Skydio 2 on Maui

[MauiMikey]

I ordered the Skydio 2 in Oct. 2019 and received it in Aug. 2020. Thanks to COVID my main reason for ordering it (filming a motorcycle trip) disappeared so the long delay was not so frustrating. I hesitated buying it when my chance arrived since I have a Mavic for doing photography. A buddy agreed to buy it if I ordered it so I did. After months of waiting that agreement is now dead. So I guess I am now the proud owner of a Skydio 2 plus the sports package and controller.
It will be interesting to see how it compares to the Mavic. Hopefully support for Android is better than DJI.
I look forward to getting some hints and tips from this forum.
Aloha,
Mike

 

[dirkclod]

Welcome to the forum ?

 

[Brentbat]

I ordered the Skydio 2 in Oct. 2019 and received it in Aug. 2020. Thanks to COVID my main reason for ordering it (filming a motorcycle trip) disappeared so the long delay was not so frustrating. I hesitated buying it when my chance arrived since I have a Mavic for doing photography. A buddy agreed to buy it if I ordered it so I did. After months of waiting that agreement is now dead. So I guess I am now the proud owner of a Skydio 2 plus the sports package and controller.
It will be interesting to see how it compares to the Mavic. Hopefully support for Android is better than DJI.
I look forward to getting some hints and tips from this forum.
Aloha,
Mike

Hey Maui Mikey, I also use my drone for motorcycle videos. I had the Mavic Air 2 and crashed it into a tree while motorcycle riding. I just got the Skydio2 last week and spent the weekend testing it. OMG... No comparison. The Skydio is MUCH better for motorcycling videos.

 

[MauiMikey]

Hey Maui Mikey, I also use my drone for motorcycle videos. I had the Mavic Air 2 and crashed it into a tree while motorcycle riding. I just got the Skydio2 last week and spent the weekend testing it. OMG... No comparison. The Skydio is MUCH better for motorcycling videos.

Hey Brentbat, I'm glad to hear the Skydio is working well for filming motorcycles. I have yet to try it. What are you using for control, phone, beacon, or controller?

 

[Brentbat]

Hey Brentbat, I'm glad to hear the Skydio is working well for filming motorcycles. I have yet to try it. What are you using for control, phone, beacon, or controller?

Maui Mikey, I did my first tests last weekend using the Beacon... I really pushed the drone to the limits (probably beyond them)... here's my test.

This weekend I'm going to test the controller and also the non-motion-tracking skills.

 

[MauiMikey]

Maui Mikey, I did my first tests last weekend using the Beacon... I really pushed the drone to the limits (probably beyond them)... here's my test.

This weekend I'm going to test the controller and also the non-motion-tracking skills.

Wow, that is truly impressive. My Mavic would have died a hundred deaths attempting that. And a very well produced video. Do you do it for a living? I'm a longtime still photographer but really struggle doing video, particularly the editing.
Do you think the Skydio was tracking you visually or just following the beacon?
Thanks for sharing your experience and video.

 

[Brentbat]

Wow, that is truly impressive. My Mavic would have died a hundred deaths attempting that. And a very well produced video. Do you do it for a living? I'm a longtime still photographer but really struggle doing video, particularly the editing.
Do you think the Skydio was tracking you visually or just following the beacon?
Thanks for sharing your experience and video.

Hey MauiMikey
Thanks for your note. Yes, I have a Mavic Air 2 and it would have not survived the first run through the trees.

Regarding the video production, thanks. My first career was in film and television, so I was formerly trained in all aspects of film and tv production (camera, sound and editing). Even though it is not my career I love it, and I'm making that the focus of my youtube channel. Video production for motorbike enthusiasts.

The Skydio was tracking me visually first of all, and then it would drop back to Beacon/GPS when it lost me. It's not as accurate as visual tracking, but sure helps the Skydio regain me.

I'm also a photographer, so I love the creative aspects of producing images and editing them. My next video series is going to be how to optimise gopro footage, as I've been researching and experimenting on that topic for a couple of months and I've got it all worked out now. It's a fascinating topic with a ton of nuances.

 

[kgilbertsen]

Hey MauiMikey, congrats on your Skydio. I recently got mine after almost a year's wait. We're supposed to have been in Honokowai since Feb 1, but, well, not this year. I had big plans for many places around your beautiful island. Have you seen what Nelson Bustamante has done on YouTube with his Skydio? And amazing talent IMO. Good luck with yours. This old dog hopes to learn a few new skills, hopefully by next year...