The new year begins with a new Mavic 3 DJI drone. Last week, I finished up a short piece for Bays Mountain Park featuring some scenes from the first snowfall of the year.
‍
Last year, I crashed my trusty Phantom 4 at this exact location. I remember flying the old drone around 200 feet, and an error came on the display. I tried to get it back to the landing site, but it abruptly nose-dived into a Hemlock tree and crashed to the ground, spewing the camera, the legs, and tiny parts all over. I've crashed this bird before, but the repair shop said - no go this time and diagnosed the problem as water damage related to the new battery.
‍
Nevertheless, the new drone has flown spectacularly in most conditions. I've had it up a few times and especially enjoy the Sport mode, which permits flights exceeding 40 miles per hour.
‍
My biggest concern with the new drone was the temperature. The old Phantom wouldn't take off when temps were below freezing. Fortunately, the Mavic seems to have a better threshold and showed no problems at all soaring around the lake.
‍
The snowfall in Kingsport has been light this year so far, but I was lucky to get some decent color contrasts and a family walking across one of the bridges in the west end of the lake. I'm most impressed with the new Mavic. It's easy to set up, easy to carry, soars like it's alive, and is easy on the battery.

I look forward to seeing what else we can do with this new tool. Enjoy.

‍

‍