Hi.

I run a RC YouTube channel and have been looking for a drone that is easy to fly and under 250g. The Mini 3 Pro ticks a lot of boxes, but I was hoping that if you had an RC car and the drone, could you kindly check to see whether the drone is able to track the RC car without issues please?

As I am buying the drone for one reason only, for footage of RC cars. I am hoping the drone is able to continually track the RC car. It is a huge investment for me so knowing in advance that it works will motivate me to save up quicker. ;-)

Thank you so very much in advance. John Robinson RC

It's probably going to be too small.  from the tracking functionality I believe it will only do people and motor vehicles, won't do animals.

No, the manual even says not to do it. A couple things to remember - the car is much quicker than the drone. It also probably has a much higher top speed. Not to mention, the car is very small, so would be difficult to keep in focus.

I have seen some saying that it failed cause it was too small, maybe if its really dark against a light ground, that may work, also the cars can move and the drone wouldnt keep up in time and it would lose it then.

there are a couple of dozen videos on yt like this one:

I was able to do it with the original mavic air and a crawler. But a basher would be way too fast for the drone.

Well these are those kinds of fun things that may or may not work as you expect.  I recall trying it once with my M3 and a larger size RC car.  It was glitchy and ended up being not so fun.  Your mileage may vary.  It may very well be that I just did not have the patience.  : )

One other consideration, who would be in control of the drone and who would be in control of the car?
Since you are asking about an autonomous flight mode I am wondering if you are thinking of trying to do both simultaneously? if so I would guess that your concentration would be fixed on the car. Would that be legal in Malta, would it be safe?  

Hi, JohnRobinsonRC. Thank you for reaching out and for considering the Mini 3 Pro. We hope that our fellow DJI Pilots here will be able to provide you with suggestions based on their experience with tracking an RC car. Have a good day!

We think alike JohnRobinsonRC.
I was thinking of trying it with my XO-1 100mph


I didn't think of size BUT, next time I get the chance out of the city I will try it with my Baja 5b SS

My XO-1 for a little eye candy

The Saint Posted at 11-9 08:43
there are a couple of dozen videos on yt like this one:

https://youtu.be/flsP7SE0TrM

Hi. Yes that is correct and I have seen most of them. But of course there are no videos with the specific Mini 3 Pro and its that drone I needed the information for. Drone needs to be below 250g and I need to ensure it will work before dropping €1000. Thank you for the video though.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 11-9 11:49
One other consideration, who would be in control of the drone and who would be in control of the car?
Since you are asking about an autonomous flight mode I am wondering if you are thinking of trying to do both simultaneously? if so I would guess that your concentration would be fixed on the car. Would that be legal in Malta, would it be safe?

Having flown drones for years, I know there is no such thing as Autonomous flight. Every time I start to get comfortable, something goes wrong. Luckily I have my son with me every time I make a video so he would be the driver of the RC Car and I the drone. Thanks for the comment though. I am sure some people would try such a scenario.

Jupiter1TX Posted at 11-9 16:15
We think alike JohnRobinsonRC.
I was thinking of trying it with my XO-1 100mph

Ah nice one. Thank you. For sure it wont keep up with 100 mph RC car. But for me its more about the artsy shots and I never drive more than 50 metres away from my main camera anyway as people cannot see the car so whats the point. But having the drone could help me catch some decent scenery and of course the high jumps. ;-)

Jupiter1TX Posted at 11-9 16:17
My XO-1 for a little eye candy
[view_image]

Oh my.....

Dirty Bird Posted at 11-9 17:32
As mentioned an RC car is going to be too small to be reliably tracked.  Doesn't work well tracking another drone either for the same reason.  Wound up accomplishing it with Litchi Waypoint missions.

https://youtu.be/26ztIk624cs

Thanks so much for the information. I would be driving the darker coloured car on a light gravel track. The drone would be a close to the car as possible. No real point being at 100 metres. So do you think there is any chance it could track?

Thank you all for your advice and time. Very much appreciated.

Dirty Bird Posted at 11-10 02:14
Won't hurt to try.

Well other than having to pay $1000 hoping it will work. I simply dont have the cash to use on the project if there is only a chance. Maybe someone local has the drone and can help me test. Anyway thank you! Have an awesome day!

Here is the video. Again this is the Air so I don't know if it will work on the mini 3.
https://youtu.be/Bjg1Mvm2mAc

I don't own a RC car but have tried tracking my dog (the drone doesn't bother her in the slightest, she's used to it) . It did do it but results were hit and miss

Gusdog Posted at 11-10 08:36
I don't own a RC car but have tried tracking my dog (the drone doesn't bother her in the slightest, she's used to it) . It did do it but results were hit and miss

Ok thanks for the info. Much appreciated.