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What is everyone flying? Current projects?

B_Dawson said:
I know a lot of people answered these questions in the introduction section but it is a little tedious to go through all the individual threads. I thought it would be nice to just scroll through all the responses in one common thread...
  • What aircraft are in your fleet?
  • What do you like/dislike about your current fleet?
  • What industries do you currently work in?
  • Have you run into any limitations with your current fleet?
  • What project are you currently working on?
  • Link to website, Instagram, Facebook, etc so we can all support each other.
Click to expand...
I currently have a Mavic and Inspire 2 with X4S. Started out with Phantom 3 Pro. I have an affiliate with other drones should I need them.

Mavic gives me the "oh I didn't know you were even in the sky" while the Inspire 2 gives me that "perceived value" appearance. The Mavic is great for small jobs and low wind. It is relatively quiet and can go unnoticed. It gives great pictures and video. The Inspire 2 is great in the wind and the X4S camera is wonderful. It has excellent pictures and perfect (for me) video. The only limitation I see with the X4S is the inability to optically zoom. Though shooting in 4K, you can do a decent job of crop-zooming.

I am flying for Real Estate, Oil & Gas, Construction.

My only limitation is weather. I would like to have a Matrice 210 to be able to operate in wet weather.

I am currently working on Construction Phase Monitoring and Real Estate video/pictures. I have done some roof inspections, which are wonderful if the homeowner knows why you are there. :). I did have an experience where I was hired by a roofing company to do inspections. The homeowner came out wondering why I was flying over his house! Good thing I knew them or it could have been bad.

BOWIE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, Security Check Required
 
I started with the Phantom 2 and through the years updated to 3 and now 4 pro. I shoot some video but love shooting RAW stills. The biggest enlargement made to date was a shot from my Phantom 3 Pro 10 feet to 30 feet on wall paper.
“The Atlanta-Hartsfield Combat Zone”

“The Atlanta-Hartsfield Combat Zone”

This is right over the top @ 5,000ft.(msl)....taken from the left seat in an Aerostar....I...
 
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Reactions: A Higher Perspective, Craig Needelman and B_Dawson
Great topic Dawson.
I fly a P4 now, the limitation that concerns me the most is the camera. I am looking into a H520 and adding thermal imaging camera to inspect solar panels.
Currently don't have a lot but mainly been construction progression, doing some Drone Base missions. I have a website but doesn't have any videos linked yet.
orangebirdaerialservice.com
My work is viewable at www.youtube.com/channel/UCP_25ARIVjxYquwZ1OUXDIQ
Please feel free to view and I encourage feedback.
 
I currently run a DJI Mavic Pro, used to have an Autel X-Star Premium. I love the Mavic's small form factor, but the DJI Go 4 app is killing me. For that reason, I want to switch back to Autel Robotics and get their foldable EVO drone. The EVO looks pretty cool as it has a built-in FPV screen, 4 mi range, no NFZ limitations, 3D mapping capeability, 4K 60 at 100 mbps, and 30 min flight time.
 
ChoiceGraphX said:
I started with the Phantom 2 and through the years updated to 3 and now 4 pro. I shoot some video but love shooting RAW stills. The biggest enlargement made to date was a shot from my Phantom 3 Pro 10 feet to 30 feet on wall paper.
“The Atlanta-Hartsfield Combat Zone”

“The Atlanta-Hartsfield Combat Zone”

This is right over the top @ 5,000ft.(msl)....taken from the left seat in an Aerostar....I...
Click to expand...
the link does not seem to work
 
Hello everyone. My info is below! Look forward to connecting with others with similar experiences

[*]What aircraft are in your fleet? DJI Inspire 2- X5S, cendence w/ crystal sky ultra, Mavic Pro.

[*]What do you like/dislike about your current fleet? Like: speed, reliability, photo/video quality, flexibility with 3rd party apps. Dislike: chronic bugs in new firmware, GEO

[*]What industries do you currently work in? Construction, commercial real estate, some residential real estate, solar and short films

[*]Have you run into any limitations with your current fleet? Flights around Structural steel. Interference with compass

[*]What project are you currently working on? Mainly construction progress jobs in LA/Orange County California

[*]Link to website, Instagram, Facebook, etc so we can all support each other.
Website->> Waa Productions | Our vantage point is from above. Our passion is to elevate your expectations
YouTube->> Waa Productions
Instagram->> @waaprodusa
 
ProBowie said:
I currently have a Mavic and Inspire 2 with X4S. Started out with Phantom 3 Pro. I have an affiliate with other drones should I need them.

Mavic gives me the "oh I didn't know you were even in the sky" while the Inspire 2 gives me that "perceived value" appearance. The Mavic is great for small jobs and low wind. It is relatively quiet and can go unnoticed. It gives great pictures and video. The Inspire 2 is great in the wind and the X4S camera is wonderful. It has excellent pictures and perfect (for me) video. The only limitation I see with the X4S is the inability to optically zoom. Though shooting in 4K, you can do a decent job of crop-zooming.

I am flying for Real Estate, Oil & Gas, Construction.

My only limitation is weather. I would like to have a Matrice 210 to be able to operate in wet weather.

I am currently working on Construction Phase Monitoring and Real Estate video/pictures. I have done some roof inspections, which are wonderful if the homeowner knows why you are there. :). I did have an experience where I was hired by a roofing company to do inspections. The homeowner came out wondering why I was flying over his house! Good thing I knew them or it could have been bad.

BOWIE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, Security Check Required
Click to expand...

Hey ProBowie,

I'm sure you can tell a difference in the image quality between the Mavic and the Inspire, but do you find that your customers can tell a difference?
 
2nd2non said:
Hello everyone. My info is below! Look forward to connecting with others with similar experiences

[*]What aircraft are in your fleet? DJI Inspire 2- X5S, cendence w/ crystal sky ultra, Mavic Pro.

[*]What do you like/dislike about your current fleet? Like: speed, reliability, photo/video quality, flexibility with 3rd party apps. Dislike: chronic bugs in new firmware, GEO

[*]What industries do you currently work in? Construction, commercial real estate, some residential real estate, solar and short films

[*]Have you run into any limitations with your current fleet? Flights around Structural steel. Interference with compass

[*]What project are you currently working on? Mainly construction progress jobs in LA/Orange County California

[*]Link to website, Instagram, Facebook, etc so we can all support each other.
Website->> Waa Productions | Our vantage point is from above. Our passion is to elevate your expectations
YouTube->> Waa Productions
Instagram->> @waaprodusa
Click to expand...

Hey 2nd2non,

What lenses are you using on your X5S?
 
I have a trio of 3DR Solos. One is registered private for fun flying so family and friends can use it. It has no camera on it. Its also a backup in a pinch.

What I dislike about the Solos are the aging batteries. I have to do calibrations to keep them going, but age will catch up with them eventually. Rumor has it that new batteries will be coming out. I love how easy it is to fly the drones, and they are all very good about returning to home if signal is lost. They are also are surprisingly steady in high winds. The footage is great. I have a new lens on order to remove the distortion on my GoPro 4 Black camera.

I do most of my flying for marketing. I have also done special events. I enjoy post production work and graphic arts. I am currently involved in a construction project where the developers want me out every few months for new footage of the progress. I enjoy using the drone for cinematic shots over and around subjects. Most interesting project thus far was a hemp harvest. The drone is a hobby as well, so I do a lot of fun flying. Each of my three drones has their own strengths and weaknesses due to a lack of quality control during manufacturing. I like to say they each have their own personalities so they each have names - Mario, Luigi and Woodstock.

Limitations are battery life and distance. But I prefer to keep an eye and ear on my drone anyways, so its not a big deal.
Website: www.weflylex.com
Cool video I did when it snowed:
(and no, no one died there!)
Youtube channel: we FLY Lex
 
tracer said:
I have a trio of 3DR Solos. One is registered private for fun flying so family and friends can use it. It has no camera on it. Its also a backup in a pinch.

What I dislike about the Solos are the aging batteries. I have to do calibrations to keep them going, but age will catch up with them eventually. Rumor has it that new batteries will be coming out. I love how easy it is to fly the drones, and they are all very good about returning to home if signal is lost. They are also are surprisingly steady in high winds. The footage is great. I have a new lens on order to remove the distortion on my GoPro 4 Black camera.

I do most of my flying for marketing. I have also done special events. I enjoy post production work and graphic arts. I am currently involved in a construction project where the developers want me out every few months for new footage of the progress. I enjoy using the drone for cinematic shots over and around subjects. Most interesting project thus far was a hemp harvest. The drone is a hobby as well, so I do a lot of fun flying. Each of my three drones has their own strengths and weaknesses due to a lack of quality control during manufacturing. I like to say they each have their own personalities so they each have names - Mario, Luigi and Woodstock.

Limitations are battery life and distance. But I prefer to keep an eye and ear on my drone anyways, so its not a big deal.
Website: www.weflylex.com
Cool video I did when it snowed:
(and no, no one died there!)
Youtube channel: we FLY Lex
Click to expand...

Hey Tracer,

Which lens did you buy? I just replaced my GPH4 silver stock lens with a 3.8mm lens. I had to use the Peau Productions profile removal tool to get rid of the "pink eye" but this lens is a huge improvement.
 
B_Dawson said:
Hey Tracer,

Which lens did you buy? I just replaced my GPH4 silver stock lens with a 3.8mm lens. I had to use the Peau Productions profile removal tool to get rid of the "pink eye" but this lens is a huge improvement.
Click to expand...

I picked the Peau 3.97mm, and I am going to let them do the mods. I can do it, but I don't feel like it. Plus, if they break it, they fix it. Its winter and I'm not flying much, so now is the time to send it off. I also plan to tear down my drones to apply vibration reducing mods, when I have time !

A couple of suggestions for you (or any Solo owner)-
Get the Solex app. Its way better than the original Solo app, has lots of cool features and is updated regularly.
Join the Solo Mod Club on Facebook to keep up with crazy stuff people do to these drones
Your video feed issues may be fixable - there is a mod for the hdmi port on the main board that I had to do on one of my drones after about a hundred flights. Vibration causes a lack of connectivity on the port.
 
  • What aircraft are in your fleet?
4x 3DR Solo with GPS/Glonass upgrade, Peau 3.37mm, Peau 5.4mm
  • What do you like/dislike about your current fleet?
like everything except battery life and manual geotagging
  • What industries do you currently work in?
environmental monitoring and surveys
  • Have you run into any limitations with your current fleet?
so far so good for the work i'm doing
  • What project are you currently working on?
8000 acre mine site veg map
 
tracer said:
I picked the Peau 3.97mm, and I am going to let them do the mods. I can do it, but I don't feel like it. Plus, if they break it, they fix it. Its winter and I'm not flying much, so now is the time to send it off. I also plan to tear down my drones to apply vibration reducing mods, when I have time !

A couple of suggestions for you (or any Solo owner)-
Get the Solex app. Its way better than the original Solo app, has lots of cool features and is updated regularly.
Join the Solo Mod Club on Facebook to keep up with crazy stuff people do to these drones
Your video feed issues may be fixable - there is a mod for the hdmi port on the main board that I had to do on one of my drones after about a hundred flights. Vibration causes a lack of connectivity on the port.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips, I have been wanting to try out Solex. I'll check out that mod for the video cable too. As it is now the video doesn't work more than it works.
 
tracer said:
Your video feed issues may be fixable - there is a mod for the hdmi port on the main board that I had to do on one of my drones after about a hundred flights. Vibration causes a lack of connectivity on the port.
Click to expand...
Hey there, if you're talking about something other than replacing the hdmi cable, do you have a link to this mod that isn't on Facebook?
 
damien said:
Hey there, if you're talking about something other than replacing the hdmi cable, do you have a link to this mod that isn't on Facebook?
Click to expand...

Its in my bookmark list:
having video feed problems"
For foam, I used an ear plug cut down to size with scissors. I pinched the HDMI port with needle-nose pliers. The first time I did it, I didn't pinch it hard enough and had to tear the drone back down. The second time I pinched it so hard I could barely get the cable into the port. The ear plug absorbs vibration and puts pressure on the port. Be careful! You bust this HDMI port off the board, you won't be flying with video again!

So far I've only done this to one drone because the vast majority of my flying was done on it. I anticipate that as the hours rack up I will be doing it on the rest. I always take two drones with me when flying for a customer.
 
B_Dawson said:
Thanks for the tips, I have been wanting to try out Solex. I'll check out that mod for the video cable too. As it is now the video doesn't work more than it works.
Click to expand...

Solex is only available on Android. Its greatest feature is calculating how fast your battery is discharging versus the distance you are from home. It will do a RTH if it sees you won't make it back. This is important because our batteries are getting old, and they discharge at a faster rate.
 
P3P, P4P, 3DR DIY quad with PixHawk & GoPro, TurboAce Matrix with Sony NEX7 that I just "upgraded" to DJI A3/LB2 control and boy am I regretting it!! The A3 is not capable of mapping the Record button from the LB2, so I now have either still photos during a flight or video started prior to takeoff. I am so pissed.

A Higher Perspective, LLC
 
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