Spark Replacement the Mavic Mini

[DIgitalMD]

Enjoy them while you have them. Eventually someone will weaponize one of these things, commit a violent act and consumer drones and RC aircraft will be banned entirely. That's why the FAA keeps adding more and more restrictions.

 

[Tentoes]

No doubt many were disappointed the Aug. 13 new product announced by DJI didn't include a drone. It may have to do with DJI's plan to incorporate AirSense in all models beginning in 2020 to address the FAA's concerns over potential drone conflicts with manned aviation and the consequences thereof, leading to more egregious regulation.

Per DJI: "DJI drones with AirSense only use ADS-B In, which means they are able to see nearby traditional aircraft without congesting the airwaves by adding additional transmissions".

So, the DJI operator will be alerted to the presence of ADS-B Out equipped aircraft, but those aircraft apparently will not be alerted to the presence of the UAS. The how and what information will be presented to the UAS operator is unclear, but should be limited to pertinent data. I don't need to know I've got a 767 overhead at 35,000 ft. whereas knowing a Life Flight helo at or below 500ft AGL in the area is vital.

It's anybody's guess as to how much this feature will add to the cost of a quadcopter or the long term implications for those with "legacy" UAVs. A lot of people were hoping for a new UAV under 250 grams with at least Spark-like capabilities and pricing. Maybe someday.

Well, I hope it lets you bring it home instead of just automatically landing in the water.

 

[DIgitalMD]

It’s possible that there could be an issue in the DJI supply chain for components common to all of their models. But I think replacement models being announced is a more likely scenario. DJI is working on adding helicopter and airplane detection to its drones from all models released after January 1st 2020. That’s only just over 3 months away, so it makes sense that DJI is redesigning their entire lineup to include this as soon as possible.

 

[Medley]

If it uses wifi ... I’m OUT
Already had a mis-connect, flyaway in Europe. Lucky that I got it back at all.
Just 1 broken prop. I have Mavic Pro & Mavic Zoom ... never (so far) had a
mis-connect. Not even on my Phantom 2 Advanced.

I have had a couple of disconnects, but I’ve always retained control. However I just returned from a trip where I logged about an hour and a half over open ocean and coastal terrain where connections were rock solid. In general it’s not a real problem. I’ve never come close to a flyaway. I think you just need to keep a clear head and retain control of the Spark.

I’ve experienced compass errors and lost GPS more frequently, and they’ve never posed a real risk either in my experience.