I guess I'm getting a drone for Xmas

In reply to Jerry :

I bought a hard case so I wouldn't have to worry about it getting wet at camp or crushed in the back of th Jeep. 

I bought a sunshade but haven't needed it. I also bought the floats but seldom use them. 

The only drone I really want is a Lockheed D21.

I asked my friend and he said he bought the landing pad and some ND filters.  I had no idea they made photo filters for this thing, that I need to check.  Also realized I need to stop at Best Buy tomorrow for a card.

Facebook is flooding me with more drones, accessories, and "FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Exam" ads.  Also a free Pilot Institute exam Free course

I'm looking at a Mini 2 also. Was considering an SE or refurb Mini 1 to save some money, but I think the Occusync is what seals the deal for me. I had a Yuneec Breeze that I enjoyed flying, but it was quite limited with range (wi-fi), and actually got okay footage for social media once I learned to fly around the quirks. I let it sit for over a year and the packs puffed out. Generic replacements are like $35 a piece for 12 minute at best flight times. Can't justify throwing money into an obsolete platform. 

DrBoost said:

Erich said:

In reply to DrBoost :

To me, the context of the noisy behavior is important. If you're driving somewhere with a noisy exhaust so be it. Part of life. If you're revving your Harley in a cemetery, maybe it's legal but it's not very kind. In the same way, people go to nature to find peace and solitude. How unsettling would it be to climb El Capitan, only to find some dude with a leafblower up there?

The US has prohibited them in our National Parks. Hopefully other countries do as well for their natural areas. 

We all have the same right to enjoy nature. Some do it connected to the ground, some do it from as high as 400' AGL. The car exhaust is the correct analogy. Revving exhaust in a cemetery is nothing like a drone passing a few hundred feet over your head and is gone in seconds. 
As soon as we start letting the vocal majority reduce our rights, we've all lost. 

With a drone I can see things that cannot be seen otherwise, and from different perspectives. And you are correct about national parks. But there are workarounds. 

It all boils down to be responsible, be smart, share the outdoors don't be a dick

I got a fast charger that can charge three batteries in about 20 minutes instead of the one hour that the stock DJI one does it in.  the charger will also charge the tablet I use and the controller.

I also recommend getting the Kevlar pouches for the batteries.  The NTSB people like them if you are going to fly with it and I figure it is just smart especially with my fast charger and if are not actively monitoring the batteries when they are being charged.

In reply to dean1484 :

Exactly. It really is that simple. That's how I try to live, and probably the reason I've never had an issue while out flying. 

Left work early yesterday after packages were picked up, nothing left to do until 2022, so I stopped at Best Buy for a card.  Figured out the 3 speed rating & bought a 128GB card, the store wasn't bad for Xmas-Eve-Eve at 5pm.

Batteries are all charged, going to be about 55F eventually, looking forward to some simple test flight in the backyard later.  I want to get familiar with basic controls & take it to SWMBO house tomorrow to get some photos of her house from above.

This is what I recommend for getting the skills to keep it in the air. 
https://youtu.be/ixYnzcZZu9g

First test flight was a success. Fired up the app for the first time with the drone ready to go and had to wait 10 minutes while it updated.

Got everything connected, figured out how to get it going and hovered around about 6' to get the hang of the controls. Then explored the backyard for a few minutes. Definitely need practice but at least I can get it working the first attempt tomorrow at her house.

I might explore the profiles and see if I want the control sticks to do different things. Didn't seem intuitive to fly like a plane or helicopter. Or I just need practice.

But no crash, landed on my own (Return to Home wouldn't work because I didn't go far enough away) and no blood was drawn.