I got my Mini for Christmas and am enjoying it immensely. Due to COVID and my wife being a germaphobe we don't go anywhere except to pick up groceries curbside. So I've been flying the thing around my subdivision. I adhere to the height limitations but is there something else I need to consider?  I generally fly it at about 300 feet so it's not like I'm buzzing people or invading their privacy.  I ask this because I have never seen another drone in my area.  While I'm pretty sure I'm not doing anything that against regulations I don't want to do anything that's considered rude. A guy rode past on his bike and said he has a bigger Mavic drone, but I didn't get the impression he flies it around his house. He lives about 10 miles away.

Check for ordinances in your city or county.  For example, in my city, I can't take off or land on any city property or facility.  So I can take off from my driveway and fly over the street, but I can't take off from the street.

Hello there. Personally I only flew the Mini near my house once for roof inspection.

Typically I don't fly near houses at all, not even above. In the lockdown silence you could still hear the noise from several hundred meters away. Besides neighborhoods and houses are not a good piloting point.

What I consider a good vantage point is one that has the most view of the horizon from above the place where I intend to fly. I also don't like flying anywhere near water even if I did that represents a big risk I try to avoid. I consider the MM an extension of my photographer arm, thus elevating or taking pictures where I couldn't reach otherwise.

Thanks for the input guys.  I live in Texas and as I read them the laws regulating drones are not very intense, especially for a MM.  There's even a state law that bans local municipalities from regulating drones except during special events.

About the only thing is that you can't fly a drone in most city/state parks except for a few designated ones unless you write to the park ranger a month ahead of time.  There are, of course, other drone laws but they are quite general and I haven't violated any as far as I can determine.

I hope to be able to get out within the next couple of weeks when the vaccine kicks in.  Flying around the subdivision is a bit of a pain since everybody here has fiber and there are wifi routers out the wazoo.

You're welcome, home/office routers should be outside of the Mini's frequency but they could still be close enough to cause resonance, more in general it's the city that causes the most trouble.

m80116 Posted at 2-23 15:11
You're welcome, home/office routers should be outside of the Mini's frequency but they could still be close enough to cause resonance, more in general it's the city that causes the most trouble.

At least here in the USA, that is 100% incorrect.  The Mavic Mini operates between 5.725 and 5.850 GHz.  That is the upper portion of channel 144 through most of channel 169.  All of those are legal for WiFi.  Most are unrestricted -  couple are indoors only.
I can tell you that I have severe WiFi interference issues is certain directions from my house.  To the southwest, I reliably lose signal within a couple hundred meters.

Hello there texgeekboy. Thank you for reaching out and for these information you have given. You may try checking this link where to fly your DJI Drone on your area ( https://www.dji.com/flysafe/geo-map ). Thank you.

DJI Stephen Posted at 2-23 19:23
Hello there texgeekboy. Thank you for reaching out and for these information you have given. You may try checking this link where to fly your DJI Drone on your area ( https://www.dji.com/flysafe/geo-map ). Thank you.

Thanks.  I've reviewed that map already.   To my south there is an altitude zone for Houston Bush Intercontinental, and to my west there is an authorization zone for a small private airfield.  Both zones are quite close.  Ergo, I fly to the North and East to stay out of trouble!

DJI Stephen Posted at 2-23 19:23
Hello there texgeekboy. Thank you for reaching out and for these information you have given. You may try checking this link where to fly your DJI Drone on your area ( https://www.dji.com/flysafe/geo-map ). Thank you.

Thanks for the link.  

K6CCC Posted at 2-23 16:48
At least here in the USA, that is 100% incorrect.  The Mavic Mini operates between 5.725 and 5.850 GHz.  That is the upper portion of channel 144 through most of channel 169.  All of those are legal for WiFi.  Most are unrestricted -  couple are indoors only.
I can tell you that I have severe WiFi interference issues is certain directions from my house.  To the southwest, I reliably lose signal within a couple hundred meters.

You're right pointing that out. I forgot about that difference.

Anyway Wi-Fi control transmission is still quite an alchemy even here were home/office routers on the 5.8GHz band operate outside the CHs used by the Mini, and furthermore it appears to me that channels that are not modulating (without active transmission) are still reported green on chart, which is OK in that moment, but that doesn't guarantee somebody wouldn't initiate the download of a massive file or start an online gaming session.

Yet despite this 5.8 GHz even here without ever appearing on the reds still yields a considerably lesser throw in the city than the countryside. I managed almost 2 Km with my boosters while I can barely reach 800m in next to urban environment.

texgeekboy Posted at 2-24 08:35
Thanks.  I've reviewed that map already.   To my south there is an altitude zone for Houston Bush Intercontinental, and to my west there is an authorization zone for a small private airfield.  Both zones are quite close.  Ergo, I fly to the North and East to stay out of trouble!

Hi there texgeekboy. Thank you for the reply and if you have any other inquiries or concerns with DJI. Please feel free to post it here at DJI Forum. We are all here to help and support you. Thank you. .

jwp721 Posted at 2-24 09:03
Thanks for the link.

Hi there jwp721. You are very much welcome and thank you for the reply. Have a safe and a happy flying always.

research- it depends on where you live

Actually, the reason I asked this is because I have only seen one drone in the area, a professional model, flown by a neighbor that has a photography business on the side.  He said it was new and he wanted to become familiar with it before he used it for his work.

While you have to be aware of the restrictions, local laws, and just generally being polite, I would have thought that there would be more drones around here.  As I said, the laws here are not very onerous so I would guess I'd have seen at least one.  Perhaps this hobby isn't as popular with the masses as I thought.  I like it though.

I live on quite a large lake with lots of houses and in the summer lots of boats anchored near shore. I rarely see another drone. I fly mine around our neighborhood with no issues. Once it gets to about 200 feet it can't be heard and unless you've been watching it it's very hard to even see.

I'm not healthy, two types of heart disease and a germaphobe, OCD, just generally anxious but I have no problem going to parks and places with no one around or at least no one withing 100 feet or more. If some one comes over I have no problem politely asking them to not come any closer. So far everyone in my neck of the woods has been polite and respectful.

Point is, I'm sure you could find some nice open area to fly if you want to avoid your neighborhood and assure your wife you are staying safe.

Have fun.

tex, you sound like me.  i hardly ever see anyone else flying a drone but they sell a ton of them so why isn't anyone flying?  do they fly it once or twice and then give up?  i can't be the only one in the city that enjoys flying drones on a "daily" basis.  the hobby is never going to gain traction unless people start flying and i'm talking about from a public awareness perspective.

tex, are you familiar with laanc?

The Saint Posted at 2-27 16:54
tex, you sound like me.  i hardly ever see anyone else flying a drone but they sell a ton of them so why isn't anyone flying?  do they fly it once or twice and then give up?  i can't be the only one in the city that enjoys flying drones on a "daily" basis.  the hobby is never going to gain traction unless people start flying and i'm talking about from a public awareness perspective.

tex, are you familiar with laanc?

When the veteran drone guy rode by on his bike he told me about that!  I have an app called ‘Avision’ which is it I think?  I fired it up a couple of times but really didn’t get the hang of it. It’s been over a month since I last used it, and now I can’t remember the password!
I saw a neighbor take his drone up last year and on its maiden flight he put it up about 40 feet in a pine tree. It took 3 days to get it down. I think things like that eliminate a lot of people from the hobby!

For WrongWay, good idea. I was going to go to a nice local park operated by the county precinct. After diving down deep in the regulations there was a note the drones are allowed only in designated areas. There is no designated area in that particular park so bummer.

texgeekboy Posted at 2-28 07:25
When the veteran drone guy rode by on his bike he told me about that!  I have an app called ‘Avision’ which is it I think?  I fired it up a couple of times but really didn’t get the hang of it. It’s been over a month since I last used it, and now I can’t remember the password!
I saw a neighbor take his drone up last year and on its maiden flight he put it up about 40 feet in a pine tree. It took 3 days to get it down. I think things like that eliminate a lot of people from the hobby!

sure that might work but you should try the kittyhawk app.  it's important to understand if you are flying in controlled (not restricted) airspace and if you must get laanc authorization to fly.  the kittyhawk app lets you do that quickly and easily and legally.

i used to live in controlled airspace where laanc was impossible to obtain as a recreational flyer.  therefore i would never be able to see someone flying a drone for fun in my neighborhood.  this quietly changed in october so we'll see if the activity picks up this spring.  unfortunately many recreational pilots either don't know about laanc or don't bother but it's the law and it's important.  don't launch anywhere in controlled airspace without getting laanc authorization.

why anyone would put up a bunch of drone restrictions like designated areas in parks when not very many pilots are flying i don't understand.  it's like in tx when a bunch of 30.06 signs went up right away but slowly started to come down after people realized how silly it was.  just let the responsible drone pilot fly in peace.

The Saint Posted at 2-28 11:13
sure that might work but you should try the kittyhawk app.  it's important to understand if you are flying in controlled (not restricted) airspace and if you must get laanc authorization to fly.  the kittyhawk app lets you do that quickly and easily and legally.

i used to live in controlled airspace where laanc was impossible to obtain as a recreational flyer.  therefore i would never be able to see someone flying a drone for fun in my neighborhood.  this quietly changed in october so we'll see if the activity picks up this spring.  unfortunately many recreational pilots either don't know about laanc or don't bother but it's the law and it's important.  don't launch anywhere in controlled airspace without getting laanc authorization.

I did get Kittyhawk and it appears to be much easier to use than what I had. I like that it integrates the DJI drone. I need to watch some videos on how to obtain laanc. I am on the edge of class D airspace.

You’re not breaking any laws ..Sadly many ppl are uneducated about drones. Most parks won’t let you fly in them so be careful there. Any open area would be good as long as it’s not government

RenegadeCowboyAZ Posted at 3-1 13:41
You’re not breaking any laws ..Sadly many ppl are uneducated about drones. Most parks won’t let you fly in them so be careful there. Any open area would be good as long as it’s not government

all i am saying is "if you fly your drone in controlled airspace without laanc authorization, you most likely are breaking faa rules."  it's friendly advice, i'm not the drone police and i never tell this to anyone in person if i saw them flying, i would never ask them did they get laanc before takeoff.

if you are in class g then you are good to go.

The Saint Posted at 3-1 14:02
all i am saying is "if you fly your drone in controlled airspace without laanc authorization, you most likely are breaking faa rules."  it's friendly advice, i'm not the drone police and i never tell this to anyone in person if i saw them flying, i would never ask them did they get laanc before takeoff.

if you are in class g then you are good to go.

I spent quite a bit of time brushing up on the legal stuff and watching some youtube videos.  My house is sitting in Class D airspace.  I was able to use Kittyhawk to get laanc authorization for a flight as a recreational pilot, no problem.  It took a while to figure out, but next time it'll be a snap, so I'll be in the clear for all future flights.

I found out that I don't need 107 licensing to fly a larger drone for recreation, but I do need to register it.

texgeekboy Posted at 3-1 15:17
I spent quite a bit of time brushing up on the legal stuff and watching some youtube videos.  My house is sitting in Class D airspace.  I was able to use Kittyhawk to get laanc authorization for a flight as a recreational pilot, no problem.  It took a while to figure out, but next time it'll be a snap, so I'll be in the clear for all future flights.

I found out that I don't need 107 licensing to fly a larger drone for recreation, but I do need to register it.

good deal, never hurts to be in compliance even though it is likely no one will ever question it.  even the tiny drone needs laanc in america.  but yes, if you intend to fly anything larger than a mini, you'll need to visit faa.gov and complete your recreational $5 pilot registration.  you'll never be asked for the details of your drone but you will register yourself as a pilot and be given a personal registration number that you can affix to your drone.  in fact, you can do this now and affix that number to your mini....but you are not compelled to do so; however, if you do it now, you won't have to worry about visiting faa.gov ever again as long as you fly recreational (and the rules don't change).  when/if you get a mavic, just apply the same sticker and you are good to fly.

The Saint Posted at 3-1 14:02
all i am saying is "if you fly your drone in controlled airspace without laanc authorization, you most likely are breaking faa rules."  it's friendly advice, i'm not the drone police and i never tell this to anyone in person if i saw them flying, i would never ask them did they get laanc before takeoff.

if you are in class g then you are good to go.

Not sure why you are responding to my post ..My post was to the person that posted it...I’m well aware of where you can and cannot fly ...have a good day

RenegadeCowboyAZ Posted at 3-2 10:38
Not sure why you are responding to my post ..My post was to the person that posted it...I’m well aware of where you can and cannot fly ...have a good day

yeah it was the last post and i hit reply when i probably should have just posted.

The Saint Posted at 3-2 17:28
yeah it was the last post and i hit reply when i probably should have just posted.

Sorry friend didn’t mean to come across as rude...You always post good stuff

RenegadeCowboyAZ Posted at 3-3 18:33
Sorry friend didn’t mean to come across as rude...You always post good stuff

no problem