DJI’s Mavic Mini is an ultralight aircraft that does almost everything larger-sized drones are capable of. While some compromises are made when making an affordable, light drone, the Mavic Mini is slightly different. If you plan a travel or hiking, and you need to take some nice shots, you would be happier with this drone. Although it packs fewer features than larger ones, its low price point, non-flying restrictions, decent camera (no 4K capture), and pocketable size makes the aircraft worth considering.
The “mini” name is making a lot of buyers nervous, especially those on a budget. Although I have had so much experience flying drones, I was skeptical about how high they could fly. Fortunately, the drone has a maximum take-off altitude of 3000m. It can fly as high as 1600 feet (500m) if you modify the settings in the Fly App. This height is good enough to capture those sceneries.
Is Mavic Mini Easy to Fly?
The Mavic Mini is pretty easy to fly, but wind and temperature will determine how you can navigate it in the air. You can fly the drone in cold weather, but not for long because Lithium-Ion batteries, which Mavic Mini drones use, hate cold weather.
In normal weather conditions, flying the drone is pretty straightforward. The controller – about the drone’s size is responsive and well laid out. The new DJI’s Fly App, which works in conjunction with your smartphone is nice and works well enough. It features a clean user interface and is pretty basic so that a beginner will not have issues using it.
The Fly App is simplified and tucked away some features in the bigger models for a streamlined display and seamless use. The app lets you know how much battery life is left and allows you to capture shots in Automatic or Manual mode. Video recording is also straightforward, as you can take quick shots and use other features like Exposure Compensation to boost recording.
However, it’s easy to let the drone out of your sight when flying using your phone. That’s why I recommend flying the Mavic Mini using the controller. If you are proficient, you can base your flying through your phone. You wouldn’t want to lose your Mavic Mini in the air and go out looking for it. It’s not only painful and frustrating but time-consuming.
Thanks to the impressive 3-axis gimbal, the drone can suspend in the air while it takes those stabilized, smooth, and beautiful shots. Previous models like the Spark feature only a 2-axis gimbal, making taking stabilized shots a little more complicated.
In addition to the 3-axis gimbal, the model features two vision positioning sensors at the bottom of the drone to make flying more convenient, especially indoors. Even without GPS, you can fly the drone more easily around a particular spot. However, it doesn’t do well amid obstacles, so your best bet is to fly the drone in an open field or space.
While I find the Mavic Mini model easy to fly, it misses some notable features, such as ActiveTrack and TapFly. These features allow you to follow a selected object while flying. However, they were compensated with the addition of the Circle Quick Shot Mode, though it’s less sophisticated than ActiveTrap and TapFly. Other features in the Quick Shots Mode are the Dronie, Rocket, and Helix.
Three flying modes are present in the Mini to make flying easy – Sport, Position, and Cinematic. The Cinematic flying mode adjusts the sensitivity of the joystick automatically to make it convenient to capture cinematic videos while in the air.
How Far Can the Mavic Mini Fly from the Controller?
The Mavic Mini can cover a distance of 2.5 miles (about 4km). It’s not the best in terms of range, but considering the minuscule nature of the drone, it’s pretty much okay, so that you don’t lose sight of it.
However, the speed at which it can fly depends on the flight mode setting. If set to Sport Mode, which is the fastest, the Mavic Mini can travel at a speed of 13 m/s. At this mode, it can travel fast, so you need to be careful to avoid losing sight of it.
Can You Fly the Mavic Mini Anywhere?
You can fly the mini aircraft in any weather except in extreme windy and cold conditions. The breeze can make it unstable and complicated to control from your end, especially if you are not experienced with drone flying. The Mavic model is light and pocket-size and can vanish into the air during those windy conditions. However, you can fly it in moderately windy conditions, mainly if the wind speed is below 15mph.
Drones don’t do so well either in cold weather or snowfall conditions because of the Lithium-Ion battery. The low temperature can affect the battery’s longevity. This will cause the battery to lose power rapidly. In some cases, your aircraft can even shut down while in the air.
In addition, the snow or ice can mess with the picture clarity, resulting in low-quality pictures. Even if you adjust the white balance setting, you may not still get good quality images. This makes flying your drone in winter not ideal. DJI Mavic Mini isn’t designed to fly in the rain because some components aren’t waterproof.
Aside from the weather, there are areas you can’t fly your Mavic Mini. These countries have strict laws regarding drone flights, whether it’s used for commercial purposes or leisure. In the United States, for instance, federal prisons and military bases do not permit drone flights for security reasons. In addition, national parks, stadiums, sporting events are classified as “no-drone zones”. This law applies to several other countries, so you should be careful when flying your aircraft.
Flying over some places requires you to obtain permission first. For instance, you can fly near the airports if you request permission from the FAA by filling the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability form. Areas around the airports are classified as Class G airspaces. You also require to pay $5 to the FAA to obtain a certificate of aircraft registration to fly the drone.
The good thing about the Mavic Mini is that you don’t need to rack your head about safe fly zones, thanks to the Safe Fly Zone feature. This feature in the DJI Fly App is an airspace management map that shows users where it’s safe and legal to fly.
Can You Fly the Mavic Mini at Night?
You can fly the Mavic Mini at night, but you must obtain permission from the FAA. Before, drones that weigh below 250g didn’t need to register with FAA. However, FAA modified the rules due to the potent nature of Mavic Mini drones. So, if you are piloting your drone for recreation and commercial purposes, you need permission to avoid being arrested for breaking the law.
However, it’s not advisable to fly your aircraft at night for visibility reasons. It’s dark at night, and your chances of controlling the drone well are minimal. It means you could lose sight of your aircraft easily unless you fly it within a restricted zone.
Image quality is also not so good at night. The image or video will be too dark, but with a little bit of light, image quality could improve. However, Mavic Mini can be noisy, which can affect your recording experience.
How to Fly the Mavic Mini?
Flying the Mavic Mini is pretty straightforward for any newbie. Once I understood the process, I began flying the mini aircraft in my open front yard. All you have to do is follow the instructions meticulously. The instructions are fundamental, and in no time, you will master the art of flying.
My advice is this – Practice indoors before going outdoors. This way, you must have familiarized yourself with all the flying techniques. Below is how to fly your mini drone.
- Download the DJI Fly App on your mobile device.
- Before flying, remember to check the battery level and micro SDcard. (I usually do this to know if there’s enough power left to fly the aircraft.)
- Ensure that battery is sufficiently charged before the flight.
- Unfold the mobile device clamps, remove the control sticks from the storage slots, and screw them into place.
- Unfold the antennas.
- The cable on the left side connects your mobile device to the controller. Position your mobile device carefully, so that it sticks tightly.
- Unfold the aircraft arms and remove the gimbal cover from the camera.
- Install the battery. Lightly press until it clips into place.
- Press once and hold, and then turn on the remote controller and the aircraft.
- Position on a flat surface and aim the aircraft tail towards yourself.
- Open the DJI Fly App. Tap the status bar and increase the RTH altitude until it’s higher than the highest building in the area.
- Tap the auto take-off icon on the lefthand side of the screen for three seconds. Once the aircraft takes off, the auto-landing button will show.
- You can also take off manually without using the app. All you have to do is push the joysticks to the bottom inwardly or outwardly to start. Then, move the joysticks upwards for flight.
- The left joystick controls the aircraft’s orientation and altitude, while the right joystick controls its forward, backward, right, and left movement.
- If you want to change the stick mode, tap the top-right corner of the screen to enter the controller menu.
- It’s a common scenario for aircraft to fly out of your line of sight. If this happens, check the aircraft’s position and speed information through the life map.
- To shoot photos, record videos, and take Quick Shots, tap the functions menu on the righthand side of the screen. You can tap the bottom-left of the screen to access the camera settings to set the parameters.
- You can use the gimbal dial and the shoot-record button to adjust the gimbal’s tilt and control the camera during the flight to take shots.
- Tap the auto-landing icon on the lefthand side of your screen and then tap and hold the RTH icon for three seconds to enable the aircraft to return home automatically. Alternatively, you can also press and hold the RTH button manually. The aircraft will automatically land, and the motors stop.
- You can also use the auto-landing button to land the aircraft and stop the motor or pull down the left control stick.
Related Questions
1. Do I need a license to fly a DJI Mavic Mini?
You need permission to fly a DJI Mavic Mini if you use it for commercial and leisure purposes, regardless of how low the weight is. This is per the new Part 107 rule. Obtaining a license can be done online in five minutes, and the registration process costs $5.
2. Can the Mavic Mini track you?
Thanks to the latest software update in Litchi, you can make the Mavic Mini track you. The Litchi app is compatible with the DJI Mavic Mini and allows you to track a subject.
3. What happens if you fly Mavic Mini out of range?
If you fly your Mavic Mini out of range, you will lose the signal used in navigating it, but your drone might not crash if you do certain things. In older drones, they will crash into something if the signal is lost. It is because they are built with fewer safeguards than the current models like the Mavic Mini.
If the Mavic Mini flies out of range, it won’t just crash. It will return to the position where it took off or close by retracting its flight path back. At this point, the signal will be restored, and you can continue to control the mini aircraft.
One thing that makes the drone possible to retract is the inbuilt memory, RTH (Return to Home), and GPS. With the GPS, the drone records its home position when it takes off and then, stores the information. When it flies off course, the drone, via the stored information, stirs right back.
You can manually activate the RTH button on the controller once you lose sight of your aircraft to pilot it back home.
However, the drone will be difficult to retrieve if it’s in “Sport Mode”. The drone is fastest in this mode so that when it’s out of range, you will have difficulty piloting it back. However, the aircraft won’t still crash – it will land wherever that’s safe.
Finally
The Mavic Mini is a powerful drone that could bring so much fun, whether it’s for leisure or work purposes. For newbies, you will need to learn how to fly it first before taking those amazing drone shots. I have provided you with tips on how to navigate it conveniently.