My company won a substantial (for us) bid to appraise a number of remote parcels...which became the perfect opportunity to invest in a mavic pro drone.

I'm excited. Partially because I'll be traveling by boat, helicopter, atv, truck, and foot across some gnarly terrain for the next 3 months valuing these parcels...and a lot more because I'll be taking some cool equipment with me.

The ability to ditch our state's GIS system and have geocoded aerial imagery of properties we value...on the date of value, is huge. No one else in our state is doing this. No one walks on roofs, no one looks at hard to see areas, and all aerial/satellite imagery is 5-7, sometimes 10 years old.

Plus...I get to play with a drone for work.

I'll have to post some pics and videos here. I should be getting some pretty cool footage of remote Alaska soon.

Anyone else flying the Mavic Pro?

I got to see one in action at a park near me the other day. I was quite impressed.

Made me want to look into one.

BIL has Mavic and Inspire. Recently got my son the Phantom 3 Standard.
I love the Mavic Pro. The portability changes the game for use. Very stable in wind. Great video. Nice controls.
When my son masters the Phantom I will step up to the Mavic Pro.
Remember to get a few batteries to extend your flight time.

Tom

Items are starting to arrive from Amazon slowly...

I've gotten 3 flights in so far, limited however due to my location and surrounding airspace.

One thing to note for those considering drone purchases....take a hard look at FAR Part 107.

The Mavic Pro is required to be registered with the FAA. It's easy, and only costs $5 for 3 years of registration. Licensing requirements though, take some hoops. Before I can utilize this drone for commercial purposes, I have to finish my drone pilot's certificate/license. I'm mid-way through the process (which is a bit easier for me as a private pilot) now.

Many of these drones are capable of doing things that are not legal.

I want one.

I bought one recently.

I've had several flights now and I'm still impressed with just how stable it is and how easy it is to fly.

The Mavic was a no brainer for me as I wanted one for international travel and it fits in my carry on with my other camera gear.

quote:

Originally posted by Morgo:
I bought one recently.

I've had several flights now and I'm still impressed with just how stable it is and how easy it is to fly.

The Mavic was a no brainer for me as I wanted one for international travel and it fits in my carry on with my other camera gear.

I was just thinking about international travel....I'm headed to a convention in canada later this summer, and I thinking that I need to find out what the regulations are regarding flying a SUAS in canada. It won't be for profit, but I'm licensed and registered in the US to fly SUAS.

I'm still having a hard time getting my business liability insurance company to cover SUAS operations...

I have one. Lots of fun to fly. I would love to venture into commercial use with it. Love that I can fit it in a day bag and take it mountain biking. The FAA laws are kind of annoying, but like you said, they are very capable. I have avoided some cool spots, because I don't want to deal with calling the local regional airport and two other airfields, that I suspect may not even answer. Spending a bunch of time on the phone takes the fun away.

I use the B4UFLy app, and Airmap to stay in the right airspace. Could you shed some light on smaller airfields that may not have ATC? If I don't get a response can I fly? Or could I ask the regional airport's ATC for info?

I've been very cautious with when and where I fly due to controversy surrounding "drones".

I recently upgraded from the Phantom 3 Advanced to the Mavic Pro. Like others have said, love the compact size.

Word of caution to those looking to travel with their drone, many countries are far more restrictive than the US. Lots of talk on forums about drone being seized or confiscated. Outright banned in some countries (Moracco for one...)


AKSuperDually- I have not yet used, but have been looking at "Verifly" insurance for commercial operations. It is liability insurance only, doesn't cover your equipment. Instead of a standard policy period, it is purchased by use. You select an area and time frame than pay for that specific window.

Looks like the base rate for a 1/4 mile radius in basic area (no schools, airports, stadiums, etc) runs $10 for $1 million of coverage for 1 hour flight window. Seems to me more cost effective for occasional commercial use compared to the $600-$1000 liability policies I have seen elsewhere.


JoKer86- my understanding is the requirement is simply to notify local airports. It is not a "get permission" matter. If there is no answer, I simply add date time of call attempt, and the number called to my log and note there was no answer.

I use the B4UFly app also and think it is ridiculous that the "official" FAA app doesn't have contact info for the airports. Check out AirMap, it is a free app that includes much the same info but when you tap the screen showing the airport caution radius, a window pops up with the airport name and contact number.

Thought this thread was about bike wheels. hehe

I guess Mavic is diversifying.

I thought bike wheels too.