Diamond Head, also go to Lost Beach.
Lanikai Beach.
You dont get hounded by people? We are going to be staying at the Royal Lahaina in Maui so looking for places in maui to get some nice shots.Flying on Oahu is great just gotta keep an eye out cuz there are a lot of helicopters and planes flying around, gets a little hectic some times
Not sure all depends on how you fly and I usually try to get away from people to flyYou dont get hounded by people? We are going to be staying at the Royal Lahaina in Maui so looking for places in maui to get some nice shots.
To be honest, I haven't shot out there since everyone in the world was flying so no, I never got any problem or issues at all. The only other time I've flown there was on a proper gig with permits and all.Thanks for the tip. Have you ever ran into any issues as far people saying anything? Also any issues at the airport? This is my first time I'd be bringing it with me so a little nervous. I'm flying out of San Francisco to Maui and back.
I'm also going to Maui early June, so let me know what you find. I just got back from Oahu yesterday. I got photos and video of our friends on the top of Diamond head. I launched outside of Diamond Head park at a turnout along the beach 750' below the Diamond Head lookout peak. I also captured surfers on the North shore.Any good places to fly in Maui? Anyone know the flying restrictions there, if any? I'm heading there in May 2017 for a week vacation and was thinking about bringing my P3.
Most resorts don't like drones, but if you use common sense and fly away from people and keep yourself hidden, you shouldn't have any problem. A security guard at the resort I was staying at found me once and asked where I was flying. I said only over the water, and showed him my iPad Air2 display view, which he thought was very cool. He said as long as I'm over water that's OK, otherwise they would ask me to land. This worked fine because I don't fly over crowds of people, we were in sync.Have you ever ran into any issues as far people saying anything? Also any issues at the airport?
Most resorts don't like drones, but if you use common sense and fly away from people and keep yourself hidden, you shouldn't have any problem. A security guard at the resort I was staying at found me once and asked where I was flying. I said only over the water, and showed him my iPad Air2 display view, which he thought was very cool. He said as long as I'm over water that's OK, otherwise they would ask me to land. This worked fine because I don't fly over crowds of people, we were in sync.
As for the airport, it's best if you're organized with a backpack to carry all your drone stuff on the plane to store in the overhead. ALL LIPOS must be carried on the plane, no checked batteries. I've flown over 50 times and never had an issue. I was swabbed only once as a random check. I recommend a backpack that doesn't scream DRONE for other reasons that are non-airline related. You don't want anyone getting ideas of stealing it, stalking you for an opportunity, or hassling you if they hate drones, etc. A good backpack makes it very convenient while on vacation to keep things together and hike to interesting places to fly. The a multi-battery charger is great to setup and leave in your room, ready to put all your batteries on to charge while you relax at the pool bar with a Margarita! Take a car charger too, that comes in very handy as you drive around to see various sites.
I saw a guy last week at Oahu's north shore toting around his drone in the original beer cooler box. Stupid idea in the sand. He was a nice guy, but struggling to keep thing out of the sand, due to lack of room to be organized. Hand launching is often advised if you're at a sanding beach. The Inspire RC harness helps with that task, and the High Aerial sun shade is also very helpful in the bright ambient light at the islands.
Take the P4, IMO it's more fool proof for delivering good video. Mavic suffers from lens flares in bright sunlight, even with filters. And the lens hoods I have tried aren't usable because they appear in the camera view too much. I have real problems with the Mavic camera, but that's me. I love the craft, but the camera not so much. I left my Mavic home and took my P4 to Hawaii last week, no regrets.John...appreciate your feedback. I got myself a Manfrotto D1 backpack for my P3P. Planning to carry all the drone stuff plus the GoPro stuff. Debating if I should bring my DSLR though, or if I even have the room in the backpack. I had contemplated getting the Mavic for the portability but shelling out the $1K just for this trip doesn't seem smart and I'm sure the wife would agree. I would think that I probably won't be the only guy on vacation out there flying a drone. My only other concern was going through security at the airport, getting hassled by TSA or something.
As for the lipos, did you carry them on board fully charged? Do recommend having them in a lipo bag?
Do you fly with any filters?
I've never hand launched to be honest, always took off from the ground. I have a couple months to get accustomed to it. I do have the Inspire RC harness and a simple neck harness to hold my remote so should help. I guess its as simple as holding it above your head and hitting the take off button on the app? Then when landing, hover above your head and grab the landing gear and press down on the left stick to shutdown the motors?
Take the P4, IMO it's more fool proof for delivering good video. Mavic suffers from lens flares in bright sunlight, even with filters. And the lens hoods I have tried aren't usable because they appear in the camera view too much. I have real problems with the Mavic camera, but that's me. I love the craft, but the camera not so much. I left my Mavic home and took my P4 to Hawaii last week, no regrets.
Don't worry about TSA, it's a breeze. It's unlikely they will say anything, assuming you don't put any liquids in the backpack ;-). I will often carry-on my LiPo's fully charged, because many times when I arrive my destination I'll go fly the same day. There is no restriction of having them fully charged, but logically it's safer if you know you won't fly the same day you arrive.