Can a Mavic Mini fly at night?

Flying a drone by itself is an amazing feeling. The freedom of speed and the possibility to fly high above rivers, mountains, or almost anything is exceptional.

Even after crashing your drone several times, you can’t get enough of this joy.

A new way of pushing the boundaries of the drones and yourself is trying to fly it at night. In this article, my goal is to find out if can a Mavic Mini fly at night.

Yes, you can fly your Mavic Mini drone at night if you are corresponding to some rules. On the other hand, technically it is possible to fly your drone in the dark, but the tips I give in this article might help you to avoid crashing your drone.

Is it allowed to fly drones at night?

First of all, we need to find out if flying our drones at night is legal or not. Depending on your purpose might be legal or it can require certificates.

The general answer is a yes. You can fly any drone at night and Mavic Mini too.

If you are using drones only for recreational purposes, only for your joy, you don’t need an additional license or anything.

But to avoid any accidents you need to follow some rules for the safety of yourself and other people too. Please have in mind that this article is focusing on the regulations in the US.

Has your Mini overheated? Check my following article for possible reasons of a Mini 2 battery getting too hot!

These are regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). These days almost every step and act are regulated and in many situations, they can demotivating.

But they are useful and will help you to prevent many unpleasant events. These can be like crashing your drone, getting yourself or someone else injured, etc.

Rules for recreational drone pilots for flying at night

• You need to fly the drone within visual line-of-sight
• Flying only as a hobby (without monetizing it)
• In many countries, you need to notify the airport or the competent organs (in the majority of cases you can do this online)
• The weight of your drone must be under 55 lbs (only exception if it is certified by the proper organization)

When do I need a license for flying my Mavic drone at night?

If you are planning to monetize your activity with your Mavic Mini or any kind of drone you need a license.

You are falling under the regulations of Part 107, which require you to be a certified drone pilot if you are earning money by flying drones.

But let me see if these little drones can fly at night or not.

How do you fly Mavic at night?

Flying a drone properly requires a fair amount of learning and practicing. You can crash them several times even in the daytime. Making risky spins and turns is the straightest way of crashing your drone.

Having these in mind let’s find out what are my tips on how to fly your Mavic Mini at night.

1. Knowing the location of your flight

I think this is the most basic, yet very important rule if you want to avoid any unpleasant event.

Being familiar with the ground and flight zone will help you to be more comfortable with this situation.

You almost can foresee any possible mistake or obstacle even if you can’t see it properly.

Keeping in mind every tree, building, pylon or electric wire is the easiest yet most effective way to enjoy the moment.

2. Make sure everyone around you knows your drone is up

Flying around your home or when people are nearby, requires additional attention. While controlling your drone, your main focus is on not crashing it or not hitting anything.

A plus person can be in trouble without knowing if the Mavic Mini is flying or not.

Hitting someone with a “flying toy” can cause serious injuries.

3. Always keep your drone in line-of-sight

If you are flying it in the day time, following the drone with your eyes is not necessarily important in every situation.

In most cases watching the nature/territory on the phone is more fun and secure enough.

But at night your only real and viable orientation tool will be the LEDs on the drone.

Even the fairly big obstacles are hard to notice through the camera, so in the majority of cases, you will follow directly the device itself.

4. Avoid flying when the wind is blowing

If you are in a big open space this tip might not be the most useful. But if you have several obstacles in your area, a windy night can mean many additional risks.

5. Additional tips for night photography

One of the major motivations to fly your Mavic Mini might be to take photos of the city, bridges, towers, or almost anything with lights.

I have a DSLR camera and when I started photography my biggest joy was night photography.

It’s amazing how a little light bulb over a river can transform a boring night into an amazing photo.

Making this kind of shot with a drone can also be very tempting but it requires minimal knowledge about photography.

• Taking down any kind of filter from the camera is the first step
• You need to set up manually the setting for the photo
• A fairly high ISO rate will let your photo to be bright enough, but be aware that a too high ISO rate will make the photo noisy
• Setting up the shutter speed can be tricky: you need to play with it, but 4-6 seconds might be enough in most cases

Does Mavic Mini have lights?

Yes, but the Mavic Mini has only a small green LED on the bottom of it. But adding additional light to it will be a big help if you are planning to use it at night.

The only exception would be if you are planning to use it for photography.

The Mavic Mini’s weight is very close to 250 grams, so not every additional light source will be acceptable. Anything above 13 grams will let you under the weight limits.

Mounting additional LEDs will help you to spot the drone in almost every situation. Even with a fair height, these light sources are helping you to see it without any problem.

Also, if you are crashing the drone, it will be easier to spot it.

Additional tips for flying your Mavic Mini at night

• Bring every battery fully charged (and the controller too)
• Don’t push the drone to the limits
• Arrive before the complete darkness to spot every possible obstacle

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