DJI Mavic Mini 2

Zebraman wrote: ↑ Didn't know which forum to post this - apologies if this is incorrect.

I'm looking into purchasing a Mavic Mini 2 Drone for the purposes of travelling and of course in use of areas that permit drones. I understand that in Canada at least there's the no registration/license required for drones under 250Gram, which in this case the Mavic Mini 2 at 249grams is exempted.

Does this mean that I can if I choose to fly the drone without any concern even if it's otherwise an airport marked as a no fly zone. Second thought, the problem is then that the DJI application might not allow the drone to launch and fly since the drone is detected to be in a red no fly zone because the application doesn't know it's a under 250 gram drone.

Thanks

No, its illegal to fly anywhere close to an airport (no fly zone) regardless of the size of your drone!
Just... Don't fly anything near an Airport, there is no reason why you should anyways!

Zebraman wrote: ↑ Didn't know which forum to post this - apologies if this is incorrect.

I'm looking into purchasing a Mavic Mini 2 Drone for the purposes of travelling and of course in use of areas that permit drones. I understand that in Canada at least there's the no registration/license required for drones under 250Gram, which in this case the Mavic Mini 2 at 249grams is exempted.

Does this mean that I can if I choose to fly the drone without any concern even if it's otherwise an airport marked as a no fly zone. Second thought, the problem is then that the DJI application might not allow the drone to launch and fly since the drone is detected to be in a red no fly zone because the application doesn't know it's a under 250 gram drone.

Thanks

The DJI Fly app for the Mini downloads a database of all the restricted zones in Canada and US and won't permit you to launch if it's in a no-fly zone.

Even though you don't have to register, you still have to follow some common sense safety rules and can't just fly wherever you want:

(a) Maintain the mRPA in direct line of sight;
(b) Avoid flying your mRPA above 400 ft in the air;
(c) Keep a safe distance between your mRPA and other people;
(d) Stay far away from aerodromes, water aerodromes, and heliports;
(e) Avoid flying near critical infrastructure;
(f) Stay clear of aircraft at all times;
(g) Conduct a pre-flight inspection of your mRPA;
(h) Keep the mRPA close enough to maintain the connection with the remote controller;
(i) Follow the manufacturer’s operational guidelines; and
(j) Avoid advertised events and emergency areas.

Download the NavDrone app and it will tell u exactly where you can and can't fly... Basically the only rule applicable to a microdrone (< 250g) is to fly responsibly and not to endanger other people and aircrafts... so technically, you “can” fly anywhere you want, but of course use your logic and common sense... if you don't have either then you shouldn't be anywhere near a controller in the first place...

Zebraman wrote: ↑ Didn't know which forum to post this - apologies if this is incorrect.

I'm looking into purchasing a Mavic Mini 2 Drone for the purposes of travelling and of course in use of areas that permit drones. I understand that in Canada at least there's the no registration/license required for drones under 250Gram, which in this case the Mavic Mini 2 at 249grams is exempted.

Does this mean that I can if I choose to fly the drone without any concern even if it's otherwise an airport marked as a no fly zone. Second thought, the problem is then that the DJI application might not allow the drone to launch and fly since the drone is detected to be in a red no fly zone because the application doesn't know it's a under 250 gram drone.

Thanks

I've started researching and considering this drone.

I see that big cities (Montreal, Toronto) seem covered by airport zones.

So for a >250g drone you need permission to fly over your own home.

How easy is that to get in real life?

FrancisBacon wrote: ↑ I've started researching and considering this drone.

I see that big cities (Montreal, Toronto) seem covered by airport zones.

So for a >250g drone you need permission to fly over your own home.

How easy is that to get in real life?

No, you don't need permission, just don't be dumb and fly like within a kilometre of the airport.

rugerty100 wrote: ↑ No, you don't need permission, just don't be dumb and fly like within a kilometre of the airport.

For a greater than 250g drone, most of Montreal and Toronto are "Class C Control Zone Airspace: Advanced RPAS operations are only permitted within the zone indicated by the orange filled shape with the permission from the airspace's operating authority."

https://nrc.canada.ca/en/drone-tool/


Should have been clearer in my question: I see that for this drone, which is less than 250g, you don't need any permission which is a huge selling point.

But it doesn't have collision avoidance. Only drones greater than 250g do, and those need permission.


Just wondering how big a deal that is in real life (automatic online form almost always approved vs always rejected)

I have had my Mini 2 for about a yr now and always keep it in the trunk in case I wanted to take some photos on the spot.

Ensure you grab the latest DJI Fly app from DJI's download page

I used to fly a lot but it's now just sitting in my trunk

Just remember with the Mavic Mini 2 you can't add anything to it without it going over the 250g limit, which would mean it would require registering and you couldn't fly it anywhere near an airport. Even the propeller guards put it over weight and into the >250g category.

Well it looks like I found a partial answer to my question. Posting for the benefit of others:




And more recently, wow! Looks good:

I bought the DJI mini 2 last week during the Prime sale.

I was just reading that the current DJI Fly app is only supported on a limited number of android phones now that the app isn't on the Play store.

Sites seem to indicate that neither our LG G7 One nor Pixel 3a are compatible. Given that the app was pulled from the Play store, it makes me hesitant to sideload it on the new pixel 6a that we plan on getting when it launches tomorrow. Was going to reset and use the pixel 3a just for the drone.

What android phones are others using? Anyone successfully using the pixel 3a?

May need to return the drone.

cba123 wrote: ↑ I bought the DJI mini 2 last week during the Prime sale.

I was just reading that the current DJI Fly app is only supported on a limited number of android phones now that the app isn't on the Play store.

Sites seem to indicate that neither our LG G7 One nor Pixel 3a are compatible. Given that the app was pulled from the Play store, it makes me hesitant to sideload it on the new pixel 6a that we plan on getting when it launches tomorrow. Was going to reset and use the pixel 3a just for the drone.

What android phones are others using? Anyone successfully using the pixel 3a?

May need to return the drone.

It looks like the current DJI Fly v1.6.9 works with my Pixel 3a running android 12. I did two quick 1 minute test flights today, and will try a longer flight shortly. Not sure why the sites list it as not compatible...may have been when android 12 was pushed out and the current version wasn't compatible at that time.