet horizontally from it, and lost response...but what did I expect for $50? It's also tough to control in any wind conditions, and even in calm wind it drifts...

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2 hours ago, Reacher said:

My neighbor got his license a year ago with thought of taking pictures for realtors and making some side $. I've seen his pics and videos and they come out very nice. As far as making $, I'm pretty sure he is still working to recoup the cost of his Drone. 

Sounds familiar...my wife is a professional photographer and with the speedy equipment obsolescence, over-populated field (everyone with a digital camera thinks they are a professional) and low barriers to entry, it's a really hard field to make money in unless you are a master marketer, very talented and willing to put in long hours.  My wife is talented, but has no interest in marketing or putting in long hours.

I'm guessing drone photography would have similar competitive characteristics.

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2 hours ago, IUFLA said:

I don't know. I've been looking at the DJI Mini 2 bundle from Costco is only $489 and I'd think you could recoup that pretty quickly...One drone site said this about it...

"This is the best beginner drone option you can get on the market. You’re able to receive professional results without it being an overwhelming experience."

DJI looks to be the industry standard. Sure, you can go crazy and spend a couple of grand, but I think I'll go slow on this...

Now, the one I bought for 50 bucks let me know it's something that piques my interest, and let me know it's something I can do...but the range is about 100 yards and that makes it tough, especially when I wanted to get up to altitude. I lost connectivity once and came about 10 feet from hitting a pickup truck driving by...I was probably 100 feet in the air and about 150 feet horizontally from it, and lost response...but what did I expect for $50? It's also tough to control in any wind conditions, and even in calm wind it drifts...

I've gone as far as watching several YouTube videos about some of the lower price point DJI drones. Some very tempting drones in the sub $1000 range. It's an itch that I'm tempted to scratch for sure. If I make the leap, it will probably be to one of the DJI models.

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2 hours ago, IUFLA said:

I don't know. I've been looking at the DJI Mini 2 bundle from Costco is only $489 and I'd think you could recoup that pretty quickly...One drone site said this about it...

"This is the best beginner drone option you can get on the market. You’re able to receive professional results without it being an overwhelming experience."

DJI looks to be the industry standard. Sure, you can go crazy and spend a couple of grand, but I think I'll go slow on this...

Now, the one I bought for 50 bucks let me know it's something that piques my interest, and let me know it's something I can do...but the range is about 100 yards and that makes it tough, especially when I wanted to get up to altitude. I lost connectivity once and came about 10 feet from hitting a pickup truck driving by...I was probably 100 feet in the air and about 150 feet horizontally from it, and lost response...but what did I expect for $50? It's also tough to control in any wind conditions, and even in calm wind it drifts...

The DJI Phantom 3 my school had was awesome. I couldn't imagine needing anything more than what it had. When we first got it, I was testing it out and flew it from my parent's house to my brother's house which is almost a mile away with woods between them. Fantastic range. Did great in the wind, and landed itself perfectly every time.

Don't know much about the DJI mini, but I think all of their products are pretty good.

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1 minute ago, cthomas said:

I've gone as far as watching several YouTube videos about some of the lower price point DJI drones. Some very tempting drones in the sub $1000 range. It's an itch that I'm tempted to scratch for sure. If I make the leap, it will probably be to one of the DJI models.

Just make sure you budget in a few extra batteries. 20 minutes goes by really quickly. A carrying case is a great investment too so you can keep extra batteries, chargers, cables, extra propellers, SD cards. So nice to be able to keep it all together and have it where it is easy to take with you if needed.

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13 hours ago, Leathernecks said:

The DJI Phantom 3 my school had was awesome. I couldn't imagine needing anything more than what it had. When we first got it, I was testing it out and flew it from my parent's house to my brother's house which is almost a mile away with woods between them. Fantastic range. Did great in the wind, and landed itself perfectly every time.

Don't know much about the DJI mini, but I think all of their products are pretty good.

Looked at that Phantom 3 ( they have the 4 out now) and that's definitely a professional piece of equipment...Had to be fun to fly!

There are a few things I want to get in my next one...GPS for sure so I can map out routes and do the return to home/low battery/lost connection stuff. Obstacle avoidance would be nice too, but I'm not sure I can get 4 way with the price point I'm trying to stay under...

It'll be interesting to see the Black Friday sales this year...If I can get the DJI AIr 2S for a decent price, I'd probably go with that...If not, the Mini 2 will suffice...But I'm pretty sure it'll be a DJI anyway I go...

 

 

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