Av8Chuck

We build customs drones, to carry five cameras for an hour is a pretty big UAV.

Nicely done.

Yes, another acronym to add to the growing list, UAM, UTM, RPAS, UAS, UAV, PIA... Check out this article/video from Bell regarding Urban Air Mobility. https://www.verticalcentury.com/183700-what-air-taxis-need-to-take-off what do you think? When do you think this might happen?

When people ask for advice I often ask them what problem are they trying to solve? Knowing that helps advise them on the best tools they might need to solve it. Occassionally something comes along that provides us the opportunity to rethink the question. The Skydio2 is like that. Although the drone, in and of itself is not a game changer, the technology that enables it to do what it does certianly is. Being manufactured in the US, not only is this an alternative to Chinese manufactured drones, but it’s also an alternative to the “traditional” drone period. It’s certainly an exciting advancement in UAV technology. So if you compare it to DJI your missing the point. So to illustrate the point, check out this review of the Skydio2 by Evan Ackerman, editor of IEEE Spectrum. https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/drones/skydio-2-review-this-is-the-drone-you-want-to-fly After checking this out let’s see if we can have a discussion about the significance of this new technology and how it could be used differently to solve a problem you might be interested in.

What lens are you using on the Sony? Do you use a gimbal with the Sony on the ground?

There are times that you benifit from the property your shooting, they’re awesome, added to your video they look even better. This property, not so much but you still made it look great. Ok, it’s been a while — I hate you. Nice work.

The link just leads back to here...

The only reason the FAA probably even knew about this is because the secret service recovered the drone and turned it over to the FBI. Doh!

If you can be a little patient you could probably get a good used M2Pro, or better yet you can get a Skydio2 for $995 and you’ll be the envy of everyone in the forum.. don’t stress or overthink learning to fly a multirotor, they’re very easy to fly.

Welcome to the forum. The Part107 knowledge test is reasonably easy, you can find a lot of study materials online for free. Having said that, the FAA asks questions in a really funky way and the DronePilot Ground School does a good job of preparing you for how the exam is given. It’s not all about the answers but how the question are asked. If you’ve never taken an FAA knowledge test this advice will sound a little wonky, but for those that have hopefully they can chime in and maybe explain it a bit better. If your considering a DJI you might want to consider a Mavic Mini, I have not flown one but I understand they fly like a MavicPro2. The camera shoots up to 2.7K plenty good enough for online video so you can learn an “aerial” workflow for much less.

Not much of a debate. The ONLY agency authorized by congress to regulate airspace in the US is the FAA. The ONLY way the FAA can create a rule is through the NPRM process. Even NY has to go to the FAA to restrict airspace. Doesn’t mean they can’t do it but if they don’t go through the NPRM process then the rule is illegal. Rules can not be arbitrary or capricious. That’s why we have a constitution. Your right having a politician that was an evangelist for commercial operators would be a plus, but politicians come and go and change their vote depending on public sentiment. I think what we need more is an organization that represents our civil liberties as it relates to our right to choose a career. The FAA is prohibited from regulating commerce. It’s why they’ve lost all the law suites related to what defined the commercial application of UAVs. We started http://www.acuas.org in 2015, about the same time as the Commercial Drone Alliance and a host of other organizations claiming to represent the interest of commercial operators. Most represented manufacturers, trade shows, and manned aviation interests.

Yeah it does. i got rid of the Instagram links...

Are these shots legal? Are they the type of shots that reflects poorly on our community? Taking these kind of shots will result in more regulations?

If it’s class G then you can do that. If it is then you need permission either by filing for a waiver or LAANC. No one is suggesting people don’t follow the rules, what we’re debating is determining compliance of the rules from the video.

Welcome to the forum. What exactly do you want feedback on? What are you trying to do with your videos? Everyone who gets a drone has to go through the discovery process and get over the excitement of seeing the world and having control over this new aerial perspective. Your footage is no different than the million or so videos previously posted by others who just purchased a new drone. Sounds like harsh criticism but it isn’t. Now that you have a little experience with your new drone, if the goal is to make your videos stand out and reach people you need to start by doing three things: Become a photographer. Take the camera off of auto and set your exposure for every shot. Don’t just fly around taking footage. Compose every shot. Start with a well composed shot that communicates a beginning then transition to a well composed ending shot. Create wide establishing shots, closeups with reveals, create transitions from ground to aerial. Tell a story. Plan your sequence of shots so that you have a beginning, middle and an end. These are are the same rules of thumb that you would use producing video on the ground with the added dimension of altitude. If you practice these three things you’ll get the required dexterity to fly great shots over time. It will all come together.