The RQ-35 Heidrun unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is designed for conducting low-altitude intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. It is produced by the Danish drone maker, Sky-Watch company. An unspecified number of these drones were delivered to Ukraine by the government of Denmark in 2022, allowing the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s drone operators to become familiar with the equipment.
Reports from the Ukrainian army indicate that the RQ-35 Heidrun has shown high effectiveness in real combat scenarios. However, based on experiences gathered during operations, engineers from Sky-Watch company have implemented several technical improvements into the UAV.
“Based on our experiences from Ukraine, our skilled engineers have configured the RQ-35 Heidrun to be highly EW resistant and capable of flying in GNSS denied airspace,” the company said on its website.
The German government has not provided any additional details regarding the future deliveries of RQ-35 Heidrun to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
However, the well-recognized and trusted German website, Soldat und Technik, reports that the drones will be delivered to Ukraine by the German defence company, Dynamit Nobel Defence (DND). The website states that DND has established a strategic partnership with the Danish company Sky-Watch.
The cooperation between the two companies aims to integrate the RQ-35 Heidrun drone with DND-developed sensor-to-shooter digital technologies. Furthermore, DND will play the role of a distribution partner for Sky-Watch.
Determining how high you can fly a drone is often confusing as manufacturers don’t tell us the information we need.
The reason is that it’s hard to tell the exact height a specific drone can reach, as it depends on the drone’s capabilities and the conditions the drone flies in.
Generally, how high can a drone fly?
Drones can fly very high depending on their design. A toy drone won’t reach more than 150 feet. Airspace regulations limit you to approximately 400 feet for commercial drones. Military drones can fly thousands of feet in the air when surveilling.
This article will help you garner a deep understanding of these fantastic tools’ height capabilities.
All aircraft must fulfill airworthiness requirements.
What’s airworthiness?
This is an aircraft’s technical and legal aptitude to fly within acceptable operational safety standards.
So, for a drone to fly at high altitudes, it must meet all the requirements to fly safely.
Top Drone Courses
How high can I fly my drone, technically speaking?
Manufacturers design drones to fly in the first layer of the atmosphere or troposphere.
In the troposphere, the higher you go, gases like air decrease in density. So at high tropospheric altitudes, the air pressure is less for the drone.
However, the wind is stronger as the air can move at these altitudes freely. There are no obstacles like mountains or buildings. Also, the temperature decreases abruptly.
The real challenge for manufacturers is for their drones to generate enough lift to maintain the drone stability when facing strong wind gusts and to fly at temperatures near or below 32° F or 0° C.
Most manufacturers design drones to fly up to approximately 20,000 feet or 6,000 meters. At this altitude, temperature and wind conditions are accessible for high-end commercial drones like the DJI Mavic 3.
Does this mean my Mavic 3 can’t go higher?
It can fly higher for sure, but that’s not what the manufacturer has designed the drone to do.
Flying your drone over its max altitude can result in a loss of control. That can potentially harm other people, aircraft, or goods when falling.
On the other hand, we have regulations prohibiting hobbyists or commercial pilots from going above certain altitudes with their drones.
The reason is that a drone can easily hit a larger aircraft in the same airspace. Let’s say you’re flying a drone at 4,000 feet.
The drone can interact with a commercial aircraft descending at that altitude to land at the nearest airport.
If that commercial aircraft engine sucks in your drone, it can get destroyed.
An aircraft without a properly working motor can’t fly, so it will cause a catastrophe when it smashes into the surface.
Aviation authorities defined that flying drones up to a specific altitude was safe to prevent potential accidents. That way, drones and aircraft will have divided airspace.
How high can a drone fly depending on where I am?
Drones can reach very high altitudes, but regulations limit the max height.
That height varies depending on where you are.
In first-world zones like the US and UK, the max permissible altitude for recreational and commercial drones is 400 feet or 122 meters.
What is the 400-foot limit for drones?
You’ll notice that most countries’ max flying height is 400 feet or 122 meters.
The reason is only a convention between aviation authorities.
They have agreed that flying at that altitude is sufficient for commercial drone applications such as mapping.
Also, at this altitude, the drone won’t interfere with manned aircraft that fly between 500 and 1,200 feet.
Is my drone limited to 400 feet from the factory?
Manufacturers add special software that inhibits you from going beyond this limit with a drone.
However, you must be careful, as drones can sometimes fly above 400 feet.
The software can fail, allowing your drone to bypass this threshold and getting you into trouble due to a violation of airspace safety.
Civil aviation authorities strictly regulate airspace and will find out when you bypass their regulations.
Can the FAA track your drone?
As of September 16, 2023, the FAA can track any drone, as Remote ID must work for all drones.
Remote ID is a hardware module in your drone that sends GPS coordinates to other aircraft and ATC.
All recent drones come with it working, as drones must have it by that date.
So now the FAA can track your drone easily, knowing exactly where in the US you surpassed the 400-foot barrier.
In some scenarios, your drone must go above 400 feet, such as inspecting a structure or building.
Some rules allow you to fly a drone higher.
In the US, you can fly your drone above a structure that is 400 feet in altitude or more.
You must fly the drone in a radius of 400 feet from the structure and avoid violating the specific airspace max altitude.
Airspace classifications
Airspace divides into six zones according to aviation regulations.
Some airspace has no-fly restrictions for drones, and you must avoid them at all costs.
The reason is that some manufacturers equip their drones with GPS software that senses these restricted zones.
When flying there, the drone can attempt a sudden landing, or you can lose its control.
The first airspace division you must avoid is Class B. Within this zone, you can find extremely busy airports.
Then you have class C airspace, which covers most domestic airports with high manned aircraft traffic.
Class D airspace consists of any airport with an ATC tower that doesn’t enter Class B or C.
An ATC tower controls all three zones, as abundant manned aircraft are around the zone. These areas are so restrictive that most drones won’t start their engines.
Then you can’t reach 400 feet without authorization.
In this post, we share a complete guide on how to get authorization to fly with your drone in any zone.
The other three zones are special, as only one has no restrictions. The Class A zone is all airspace above 18,000 feet, which means you won’t fly there.
Class E airspace is between the altitude limit of airspace up to 18,000 feet. Better explained, this airspace can start at ground level: 400, 700, or 1,200 feet, or where Class B, C, and D airspace ends.
Here is where everything becomes fun, as Class G airspace is where you fly up to 400, 700, or 1,200 feet unrestricted. It’s uncontrolled airspace.
How high can a drone fly without FAA authorization?
The only way to fly above 400 feet without authorization is in Class G airspace.
Let’s say you want to take a timelapse of an avenue from 1,000 ft. You must fly near a tower with an altitude of 600 feet or more.
Then you can go up 400 feet above that structure, ascending 1,000 feet without breaking the airspace law.
Class E common confusion
There are no restrictions to fly in Class G airspace, meaning you don’t need previous authorization to take off with your drone.
The good news is you don’t need any authorization to go from Class G to E.
For example, the tower you want to fly above measures 600 feet, and the Class G airspace at that location gets up to 400 feet. This means the airspace between 400 and 18,000 feet is Class E.
Even in this scenario, you can go up to 1,000 feet.
The only restriction is when the Class E airspace starts at ground level. Here, you can’t take off with your drone.
At this year’s Paris Air Show, look for more information about ATLAS’ newest products and offerings from the 19th through to the 25th of June at its official booth, located at Hall 4 – F4.
At Europe’s premier trade show for the worldwide aviation industry, organized by the SIAE, visitors can see the major industry players from all over the world who design modern products around the latest technological innovations, and companies like ATLAS.
ATLAS is a next-generation aerospace company ready to offer visitors a unique solution for whatever their specific industry or activity is, which will be sure to help complete and simplify their various tasks and objectives. Ivan Tolchinsky, CEO of ATLAS, says:
“ATLAS has oriented itself towards the future, which helps to shape new perspectives of the UAV industry and bring them to Europe’s premier trade show.”
ATLAS develops and manufactures dual-use Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) for professional use cases and has solved the biggest problem in the aerospace market today – high-end aerospace technology has now become affordable and cost-efficient for everyone who wants to be a part of the future, and be a force to be reckoned with in it.
The 54th International Paris Air Show will kick off on June 19th in Le Bourget. ATLAS invites you to look for our products at the show, which will run from the 19th to the 25th of June 2023. Make sure to visit the ATLAS booth in Hall 4 – F4.
According to the official site of the Paris Air Show, the first four days of the show will be reserved for trade visitors, followed by three days open to the general public. This year’s show is expected to see more than 316,470 visitors.
The lack of a single communication standard among drone makers has made it difficult for information to be shared between drones, but a Korean research team has found a solution. The Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) announced that four contributions related to the ‘Unmanned Aircraft Area Network’ were established as international standards at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO*) meeting in Vienna, Austria. * ISO/IEC JTC1/SC6(communication and information exchange between systems)
Vienna Meeting
The technology towed by the research team as an international standard is a drone distributed communication standard technology that prevents the risk of collision between drones when flying drones(unmanned aerial vehicles) and supports the simultaneous operation of hundreds of drones.
The international standards established this time are standards for unmanned aerial vehicle communication networks(UAAN), and covers four detailed technologies:
▲unmanned aerial vehicle communication model and requirements
▲shared communication
▲control communication
▲video communication.
As ETRI researchers’ drone distributed communication technology has been confirmed as an international standard, the market outlook is also bright as the technologies to be developed in the future will lead to international standard patents in quantity.
The core technology of this international drone communication standards is Evolved Wireless Ad-hoc Network(EVAN*) technology. EVAN technology, as a hyper-connected original technology that will lead the future society, was applied to the development of the international standards for this ‘unmanned aerial vehicle communication network’ and was recognized by standard experts around the world. * Evolved wireless ad-hoc network: Unlike LTE, which requires a base station, a modern communication network that uses an auxiliary channel that serves as a base station instead of having a base station
With the application of EVAN technology in the drone field, it became possible to share information between drones, prevent collisions between large-scale drones, and prevent collisions with ground movement obstacles based on it. The recognition service communication distance of this standard is about 5 km, which allows drones as well as drones and helicopters to be mutually recognized, thereby securing flight safety of manned and unmanned aircraft at the same time.
For example, it was difficult for drones from different manufacturers to fly to spray pesticides on large farmland simultaneously, or for several drones to fly over the fire area simultaneously in the event of a large fire, but the technology solved these problems.
In particular, the research team explained that compared to the heavy and expensive drone recognition radar, the communication modem of the ‘UAAN’ standard can be manufactured inexpensively and lightly in the tens of thousands of won, making it very suitable for drone recognition service.
In addition, ETRI explained that this standard technology enables interconnection of drones as well as related devices. In other words, drone-related services such as drone control and drone image transmission, mutual recognition between drones, autonomous collision avoidance, illegal drone detection, mobile obstacle recognition, and communication with takeoff and landing sites can be provided as an integrated communication platform.
Through this, Korea will be the only country in the world capable of autonomous collision avoidance between drones by utilizing the international standard for ‘Unmanned Aircarft Area Network’ and the ‘Low Altitude Unmanned Aircraft Detection and Avoidance Application Layer Technology’ standard of the Korea Telecommunications Technology Association(TTA).
Also, if the communication modem of this standard is installed on a moving obstacle that is not displayed on the map, it is of great help in autonomous drone flight. In addition, it supports services such as direct communication with Vertiport, a drone taxi take-off and landing site, and provision of flight priority(dynamic geofencing) when maintaining bridges or surveying buildings, and if applied to defense drones, it can overcome North Korea’s radio interference.
ETRI researchers explained that in this standard, since the drone transmits a password(trust field*) that changes with each signal transmission, it is possible to automatically determine whether the drone is a legitimate drone or an illegal drone from the ground. * Trust field: Password that changes every 2ms slot. Similar to banking OTP technology. Valid only in the slot that receives the packet.
Furthermore, it was disclosed that ETRI’s ‘Unmanned Aircarft Area Network’ standard can be utilized for PAV(Personal Air Vehicle) communication, such as drone taxis. Disconnection of the mobile communication network is fairly common in the air, unlike on the ground, and this standard is particularly ideal as a communication standard to supplement this. Internationally, communication redundancy is an essential requirement for Urban Air Mobility(UAM*). * Urban Air Mobility(UAM): A futuristic metropolitan public transit system that makes use of the sky as a passageway.
Lim Chae-deok, head of the Air Mobility Research Division at ETRI, said, “The establishment of this international standard will secure drone operation stability, which is essential for servicing commercial drones, while with EVAN technology, its core, it is easier to configure an adaptive communication network compared to mobile communication such as LTE and 5G and Wi-Fi and has high transmission efficiency, so it will be of great help in leading fast and convenient future air mobility services in the future.”
According to ETRI researchers, EVAN technology will be expanded to a single communication platform that will provide a variety of services such as home/home appliances/vehicle control, indoor navigation, smartphone kiosk connection, children’s safety on the way to and from school, cannon vehicle arrest, and search for missing persons.
This international standardization work was carried out as a part of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s standard technology improvement project with the participation of the Korea Drone Industry Promotion Association, led by ETRI, which is the host organization. In March 2020, Hyeon-gu Hwang, senior researcher at ETRI, and Kang Shin-gak, head of the Standards Research Division, took over as editors(Chairmen), and standardization work began, with results coming four years later.
ETRI is a non-profit government-funded research institute. Since its foundation in 1976, ETRI, a global ICT research institute, has been making its immense effort to provide Korea a remarkable growth in the field of ICT industry. ETRI delivers Korea as one of the top ICT nations in the World, by unceasingly developing world’s first and best technologies.
This technology was developed with the assistance of the Ministry of Science and ICT.
Photos: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute(ETRI)
The cover of the Neal finalist cover from Inside Unmanned Systems.
The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) and its prestigious Jesse Neal Awards for excellence in business-to-business journalism announced March 8 that the “The Food Issue: Autonomy from Field to Fork” issue of Inside Unmanned Systems is a finalist in the contest’s Best Tabloid/Magazine/Newspaper revenue category.
Winners will be announced at a ceremony in New York on April 21. Inside Unmanned Systems won in this category last year for its “Science & Research” issue.
“The Neal Awards have long recognized the best of the best in B2B journalism,” said SIIA President Jeff Joseph. “We are particularly proud of this year’s honorees who produced reliable data, content, and services during a period of global upheaval and uncertainty—an era in which producing trusted, accurate information that provides critical business intelligence took on increased importance, perhaps more so than any time ever before. Our thanks and congratulations go to these outstanding finalists.”
The exclusive AI-enabled software pinpoints specific anomalies, filters information quickly, and eliminates uncertainty for commercial and residential properties.
The new capabilities include thermal moisture detection and AI/ML hail damage assessment through high-resolution imagery and automated reports.
Zeitview customers can gain insight into roof status by leveraging a global pilot network for automated flight applications or using the same app to capture the data themselves.
Roofing can be a substantial investment for properties of all sizes. With routine monitoring and maintenance, the lifetime of a roof can be extended while enhancing safety and ultimately saving money. Zeitview, a leading provider of advanced inspection software and services, today announced the expansion of its AI-enabled Property Insights Platform to assess rooftop conditions efficiently and safely. The company’s new offerings include thermal capabilities for commercial properties and AI/ML damage assessment capabilities for commercial, residential and multi-family properties. Supported by high-resolution aerial imagery of the roof secured from drone flights, the user-friendly Property Insights Platform assesses rooftop conditions, identifies anomalies such as debris, hail damage, rust, and more, and recommends optimized maintenance schedules.
Manual inspection methods are time-consuming, potentially hazardous, and often result in missed anomalies. Zeitview’s solution eliminates these challenges by providing fully transparent damage assessments in minutes. Using drones for rooftop and facade thermal inspection and analysis allows customers to proactively find moisture under a roof membrane and potential areas of energy loss around the facade, enabling them to act before it spreads or results in total replacement. The AI/ML technology is used to identify the most common and costly rooftop anomalies (e.g., hail damage, water ponding, deteriorated membrane) that could require attention or remediation. The AI vision highlights areas not characteristic of the roof itself, objectively covering every square inch and cataloging potential damage.
“We cannot overstate the time saved by utilizing drones for rooftop inspection purposes,” said Dan Burton, founder and chief executive officer at Zeitview. “Through our comprehensive analysis, our customers can make faster decisions about each property’s real-time condition while increasing efficiency and maximizing deliverables. Our client partnerships have grown to include pre- and post-construction images, thermal analysis, and conditional analysis on properties across the country because the software platform offers robust reporting and a one-stop-shop for drone services used by the industry.”
Zeitview customers benefit from the combined understanding of the AI-enabled software paired with an in-house team of roof experts that collectively analyze the imagery, determine the severity of the damage and create specialized condition reports. Within the condition report, each type of anomaly is overlaid on a 2-D orthomosaic map that fabricates a reproduction of the roof with enough accuracy to identify even the most minor signs of damage. The platform offers customizable thermal and measurement reports to drill down to the exact location of each rooftop variation. Further thermal analysis takes place within the platform with qualitative temperature data and visualization to triage sub-membrane roof anomalies. Customers can also use the imagery captured to create their own reports using the Property Insights Platform.
“Advanced inspection is quickly becoming more accessible through the use of drones and other smart technologies, leading to increased adoption by roofing contractors, manufacturers, commercial real estate, property managers and insurance adjusters,” said Jose Giraldo, general manager of property at Zeitview. “Given the highly reliable data provided by aerial imagery, we are excited to launch this expansion of our Property Insights Platform to provide our customers tools that standardize information while speeding up workflow and lowering costs. We want to enable our customers to get a first line of defense on their entire property portfolio in one place so that they can filter information quickly and get to what is most important about the condition of their property.”
Zeitview harnesses its novel advanced analytics to improve the precision and safety of rooftop inspections while saving time and money for the customer. The Property Insights Platform is a dynamic, easy-to-use resource that efficiently creates customizable reports with actionable data. Reporting functions are downloadable and shareable, so they can be used by insurance companies, roofing contractors, and property managers to estimate repair costs and prioritize projects.
About Zeitview
For global customers in energy and infrastructure, Zeitview builds advanced inspection software that delivers fast, accurate insights, lowers costs, and improves asset performance and longevity. We are second to none at partnering with our customers to achieve flexible, long-term solutions across their multiple asset classes. Trusted by the largest enterprises in the world, Zeitview is active in over 70 countries. Learn more at www.zeitview.com
Lori Scott is chief information officer and vice president for technology and partnerships at NatureServe, which, for nearly 50 years, has been the authoritative source for biodiversity data throughout North America. Scott oversees NatureServe’s technology team, with a portfolio that includes software product development, user support, and IT infrastructure for mission-critical enterprise information management and delivery systems.
Q: What is NatureServe and how does it work to enhance biodiversity?
A: We’re a nonprofit that is the hub of a network of programs, and we work with partners in every state in the U.S. and every province in Canada. This is called the NatureServe Network. That network was initiated by the Nature Conservancy in the 1970s, and then in 2000, NatureServe was spun off as an independent non-profit. They [the Nature Conservancy] have a land protection mission, and there just wasn’t good data on which to base those decisions. So, to be less opportunistic and more strategic, a system was designed for tracking what exists where and how it’s doing.
Q: How are things going on the biodiversity front, and what is the importance of maintaining as much of it as possible?
A: Well, it’s not great. There are a lot of headlines you could pick from in terms of the number of species facing extinction or that have gone extinct. In terms of why it matters, it’s sort of the basis of all life. So, biodiversity can be genetic, diversity of species, diversity of ecosystems. We’re all connected. And so everything we really rely on comes from that diversity. Seventy-five percent of our crops depend on pollination. About half of the medicinal drugs we use…that have been approved in the last 30 years have been derived from natural products. And then climate regulation, flood control, all the things we’re seeing in the headlines about climate. They’re very integrated and interrelated with biodiversity and the health of the environment.
Q: How have the types of data you use changed over the years?
A: Some aspects of our data model are very similar in terms of the kind of core data we need to know about each species. That’s fairly consistent, but how we map it has changed dramatically. It used to be biologists would go into the field to survey for species, and they would map things on paper, on quad sheets or topo maps. But we got to using GIS really as soon as it started. Esri’s history is about the same as our network’s history. It’s about 50 years old as well. So, we were using the very earliest forms of GIS once it became available, and transitioning from paper-based mapping to GIS mapping. And, of course, our database went from index cards to actual computer databases, once that became available to fit in less than an entire room. Drones and satellites added another dimension in terms of doing more remote monitoring.
Q: What new technologies are coming to the fore, beyond satellites and drones?
A: I’d say one of the newer ones, it’s not that new, but call it citizen science…I mean, everyone has a sensor in their pocket these days. And so, there’s a flood of new data coming in from people out observing and posting those observations. Harnessing that huge volume of citizen science data and parsing it, kind of looking for the needle in the haystack, that’s something we’ve been doing.
Q: What is NatureServe’s Map of Biodiversity Importance?
A: Increasingly, the technological advancement we’ve been using is predictive modeling of the habitats that are suitable for a species. We can do this quite accurately with all this great species occurrence data we have to train the models and combine this with really high-resolution predictor layers to predict species habitats. We’ve modeled over 2,200 of the most imperiled species. We did a massive scaling up of our modeling in the last few years. That was the Map of Biodiversity Importance project that is the next frontier in filling in the gaps on the map.
Drone pilots choose tablets because of the larger screen for viewing information and the more space for operating functions.
Tablets make the DJI Mini 2 and other drone apps’ UI more spacious, allowing a more comfortable viewing experience of the FPV video feed.
Which tablets now available on the market are best for DJI Mini 2?
Some of the best tablets to use with your DJI Mini 2 are the iPad Mini 6, Samsung Galaxy Tab S, Nvidia Shield K1, and Lenovo Tab M10 Plus. The Samsung Galaxy SMT-858 and the Samsung Galaxy A7 Lite are two other excellent tablets.
When selecting the best tablets for DJI Mini 2, we considered a wide range of criteria, such as processing speed, storage capacity, screen size, and compatibility.
Without further ado, here is a comprehensive rundown of the tablets we have tried and found to be the best for flying your Mini 2.
1. iPad Mini 6
Among the several tablets you can use with DJI drones, like the DJI Air 2S and DJI Mini 2, the iPad Mini 6 from Apple is among the best.
The iPad Mini 6 stands out because I have used it for hundreds of flights; its display for the DJI Mini 2 drone, content management, and editing make it a device that can do it all.
The tablet has a similar design to the pro iPad models. It has a screen of 8.3 inches and boasts 1488 by 2266 pixels resolution, making it ideal for watching drone footage.
The iPad Mini 6’s quick performance results from its Hexa-core (2×2.93 GHz + 4xX.X GHz) CPU and A15 Bionic, 5-core GPU processors.
You can upgrade the operating system version of this tablet from 15 to 15.7 and even to 16.1. With either 64GB or 256GB of storage space and 4GB of RAM, you can store countless photos and videos.
In addition, a USB-C connector is included for charging and data transfer with your DJI Mini 2.
The brightness is the single issue I would have liked Apple to address. The screen is, of course, crisp and clear.
But they could have improved greatly upon the iPad Mini 5 by maintaining its brightness.
While it can produce 500 nits of light, watching HDR material while viewing outdoors, particularly on an extremely bright day, may have benefited from increased brightness.
2. Samsung Galaxy Tab S
Samsung Galaxy Tab S is a top tablet choice for the DJI Mini 2. A 2560 x 1600 WQX ZGA display provides the highest resolution on its 8.4-inch screen.
The tablet’s contrast ratio of 100,000:1 is higher than most LCD screens, and its portability makes it easy to take it wherever you need to shoot video.
It is powered by an octa-core processor at 1.9 GHz and 1.3 GHz. Samsung Galaxy Tab S allows you to shoot smooth action footage with your DJI Mini 2 without worrying about stuttering.
The Android KitKat operating system is preinstalled on this tablet, and future upgrades to Marshmallow and other Android versions will be possible.
3. Shield Tabet K1
Many gamers prefer the Nvidia Shield K1 tablet. Tablet performance and flight stand up well with drones, which is not surprising given the tablet’s formidable specifications.
If you’re an experienced drone pilot and want something that will hold up well for your DJI drone, this is it.
Its 2.2 GHz quad-core CPU and built-in 190-core Kepler GPU make it a powerful tool for editing the footage captured by the DJI Mini 2.
The SHIELD tablet K1 has an outstanding 8-inch display with Full HD 1080p resolution and twin front-facing speakers.
The DJI Mini 2 has a MicroSD card for additional storage of up to 128 GB, so you can shoot as many pictures and videos as you like.
4. Lenovo Tab M10 Plus
The Android 9 Pie operating system makes the Lenovo Tab M10 Plus compatible with all the drones you’re familiar with, including the DJI Mini 2.
You can choose between three different models with varying amounts of RAM and built-in storage.
2GB RAM 32GB internal memory
4GB RAM 64GB internal memory
4GB RAM 128GB internal memory
It boasts a 10.3-inch screen with high-definition resolution. The 2.3 GHz octa-core processor is only one of the device’s many attractive features.
You may spend the whole day transferring and editing footage shots with your DJI Mini 2, as the battery can last up to 7 hours.
5. Samsung Galaxy SMT-858
To operate your DJI Mini 2, the Samsung Galaxy SMT-858 is a great choice. The device sports the sleek, modern design that is the hallmark of Samsung’s line of business smartphones.
The 10.1-inch screen is just the right size, and the maximum resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels is a nice bonus. This accessory allows you to easily navigate long distances while maintaining full control of your DJI Mini 2.
6. Samsung Galaxy A7 Lite
As a result of its low price, many drone pilots are curious if the Samsung Galaxy A7 Lite is compatible with the DJI Mini 2 and DJI Fly App.
Even though the DJI website doesn’t endorse it, the Mini 2 worked just as well with the other tablets here. The tablet’s screen is impressive, with a size of 8.7 inches and an 800 by 1340 pixels resolution.
Samsung Galaxy A7 is powered by Android 11 and the PowerVR GE 8320 GPU graphics processor.
The DJI Mini 2 has up to 64GB of internal memory to store various files.
Featuring Android 11, an aluminum body, and a glass display, the Samsung Galaxy A7 Lite is the ideal companion for your DJI Mini 2.
The thin, large aluminum case may impede radio signals from the antenna or phone holders. Keeping a direct line of sight between your smartphone and DJI Mini 2 is the best way to circumvent the Wi-Fi dead zone.
We found that using the tablet as a remote resulted in delays or signal disruptions whenever we turned away from the aircraft.
Can you fly DJI Mini 2 with a tablet?
Tablet mounts are standard equipment on most drones, including the DJI Mini 2, and can hold devices up to about 6.5 inches in height.
However, you might need to invest in an adapter if you’re using a tablet that’s a little on the large side.
How to know if your tablet is compatible with DJI Mini 2
Even if you don’t own any of the tablets mentioned above, you may still be curious whether your tablet or smartphone is compatible with DJI Mini 2.
Use the following guidelines to know if your tablet or any other mobile device is compatible with this sub-250g DJI drone.
Meets DJI App system requirements
DJI Mini 2 is compatible with any mobile device running Android 6.0 or later or iOS 11.0 or later. There are compatibility concerns between DJI Mini 2 and devices running Android 32-bit.
Also, make sure you’re using a 64-bit Android OS to determine whether your Android gadget is 32-bit or 64-bit.
To ensure that you are running a 64-bit version of Android, you can use the 64Bit Checker or the AnTuTu Benchmark.
That said, DJI Mini 2 is compatible with most tablets introduced in the last few years. The most up-to-date smartphone or tablet will work best with your Mavic drone.
You should be fine with a tablet or phone that meets DJI App’s requirements, but just to be safe, keep your DJI Mini 2 within sight and fly it in an open location.
We’ve reviewed the system requirements and compatibility checklist; if your tablet or device doesn’t make either, you’ll need to upgrade.
Pick one that works for you from the compatibility list based on your preferred brand and budget.
Ensure the tablet has a GPS
Using the GPS, you may plot your present location on a map. Only if your tablet is equipped with GPS will you be able to update your home points from a different place than where the drone takes off.
This is particularly handy when droning while running, riding a bike or boat, or moving.
Maintaining an accurate home point is essential to preventing unwanted drone landings, such as in water. If your tablet doesn’t have GPS, you might wonder how the drone finds its way home.
The drone remembers its starting location and uses that as its home base for the remainder of the flight.
Keep in mind that many tablet models are on the market, making it more difficult to find the best for your DJI Mini 2 drone.
DJI can only test some of the tablets that meet the necessary criteria. Having said that, you will likely discover that there might be superior DJI Mini tablets to those mentioned on this list.
Let us know the specifics of the tablet you think works best with DJI Mini 2.
As far back as early summer 2022, the rumor mill had been churning out information that, eventually, the Air 2S would be compatible with the Mini 3 Pro’s DJI RC remote controller.
Previously, the DJI RC had been made compatible for use with the Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine, so it only seemed like a matter of time before the Air 2S would get similar treatment.
Image Credit: Dan Bayne
The Air 2S is now compatible with the DJI RC. This means that the Air 2S no longer works with just the standard RC-N1 controller, nor do you have to spend $1000+ for a DJI RC Pro. If you currently own a DJI Mini 3 Pro package with the DJI RC, the Air 2S will work with that DJI RC.
Alternatively, if you currently own an Air 2S with the RC-N1, or bought the drone separately with no remote controller, you can purchase a stand-alone DJI RC and it will work just fine.
Why is this such great news?
This is great news for a few reasons, these being:
More remote controller options for the Air 2S
An integrated screen remote controller for the Air 2S that doesn’t break the bank
An integrated screen remote controller that has 700 not brightness
More Remote Controller Options
With the DJI RC being compatible with the Air 2S, there are now 4 remote controller options available for the Air 2S:
RC-N1
DJI RC
DJI Smart Controller
DJI RC Pro
Many Air 2S owners also own DJI Mini drones and/or Mavic 3s, which came with the RC-N1 controller, or the upgraded Smart Controller and DJI RC Pro controllers, respectively.
With the addition of the DJI RC, a Mini 3 Pro owner (like myself), can control all 3 drones with just one simple controller, making it easier and more space effective when flying multiple drones.
For those that fly drones for professional work, not having to bring multiple RCs in various cases to a job is very convenient.
Cost Effective
For many who fly drones as a hobby, shelling out $850 (for a used DJI Smart Controller) or $1000+ (for a new DJI RC Pro), might not be an option.
On the other hand, there might be professionals that are unwilling or just not in a position to spend a thousand dollars for a smart controller, as there might be more pressing equipment purchases needed.
Image Credit: Dan Bayne
Regardless of the situation, having a $300 remote controller (as of this article’s writing) might be easier to swallow for those looking to purchase a smart-like controller for their Air 2S separately, whether a hobbyist or a professional.
For those that already have the RC from a previous Mini 3 Pro purchase, then the choice to use the DJI RC is easily made.
Screen Brightness
Image Credit: Dan Bayne
While this might be overlooked by some, or not important to others, for those of us that live in infernally bright sunlight, all day every day, having a 700-nit screen is a major plus.
While the DJI RC screen is not as bright as the more expensive 1000-nit DJI Smart Controller or DJI RC Pro, the 700-nit brightness does make it easier to view the integrated screen in bright conditions.
While I absolutely loved flying my Air 2S, it became a lesson in irritation when flying at any time other than sunrise and sunset, due to the overbearing brightness of the sun. Even on cloudy days, it is super bright here in Central Florida.
I used to fly with a Samsung S20+ and Apple 13 Pro. While these phones are purported to have super bright screens, they never faired well in bright conditions.
As a matter of fact, the Apple 13 Pro overheated and dimmed regularly within a few minutes of flying. The Samsung faired not much better, never being able to stay fully bright for more than a few minutes.
With the 700 nits on the DJI RC, I fly at full brightness, all the time. To aid in seeing the screen even better on overwhelming bright days, I have an anti-glare screen protector on it. I have had zero issues seeing the screen.
The Process to get the Air 2S to work with the DJI RC
With most DJI Firmware updates, you simply turn on the remote controller, then the drone, and run the update, changing batteries and updating as you go.
This is a process many of us are familiar with.
With updating the Air 2S to work with the DJI RC, there is a specific order of steps that must be taken.
You can’t update the DJI RC 1st then the Air 2S. This will not work. If the following steps are not done in the order mentioned here, you may not be able to use your Air 2S with the DJI RC.
The steps to get the Air 2S to work with the DJI RC are as follows:
Update the firmware on the DJI RC-N1 remote controller and Air 2S
STEP 1: Connect your RC-N1 to your phone or device and turn on the RC-N1.
STEP 2:Turn on your Air 2S, then open the DJI Fly app.
You will see a prompt to update the Remote Controller and the Air 2S. Run the update. After these steps have been completed, you are ready to update the firmware on the DJI RC.
STEP 3: Shut off the RC-N1 and Air 2S.
Update the DJI RC Firmware
STEP 1: Turn on the DJI RC, but do NOT turn on the Air 2S
STEP 2: Connect to your home wifi. To do so, double-swipe down on the DJI RC screen, and press the wifi option, turn on the wifi.
STEP 3: After the wifi has been turned on and you are connected to the network, go back to the home screen (press anywhere on the options screen above) and select PROFILE. We will need to manually check for the update.
STEP 4: Once in the PROFILE screen, select SETTINGS. Note: Because the Air 2S is not on, there will be no flight stats mentioned in the profile.
STEP 5: Under Firmware Update, press “Check for Firmware Updates”. This will then alert you to a new available firmware update. Go ahead and press UPDATE to run it.
STEP 6: When the firmware update screen appears, choose DOWNLOAD and the update will automatically run.
STEP 7: After the DJI RC has been updated, you will be brought to the main screen. On the main screen, select Connection Guide.
STEP 8: On the aircraft selection screen, select the Air 2S.
STEP 9: You will need to update the firmware. Press CONTINUE.
Note: This particular message will pop up every time you use the Air 2S with the DJI RC. This is because the Mini 3 Pro and Air 2S firmware is slightly different. Perhaps this will be addressed by DJI at a later time.
STEP 10: Press OK on the screen. Next, turn on your Air 2S and then click on Unable to Connect to aircraft? This will allow you to link/pair the Air 2S with the DJI RC.
When the option to pair the Air 2S to the DJI RC comes up, on the Air 2S press-hold the power button for 4 seconds. You’ll hear a tone, then tap PAIR to bind the remote controller to the Air 2S.
A progress bar will indicate the pairing process.
After the pairing process is complete, you will then be brought into the Camera View. Once in camera view, you will be presented with a message that says “connected device not bound to aircraft…”
STEP 10: Press cancel on the error screen and you are all set to fly.
Note: Like the error message pertaining to “firmware version inconsistent”, the “device not bound” message will appear every time you go flying the Air 2S with the DJI RC. Again, hopefully, DJI will take care of this message or issue in the future.
Final Thoughts
The process to get the Air 2S to successfully work with the DJI RC does seem to be quite complicated. Being the case, it is a necessary evil.
As many reports have shown over the past week, if these steps are precisely not followed, the Air 2S can become quite unusable with the DJI RC, oftentimes being plagued with the dreaded 30064 error message (Unable to take off).
I personally have been using the Air 2S with the DJI RC for a little under a week now, and it has performed quite well. With this pairing, the Air 2S has become one of my favorite drones to fly once again.
This skywise alerts contains updated information in relation to SW2022/098. The dates for September, October and November have changed.
Activity impacting GNSS and licence exempt frequencies will take place between the times and dates specified in AIC P034/2022 and updated as per NOTAM B2010/22. Please refer to AIC for initial information.
During the trials impacted systems utilising GNSS and licence exempt frequencies used for RPAS control and some electronic situational awareness devices may suffer intermittent or total failure.
Emergency cease jamming contact: Range Management Officer via Spadeadam Range Controller – 016977 47321 Ext 6386, 6375 or 6388 VHF Guard Frequency – 121.500MHz, to be monitored throughout jamming trials
