ChitownStang
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2015
- Threads
- 74
- Messages
- 2,854
- Reaction score
- 3,331
- Location
- Chicago, North Shore
- Vehicle(s)
- 2021 Mach 1
- Vehicle Showcase
- 1
- Thread starter
- #16
Beautiful shot!
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That's your place I assume? i just meant that for things like some of the weather and plane loading questions, they don't really apply to what we do. "If it's blowing, we ain't going" is our weather motto. And we can't add anythimg to or take anything off our drone, so some of those questions aren't relative in our situation. They are very into the attitude questions. About being macho and reckless. Make sure you know that portion.Thanks for the info! I'm pretty good with maps and also with weather. Figures there aren't many weather related questions. I'd like to learn the material to know it, not just memorize it for the test. I'm going to dedicate some time each day to work on that. I've turned away a decent amount of work in the last year. I'd like to take the test before Spring so I can turn my hobby into a business.
One of the many pictures I've taken in Newport, RI -
Hey everyone:
FYI, I bought an Autel XSTAR premium in early 2018. Barely used it and now Autel discontinued the XSTAR and will not support or even provide batteries. I now have $900 worth of JUNK. Dump Autel. They said instead of the $99 battery, I should take their special deal of $649 to “upgrade” to a refurbished Evo. What a joke. No way in hell they’ll ever get a dime from me. Can you say Washington state attorney generals office? Hello Mavic Air 2.
Rip-off.
Good thing it isn’t an Autel XSTAR. Sad part is, I really liked the drone.We've got close to the same issue with DJI and our Inspire 1 Pros. I have found out that if I send it in to DJI for repair (motor overload issues) with an older battery, they send it back with a new one at no charge. We went from having 15 working batteries now to having 7. Apparently, as the battery ages, the different cells don't hold the same voltage, and that causes a motor overload error.
I keep trying to get the boss to jump to an Ebee and a Mavic Pro, but he just wants to keep fixing old technology.
Like I said, I fly an Inspire 1 Pro for work. I am a licensed sUAS pilot. We usually fly either to get an orthorectified photo and topography, or document construction issues.
It can be a lot fun, but can also be very nerve racking. We were trying to document the condition of a river bank by some high power transmission lines. Our drone was out over the river and we lost the video and data connection. We were still able to control it, but the pucker factor was pretty high.
Be prepared to crash. It's not a matter of if, but when. There is so much involved. We were filming some tree clearing damage and had to change batteries. No problem, we have six. Just as ut started its return to home, realized the RTH preprogrammed height was 300 ft above grade. Problem was, we were flying UNDER the tree canopy. It went up, hit a small limb, and crashed back down into a bush. Just that small crash cracked the gimbal mount. $1600 and 2 weeks later, we were back up in the air.
And sometimes thighs just go wrong and you don't know why. Went to fly a job. Preprogrammed the flight. Drone go up, starts to head off to the start of the flight, and all of a sudden it drops in elevation and hits a concrete silo at 33 mph 150 feet in the air. Needless to say, concrete silo 1, plastic drone 0.
We've had 2 incidents in probably 1000 flights. It happens. I'll try and post some of the pics we've done on Monday when I get back to the office.
Be careful where you fly. We were at the Grabd Canyon and saw a guy get his drone confiscated by park rangers for flying in a no drone zone. Just follow the rules amd laws and it can be a lot fun. Post some pics, would love to see how a Mavic does.
We do inspections on equipment on rooftops and many times accessibility is an issue. Makes life easier.What did you use it for? We're on the hunt for something to replace one of our Inspires. Considering a Mavic Pro or the one made in the USA. Can't remember the name, made Parrot. The website says it's used by the Army and can take a bullet.
Bought a Mavic Mini. I was going to give it to my son, but then found out it was stuck in China. So I got him some 1LE floor mats and couple of other things for Christmas. Then it showed up at my office! So now it sits under my desk until I figure out if I want to give it to my other son, or just keep it for me!!
We do inspections on equipment on rooftops and many times accessibility is an issue. Makes life easier.
If it goes up and let’s me see what I need to see I’m happy.We do topography and a lot levee inspection with ours. We've had pretty good luck with the Inspires so far. But they're outdated, and there's so many better options camera wise. I must say, the DJI product repair group has been great.