Dumb questions for Spark pilots who have (or have had other drones)

[Mjbok]

I remember the day I got my first drone. The original Phantom. Paired with my go pro I got awesome jelloey video and some good pictures. I put it away for awhile because as good (and fun) as it was, it just wasn't really good for pictures/videos without major modifications.

Then I went to a Yuneec Typhoon H. The time between generations (even though they are different manufacturers) showed drastically. The control, the video, the pictures, the features. It was like going from the stone age to the internet age.

The problem I had was the H was big. Too big to be practical for some things I wanted to do. A Spark can easily go on a camping trip or on an airplane. The Spark seemed like a good compromise. I never even considered the regular version and went with the Fly More combo because without the remote it was far too limited.

So my questions are as follows:

How many people use the advanced features like follow me, orbit, etc? I love getting out flying, but even the limited smart functions of the Spark seem like an add-on that isn't necessary (though I would love and use waypoints if they had them).

Does anyone find that though they can do much more, newer drones are also more limited in some aspects? The original Phantom didn't have a height governor IIRC.

Does anyone fly with just a phone/tablet or gestures?

Does anyone else never use auto takeoff and just pin the controls to start the motor?

Do you split your time between your drones or do you favor one over the other or do you look at it from a situational perspective?

Do you regret your Spark purchase? I don't. I love it. I wish the camera was a little better and range a little longer, but still a nice little piece of kit.

Lastly, what is your biggest complaint about the Spark? I have several quibbles (OTG, range, gimbal, camera) but I think the biggest complaint is also one of the best things about the little guy. It is small. Because of that almost every day is a high wind day if you get over 150 feet.

Cheers!

 

[griffinhart]

So my questions are as follows:

How many people use the advanced features like follow me, orbit, etc? I love getting out flying, but even the limited smart functions of the Spark seem like an add-on that isn't necessary (though I would love and use waypoints if they had them).

Some of the advanced features are situational, but useful. Orbit is something I use. Follow me is good. Some of the others I use less often. And if you want waypoints, consider Litchi or Autopilot. I use Autopilot for waypoints and more. It really expands the automated flight toolbox. Even better, it really lets you plan things out ahead of time.

Does anyone find that though they can do much more, newer drones are also more limited in some aspects? The original Phantom didn't have a height governor IIRC.

You know, I haven't flown my P3A in a while, so I'm not sure. Did they update the DJI Go app to limit the altitude, or is it still unlimited? Either way, the aspects that are more limited aren't really an issue to me. They don't stop you from being what you are legally allowed to do.

Does anyone fly with just a phone/tablet or gestures?

I find the gestures a novelty. Great for show off, but not much more. That said, the hand take off and landing gesture control stuff is useful. I never fly with just the phone/tablet. I got the Fly More Combo to get the remote as I didn't want the more limited range of just the standard Wifi connection.

Does anyone else never use auto takeoff and just pin the controls to start the motor?

I use the controls to start and take off, but I learned on my P3A. It's nice to have the controls in the App as well though. Redundancy isn't a bad thing.

Do you split your time between your drones or do you favor one over the other or do you look at it from a situational perspective?

Once I picked up the Spark, I almost never touched my P3A even though it is a better drone. The P3A is faster, longer range, has a longer flight time, has a better camera and a 3 axis gimble. It is also much larger and enough of a pain that I often left it behind while I would just grab the Spark on a whim. Heck, the Spark in it's fly more bag fit in my DSLR's bag with my Nikon D7200. I bring it with me whenever I grab my camera.

Do you regret your Spark purchase? I don't. I love it. I wish the camera was a little better and range a little longer, but still a nice little piece of kit.

I do not regret getting the Spark. I got mine last Fall for $650 (The Fly More Combo) and I found it fun to fly, even if I wasn't filming anything.

Lastly, what is your biggest complaint about the Spark? I have several quibbles (OTG, range, gimbal, camera) but I think the biggest complaint is also one of the best things about the little guy. It is small. Because of that almost every day is a high wind day if you get over 150 feet.

I didn't have an issue with the range. I never really go much further out past 1500 feet, and as long as I had LOS it never gave me a problem. The gimbal wasn't a problem either, but I don't really fly on windy days. My Original thought, when I got the Spark, was to mostly use it and break out the P3A when I wanted the more stable and higher resolution camera. The Small size of the Spark, however, was enough of a draw to cause me to never break out the Phantom. The Obstacle avoidance was a plus too. My Phantom didn't have this.

With the release of the Mavic Air, I decided to sell my Spark. A friend took it off my hands for $400. The Air ticks all the boxes I want. The Fly More bag is the same size as the Spark's, so it's just as portable. It has better range than the Spark, but not quite as good as my Phantom. Better Battery life, just 2 minutes shorter than my P3A. Better Obstacle avoidance. A better camera than anything under the Phantom 4 line and with a 3 axis gimble. I honestly don't see myself breaking out the Phantom anymore. There isn't a reason to. Maybe I will to let my nephews fly something, or to let friends learn to fly a drone with it.

 

[Sid Sipes]

I just got my spark this week. I've been flying a P3S for 2 years.

I got the spark for a couple of reasons. Primarily -- portability. It does everything my P3S does, and more. Yet, it's small enough to fit in a tiny bag.

The P3S is a great machine. However, transporting it around, and setup is difficult and time consuming. In just the time it takes me to put the props on my P3S, I can be airborne with the Spark.

How many people use the advanced features like follow me, orbit, etc? I love getting out flying, but even the limited smart functions of the Spark seem like an add-on that isn't necessary (though I would love and use waypoints if they had them).
I've only played with them. Other than Active Track, I don't think I will find them useful. I'm more of a manual fly and shoot type person.

Does anyone find that though they can do much more, newer drones are also more limited in some aspects? The original Phantom didn't have a height governor IIRC.
I think it depends on what you define as "Newer" and what you are comparing against. The Spark is newer than my P3S. It can do somethings better such as range. However, others such as Mavic can do a bunch more than my P3S. If you are comparing against a P3A, or P4, then probably not so much difference between those and the Mavic. And those (P3A, P4) can probably do more than the Spark.


Does anyone fly with just a phone/tablet or gestures?
Not Me. RC + Iphone 6s for every flight.

Does anyone else never use auto takeoff and just pin the controls to start the motor?
I mostly use the controls to start, takeoff and land. I'm a manual flight type of guy. I also practice ATTI flight a bunch.

Do you split your time between your drones or do you favor one over the other or do you look at it from a situational perspective?
Only had the spark for a week. So can't give much info here. However, I do still see a use for my P3 on high wind days, or days that I need more flying time as I currently only have 2 Spark batteries. This gives me the same amount of flying time as one of my P3S batteries (I'm generally getting about 23-25 minutes per P3S battery, and 12-13 minutes per Spark battery)

Do you regret your Spark purchase? I don't. I love it. I wish the camera was a little better and range a little longer, but still a nice little piece of kit.
Not at all. I got the Fly More Combo from Amazon for $549. And, after flying for a week, I like the little guy a lot.

Lastly, what is your biggest complaint about the Spark? I have several quibbles (OTG, range, gimbal, camera) but I think the biggest complaint is also one of the best things about the little guy. It is small. Because of that almost every day is a high wind day if you get over 150 feet.
My biggest complaints so far -- The legs (pads?) should be longer. If I try to start the AC in a grassy area, and the grass has any hieght at all, then it impacts and restricts the gimbal. A couple of times I have gotten error messages about gimbal restriction/overload due to the grass restricting the movement. Second minor grip is the speed in P-Mode. It's very, very slow.
As for high winds, I've flown in some fairly high winds this week. The Spark seems very stable and handled it without any issue.

That's about it. So far, no regrets on the Spark. My adult son has the Mavic Pro Plat. And after comparing to my Spark, I don't think I would use/need the additional capabilities of the Mavic Pro.

Sid

 

[lightbg]

I started camera quads with a Blade QX350-2, then went with a Yuneec Typhoon 500+ (they hadn't launched the H models yet). I thought about the H last year but decided to come over to the Dark Side and got a Mavic Pro FMC. Totally thrilled with it. Target had a special on the Spark just before Christmas, and it's since become my go to ship. Last week a crew came out to repair my rooftop solar panels, but there was an icing condition from the day before. In 5 minutes I had the Spark up and they could see that all the cable runs and junction boxes were not accessible. This was without anyone endangering themselves by dragging a ladder out and physically risking their health.
I'm also a stick banger so I don't use gestures or any of the automated programs. My Mavic I use for planned flights with a specific photographic goal. My Spark is my S@!&$ and Giggles flyer to throw up anytime I feel the need. I also feel more comfortable flying a "toy" sized drone in the neighborhood rather than anything bigger (I know i raised neighborhood awareness with the 500+ - I can't imagine how an H model would have been perceived).
Basically , the 500+ has become the hangar queen, and both DJI ships see way more flight time because of my confidence level with their technology.

Sorry for the long winded reply.

Jake