Welcome, Commercial Drone Pilots!
Join our growing community today!
Sign up

Mavic Enterprise; Inspire or Matrice? What is the better upgrade for Site Survey/Mapping/Search and Rescue.

PITTMAV69

Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2020
Messages
16
Reaction score
3
Age
54
Location
Wexford, PA
Hello all. I received my Part 107 license around the last week in November. I currently own and fly an MA2. My primary areas for business opportunities at the moment are: Real Estate/Entertainment and Marketing video/Site Survey and Mapping. I have also recently been approached by a member of a local FD in regards to their need of a licensed RPIC for Search and Rescue Team. They have a Mavic Enterprise. I'm seriously considering adding to my inventory so I'm prepared for more industrial/scientific and S&R missions. My question is regarding the purchase of target specific aircraft; meaning; which setup will offer the most "Bang for the Buck" when it comes to multi-use drones and also if the birds I'm looking at (Mavic Enterprise; Matrice and Inspire) will take care of all my needs or if they are each "Target Specific" to an individual task. Note: I am aware that in order to perform S&R; I will need a camera with IR capabilities. Beyond that; I'm really just trying to get better educated before I dump thousands into a setup that will end up collecting dust. My initial plan is to lean more towards Scientific/Survey and Mapping flights. S&R is a service I would love to provide but; financially speaking; it may need to wait awhile until I'm a bit more knowledeable and the business is financially sound. Thanks in advance.
 
Im not an expert in all these subjects....... I have my drone business and fly drones for a living for another company doing infrastructure inspections. We have a huge fleet of drones and I have experience with most of them. First off my personal drones started as a Mavic mini, I them bought a Mavic Enterprise dual and then an Inspire V1 Pro. The only inspire that can carry an IR payload is the inspire 1. The batteries are getting old and are no longer made. The flight time is short and you will have to fly that bird more them the rest. The Matrice series are nice, but it is way overkill on anything that you have marked on your list. I sold my Mavic Enterprise and I am looking to upgrade to a M200 soon. I picked up a MA2 to fill the gap in the short term. The inspire 2 is a nice bird for Cinema and stills but Expensive and no capability for thermal payloads. The Parrot ANIFA USA has my attention as does the Mavic Enterprise Advanced. There is no money in S&R so dont invest in it. Having done a couple of SAR missions, unless the subject is in the wide open it does not work well. Very much a tool but not the swiss army knife for sure. Keep in mind some restrictions are being put on DJI drones, and soon operation of one around critical infrastructure is going to be difficult at best. We are currently on a deadline at work. In 3 months we can no longer fly DJI drones and are trying to find a solution that has the same capabilities as the Z30 camera. Its old tech but works well, and there is not a lot out there. That may change in the future but the reality is as of right now, DJI has had some bad publicity, and Critical Infrastructure and federal monies will prohibit DJI products in the near future. I hope that changes.

There is not much money in real estate unless you have a huge client list. Real estate sounds like a great market to be in, but it seems to be a race to the bottom as far as money goes. I have friends in Real estate and still cannot break into the Market. I could get some jobs if I wanted to do jobs for 25-50 dollars after a 1 hour drive! Personally I would use what you have and try to build your business. Jumping all in without building your clients will do nothing but frustrate you and cost you money. Work on a business plan, and do some test mapping jobs, fly every chance you get to find out what is going to make you the most money. If you enjoy flying you will enjoy all aspects. It is easy to get wrapped up in being a 1 stop solution for your drone business, the reality is a small guy starting off it is too cost prohibited to do that if there is not a revenue stream to overcome that.

Start slow and work your way up. I prefer to buy software rather then pay for services. You will need photo editing software, Video editing can be found for free like Davinci Resolve. Mapping Orthomosaics are expensive, I purchased Agrisoft Metashape since it was affordable and provides good results. You need to hone skills and practice. I am gearing towards Infrastructure since I have the training and experience in that. My current job is not going to last forever so I am trying to gear up in case something happens I can make a shift.

Just my advice.
 
I live about 45 miles outside of Yosemite Park, tourist are getting lost constantly. The SAR folks up here now have two drones for SAR work. They dumped thirty grand into the drones, but now have no one with a 107 license yet. Typical California political wisdom.
 
Im not an expert in all these subjects....... I have my drone business and fly drones for a living for another company doing infrastructure inspections. We have a huge fleet of drones and I have experience with most of them. First off my personal drones started as a Mavic mini, I them bought a Mavic Enterprise dual and then an Inspire V1 Pro. The only inspire that can carry an IR payload is the inspire 1. The batteries are getting old and are no longer made. The flight time is short and you will have to fly that bird more them the rest. The Matrice series are nice, but it is way overkill on anything that you have marked on your list. I sold my Mavic Enterprise and I am looking to upgrade to a M200 soon. I picked up a MA2 to fill the gap in the short term. The inspire 2 is a nice bird for Cinema and stills but Expensive and no capability for thermal payloads. The Parrot ANIFA USA has my attention as does the Mavic Enterprise Advanced. There is no money in S&R so dont invest in it. Having done a couple of SAR missions, unless the subject is in the wide open it does not work well. Very much a tool but not the swiss army knife for sure. Keep in mind some restrictions are being put on DJI drones, and soon operation of one around critical infrastructure is going to be difficult at best. We are currently on a deadline at work. In 3 months we can no longer fly DJI drones and are trying to find a solution that has the same capabilities as the Z30 camera. Its old tech but works well, and there is not a lot out there. That may change in the future but the reality is as of right now, DJI has had some bad publicity, and Critical Infrastructure and federal monies will prohibit DJI products in the near future. I hope that changes.

There is not much money in real estate unless you have a huge client list. Real estate sounds like a great market to be in, but it seems to be a race to the bottom as far as money goes. I have friends in Real estate and still cannot break into the Market. I could get some jobs if I wanted to do jobs for 25-50 dollars after a 1 hour drive! Personally I would use what you have and try to build your business. Jumping all in without building your clients will do nothing but frustrate you and cost you money. Work on a business plan, and do some test mapping jobs, fly every chance you get to find out what is going to make you the most money. If you enjoy flying you will enjoy all aspects. It is easy to get wrapped up in being a 1 stop solution for your drone business, the reality is a small guy starting off it is too cost prohibited to do that if there is not a revenue stream to overcome that.

Start slow and work your way up. I prefer to buy software rather then pay for services. You will need photo editing software, Video editing can be found for free like Davinci Resolve. Mapping Orthomosaics are expensive, I purchased Agrisoft Metashape since it was affordable and provides good results. You need to hone skills and practice. I am gearing towards Infrastructure since I have the training and experience in that. My current job is not going to last forever so I am trying to gear up in case something happens I can make a shift.

Just my advice.
Hi Aerial.
Thanks for the input. I appreciate all the good info. I'm thinking along the same lines in regards to starting with the MA2 that I already have and working up from there. I may purchase a Mavic 2 Pro for the Hasselblad optics but I've also been interested in Autel Robotics and Sky Dio. I'll make a decision when I get through doing proper research on them. As far as the restrictions that we will most likely be facing in regards to DJI products; this is precisely the reason I've been looking into things like Autel and the other brands. I'm not sure yet either about which of these; or any; for that matter; can match the capabilities of what DJI currently offers but; I'm sure someone will step up to the plate eventually.
Regarding software; I'm definitely on the right path. I already have a pro membership with Adobe and I have downloaded Davinci Resolve and BlackMagic RAW but am still very much a novice at both. I'm working my way through tutorials for them at the moment.
I have yet to make a final decision on mapping software but I have looked at a couple options such as Measure Ground Control and Pix4D Capture. Measure seems quite expensive if you want to unlock the majority of it's pro features and I still need to do a deep dive on Pix4D. I brought the Agisoft Metashape website up while I was writing this so I'll give that a look when I finish typing.
My primary career field is being a lighting designer and technician for the Live Entertainment and Concert/Theater touring Industry. As you may know; we have been dead in the water since Covid began so I decided to use my skills with electronics and software programming to pivot into the drone world. I've also been exploring the possibilities of using Python via Raspberry Pi to design and build my own UAV's/Land and Underwater Autonomous Rovers.
In the mean time; I'll stick with what I have and learn as I grow.
Thanks again for the advice.
Fly Safe and Good Luck out there.
Kyle.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dempseycreekkid
Agree Metashape Pro is a great option... although it's still above $3K. You might want to look at Reality Capture by Capturing Reality. They provide the full version in multiple options from pricey purchase to purchasing their PPI Credits. The credits are used "only" when exporting your images... and each image is tagged a PPI credit once no matter how many times you generate in multiple projects. The best thing... you use a Full Version for Free... all you want, and no limitations until you want to generate an export. That helps one learn with zero cost on multiple projects. I use both and as you... not in process of learning.

The DJI issues are more political than reality... that's another discussion. The blacklist doesn't really effect anything... maybe Playstore or Apple Store, but that hasn't occurred yet as a reality. The "Banning" was a premature jump on the bandwagon from some States Govt... the actual Federal Banning was rejected in the House a month or two ago. Some States have continued to impose their own bans, but Federal Ban hasn't passed or approved. I'm hopeful that may change and relaxed in time... when realities & logic return.

It's one thing to compare an EVO II Dual with a Mavic 2 Ent Advanced... that's not the whole sUAV market. The larger platforms: a M210, M300 or M600Pro with larger, varies Payloads only compares to Products at 2-4X the cost and still not equivalent when including payloads, 3rd Party programs, etc. Some markets is held solely by DJI, such as the Agriculture or Spraying (Roofs, Golf Courses, etc). Most "interfaced to platform" Ag multi-spectral Payloads are for the DJI platforms. The Inspire 2 continues to hold it's top position in Cinema & various video production with the X5S MFT or X7 Full frame (Super 35).

Overall in my region of country (Midwest) the imposed Ban doesn't effect anything. Construction companies, Law Enforcement, US Marshals... all still prefer and essentially require DJI hardware for it's reputation of reliability and 3rd Party Apps for both single and Teams.

Depends on the work or job... if that is greatly impacted by State imposed Bans, your decision on investment or work desired. Market... DJI continues to hold the wide majority, market leader and consistently produces innovative products in multiple platforms. I'm not too overly concerned on a Federal Ban at this stage... may improve or get worse... unknown.

Back on the Inspire 1, great platform... oldest Prosumer sUAV still sold and continues to be highly used. The X5R is near similar in performance of the I2's X5S without the additional License Costs. The I1 and XT 640 provide an excellent thermal option. It's a pure sports car... no bells, sensors, object avoidance... just flies. Batteries can be a challenge but recently KopterWorx began offering 100% reconditioned batteries with new LiPo Gel Paks... similar cost to new.
 
IMO, the new best bang for the buck will be the new Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced. At $2500 less than the Autel Evo 2 Dual Thermal (which I returned after a dozen flights) the M2EA will be hard to beat. The only thing that the Autel has over the DJI is no geofencing - not that I go flying without authorizations but having to go through DJI authorizing system is just another thing to deal with.

Other things I will be considering - the M2EA will accept Mavic 2 batteries, no need to learn a new aircraft, I can use a lot of my existing Mavic 2 accessories.

My 2 cents
 
IMO, the new best bang for the buck will be the new Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced. At $2500 less than the Autel Evo 2 Dual Thermal (which I returned after a dozen flights) the M2EA will be hard to beat. The only thing that the Autel has over the DJI is no geofencing - not that I go flying without authorizations but having to go through DJI authorizing system is just another thing to deal with.

Other things I will be considering - the M2EA will accept Mavic 2 batteries, no need to learn a new aircraft, I can use a lot of my existing Mavic 2 accessories.

My 2 cents
I’d agree... having both a M2P & M2ED... the common batteries (stnd & heated), props, etc make it an attractive addition. Plus the 3rd party apps that specialize toward DJI make the M2EA a nice option. The Thermal and associated Post Dx SW Tools, I don’t think will be any less than a Flir sensor... several thermal sensors match Flir performance... I’m assuming when DJI went away from Flir for the M300 payload, they weren’t stepping backwards.

If no previous M2 platform in inventory, I’d still lean to DJI... but that’d be more personal based.
 
Half a year later, has anyone had enough experience with the M2EA to definitively say it’s comparable to an XT workflow? How are the software tools compared to FLIR? Any input is appreciated!
 
I don't have experience with the other payloads. I'm just a Photographer so I only use the L1D-20c and the X5s.

Here's the advantage with the Mavic2 - Rapid Deployment. I can be in the air and flying the mission within 5 minutes of arriving onsite. Breakdown and wrap-up is just as quick. It's small, unobtrusive, relatively quiet and Occusync is rock solid. (all planning, clearances, insurance and NFZ unlocks prepared beforehand)

There's just no comparison getting the Typhoons or Inspire2 in the air. All things being equal (mission requirements) if I have a choice between the M2P, Typhoon, Inspire2, all will accomplish the mission, I'll choose the M2P every time.
 
Half a year later, has anyone had enough experience with the M2EA to definitively say it’s comparable to an XT workflow? How are the software tools compared to FLIR? Any input is appreciated!
I haven't used the M2EA... I do have a XT-R 640, XT2 640 and M2ED. The M2ED isn't comparable for Thermal. I was anxious for the M2EA with the 640 Radiometric. Several have indicated the M2EA Radiometric isn't as capable as the XT2 and the settings & parameters. They've also indicated the SW Tools are lacking compared to Flir Tools.

I'm hopeful both M2EA's thermal sensor's SW App features will improve and DJI Thermal Tool set. Although, I'm pondering the EVO 2 Dual for a small Thermal package... but it too has a few reservations.

At this stage, I'll wait... the XT2 is still tops in Thermal in my opinion.
 
I haven't used the M2EA... I do have a XT-R 640, XT2 640 and M2ED. The M2ED isn't comparable for Thermal. I was anxious for the M2EA with the 640 Radiometric. Several have indicated the M2EA Radiometric isn't as capable as the XT2 and the settings & parameters. They've also indicated the SW Tools are lacking compared to Flir Tools.

I'm hopeful both M2EA's thermal sensor's SW App features will improve and DJI Thermal Tool set. Although, I'm pondering the EVO 2 Dual for a small Thermal package... but it too has a few reservations.

At this stage, I'll wait... the XT2 is still tops in Thermal in my opinion.

XT2 is definitely a top choice, but top price as well given the matching Matrice requirement. The only remaining mid level choice then is an XT, and the idea of hanging such a high value payload from any aging Inspire 1 makes me more nervous the more I consider it.
 
XT2 is definitely a top choice, but top price as well given the matching Matrice requirement. The only remaining mid level choice then is an XT, and the idea of hanging such a high value payload from any aging Inspire 1 makes me more nervous the more I consider it.
I understand your viewpoint, haven't flown my 2 Inspire 1's for some time... although I will say the were always rock solid performers.

It won't help your path, but you can mount a XTv2 on a Matrice 210.

Good luck in decision!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Midsky8778

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
4,277
Messages
37,605
Members
5,969
Latest member
KC5JIM