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As techies, there are quite a few lessons we learn the hard way: always backing up the media, never writing a story directly to the CMS, trying to restore WhatsApp backups over an unreliable connection. or how not to push a small drone into place. Boundaries We have all been there more times than we would like to admit.
But if you think about it, none of these lessons was totally unknown or wacky. In fact, we knew exactly what could happen if we kept going, but we decided to test the probability.
Sometimes it’s really our ingrained preferences or biases that make the shots, not because it’s the most practical way out, but because it’s something we’ve been wanting to do.
One of the first Mavic Minis in India
I went through a similar dilemma when I got my first real drone, the DJI Mavic Mini, last year. A $ 400 drone that could do almost everything an enthusiast would need.
I didn’t take the time to put my money down and reserve one. Honestly, I didn’t even know if I needed one. To be fair, photography is one of my biggest hobbies, and after owning a DSLR and an action camera, I felt that completing the camera trifecta was the way to go. I was convincing myself.
I made up my mind when I came across the first set of leaks around the Mavic Mini and how DJI would exceed the legal requirements by creating a drone that weighs 249 grams. Here in India, drones are still a pretty gray area. If I were to get into drones, it could well be with one that is safer to operate. Add features like Quickshots, 1080p60 recording, a range of up to 4 km and 30 minutes of flight time; all for that price never seen before, and I soon found myself questioning the need for something more expensive.
Of course, all of these difficulties were based on my belief in DJI as a drone company and logical expectations for the specs. There were still no expert comments or opinions about it. But being an excited patron, my feelings had brought out the best in me.
In mid-November, DJI made the Mavic Mini official. It was cuter and smaller than I expected. My feed was filled with YouTubers and reviewers raving about what DJI had been able to achieve at this price and this size. Many of my expectations were also a reality.
The perfect product does not exist
I thought this was another classic case of filmmakers who disapproved of affordable gear because they had been spoiled for their high-end alternatives.
However, I did notice a trend in which many photography leaders thought this drone has its limitations and should not be pushed to the limit, including maximum range, flight speed, signal strength, and wind conditions. As with any almost convinced customer, I had little doubt about the drone and hardly looked at my decision again. I thought this was another classic case of types of filmmakers disapproving of affordable equipment because they had been spoiled for their high-end alternatives. I didn’t take them seriously … This ended up becoming the most costly and heartbreaking mistake of recent times.
A few weeks later, my DJI Mavic Mini Flymore combo arrived at my door in Mumbai. Unable to contain my excitement, the drone was out of the box and the batteries were charging within minutes of reaching me. It was late at night, also known as one of the worst times to fly a drone. But a little flight would be nice, right? Especially if I did it on well-lit and open ground? In any case, you could always land quickly! All right, I managed to convince myself. A couple of minutes later, I found myself in the nearby park, ready for my first flight.
DJI’s drone app is pretty smart. Once you are logged in, it shows you the safest and most legal places to fly your drone, best practices, the laws of your country and no-fly zones. This is followed by a short tutorial that guides you through the basics of how to fly a drone. But no respected technician ever followed the instructions, and neither did I.
First flight
About 15 minutes, and I was starting to get used to it. The drone was flying in the direction I wanted. It was still late at night, so photography was not practical. No problem, I had nothing to do but wait in the morning. It was a good pilot race (pun). I came home once the batteries ran out and I was pumped. My mind was already deciding which shots I should try to take the next day.
My honeymoon period lasted quite a few months (I’m still not sure if I have gotten past it). He came with me to the terrace for each sunset, followed me through the woods when I went campingHe even managed to catch a ton of bloopers from when I went surfing. Every day and every click increased my love for my Mavic Mini. It was fast becoming my favorite camera, my favorite piece of technology, my bragging rights, and soon, my most prized possession. If technology purchases are supposed to give you a big boost, this was my best buy in a long time.
Unnatural progression
Now, with my basic ‘bucket throws’ list complete, it was time to enter the big leagues. Coincidentally, this time it also overlapped with my trip to the Philippines, which is hailed as one of the most beautiful places on this planet (I can attest to that). I swear I didn’t plan this trip just so I could get better drone shots.
Fast forward to mid-January, and I found myself on Nacpan Beach, ready to receive the injection that had been brewing for almost a month. Armed with the drone box in my hand and a coconut in the other, I reached the spot where the magic was about to occur. Nacpan is called a twin beach for a very appropriate reason: it is an exit that has a beach on both sides. Without going into the geographical phenomenon, it is undoubtedly a great and quite rare sight. A quick jump to Instagram will give you a better idea than my words. He had around two dozen images of this place saved for inspiration.
My heart was beating faster. He had an unstoppable smile when I got the drone to take off. Flight systems: consult. GPS: all satellites blocked. Battery: 35%. Sunset: 30 minutes. My game plan was to take a test shot first to find the best place to get the perfect shot, go back, change the batteries, and then go to the final shot at the golden hour. Practicing your shots is one of the things you learn during photography, and knowing that it had a very narrow time frame, any additional security is appreciated.
The drone was rapidly ascending. I put it in kinematic mode to save battery. I decided not to send it too far from me in any direction except up. In about half a minute, it was at an altitude of 100m and a distance of 3m. On my way, the DJI Fly app released some strong wind warnings, which I casually ignored.
I had flown the drone in much worse condition, and was never derailed by one of these cautionary warnings. I waited a few seconds to see if I could really feel the wind hitting me for better judgment. There didn’t seem to be any unusually powerful streaks, so I continued.
When I touched about 120 meters high, I saw that the drone began to move away. The distance quickly touched two digits without my asking. My heart began to beat faster, this time for the wrong reasons. Switching to Sports mode and going back really didn’t work. I forced a homecoming, which is a smart command on DJI drones that returns the drone to its take-off point. That didn’t work either. I could see the drone further in my peripheral vision.
It was time to do or die; If I didn’t do something quickly, the drone would die.
The next few seconds were blurry. I quickly tossed my backpack aside, slipped on my water shoes, and started running behind the drone, monitoring its direction. While the drone was no longer responding to my commands, it could at least move the camera to get an estimate of its surroundings. About four minutes later, I saw the power outage. The only clue he had now was a very different tree, which was the last frame transmitted. Unfortunately, the tree was along the cliff and had to be crossed to reach it. I’ll spare you the details of my adventure that followed through a multitude of terrains, but in vain.
After spending about half an hour in the light of death and verifying each place with as much humanity as possible, it was time to leave. My DJI Mavic Mini had flown and presumably drowned somewhere in El Nido Bay. This is not the heroic death I had imagined.
The next few days I spent coordinating with DJI Support, where they asked me to check the flight records. Each and every flight you make on your drone is recorded with all kinds of metadata, up to the speed at which the accessories rotated, in which location and with what battery life. It’s cool and informative, and can even teach you how to best fly a drone.
We have finished the analysis and the result is as follows:
1. The aircraft operated in S mode, and did not respond well to pilot commands due to strong wind;
2. Flight time T = 01: 03, Relative height H = 61.3 m, Distance to point of origin D = 1.8 m, “Strong wind warning. Aircraft cannot fly stably. Low altitude immediately and manually go home “appeared;
3. T = 02: 24, H = 152.3 m, D = 44.1 m, there was no pilot input, the aircraft leaned forward for 11.6 degrees to resist the wind, but was still dragged at 4.5 m / s, which indicating that there was a strong wind affecting the aircraft;
4. T = 02:40, H = 146.2 m, D = 117.1 m, RTH was activated by the pilot, but the aircraft was unable to return home normally due to strong winds;
5. T = 04:39, H = 82.1m, D = 488m, Battery = 8%, flight registration ended.
According to the analysis, the incident was caused by an inadequate flight environment. Do not fly in strong wind conditions.
The investigation concluded a few days later: the incident was caused by an inappropriate flight environment. Apparently what happened was that there was some air current at that altitude that was too strong. The drone was already fighting him as it climbed, trying to maintain its floating position. Due to this, the motors were running at full speed, hitting the battery. All of these factors combined to drive the drone away, unable to respond to my input.
I really didn’t want to believe them, even when the evidence was in front of me; Not that I had any other choice. They were free enough to offer me a replacement at a 15% discount, which I declined.
The point of this incident is not to say that the Mavic Mini is a terrible drone that cannot keep up. It is an amazing piece of engineering, and I still highly recommend it, only with a large asterisk.
An affinity for aviation.
The thing about drones is that they are still novel products. Flight has always impressed humanity, and the ability to capture that with an expensive device simply takes it to a higher level. It’s easy to get lost (not literally) in the world of drones, where you can freely move through all three dimensions in an accessible way that was previously impossible.
Things get even more exciting when you’re driven by the desire to be shot in your head. For me, there was simply no other device that provided such a pleasant experience as this drone. But that affection blinded me and made me believe that he was a better pilot than me, and that the little drone was more capable than he really was. If I hadn’t ignored the wind warnings, I might have had the drone today.
Like that regret, tech commentary is actually quite an emotional matter. More emotional than we would like to exhibit, as each claim has to be quantifiable justified. But words can never do justice to certain settings in the same way as experiences. In practical terms, not everyone can experience the product they were seeing before committing to purchase.
As impartial as we try to be testers, deep down we are humans held back by our feelings. With each person being different, their preferences change, prioritizing certain aspects over others.
In my case, my photography experience, my enthusiasm for having my first drone, my obsession with chasing shots and, of course, my fondness for technology put the DJI Mavic Mini in a very favorable place. I was surprised by its insufficiency. It taught me a lesson on how to try to make a fairer judgment on a product.
The goal of this piece is to try to absorb a certain practicality in the world of technology that is often driven by cravings. It is a request not to take the disadvantages too lightly when an authorized figure advises so.
And more than anything, it is a reminder that we are all humans who can fail. Regardless of who is at fault, if it can affect you (financially or emotionally), take the necessary steps to mitigate it.
For anyone who wants to get into the drone scene, the Mavic Mini is an amazing starting point, just keep in mind how far you can take it. If you can stretch your budget a bit, the new DJI Mavic Air 2 is the best drone you have, with much more digestible inefficiencies.
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