I have recently taken an interest in drone photography and video. These are stills from a flight this evening out to Butte Canyon, and over Nance Pond in back. The equipment is a DJI Mavic Mini, flying close to 400 feet max altitude from a take-off point 1,300 feet above sea level. Speed is about 18 mph in this flight configuration. It can handle wind of 20 mph and remain stationary. I have had a lot of experience with toy drones, so piloting this one is similar.
I did lose contact with the drone at the edge of the canyon, about half a mile away, getting a little cavalier about the line of sight requirement, but the unit just hovered until I adjusted my antenna and instituted the ‘Return To Home’ command. It uses both GPS and wireless for positioning and control.
At one point earlier during the heat of the day, the iPad overheated and I was flying blind, but the controller still functioned, so once I saw the drone I could guide it in for a landing.
Another drone, the Mavic Pro, with a better camera and higher resolution will arrive soon too – Stay tuned! Enjoy 🙂
