I want to loan one of my DJI drones to a friend for a couple of weeks, but don't want to into my account details into his phone.

I know I can probably unbind from my account, which would allow him to create a new account, and bind it.  But do I lose all the history (flight logs etc), when he then unbinds it and I bind it back to my account?

Or is there a better way to do this?

Thanks.

You won’t loose the flight history,  the binding is only for flyaway coverage.   Will you re label the drone though for him in case something happens.  

DAFlys Posted at 8-9 00:45
You won’t loose the flight history,  the binding is only for flyaway coverage.   Will you re label the drone though for him in case something happens.

Ah, do I need to do anything then?  If he follows the same PFC I will show him, flyaways will only be due to technology failure...   ...and its not flown away in the last 20+ months

So he will install the Fly app on his phone, and wont have to log in?  What about flight logs when he is flying?


As for registrations, I will remain the Operator from a CAA perspective, and he will be the Flyer.  Although not strictly necessary on a Mini, he is doing the CAA test to get a Flyer ID.

I should point out, a group of us are going away together, and this chap doesn't own a drone.  So initially will be under constant supervision, but hopefully will be competent enough to take it out on his own after a day or 2.

He has flown some of my other quadcopters on other holidays, before all the extra rules came in, so I have little doubt he will have those sorts of issues, esp given the stability of DJI drones over little 5" racing quads!

TheBoy Posted at 8-9 00:59
Ah, do I need to do anything then?  If he follows the same PFC I will show him, flyaways will only be due to technology failure...   ...and its not flown away in the last 20+ months

So he will install the Fly app on his phone, and wont have to log in?  What about flight logs when he is flying?

He’ll have to login and you’ll need to umbind and rebind or he’ll be limited to just a few flights.

DAFlys Posted at 8-9 01:16
He’ll have to login and you’ll need to umbind and rebind or he’ll be limited to just a few flights.

OK, so for clarity:

I unbind Mini 2 from my account using my phone.
He binds Mini 2 to his (newly created) account from his phone.
We have a few days of fun and games.
He unbinds Mini 2 from his account on his phone.
I bind Mini 2 back to my account on my phone.


Is it same procedure for Mini 1 as well, as he might use that for the first day to get used to it, in case he hits a tree or dunks it in the sea!

TheBoy Posted at 8-9 01:58
OK, so for clarity:

I unbind Mini 2 from my account using my phone.

Exactly

Thanks DAFlys and fateofangel

Actually it may depend on whether the binding is the one required for flyaway insurance. I bound my mini 2 to my account BUT I have neither flyaway insurance nor care refresh insurance and, as a possible consequence, I saw no way to bind the controller used to the account.

I was then able to use another account and I do mean ANOTHER account, on the same phone and on a different phone ( different email address etc. etc. ) to fly the drone using the original controller and or a different controller. I received a warning that something, the drone?, was bound but NO restriction were in place. I also, using the original account's app, severed the original binding and then, using the second account, was able to bind the drone to the second account. The original account, when used, then saw that the drone was bound to another account but it 'flew' the drone and again there were no restrictions.

This freedom, to fly the bound drone with any combination of controller and account, was contrary to my expectations and hope. I had hoped the drone would be grounded or have restrictions imposed when the 'wrong' account was used......so I reverted to no binding.

It may be that binding the controller is available ONLY if you have flyaway insurance and that the binding of the controller to the account is what enables the drone to be APPARENTLY grounded in the event of its being found after a flyaway insurance claim is successfully made.

BUT, if you do have flyaway insurance and the bindings to your account are severed, then the drone will not be covered by the insurance when your friend is using the drone whilst using their account. Similarly, there is probably no care refresh whilst your friend is using their account to fly the drone.

This raises an interesting question, if, as I do, someone switches between multiple 'phones' e.g. a phone and a tablet, logged into the one DJI account, is flyaway insurance valid with each and every 'phone' that is logged into the appropriate account?

BTW I am NOT suggesting that you allow your friend to fly using your account, an insurance claim if made in such circumstances, i.e. whilst your friend was flying the drone, would, if discovered, probably amount to insurance fraud.

Binding is not applicable to the Mavic Mini, just looked and see no option to bind the drone.

Not interested in the insurance etc, as I have no valid Care Refresh or other DJI insurance scheme on these older drones.

Essentially, all I am looking to do is allow my mate to use the Mini 1 and Mini 2 whilst we're away, without me having to set up my account on his phone.

Assuming you have not had insurance on the drone then I think you need do nothing, going by my experience your friend will be able to flight the drone with the binding still in place.
You could test this using an new created dji account on a 'clean' phone, if you have one, as I did.
I used a clean phone because I did have concerns that a logged out of and or uninstalled app would leave behind some 'residue' that might mean a new app/account installed/created on a 'not clean' phone had some sort of 'permissions' left in place and have access to those 'permissions'.
Or simple get your mate to instal etc. the app on his phone and test it before you go.

PS if you try the above on your own phone, any logs created using the new account will likely be inaccessable from the old account and vice versa, I tried it by copying logs from one phone to the other and neither account could, from memory, see the logs created under the other account.

Friends loan their drones,
Lifetime friends never loan their drones!

TonyPHX Posted at 8-9 12:10
Friends loan their drones,
Lifetime friends never loan their drones!

S'not a problem if you trust said friend - I know any crash would be a genuine accident and genuinely unintended.  Besides, its pretty hard to crash a DJI camera drone due to panic etc, as just let go of the sticks and it hovers .   Its not like the little 5" quad he was using last time we went away as a group, that had the potential to get in a lot of trouble very quickly!

TheBoy Posted at 8-10 23:26
S'not a problem if you trust said friend - I know any crash would be a genuine accident and genuinely unintended.  Besides, its pretty hard to crash a DJI camera drone due to panic etc, as just let go of the sticks and it hovers .   Its not like the little 5" quad he was using last time we went away as a group, that had the potential to get in a lot of trouble very quickly!

That's if, in a panic, you remember to let go of the stick rather than apply opposite stick....... whoops.. It hurt and my M2Z made a resounding thump as it hit the ground, bearing in mind I am largely deaf, it MUST have been some thump.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 8-10 23:37
That's if, in a panic, you remember to let go of the stick rather than apply opposite stick....... whoops.. It hurt and my M2Z made a resounding thump as it hit the ground, bearing in mind I am largely deaf, it MUST have been some thump.

Yeah, accidents can always happen - I consider myself pretty competent with multirotors, but still managed to send my Mini 1 flat out into a tree trunk about 2 months ago whilst flying fast (flat out in sports) and low (about 18 inches high) in an orchard.  I guess that reaction to do 1 of the 2 things that can save you (let go of the sticks on DJI type camera drones, or just push up the throttle to get height on non GPS stabilised quads) are things that come with experience...   ...and nobody started out with bundles of experience.

When I supervise inexperienced pilots flying *my* DJI drones, that's part of the initial instruction, and they get tested on it randomly.  I've only had one person crash one of mine when under supervision, and that was a misunderstanding on RTH (and that wasn't a DJI drone, though did have a DJI flight controller in)

I should just add, the Mini 1 versus tree trunk accident I had wasn't inexperience, that was the result of what we call in the UK, "Cocking About"!