Light the Spark or extinguish and sell?

[Prayingdsr]

Ever feel confused, baffled, frightened or even bewildered by your DJI Spark?
(Or by the company?)

I ask because I am one of those rare owners of a Spark that has yet to fly it. Why?

Although I am a novice drone pilot, I have successfully flown my Yuneec Breeze 4K to its maximum range scores of times without issue. Likewise, my Hubsan H109s and H109a have spotless flight records.

Because my Spark (Fly more combo) cost 4x more than my Breeze and 3x more than any of my Hubsans, I am reluctant to open the box because of the seeming inordinate number of disconnects, flyaways or inexplicable loss of control resulting in collisions or crashes (Some by VERY experienced pilots that are patient, avoid panicking and took precautions to avoid such incidents.) And DJI does not appear very sympathetic, although I realize they are in the business to make a profit, not subsidize owners.

Okay, I'm cognizant of the fact that the Spark is capable of amazing flights and respectable video photography when in the right hands. Moreover, there are thousands of satisfied and enthusiastic owners. That is the reason I purchased it.

But for me it is a luxury item and even with the care refresh program, it is not something I can afford on a whim.

The bottom line is that I am extremely tempted to sell my package without even disturbing the plastic covering the box.

A few people have recommended that I sell it and save up for the Mavic Air, which seems to be considerably more reliable.

Any input is appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Spark 317]

...there are thousands of satisfied and enthusiastic owners.

Hello from the Hoosier Heartland,
Prayingdsr.

I'm one of them.

If you must sell the Spark, I would suggest purchasing a Mavic Pro as the prices have been reduced since the release of the Mavic 2's.

The Mavic Air still uses a WiFi connection to the drone where as the Mavics have Occusync.
Better range, camera, flight time, etc.

Just my opinion.

Welcome to the Forum.

 

[Prayingdsr]

Hello from the Hoosier Heartland,
Prayingdsr.

I'm one of them.

If you must sell the Spark, I would suggest purchasing a Mavic Pro as the prices have been reduced since the release of the Mavic 2's.

The Mavic Air still uses a WiFi connection to the drone where as the Mavics have Occusync.
Better range, camera, flight time, etc.

Just my opinion.

Welcome to the Forum.

Thanks for the input. Every bit helps.

 

[McCloudSpark]

Well, you hear less about the Spark when things go perfectly! Since there are 13,000+ members here and only a few experiencing problems I would say that the odds of a good experience are completely on your side. It's a hobby and not without some small risk of loosing some of your investment. You can drive your car down the road and something may happen there also.
Give it a try - you'll like it!

 

[Tglass0000]

“A ship in harbor is safe — but that is not what ships are built for.”

- John A. Shedd

With that said, I haven’t had a problem with my Spark that couldn’t be attributed to pilot error.

 

[H3Alpha]

You do realize that forums are, by and large, where people come to when they have problems, right? The vast, vast, vast majority of Spark owners fly all the time without issues, without crashes, without flyaways. Even those who have posted here about problems have had many more successful flights than not. I don't remember a post here saying "Flew my spark today, no problem". I also don't remember a post here saying "I have yet to have a successful flight with my Spark".

Relax, and get out there, and fly.

 

[Chrislaf]

The Spark is a fantastic drone. I have both a Spark and a Phantom 3 Standard. They are both WiFi drones. I have had my Spark for over a year and have not had any problems. I fly my Spark in all kinds of weather and use 3 different flight apps (DJI GO4, Litchi, and AutoPilot) depending on what I am doing with it. For my first year with it, I had the Care Refresh insurance and never used it. I now have the Refresh Plus and hopefully won't have to use it.

You have been getting advice to consider more expensive drones like the Mavic Air or the Mavic Pro, but they are considerably more expensive drones and will cost more to use/maintain (batteries etc. are more $$$) or repair/replace if you crash or lose them.

There is always a possibility of crashing/losing any drone, just like there is a possibility of getting in a car accident, but it still does not prevent one from buying a vehicle and driving it - you just follow the rules and be safe. Just today, I was coming home from the grocery store and a snow plow went by and picked up a stone and it hit my windshield resulting in a chip. Nothing I did could have prevented that - it just happened.

Open your Spark, fly it , and enjoy it!

Chris

 

[Prayingdsr]

I appreciate the varying perspectives concerning my question. Your input helps more than you know. Thanks for taking your time to do so.

 

[rhettduke]

As a "novice" at best , Aspiring to continue practicing this art of cheating gravity of its hold on us...

Im not in a position to offer hard technical advice.

I want to encourage you to take it out and practice the basic moves....dont worry about all the range and waypoint enhancements....keep it in sight and burn through some charge cycles.


Play....Learn and Have Fun !

 

[nilanjan118]

If you must sell the Spark, I would suggest purchasing a Mavic Pro as the prices have been reduced since the release of the Mavic 2's.

Sorry to interrupt here but I think 2 times the price spent on a Mavic Pro (than a Spark) still doesn't guarantee that a "Fly Away" won't happen. If you go to the MavicPilots forum and search with keywords "fly away", you will find that there are quite a few fly-away victims over there as well. As someone pointed out in this thread above, these forums are mostly used to discuss issues but that doesn't mean that DJI drones come bundled with them.

 

[NRRTRAINS]

RC planes , copters and drones all have fly a ways but just remember you bought your Spark to fly it . go out and don't worry about loosing it . have fun . fly in LOS and you will be OK .
fly safe

 

[Prayingdsr]

As a "novice" at best , Aspiring to continue practicing this art of cheating gravity of its hold on us...

Im not in a position to offer hard technical advice.

I want to encourage you to take it out and practice the basic moves....dont worry about all the range and waypoint enhancements....keep it in sight and burn through some charge cycles.


Play....Learn and Have Fun !

"Aspiring to continue practicing this art of cheating gravity of its hold on us..."

Someone has finally put into words the inner yearnings of hearts like mine. Thanks.

 

[Northwood Mediaworks]

I've done 83 flights, 62Km, 11.5 hours with the Spark. Only once did it ever come close to glitching out on me, and thats because I was careless, 100% pilot error, I set it down, after starting it up, on a well head that had concrete with re-bar embedded in it, that made the compass go a bit squirelly, I took off and in 5 seconds decdided to abort and landed it. Moved into an open area, started over, problem gone. So, once in 83 flights, not bad. Its addictive, once you've flown a few flights, you cant wait for the next one! As you have already flown other drones, it should be easy for you to handle the spark. Just do your per-flight checks religiously, all good.

I see some other members waxing poetic... my tag line is always "Flying with both feet on the ground" - that can be taken a few different ways... like in the old days when drugs were in my life and now they're not, or safer than getting into a real plane.... My parents named me Robin, guess I was destined to fly (my spark is red BTW)

 

[Speedmeister]

I traded my hubsan X4 Pro with the touch screen transmitter that I paid $800 for a used spark. You will not calibrate compass as much as you calibrate compass on your hubsan. I have not calibrated compass on any of my DJI drones since acquiring them.

 

[Prayingdsr]

Based on the numerous and encouraging replies, I'm looking at my unopened DJI Spark in a whole new light - and with enthusiasm.

This Spark deserve to be lit.

Thank you each & all.

 

[Bob Johnston]

I dont fly anything worth more than what Im willing to lose. I have three standards and a spark.All around 400 dollars. More than that Im not willing to lose.

 

[dat1]

You will like it prayingdsr.
By the way, I did not register here because I had
problems but for the good learning and sharing
atmosphere of members, here...

 

[McCloudSpark]

Gosh you guys - I'm inspired and I already fly my Spark.
What a good bunch of folks! Great community!

 

[twickers14]

My esteemed flying friends have said it all more effectively than I ever could so all I’ll say is...Go do it! I had very similar feelings to you before I flew my Spark for the first time but once in the air amazement replaces any concerns you may have and as some our friends say unless you fly it (lots) you’ll never know. I certainly wouldn’t go for a Mavic yet, get proficient with your Spark. My son is an airline pilot and despite many thousands of hours in the cockpit he still religiously goes through the Check List before every flight, as he is legally required to do, so approach your flights in the same way and you will be fine. Good luck and happy flying.

 

[Vapor069]

Ever feel confused, baffled, frightened or even bewildered by your DJI Spark?
(Or by the company?)

I ask because I am one of those rare owners of a Spark that has yet to fly it. Why?

Although I am a novice drone pilot, I have successfully flown my Yuneec Breeze 4K to its maximum range scores of times without issue. Likewise, my Hubsan H109s and H109a have spotless flight records.

Because my Spark (Fly more combo) cost 4x more than my Breeze and 3x more than any of my Hubsans, I am reluctant to open the box because of the seeming inordinate number of disconnects, flyaways or inexplicable loss of control resulting in collisions or crashes (Some by VERY experienced pilots that are patient, avoid panicking and took precautions to avoid such incidents.) And DJI does not appear very sympathetic, although I realize they are in the business to make a profit, not subsidize owners.

Okay, I'm cognizant of the fact that the Spark is capable of amazing flights and respectable video photography when in the right hands. Moreover, there are thousands of satisfied and enthusiastic owners. That is the reason I purchased it.

But for me it is a luxury item and even with the care refresh program, it is not something I can afford on a whim.

The bottom line is that I am extremely tempted to sell my package without even disturbing the plastic covering the box.

A few people have recommended that I sell it and save up for the Mavic Air, which seems to be considerably more reliable.

Any input is appreciated. Thank you.

After 192 flights, 30 hours 55 minutes, and 441,406 feet of flying the Spark, I have complete and total confidence in it. The only times I've ever had any close calls or issues were when it was totally my fault. It can also take quite a beating, I've crashed it a couple of times flying indoors without the prop guards. I've also flown it over water in winds up to 20 mph, and it hung on.