DJI Mavic Air (1st gen) with Dronelink — is it safe and fully functional?

Baldur Togo

Hi,

I have a DJI Mavic Air (1st generation, Fly More Combo) and I see Dronelink lists “DJI Air (unofficial)” in the supported drones list.

I need Dronelink mainly for mapping/photogrammetry missions and have some questions before I buy a plan:

  1. Does “DJI Air (unofficial)” = the original Mavic Air 1?

  2. What does “unofficial” mean in practice? Any missing features or stability issues?

  3. Will it capture proper nadir images with GPS metadata for Pix4Dfields?

  4. Can I stop an automated mission anytime and take manual control?

  5. Is obstacle avoidance working during automated flights? Any safety tips for low-altitude mapping near power poles/lines with this drone?

Thanks for sharing any real-life experience!

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Comments

4 comments

Date Votes
  • Comment author
    Jim McAndrew Dronelink Staff

    Does “DJI Air (unofficial)” = the original Mavic Air 1?

    Yes, DJI renamed the product line making it confusing.

    What does “unofficial” mean in practice? Any missing features or stability issues?

    It means that the DJI SDK supports it, and since Dronelink is built on the DJI SDK, if you plug that drone it, it will show up and you will probably be able to use it. Having said that, we don't test this drone because we don't have one so we can't make an guarantees.

    Will it capture proper nadir images with GPS metadata for Pix4Dfields?

    Probably, but again, we can't make an guarantees.

    Can I stop an automated mission anytime and take manual control?

    Same answer.

    Is obstacle avoidance working during automated flights? Any safety tips for low-altitude mapping near power poles/lines with this drone?

    Same answer.

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  • Comment author
    Baldur Togo

    Thank you Jim! 

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  • Comment author
    Gábor

    Baldur,
    Have you tried it? I would need it for these functions as well.

    Thanks,
    Gabor

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  • Comment author
    Baldur Togo
    • Edited

    Hi Gabor,

    I’ve tested it and it worked properly.

    I planned a mission (about 1.5 hectares), the drone captured nadir images with GPS metadata, and I successfully uploaded them to Pix4D.

    The only issue occurred towards the end of the mission, when I received a message saying something like “connection disrupted.” Later I realized it was probably because, in the main app (DJI Go4), I had set an insufficient maximum flight distance, which prevented DroneLink from flying farther. After this error, I tapped the RTH button and the drone returned safely.

    Best,
    Michal

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