Drones, So Many to Pick From

While I'm not a fan of rules and regulations. We need guard rails. We don't need resistance. I am saying this from the prospetive of a business owner that deals with more rules and regulations from multiple agencies than you can imagine

face it, people need to be educated and or trained when using certain things. Especially when it can affect others. Cars, drones, aircraft , public land etc.

Stay under 249g and learn the rules for flying your drone safely and have fun.
And if you go over, the registration with the faa is no big deal. It mostly gets complicated when you go commercial.

My mini 4 can be preset for max altitude and distance. A free before you fly app will let you know if you're good to fly.
Thankfully one of those pesky regulations make it so the drone will not take off in some restricted area's. That's a good thing.

If you get one with controller, screen and a carrying case, your more likely to use it more

Foxtrot Bravo

You must live under a rock.

Actually no, I don’t, but I AM trying to understand your irritation in an area i am not fully informed of…

Thanks so much for your help.

DJI Air 3 is what I use.

DJI is really the only option for consumer-level drones. There are a handful of really good options for cinema/professional level drones, but unless you are into spending tens of thousands of dollars on your setup... you're kind stuck with DJI for better or worse.

Some extremely important "gotchas" to be aware of, many have already been mentioned. But they are VERY important things to know before you buy:

• As a drone pilot, you need to be aware of restricted airspace... this includes:
  • Areas around airports
  • Government restricted areas
  • ALL National Parks, you cannot fly a drone in a National Park without a permit
  • Most National Wilderness areas
  • Most state parks (depends on the state, but most states restrict flying without a permit)
  • National Monuments
• You cannot fly more than 400 ft AGL (above ground level)
• Any drone 250g and up needs to be registered with the FAA.
• You cannot monetize that footage in any way unless you obtain a Part 107 license from the FAA. This includes social media content.
  • If at some point in the future you begin to monetize your content, all drone footage you took from before receiving your Part 107 license must be removed.

A super common mistake most people make is they buy a drone expecting to record their awesome off-roading adventures... in... say... Moab, only to find out there are huge sections around Moab that you cannot fly. You have Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and gigantic section of restricted airspace (R-6413) in-between the national parks. If you take all of the trails around Moab, you really can only legally fly in about 20-30% of them.

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ANYWAY... if you are okay with dealing with those restrictions... the DJI Mini series is probably the best if you want to avoid as much of the FAA stuff as possible. If you expect to get a little more serious with this, DJI Air series is where I'd go.

If you want the "follow-me" feature where the drone will automatically follow your Bronco around, you need to have at least the DJI Mini 3, the DJI Mini 2 does not include that feature. And if you want "follow-me" to work in a wooded area, you'll need the DJI Mini 4 Pro, which has obstacle avoidance.

RagnarKon

DJI Air 3 is what I use.

DJI is really the only option for consumer-level drones. There are a handful of really good options for cinema/professional level drones, but unless you are into spending tens of thousands of dollars on your setup... you're kind stuck with DJI for better or worse.

Some extremely important "gotchas" to be aware of, many have already been mentioned. But they are VERY important things to know before you buy:

• As a drone pilot, you need to be aware of restricted airspace... this includes:
  • Areas around airports
  • Government restricted areas
  • ALL National Parks, you cannot fly a drone in a National Park without a permit
  • Most National Wilderness areas
  • Most state parks (depends on the state, but most states restrict flying without a permit)
  • National Monuments
• You cannot fly more than 400 ft AGL (above ground level)
• Any drone 250g and up needs to be registered with the FAA.
• You cannot monetize that content in any way unless you obtain a Part 107 license from the FAA. This includes social media content.
  • If at some point in the future you begin to monetize your content, all drone footage you took from before receiving your Part 107 license must be removed.

A super common mistake most people make is they buy a drone expecting to record their awesome off-roading adventures... in... say... Moab, only to find out there are huge sections around Moab that you cannot fly. You have Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and gigantic section of restricted airspace (R-6413) in-between the national parks. If you take all of the trails around Moab, you really can only legally fly in about 20-30% of them.

------------

ANYWAY... if you are okay with dealing with those restrictions... the DJI Mini series is probably the best if you want to avoid as much of the FAA stuff as possible. If you expect to get a little more serious with this, DJI Air series is where I'd go.

If you want the "follow-me" feature where the drone will automatically follow your Bronco around, you need to have at least the DJI Mini 3, the DJI Mini 2 does not include that feature. And if you want "follow-me" to work in a wooded area, you'll need the DJI Mini 4 Pro, which has obstacle avoidance.

Now, THIS reply was helpful!
Thank you!

OH, one more thing to mention that I forgot...

Drones that require registration (250g and up) and/or drones that are being flown under Part 107 are required to have something called Remote ID (unless you are flying in FRIA airspace, but that's a totally different thing). This allows the FAA to track your drone movements while in the air. BUT, several drones under 250g also have Remote ID, even though it isn't required if you are just flying recreationally. The DJI Mini series, for example, is under 250g, but it has Remote ID because it's one of the more popular drones used for social media.

I bring this up because a lot of people think "eh, I really want to fly in the National Park, I'm under 250g, no one is around, and the FAA will never find out". Don't be like those people, they usually find out.

RagnarKon

OH, one more thing to mention that I forgot...

Drones that require registration (250g and up) and/or drones that are being flown under Part 107 are required to have something called Remote ID (unless you are flying in FRIA airspace, but that's a totally different thing). This allows the FAA to track your drone movements while in the air. BUT, several drones under 250g also have Remote ID, even though it isn't required if you are just flying recreationally. The DJI Mini series, for example, is under 250g, but it has Remote ID because it's one of the more popular drones used for social media.

I bring this up because a lot of people think "eh, I really want to fly in the National Park, I'm under 250g, no one is around, and the FAA will never find out". Don't be like those people, they usually find out.

The FAA finds out! I’ve worked in the aviation industry and even tried for my private pilot’s license (didn’t finish it - small planes make me hella motion sick).

The FAA pays close attention to small operations and SUA’s. If you fly in restricted airspace, you’re going to be found out.

Treat drones equivalent to “tread lightly” for airspace. Check the map and don’t fly where you don’t belong.

TechnicalDisaster

We are looking at the Colorado Springs/Monument area.

If I ever leave Washington Colorado will be my destination… and Colorado Springs will be my first choice…

Couple of things from a newbie drone user. The DJI neo , which I’m trying out right now, won’t follow the bronco. I’ll follow me, and try when I’m in the bronco with the top off , but then loses me. I searched a few sites and they said it’s not good for following cars. Also I have the DJI mini 3 and it does not have the follow mode, you have to “trick” it by doing a circle me hack… hope this helps

Ask and you shall receive. Thanks for all of the feedback on drones. I find one thing interesting, our government can't find time to pass a budget, etc., but they have time to put massive controls on a fairly new technology to shutdown your fun. Only in America!

Thanks again.
Dave

MIGeezer

I've been looking at some drones. I see a lot of the videos use drones. Don't want to spend a lot of money. I know a follow you feature is good, wind speed is important, one that doesn't fly into stuff. 4K camera. Can track back to you when the battery gets low. Anyway any feedback would be appreciated.

I've heard DJI is a good drone. Sam's has a package deal, includes case, 2 batteries, some other stuff for $259.00. I think it was a Mini 2. I know it does not have the follow me option.

Thanks,
Dave

I would go with DJI. Best drone made in my opinion. If price is a concern, I’d stick with the mini series. If follow mode is really important then I think you have to buy a pro series (mini 3 pro, mini 4 pro). They have multiple sensors to avoid objects that the lesser models don’t have. Check out Costco or Sam’s for deals. Also check out DJIi’s site for refurbished drones. That’s where I’m looking.

MIGeezer

Ask and you shall receive. Thanks for all of the feedback on drones. I find one thing interesting, our government can't find time to pass a budget, etc., but they have time to put massive controls on a fairly new technology to shutdown your fun. Only in America!

Thanks again.
Dave

Hah, very true.

FAA is extremely good at their jobs by necessity. Aviation is one of those industries that if it were to become filled with a bunch of worthless corner-cutting, cost-saving, do-nothing, slow-moving,"I don't fell like doing anything today" employees, the consequences would be potentially life threatening and catastrophic. It's not a "oh dang, I just broke my finger" sorta industry. It's more of a "oh wow, 190 people just died" industry. (Boeing's latest troubles is a great example of what happens when you cut corners in aviation, but topic for a different forum I guess.)

Used to annoy the heck out of me. One of my long-time hobbies has been model airplanes, model rockets, etc. and it was incredibly frustrating as drones became more popular simply because many of the newer regulations that were created in response to drones also apply to model airplanes. But ya know... you see people do incredibly stupid and foolish stuff with their drones online and it's hard to blame the FAA.

RagnarKon

If you want the "follow-me" feature where the drone will automatically follow your Bronco around, you need to have at least the DJI Mini 3, the DJI Mini 2 does not include that feature. And if you want "follow-me" to work in a wooded area, you'll need the DJI Mini 4 Pro, which has obstacle avoidance.

Mine is the mini 4 pro. Mini 3 has obstacle avoidance, but only in the front.

EZAPAR

Mine is the mini 4 pro. Mini 3 has obstacle avoidance, but only in the front.

Only bad this it's twice the price. Do you get that a lot more functions?

MIGeezer

Only bad this it's twice the price. Do you get that a lot more functions?

Too much to type. YouTube has great comparison videos.