Although I do not have a drone myself, I have friends that have some. If I can borrow or use one with a friend, I can get footage of places that I otherwise would not be able to see. I expect retrieving some footage would take a few hours. Drone footage is important because we can see things beyond what we usually would. I think of fires in California; having a drone that can record where fires are might be the key to stopping them from spreading at an alarming rate. (Catch them before the spread). If the weather permits and is not too dry, I would ideally make a somewhat large bonfire and see if my friend and I can spot the smoke from a distance. For this, a long-range drone would be ideal, and I think the most accurate detection I can get ahold of would be in a shorter radius.
I am waiting on my friend who agreed to help, that owns a drone for some free time. I will mimic a small series of fires, one big enough to create enough smoke that a tree on fire would roughly create. I hope to catch the smoke from the drone view; this simulation can help see fires through visual smoke detection before they spread out of control.
Unfortunately, we couldn't make the fire as big as we anticipated due to the burn ban. That was the only challenge as far as acquiring the best footage we can. However, once the burn barrel we used had a good fire, I threw a bunch of wet leaves and other living plant material to create a sound cloud of smoke, and that was when we were able to catch some decent footage. Overall, building a fire and getting good shots took around an hour and a half total. If drones were to be implemented and used to scout fires, they would need long-range capabilities for it to be worth using.
However, for the sake of the project, I think this is pretty solid. There were a couple of barriers, like the drone running low on battery. Luckily my friend had a backup battery pack.
The footage above is everything edited down to get the best possible footage the drone could capture. Overall I'm pleased with how this project turned out. In the future, I would like to see a drone with enhanced range capabilities, and a better camera find smoke from a greater distance.
Mavic Mini Specs
Takeoff Weight [1]
249 g
Dimensions
Folded: 140×81×57 mm (L×W×H) Unfolded: 159×202×55 mm (L×W×H) Extended (with propellers): 245×289×55 mm (L×W×H)
Diagonal Distance
213 mm
Max Ascent Speed
4 m/s (S Mode) 2 m/s (P Mode) 1.5 m/s (C Mode)
Max Descent Speed
3 m/s (S Mode) 1.8 m/s (P Mode) 1 m/s (C Mode)
Max Speed (near sea level, no wind)
13 m/s (S Mode) 8 m/s (P Mode) 4 m/s (C Mode)
Maximum Takeoff Altitude
3000 m
Max Flight Time
30 minutes (measured while flying at 14 kph in windless conditions)
Max Wind Speed Resistance
8 m/s (Scale 4)
Max Tilt Angle
30° (S Mode) 20° (P Mode) 20° (C Mode)
Max Angular Velocity
150°/s (S Mode) 130°/s (P Mode) 30°/s (C Mode)
Operating Temperature Range
0° to 40°C (32° to 104°F)
Operating Frequency[2]
Model MT1SS5: 5.725-5.850 GHz Model MT1SD25: 2.400-2.4835 GHz, 5.725-5.850 GHz
Transmission Power (EIRP)
Model MT1SS5 5.8 GHz: <30 dBm (FCC); <28 dBm (SRRC) Model MT1SD25 2.4 GHz: <19 dBm (MIC/CE) 5.8 GHz: <14 dBm (CE)
GNSS
GPS+GLONASS
Hovering Accuracy Range
Vertical: ±0.1 m (with Vision Positioning), ±0.5 m (with GPS Positioning) Horizontal: ±0.3 m (with Vision Positioning), ±1.5 m (with GPS Positioning)
Gimbal
Mechanical Range
Tilt: -110° to 35° Roll: -35° to 35° Pan: -20° to 20°
Controllable Range
Tilt: -90° to 0° (default setting) -90° to +20° (extended)
Stabilization
3-axis (tilt, roll, pan)
Max Control Speed (tilt)
120°/s
Angular Vibration Range
±0.01°
Sensing System
Downward
Operating Range: 0.5-10 m
Operating Environment
Non-reflective, discernable surfaces Diffuse reflectivity (>20%) Adequate lighting (lux>15)
Camera
Sensor
1/2.3” CMOS Effective Pixels: 12 MP
Lens
FOV: 83° 35 mm Format Equivalent: 24 mm Aperture: f/2.8 Shooting Range: 1 m to ∞
ISO Range
Video: 100-3200 (Auto) 100-3200 (Manual) Photo: 100-1600 (Auto) 100-3200 (Manual)
Shutter Speed
Electronic Shutter: 4-1/8000s
Still Image Size
4:3: 4000×3000 16:9: 4000×2250
Still Photography Modes
Single shot Interval: 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60 s
Video Resolution
2.7K：2720×1530 24/25/30 p FHD：1920×1080 24/25/30/48/50/60 p
Max Video Bitrate
40 Mbps
Supported File System
FAT32（≤32 GB） exFAT（>32 GB）
Photo Format
JPEG
Video Format
MP4 (H.264/MPEG-4 AVC）
Remote Controller & Video Transmission
Operating Frequency
Model MR1SS5: 5.725-5.850 GHz Model MR1SD25: 2.400-2.4835 GHz, 5.725-5.850 GHz
Max Transmission Distance (unobstructed, free of interference)
Model MR1SS5 5.8 GHz: 4000 m (FCC); 2500 m (SRRC) Model MR1SD25 2.4 GHz: 2000 m (MIC/CE) 5.8 GHz: 500 m (CE)
Operating Temperature Range
0° to 40°C (32° to 104°F)
Transmission Power (EIRP)
Model MR1SS5 5.8 GHz: <30 dBm (FCC); <28 dBm (SRRC) Model MR1SD25 2.4 GHz: <19 dBm (MIC/CE) 5.8 GHz: <14 dBm (CE)
Battery Capacity
2600 mAh
Operating Current/Voltage
1200 mA 3.6 V (Android) 450 mA 3.6 V (iOS)
Supported Mobile Device Size
Max length: 160 mm Max thickness: 6.5-8.5 mm
Supported USB Port Types
Lightning, Micro USB (Type-B), USB Type-C
Video Transmission System
Enhanced Wi-Fi
Live View Quality
720p/30fps
Max. Bitrate
4 Mbps
Latency (depending on environmental conditions and mobile device)
170-240 ms
Charger
Input
100-240 V, 50/60 Hz, 0.5A
Output
12V 1.5 A / 9V 2A / 5V 3A
Rated Power
18 W
Intelligent Flight Battery
Capacity
2400 mAh
Voltage
7.2 V
Max Charging Voltage
8.4 V
Battery Type
Li-ion 2SEnergy
17.28 Wh
Net Weight
100 g
Charging Temperature Range
5° to 40°C (41° to 104°F)
Max Charging Power
24 W
Intelligent Flight Battery (1100 mAh)
Capacity
1100 mAh
Voltage
7.6 V
Max Charging Voltage
8.7 V
Battery Type
LiPo 2S
Energy
8.36 Wh
Net Weight
50 g
Charging Temperature Range
5° to 40°C (41° to 104°F)
Max Charging Power
18 W
Phone APP for flight use
Name
DJI Fly
Required Operating System
iOS v10.0 or later Android v6.0 or later
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