:::SIGH:::

The Kid · Jan 14, 2023

Santa brought me an Avata for Christmas. Unfortunately, it has been snowing....and snowing....and snowing...and raining....and raining....and, uh, snowing again....
Haven't been able to fly it! Never fails, get a new toy and Mother Nature has to put a crimp in my enjoying it.
I suppose that is ok...the goggles don't fit my face so I ordered the goggle 'seals/cushions' but they won't be in for another week or two, so... Craft has my reg. numbers on it., the firmware is up to date, batteries are kept at full poof on my desk. All info to DJI sent in.
We had a nice day yesterday, but with 3 feet of snow on the ground, not gonna fly it. For check out flights of my drones, I usually go down to the playing field of the local middle school. It is wide open and no obstructions. The field is 2 full sized soccer pitches long and wide, and, of course, empty on weekends. But as I said, 3 feet of snow.

Kinda reminds me of back in 1975/76, I purchased a new Honda GL-1000 motorcycle. It was on sale at a dealer 200 miles away, so I took a trailer to pick it up. It was mid-March, so, guess what? It was almost a month before I could start enjoying it, darned weather again!

I have come to a conclusion: Mother Nature just doesn't like me.
So..............
If anyone has any suggestions about first time flights with this drone, I would be most appreciative.
In the past, for new drones, (I have always for first flights) done hover tests for stability, fine tuning, etc. I plan to do this with the Avata first, unless any of you Avata pilots suggest otherwise, I am ALL eyes for suggestions.

Thanks for putting up with my posting 'whine'!

The Kid

Barbara · Jan 14, 2023

I feel your pain. -26 C here this morning, and the snow has been piling up.

It is entirely possible to fly the Avata indoors, if you really need a fix, but it doesn't really satisfy, unless you have a LARGE house....

The Kid · Jan 14, 2023

I have a very large great room....

But....

There is also a 150 gallon aquarium, valuable pieces of art and pottery, not to mention, the wife's knick-knacks on the fireplace mantle.

No, a big drone in there? Not gonna happen!

I do have my cat toys I fly in there....the tiny 2" drones I fly in there to tease my cats. They love them. If they catch one, I shut it down immediately and the kitties will bring it back to me, and then wait patiently for me to launch again. (In case you wonder, they are Bengals)

So..........

Barbara · Jan 14, 2023

The Kid said:
I have a very large great room....

But....

There is also a 150 gallon aquarium, valuable pieces of art and pottery, not to mention, the wife's knick-knacks on the fireplace mantle.

No, a big drone in there? Not gonna happen!

I do have my cat toys I fly in there....the tiny 2" drones I fly in there to tease my cats. They love them. If they catch one, I shut it down immediately and the kitties will bring it back to me, and then wait patiently for me to launch again. (In case you wonder, they are Bengals)

So..........

Ahh well, twas just a thought. Hmmm, methinks maybe I should charge up my little old Snap drone to fly about indoors...and annoy the Parrot!

afreakofnature · Jan 15, 2023

The Kid said:
I suppose that is ok...the goggles don't fit my face so I ordered the goggle 'seals/cushions'

what are you referring too? Link?

Kilrah · Jan 15, 2023

Same, had rain and strong winds for what feels like forever now, and the one time there's a nice day it's pretty much guaranteed it's the one day I also have to be unavailable...

Love flying on snow-covered sunny days though, but not much opportunity here.

The Kid said:
If anyone has any suggestions about first time flights with this drone, I would be most appreciative.
In the past, for new drones, (I have always for first flights) done hover tests for stability, fine tuning, etc. I plan to do this with the Avata first, unless any of you Avata pilots suggest otherwise, I am ALL eyes for suggestions.

It's a DJI aircraft, just flies like any other (until you go manual obviously).

rktman · Jan 15, 2023

Barbara said:
I feel your pain. -26 C here this morning, and the snow has been piling up.

It is entirely possible to fly the Avata indoors, if you really need a fix, but it doesn't really satisfy, unless you have a LARGE house....

^^This. Not nearly as fun, but vastly more than staring at it lusting.

Use some open-back chairs, end-tables, etc. to make a course to fly through, over and around.

Barbara · Jan 15, 2023

rktman said:
^^This. Not nearly as fun, but vastly more than staring at it lusting.

Use some open-back chairs, end-tables, etc. to make a course to fly through, over and around.

Have to try that, the indoor obstacle course. The biggest problem I have with flying indoors, other than annoying the parrot, it blows all the dust balls out from under the furniture...

rktman · Jan 16, 2023

Other fun things to try indoors: "Walk" around maintaining eye level height. Stairs must be included. Simulate a body with feet on the floor– gotta fly around things you could fly over... really helps hone your fine movement skills.

Halifax · Jan 18, 2023

Kilrah said:
Same, had rain and strong winds for what feels like forever now, and the one time there's a nice day it's pretty much guaranteed it's the one day I also have to be unavailable...

Love flying on snow-covered sunny days though, but not much opportunity here.

View attachment 6163

It's a DJI aircraft, just flies like any other (until you go manual obviously).

Fantastic mountain shot, taken with Avata? Is this at a ski area? I see infrastructure in the upper L corner...
Well done, love the colors, too.

Kilrah · Jan 18, 2023

Halifax said:
Fantastic mountain shot, taken with Avata?

DJI FPV. Bit too far/high for the Avata...

There are ski slopes in the area but nothing there, just avalanche barriers.

Halifax · Jan 18, 2023

To a mountain lover trapped in New England, and a ski patroller as well, that shot is just heavenly. Thanks for the new wallpaper! Well done.

Kilrah · Jan 19, 2023

The FPV is a dream in the mountains, the best thing there is besides an actual helicopter to be able to go see the view from a completely different perspective in a few minutes

"Hey, there's still a bit of sun up there, let's go see"

Halifax · Jan 19, 2023

Kilrah said:
The FPV is a dream in the mountains, the best thing there is besides an actual helicopter to be able to go see the view from a completely different perspective in a few minutes
"Hey, there's still a bit of sun up there, let's go see"

That is fantastic! Thank you for posting it. Where is this?

rktman · Jan 21, 2023

Kilrah said:
Same, had rain and strong winds for what feels like forever now, and the one time there's a nice day it's pretty much guaranteed it's the one day I also have to be unavailable...

Dude... dudes... no one beats my last two weeks.

I live in Aptos CA. We 'been in the news. Yeah, the president just paid us a visit. Here's what I've been shooting...

This was shot with FPV at the Warf House at the end of the pier, the rest with the M3P. This was just Capitola Village... The destruction and devastation is very widespread, from Santa Cruz to Watsonville, 30 miles down the coast. We were beaten to a pulp by high winds, torrential rain, and 35-40 foot waves, that literally stripped the sand from the beaches and swept it away.

This is my beloved Seacliff State Beach, walking distance from home. Needless to say, I'm a bit down about this. Shot a lot of drone video here:

Here at Twin Lakes state beach, right in the heart of Santa Cruz, at least 7' vertical of sand is just... gone:

Just to make sure I couldn't have a hair's-width of happiness, COVID finally found me, and I've been dealing with that since exactly two weeks ago today.

As you can see from the videos, not even COVID can keep me down during a once-in-a-lifetime event like this. My 60 year old, over weight diabetic body handled it well – I'm almost back to health. Just lingering fatigue and a cough that's almost gone.

I am a pretty tough dude, generally

Halifax · Jan 21, 2023

Wow, so sorry, Brother. I have been reading about this and seeing news video but these clips really bring it to life. Best wishes to you and your neighbors for a quick storm recovery and to you for your COVID challenge.