Drone Purchase

[DuneBoer]

Ok, I have about a grand to spend on a drone. I want something I can use to photograph my tree farm from above. I want something I can fly while I'm on my dirt bike or UTV. I want something that is relatively easy to fly but I don't mind a learning curve. I have prior aviation experience but from way back. I'm a helicopter pilot but not current since 1996.

Any ideas would be helpful.

 

[2ndamendfan]

My uncle has a couple that track him. He has a wrist band he wears and the drone follows him while hebis riding. If it looses connection it flys back to where it originally took off from.

I can find out what he has. They were about a grand if i remember right.

 

[ArmyJerry]

armed or unarmed?

 

[...]

real life flight experience has no bearing on flying drones....trust me...

however the DJI phantom is pretty easy to fly....it more or less flies its self......and it records in 1080P and 4K.....perfect for spying on your hot neighbor.....or "filming your trees"........

 

[JayB]

DJI is the industry leader and offers a few options under a grand with varying sizes and features. They are not armed. The only payload that works out of the box is the camera on a gimbal that comes with the drone. No prior flight experience needed, these things practically fly themselves.

 

[Mike Casselton]

My fishing buddy has the dji phantom or mavic pro.
It's super easy to fly, will mate with an iPad and can easily follow your ATV or a boat up to 40 mph.
The drone, spare batteries, props and charger all fit into a small backpack.
Great unit

 

[j-huskey]

Dji phantom 4 is very hard to beat for your description. Excellent daytime device.
I had to go larger for adding the thermal. There is a drone topic in the night vision thread, might be worth reading.
Ignore the armed drone bs.

 

[ArmyJerry]

I was joking about arming it.

 

[pmclaine]

I was joking about arming it.

But not really......

 

[Tucker301]

You can thank @Nik H (actually his wife) for this link
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/buying-guide-best-drones

 

[Maser]

real life flight experience has no bearing on flying drones....trust me...

Aint that the truth! If you're getting a drone that you dropped a grand on, you're gonna get a drone that pretty much flies itself.

 

[Srgt. Hulka]

armed or unarmed?

Armed of course.

 

[Alphatreedog]

 

[Nik H]

I was joking about arming it.

with more ammo?

 

[CBeck]

Mavic if you wanna keep the budget around 1k. Phantom 4 pro if you want to up it. Get at least a couple extra batteries either way. Each battery only gives you less than 30 minutes flight time so they go quick.

 

[Mike Casselton]

Also, the mavic controls can pair up with your iPad and you can watch everything while operating it. It's pretty awesome

 

[Marinevet1]

My brother has been buying drones for a few years.........showed up last Christmas with a Mavic Pro, I've never flown one, and it was super easy......pretty much flies it's self, anti collision software, pretty good video. If I was looking to buy one, I'd look at that one

 

[308220]

The democrats will soon have "Charlene" at all voting stations. For your "safety".

 

[Strykervet]

I'd love one of these for going over the trees up in the mountains to search for places to shoot --sometimes it's hard to do from the road and each time I go I end up going somewhere other than where I planned. I need a long range though.

Don't they make kits? Or plans? This seems like something I could do myself... And a fun project.

 

[DuneBoer]

Looking at the Mavic Pro Platinum. The Phantom 4 pro is twice the price and more what I want though. Damn! Maybe I should just get another GA Precision instead and forget this drone stuff.

 

[Spblademaker]

The democrats will soon have "Charlene" at all voting stations. For your "safety".

And a few ED-209s. “Vote Democrat! Please comply!”

 

[MDStroup]

Honestly i would suggest building one, but i have access to a 3d printer and a laser cut which i know not everyone has.

Most important question is have you ever flown one before? If not maybe start on a a beginner one? The Ryze Tello seems to be a good one that alot of people seem to recommend. Spend a few dollars on a couple of accessories like a WiFi extender and you should be good.

 

[DuneBoer]

Honestly i would suggest building one, but i have access to a 3d printer and a laser cut which i know not everyone has.

Most important question is have you ever flown one before? If not maybe start on a a beginner one? The Ryze Tello seems to be a good one that alot of people seem to recommend. Spend a few dollars on a couple of accessories like a WiFi extender and you should be good.

3d what? You are talking gibberish man! Being a mediocre rifle shot never kept me from ejaculating more money than was Christian on a rifle, and being mediocre helicopter pilot will not keep me from buying a state of the art drone. Clint Smith told me one time I was a "mediocre" pistol shot. I will take this to my grave as a compliment considering who it came from!

 

[SilentStalkr]

So, what are you going to do to keep someone from hacking it and taking off with it?

 

[ArmyJerry]

that why you gotta arm it with self destruct once its taken over by someone.