DroneDJ

Right, the DJI Mavic Mini (from DJI or Amazon) long-distance range test. This mini-drone reaches 2.4 miles on WiFi, which is incredible. I was hoping for a day with less wind and I was also thinking of another location, but I went hiking today with my daughter at Breakneck mountain in New York along the Hudson River. This is a beautiful spot and is very popular with hikers. It’s a little north of Coldspring, New York. I took the DJI Mavic Mini with me to try out some of the quick shots with two fully charged batteries. However, when we got to this vantage point and were looking down on the Hudson River and Pollepel Island there on the right-hand side, I figured why not give it a try and see how far we can fly this mini-drone. So this hiking trip turned into a long-distance drone flight for the DJI Mavic Mini.
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After the first test flight today in which the DJI Mavic Mini (from DJI or Amazon) battled high winds, some people had commented on YouTube that I should fly the drone further and at a much higher elevation. I thought that was a good point, and figured I might give it a try when I got back home this afternoon. And so I did. I hope you enjoy this video of the DJI Mavic Mini performance test in which it is fighting high winds at high elevation. Expect more videos and tests to come over the coming days.

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DJI’s latest drone, DJI Mavic Mini has been rumored over the last few months to be the DJI Mavic Air or a DJI Spark replacement. We can finally say the DJI Mavic Mini will be replacing the Spark for an important reason other than the improved specs and new look.

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The DJI Mavic Mini (from DJI or Amazon) fights strong headwinds of 20-25 mph, literally! Yesterday late afternoon, I received one of the DJI Mavic Mini review samples and after charging the batteries and the controller, I was curious to see how the little drone would do in the strong winds we have here on the Hudson River today. To be honest, I was surprised that it didn’t simply get blown away in the 20-25 mph winds.

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Yesterday, DJI launched the all-new DJI Mavic Mini (from DJI or Amazon), a drone can fly for up to 30 minutes and weighs less than 250 grams. And because of that ultralight-weight, it does not have to be registered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) when flown recreationally. My overall impression after initially flying the Mini is that it’s a great little drone. And Mini makes drone flying much more accessible for consumers in the United States, but even more so around the world where this drone runs into even fewer restrictions. It is starting to sound like the ideal travel drone, right? Well, there is one catch… And that is that the DJI Mavic Mini only shoots 2.7K video at a bitrate of 40Mbps, not 4K video at 100Mpbs like the DJI Osmo Pocket. Why, oh why, DJI?

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On Wednesday, the same day that DJI launched the DJI Mavic Mini, the US Department of the Interior announced that all DJI drones and other Chinese-made unmanned aircraft or UAVs that contain Chinese-made parts in its fleet are to be grounded as part of a review of the department’s drone program. This is the latest threat to DJI’s drone business in the United States.

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Here are the best video reviews of the DJI Mavic Mini (from DJI or Amazon) we found on YoutTube. We watched them all so you don’t have to! If you don’t have a lot of time (who does nowadays?) and you only want to watch one video. Watch the one from Faruk on his iPhonedo Youtube channel. As always his videos are entertaining and chuck full of information. This one about the DJI Mavic Mini is not different. so give yourself a break. Get a cup of coffee and watch at least this one video.

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At DJI’s media event in Brooklyn where the ultra-light DJI Mavic Mini (from DJI or Amazon) was first introduced to a larger audience, we had the chance to fly the little drone ourselves. And even though my flight time was limited to maybe 10-15 minutes, I will share my first impressions and hands-on experience with the everyday Flycam, as DJI calls the DJI Mavic Mini.

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Take to the skies with DJI Mavic Mini (from DJI or Amazon), DJI’s lightest and smallest foldable drone. The ultra-light Mavic Mini makes drone flight easier and safer than ever.

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The new Ultra-Light DJI Mavic Mini (from DJI or Amazon) is officially introduced by the world’s largest drone marker this morning. And it weighs only 249 grams! And that is with the micro-SD card included! You can preorder the drone starting right now. It’s $399 for the Standard Version and $499 for the Fly More Combo.

It feels like we’ve known this drone a long time already with all the photos that were leaked over the last week or so. Anyway, we have a lot of information to go over, so let’s get started.

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A hiker and dog became disoriented and lost in a terrain laden with swamps and marshes in Canada on Thursday night. A drone from the Renfrew County Paramedic team played a key part in the dramatic rescue of the duo.

Updated with drone video footage of the actual rescue.

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This year’s fire season in California has started out with massive fires in Los Angeles and near San Francisco. PG&E’s aging transmission lines form a huge risk as failing equipment can potentially start wildfires as was the case last year. The Camp Fire in 2018 was started by a powerline that came down from a transmission tower after one of the hooks that hold up the lines broke. An article in the Wall Street Journal investigates the status of the PG&E towers and lines in California and uses drone footage to show the aging equipment.

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On September 27, 2019, UPS Flight Forward was the only company to date to receive FAA approval under Part 135 Standard to operate a drone airline business. Since then, we have learned of UPS’s plans to partner with CVS to deliver healthcare products and over-the-counter medications to residents by drone. That information came out soon after we learned of the partnership between FedEx, Wing Aviation, and Walgreens. Today, however, I would like to bring some attention to UPS’s all-female drone flight crew: Sherri Roberts, Candice McHargue, and Caroline Furse. Because the drone industry is dominated by men, that team might help to inspire the next generation of female drone pilots.

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Check out the Uber Eats delivery drone that was showcased during the Forbes 30 under 30 Summit yesterday. The design of this delivery drone looks way more advanced than the one mentioned in the WSJ article from only a few days ago. Instead of being a traditional quadcopter, this drone has six propellers on rotating wings “for increased speed and efficiency” and can land and take off vertically (VTOL).

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Today, we have some exciting news for you from Drone Nerds. They are the largest enterprise drone dealer in the US and they just announced a new partnership with Skydio for the new and mind-blowing Skydio 2 drone. So, if you are thinking about getting the new Skydio 2 drone (And really you should. I ordered two myself) but you missed the boat at Skydio’s website. Make sure you check in with Drone Nerds in Florida as they may be able to help you out. And, if you are planning to go to Commercial UAV Expo this week, make sure that you go to the Drone Nerds booth 701 to see this new self-flying drone for yourself.

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Today, the Ultra-Light DJI Mavic Mini (from DJI or Amazon) shows up in a “video review” on YouTube ahead of the official product launch. After various online retailers such as Newegg and BestBuy already disclosed official marketing photos and specs of the new DJI Mavic Mini, we now get to see one of the first videos. Don’t get too excited; this is not one of those amazing reviews from iPhonedo. This is really just a series of short clips put together in one video. However, it still provides us with some new angles and gives us a better idea of the size of this new unmanned aircraft.

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As we continue to get closer to DJI’s “Fly as you are!’ event, we are seeing more photos of the upcoming DJI Mavic Mini being shared online. We already have a good idea of what is to come with the new Mavic Mini, thanks to the various leaks and rumors that have sprung up over the past few months.

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The specifications for the DJI Mavic Mini (from DJI or Amazon) have been reconfirmed in a public listing from yet another retailer that disclosed this information prior to the launch of this new DJI drone. The listing confirms that the DJI Mavic Mini will indeed weigh only 249 grams making it an ultra-light drone. Furthermore, it also confirms a 30-minute maximum flight time, which is incredible considering the size and weight of this little drone.

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As more retailers are gearing up for the inevitable launch of the new DJI Mavic Mini (from DJI or Amazon), we keep finding new photos and specs on websites that are publicly available. Today, we found a listing of the DJI Mavic Mini Fly More Combo, as well as another confirmation of the specs that we had reported on before.

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We’ve learned more about how missing six-year-old Ethan was found with help of more than 700 volunteers and a commercial drone pilot with a DJI Matrice 210 outfitted with a Zenmuse XT2 thermal camera. This morning the Washington Post has a detailed article about what it took and how a community came together to rescue the missing child, Ethan Haus. He would not have been found without the help of the hundreds of volunteers but the drone with the thermal camera played a crucial role in this successful search and rescue mission.

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