If you’re thinking about buying a DJI’s new Spark camera drone, chances are it’s your first quadcopter.
Maybe you’ve been thinking about buying the bigger, more powerful (and more expensive) Mavic Pro, but hadn’t fully made up your mind knowing that the Spark was coming.
If it is your first drone, here are a few tips to help you out before you buy, so that you’ll have the best experience when it arrives.
Buy DJI Care Refresh With Your Spark
In our experience, only about 50% of DJI customers are buying DJI Care. If you don’t know what it is, check out our report here. But basically if anything happens to your Spark (crash, water, etc) you get repair or replacement for minimal cost. First incident is $49, and the second incident is $69.
Purchasing DJI Care Refresh costs $59. It is very cheap insurance. Trust me.
Because the Spark has the shortest range of all DJI drones, it is highly likely that a novice pilot will put themselves into a situation were signal is lost and you risk a “fly-away” drone.
You must attach DJI Care Refresh to your drone within 48 hours of Activation with DJI.
The best solution is to buy DJI Care Refresh with your Spark. You’ll be given the option at checkout before you pay.
One Spark Battery = Almost No Flying
Yes, you can buy the basic Spark that comes with drone, battery and charger. But from experience we can tell you that you will not be getting much enjoyment from a $500 device that you can only use in 15 minutes increments per hour.
We don’t have an exact count of how long it takes to charge a Spark battery yet. But based on the Mavic Pro, which takes about 68 minutes to charge from 15%, we would expect a Spark Intelligent Flight Battery to need at least 35-40 minutes to reach 100%.
Fly Responsibly
The media and uninformed general public have a growing dislike for how some members of the drone community are behaving. Irresponsible pilots who flout local and national regulations for drone operation put our hobby at risk.
Understand all of the features of your drone and practice, practice, practice. Not only will it make you a better pilot, but you’ll also get more enjoymnet out of your drone.
The best option for purchasing a DJI Spark is definitely the Fly More Combo. You’ll appreciate the propeller guards and spares propellers, and the Fly More Spark comes with two batteries in stead of one.
If you’re looking for all of the currently available parts and accessories for the DJI Spark you can find them here.