Hi Everyone,

Im new to the forum. Im just  about the buy the DJI MAVIC AIR. It will be my first drone but im kind  of remote/menu savvy so im hoping ill pick up quick.

I would like to know how long it takes a fully depleted battery to recharge to full.

Also  wherever i fly do i need internet ? And do i need to login to DJI etc ?  I feel its abhorrent to expect me to wait for a network or get  permission from a DJI server each time i want to fly. But i may be  misinformed so please let me know. I was under the impression its a  stand alone gizmo, weve paid for it so we fly it with the remote  wherever and whenever we want. I dont see a need to login etc unless i  want to update my drone's firmware.

Can some of  you MAVIC owners guide me how it works. Do we only need to login and  register 1 time when we switch it on for the first time (or is that even  compulsory).

REGARDING THE APP :

Do we need to pay extra for the DJI phone app to work ? or is it free ?
When  we connect the remote to an Android phone and clip it to the bottom  grips on the remote does it automatically take over the android display  or we need to start the DJI app on the phone after booting the remote.

Thanks in advance

Charge Battery, about an hour,  No internet. DJI app is free.  I start the app manually because I have another app that I paid for so I want to choose which app runs.

fully depleted battery takes 1 hour to recharge.
No, you do not need internet to fly.  The device that I use does not have service on it.  only WiFi.    The only thing you have to wait for to fly is GPS sattelittes.  

REGARDING THE APP :

Do we need to pay extra for the DJI phone app to work ? or is it free ? - The App is free.

When  we connect the remote to an Android phone and clip it to the bottom  grips on the remote does it automatically take over the android display  or we need to start the DJI app on the phone after booting the remote. - This is an option.  You can have it so that when you boot the remote it will launch the Go4 app.

Personally, I like it this way.  I don't get requested for updates unless i connect to WiFi.  So I get to choose how I update.

you do need to login in to activate the aircraft.  after that, you will not need internet again.

Hi there, thank you for reaching DJI forum. DJI Go 4 app is free and you don't need internet when you are using the drone. It takes 55 minutes to fully charge a battery when using a standard charger or a Charging Hub. Please watch a video tutorials on this link: (https://www.dji.com/mavic-air/info#video).

So right out of the box it wont fly unless i go online and register ?
What do i need to register ? Just my email id and device id which is on the device or anything else ill need to produce. Because i wont have an invoice etc.

After registration i dont need to ever connect my device or controller to the internet right ? Only need to do that for updates ?

And what about updates ? Do i definitely need to update my device after buying it or during registration will the process force me to update firmware too. Im worried after hearing a lot of people having problems and then updating which gets them sorted AND vice versa with people who had no problems but updated and then the drone has gone all wonky or just bricked. Which firmware is safe to use/stick to.

DJI Paladin Posted at 2018-6-30 05:20
Hi there, thank you for reaching DJI forum. DJI Go 4 app is free and you don't need internet when you are using the drone. It takes 55 minutes to fully charge a battery when using a standard charger or a Charging Hub. Please watch a video tutorials on this link: (https://www.dji.com/mavic-air/info#video).

Hi !!!

Those videos dont even run. Im using Firefox 64bit. The unboxing / beginner / setup videos fail with Chinese language errors on the video window. Now this itself is causing me to lose faith in the product .

This is my first drone also. I got it in February of this year. So far I am very impressed with how stable, even in high winds (15-20 mph) this drone is. It will even tell you on the screen high wind warning. For me I downloaded the app to my phone (free.) Went through the step by step instructions to connect drone, remote and phone. registered and did the update at that time. I personally have not had any issues with any firmware update.

I was on a trip recently. Didn't have a car charger to charge batteries. The app wanted to update firmware. I didn't want to waist battery on that at the time, so I put my phone on airplane mode, no issues flying. I did the update at a later date. Still no issues with operations. I have flown the Mavic Air once without GPS lock (in Vision ready.)  I was around tall trees and was impatient, almost lost it to a tree. So unless you're good at flying, wait for GPS lock. It doesn't take but a few moments to lock on normally, I just had a lot of trees in the way.

My friend was on the fence on buying the Mavic Pro. I told him my experience with my Air. He bought it, but didn't open the box just yet. He flew my Air and that sealed the deal. He loves his Pro. He has built 2 quad copters in the past, has flown RC helicopters. He is impressed on how well the Mavics' work. I have no affiliation with Dji. Just putting out my experience as a first time drone owner.

Hope that helps with any un-answered questions or concerns. I am still super new, and still learning capabilities of this amazing drone.

I charged 4 flight batteries on the hub last night and it took 3 hours, 15 minutes from around 15% to each being fully recharged. Never fully deplete a battery.
The app is free.
I strongly advise you read the whole manual a couple of times.

Make sure you put your phone in airplane mode before flight to avoid pesky calls, txt alerts while flying.

zoomzu3 Posted at 2018-6-30 09:28
This is my first drone also. I got it in February of this year. So far I am very impressed with how stable, even in high winds (15-20 mph) this drone is. It will even tell you on the screen high wind warning. For me I downloaded the app to my phone (free.) Went through the step by step instructions to connect drone, remote and phone. registered and did the update at that time. I personally have not had any issues with any firmware update.

I was on a trip recently. Didn't have a car charger to charge batteries. The app wanted to update firmware. I didn't want to waist battery on that at the time, so I put my phone on airplane mode, no issues flying. I did the update at a later date. Still no issues with operations. I have flown the Mavic Air once without GPS lock (in Vision ready.)  I was around tall trees and was impatient, almost lost it to a tree. So unless you're good at flying, wait for GPS lock. It doesn't take but a few moments to lock on normally, I just had a lot of trees in the way.

I very much respect your feedback and it was quite helpful to know. Do you definitely need a GPS lock to fly the AIR, because then how do people fly them indoor. Im completely new to drones so please forgive my ignorance.

Rockyraaccoon Posted at 2018-6-30 12:35
Make sure you put your phone in airplane mode before flight to avoid pesky calls, txt alerts while flying.

Hi There,

My idea is to dedicate a phone just for this. So it will be my remote display phone. No other apps on the phone, it shall be a factory settings phone with no sim, no internet, nothing. When i want to update i will link that phone to the wifi in my home & update.

At least this is my plan, but i dont know if the AIR will fly without a sim inside the phone / without wifi being switched on (both cases of use with remote ofcourse).

What size of phone is apt to fit within the hand grips of the AIR remote ? I'm guessing 5" ?

Also i only have Android phones to use with this, am i at a disadvantage compared to iPhone users ?

RAW FOOTAGE QUESTIONS :

How do you guys view your 4k footage ? Does it play on a good spec normal desktop (in windows media player ??) with Windows 7-64bit OS. My desktop is 64bit, multi-drive with the OS on SSD, 16gb ram, and 4x 7200rpm drives for my data totally 16TB of which half is free.

How much space (file size) does 1 minute of 4k video occupy on your storage ?

What is the format (wrapper & video container & codec type used for the video ?

How do you guys view your files and how do you edit them ?
I use Sony Vegas 4k to edit videos but haven't worked with 4k on it so far. Ive been into video editing for about 10 years now, but dont know if this file type will load onto the Vegas timeline or interface.

How long does a 1 minute 4k video on an installed MSD card in the drone take to transfer out to your computer.

Sorry for the intricate questions.

Just rechecked - all video tutorials are working and English is OK as well. 5" phone is OK. I am with Android only with no problems so far. Dedicated phone is good idea, but be aware, that DJO GO4 app is RAM and CPU hungry - it should not be very outdated one

nixuspix Posted at 2018-6-30 23:27
Just rechecked - all video tutorials are working and English is OK as well. 5" phone is OK. I am with Android only with no problems so far. Dedicated phone is good idea, but be aware, that DJO GO4 app is RAM and CPU hungry - it should not be very outdated one

Hi NixusPix,

Its an android lollipop / marshmallow based phone. Would that be ok ?

plainman007 Posted at 2018-6-30 23:55
Hi NixusPix,

Its an android lollipop / marshmallow based phone. Would that be ok ?

I think YES, but things have to be tested. Just reset your phone to factory, download DJI GO4 app from goole play store, install and try it. If you have a friend with any DJI drone, you can connect to it with your phone and see how things looks like

Average Flight per battery: Twice as long as half the flight No but in all seriousness, 14-16 is about average for me with 17 being the max with 10% remaining. Depends on flight style.

There is only one login, unless you logout of the app or are using a new device. Internet is required this one time though if you are in the warning zones where you need permission to fly the app will require internet to unlock. Check your countries guidelines as far as flying near airports and other sensitive locations.

App is free, though your device will perform best with it if it has more than 2GB of ram and 2Ghz processor speed, unless you have IOS or a google nexus 7 tablet. App will start after controller startup, though not all the time.

plainman007 Posted at 2018-6-30 23:16
RAW FOOTAGE QUESTIONS :

How do you guys view your 4k footage ? Does it play on a good spec normal desktop (in windows media player ??) with Windows 7-64bit OS. My desktop is 64bit, multi-drive with the OS on SSD, 16gb ram, and 4x 7200rpm drives for my data totally 16TB of which half is free.

4k is best viewed on a 4k monitor, though it can work on lower resolution.

According to sandisk, 32 GB covers 80 minutes of 4k which is 32/80 which is about 400 MB though this changes depending on card and what the drone also writes onto said card.  

It does MOV and MP4 though I dont know what codec is used. (Best guess: H264?)

I view via the standard windows video player and edit through Divinci Resolve Beta, free software. I believe Vegas should intergrate with the MP4 or MOV but refer to manual.

Transfer rates depend on size of the file as well as the write speed of the card, though that being said you should be using a class 3 anyway which on average does about 50-100 mb/s. Usually takes a few minutes for me, though by the time I am transfering I am working with 25 GB of photos and stuff.

plainman007 Posted at 2018-6-30 22:44
I very much respect your feedback and it was quite helpful to know. Do you definitely need a GPS lock to fly the AIR, because then how do people fly them indoor. Im completely new to drones so please forgive my ignorance.

Flying indoors is not advised until you have gained some experience. The drone uses downward VPS to hold it's position in the absence of a GPS lock. With no VPS and no GPS lock the drone will enter ATTI mode and that requires a higher degree of skill - especially in confined areas. Always use the prop guards when indoors.

A CW Posted at 2018-7-1 01:27
Flying indoors is not advised until you have gained some experience. The drone uses downward VPS to hold it's position in the absence of a GPS lock. With no VPS and no GPS lock the drone will enter ATTI mode and that requires a higher degree of skill - especially in confined areas. Always use the prop guards when indoors.

I wont be flying indoors at least as a newbie. I asked that question to understand what part the satellites found have to do with flying the AIR.

3-D Posted at 2018-6-30 05:15
fully depleted battery takes 1 hour to recharge.
No, you do not need internet to fly.  The device that I use does not have service on it.  only WiFi.    The only thing you have to wait for to fly is GPS sattelittes.  

I agree with everything except the last line. You will occasionally need internet again to update the drone firmware (but not while you are flying) . Sometimes it is required. But other than that 3-D has a very thorough post.

Bing Err Posted at 2018-7-1 20:48
I agree with everything except the last line. You will occasionally need internet again to update the drone firmware (but not while you are flying) . Sometimes it is required. But other than that this 3-D has a very thorough post.

Or you need internet to rollback / downgrade / revert firmware and software to a previous version.

HedgeTrimmer Posted at 2018-7-1 21:06
Or you need internet to rollback / downgrade / revert firmware and software to a previous version.

Ive heard some troublesome versions of firmware dont allow rollback. Such as .400 firmware ? Any ideas what thats all about ?

plainman007 Posted at 2018-7-1 22:05
Ive heard some troublesome versions of firmware dont allow rollback. Such as .400 firmware ? Any ideas what thats all about ?

Mavic Air .0400 firmware is a one-way trip.  Once you upgrade to .0400 firmware on Mavic Air; you can not rollback to previous version.

Don't know that DJI has ever officially said as to Why they put in flags/markers that prevent .0400 firmware from being rolled back.  Seen a few theories posted.

A CW Posted at 2018-6-30 09:42
I charged 4 flight batteries on the hub last night and it took 3 hours, 15 minutes from around 15% to each being fully recharged. Never fully deplete a battery.
The app is free.
I strongly advise you read the whole manual a couple of times.

I strongly advise you read the whole manual a couple of times.

Ditto what "A CW" said.  


I would suggest reading manual at least once before purchasing.  Along with reading up on Mavic Air before purchasing - insuring an informed buying decision.
If you do decide to buy Mavic Air, while you are waiting for it to arrive - STUDY the Mavic Owners Manual.

One thing you should think about that is not obvious until you start to fly drones using GO-4 App on a Smartdevice --- Sunlight.   Most smartdevice screens are hard to see in daylight.  

You most likely will want a sunshade for your SmartDevices screen.

plainman007 Posted at 2018-7-1 19:09
I wont be flying indoors at least as a newbie. I asked that question to understand what part the satellites found have to do with flying the AIR.

Def do not fly indoors out of the box

AlphaFlightNW Posted at 2018-7-1 00:27
4k is best viewed on a 4k monitor, though it can work on lower resolution.

According to sandisk, 32 GB covers 80 minutes of 4k which is 32/80 which is about 400 MB though this changes depending on card and what the drone also writes onto said card.  

I downloaded some raw AIR footage for test from some websites and the size works out to 750mb per minute of video. How a 32gb card would hold 80 minutes i really a wonder. Must be marketing talk ? I think we will need 750mb x60 minutes to shoot an hours worth of footage.

plainman007 Posted at 2018-7-5 19:24
I downloaded some raw AIR footage for test from some websites and the size works out to 750mb per minute of video. How a 32gb card would hold 80 minutes i really a wonder. Must be marketing talk ? I think we will need 750mb x60 minutes to shoot an hours worth of footage.

Not sure, I have a sandisk extreme (gold) 32GB SD and it only says I have about 30 mins on the card. This is at 4k 30fps, while things like 1080 60 I usually get about 110 minutes

AlphaFlightNW Posted at 2018-7-6 10:12
Not sure, I have a sandisk extreme (gold) 32GB SD and it only says I have about 30 mins on the card. This is at 4k 30fps, while things like 1080 60 I usually get about 110 minutes

Yes, that's almost like the numbers i gave. It works out to roughly about a GB per minute for you. Maybe depending on the scene and fast action shots will take a little more data, thats how the mp4 codecs work. This is coming from my years of video editing experience. That is why no 2 files of exact same codec and duration will be the same. Always one will be either bigger or smaller than the other.

Does the AIR fly well when controlling it from inside a car with the AC running and the windows rolled up ?

plainman007 Posted at 2018-7-6 19:08
Does the AIR fly well when controlling it from inside a car with the AC running and the windows rolled up ?

Cant say I have tried that before. If you mean flying the aircraft in the car, then the aircraft will NOT move with you. Highly recommended not to fly it inside moving vehicle. If it is following you then it should work fine, make sure it is legal to operate while in moving vehicle as some countries forbid it.

Dup Post.

AlphaFlightNW Posted at 2018-7-7 17:22
Cant say I have tried that before. If you mean flying the aircraft in the car, then the aircraft will NOT move with you. Highly recommended not to fly it inside moving vehicle. If it is following you then it should work fine, make sure it is legal to operate while in moving vehicle as some countries forbid it.

Yes i was talking about flying the aircraft outside of course but with me sitting inside the car.

Couldn't buy the Mavic AIR last week. The shop says "no returns or warranty once sold" they also say "no testing of the aircraft working condition during purchase either". LOVELY norms, very convenient for themselves. And all this at a premium price compared to what most of you are paying. The price in my currency is equivalent to 1000usd. Second option, amazon.in, price equivalent of 1200usd, "NO RETURNS" mentioned below the product listing. The kicker in this is that the former option (shop) is listed under DJI's official website as their authorized retailer. Yet no warranty, no nothing, and he doesn't even check the units during sale i believe, he says its a sealed box, so the customer has to just take it and check it for himself and if there is any problem "NO RETURNS, NO WARRANTY". Cost however is 25-30% more than the rest of the world. Talk about consumer rights.

So can you guys advice me if there is any self diagnostic procedure (just thinking off the top of my head) or any signs to look for via the DJI app ? Any method by which i can install DJI app on my phone then go to the store and connect to the drone to run a self check or something ?

Hi Guys,

I just finished buying the MAVIC AIR. I have just been familiarizing myself with the menus etc with the propellers detached first to know what does what etc.

So far the issue ive noticed is there is a video flickering on the video feed even standing in the same living room of 200sqft and standing 6 feet away from the drone which is on a table. It flickers/blinks every 3 secs or so. Only the video blinks, so the other menu icons on the screen etc dont blink along with the video feed (which proves its only the transmitted video which is causing issue ?

Apart from this the second issue is every 10 mins or so the entire android screen (the app) goes black. The phone is ok and only the app blacks out completely, then after 5-10 seconds it again restarts the app on its own and starts at the screen showing the ENTER DEVICE button which quickly changes to a FLY NOW button. What is causing this black out and restart of app ? Does it do this when signal is lost ? Again these tests were about 5-6 feet away from the drone which was parked on a table (minus the props for safety).

The app shows Version 4.2.20. Is this the lastest version ?

plainman007 Posted at 2018-7-13 01:38
Hi Guys,

I just finished buying the MAVIC AIR. I have just been familiarizing myself with the menus etc with the propellers detached first to know what does what etc.

Glad that you got your new Mavic Air; have fun droning

dronto Posted at 2018-7-13 04:18
Glad that you got your new Mavic Air; have fun droning

Hi,
Thanks, BUT its hardly going to be fun.

The remote controller is taking 3-4 hours to charge and then lasts about 45 minutes of use, without even flying, just been testing the drone controls and what each does etc with the props off on the AIR. For that itself im getting only about 30 to 45 minutes of use.

plainman007 Posted at 2018-7-13 19:57
Hi,
Thanks, BUT its hardly going to be fun.

Honestly speaking I haven’t really tracked the battery duration for the remote controller while using it on the ground without flight. You did the right thing to familiarize yourself with the drone and the DJI App/Remote Control before flying it.

Yeah ive been sitting like a mad fella staring at a drone with no props (removed for any sudden surprises) and just toying with settings etc.

Just one hour back i did my first flight. Went very smooth and i set in beginner mode though. And with flying  distance limits in place. I was able to fly quite well and stable.
Experimented with a few tracking shots etc and then called it a day.

plainman007 Posted at 2018-7-14 06:27
Yeah ive been sitting like a mad fella staring at a drone with no props (removed for any sudden surprises) and just toying with settings etc.

Just one hour back i did my first flight. Went very smooth and i set in beginner mode though. And with flying  distance limits in place. I was able to fly quite well and stable.

Happy to hear that you had nice flight and got a chance to try few tracking shots. It took me several flights before I was brave enough to try Quickshot functions.