Where do old drones go to die?

I was an early adopter in 2015 with my DJI Phantom 2, which I still own. I took it out a month ago and decided it’s time for an upgrade, so I bought a DJI Mini 5 Pro which is so much more capable.

I’m now wondering what to do with the old one. It was an impressive bit of kit in its day but is obsolete and probably a hazard relative to the new technology. It cost a lot back in the day and is still in near perfect condition, but I’m not sure if it’s still legally flyable.

Before salvaging the useful parts (maybe only the go pro hero 3+, flysight screen, zenmuse H3-3D gimbal) is it worth keeping or selling complete or for parts? Or is this just a liability that needs to go to the tip?

Thanks, Graeme

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Some photos…



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Sell it on to someone who might be interested in flying can only try I had the riginal Phantom back in the day and loved its easy flight characteristics didnt have a gimble though flew it in town centre where i live no problems, as far as I know it is still legal to fly until 2028 as a legacy drone remember I only think that. Some one else may be able to tell you the same I know how good they are I know of a guy on merseyside flew one from Ellesmere port over the mersey to Liverpool guy over there changed the battery and it was flown back would be highley illegal now but back in the day.

Blaze of glory? :wink:

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If it is worth something, sell it to fun future projects. Someone somewhere will probably want it. If it is something you are not going to use then keep it in the air.

No reason for it not to be legally flyable. It’s not obsolete any more than a 1980 Ford Escort is obsolete in terms of driving today.

If it flies and takes pictures then sell as a complete package if you don’t want to keep it - though we ceretainly found a use for another Phantom at Alexandra Park the other day …

If it flies and takes pictures and you have time to spare then there is a market for parts. It helps to know exactly what fits which model of drone as the Phantom range has series 1 to 4 with different models in each series but the motors, props, batteries, contoller board, body shells, lecs, antennae are all saleable along with the gimbal and camera. It is just a bit of a drag disassembling and cataloguing each part and listing on eBay.

But don’t send it to the tip! It sounds as though it has plenty of life left and is definitely worth saving from being landfill.

Or maybe you could find an impoverished pensioner in questionable health living on an island off the south coast who would appreciate it as a donation … :slight_smile:

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That would be an ideal solution tbh. Do you know one?

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It takes one to know one …

I was being cheeky and trying to solicit another resident for my old drones home.

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I get sentimentaly attached to my drones, I started with mini 2 se which I used to learn how to control it, no obstacle avoidance to rely on which I thought was a plus point I had to be aware of where it was & where it was going, then bought a second hand Mavic 2 pro, 4 yrs old tech. Has obstacle avoidance, but attraction was size/weight & great camera. Also Neo great for fun, playing with.

April bought Mini 4 pro, great drone and the one now I fly pretty much all the time feel guilty sometimes my other drones getting left out apart from the Mavic 2 pro, I still think the photos from this are superior to the Mini 4 pro and use where I can for sharper photos.

So now try to give them all an outing when I can. Looking for a newer later model drone like the look of the air 3s, however lack of variable aperture is kinda putting me off. For past (almost 12 months) I’ve relied on auto for photography, whilst I got to grips with controlling the drone. Now using manual mode in my Mavic 2 pro where I can vary the aperture & control depth of field I am realising the shortcomings of my other drones.

Anyway after waffling on (I blame the bottle of Talisker I’m presently tooking into) how about desk top toy.

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Turns out phantoms make great rescue drones..

Keep it handy and cycle the batteries every now n then.

All proper pilots need something similar sooner or later

:wink:

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You big fluffy sentimental you.

I’m kinda there with you :wink:

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Especially after a few drams of a nice single malt

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I’m genuinely not able to answer your question - where do old drones go to die?

With my reputation of crashing / smashing them up, they don’t live to see their 1st Birthday :rofl::rofl::rofl:

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My son passed his Phantom 3 advanced onto me. I mentioned wanting to upgrade my photography to drone flying. I ended up adding an extra battery and getting a replacement controller from ebay. In the meantime I purchased the mini 4 pro so I now have a choice of drones to play with. So yeah, don’t bin it - fly it!

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If there’s something it can do that the Mini 5 can’t, such as fly in stronger winds (I don’t know much about Phantoms, that’s just an example of the sort of thing I’m getting at), or perhaps there are situations in which it’s extra size is an advantage in VLOS terms, I’d hang on to it, it night come in handy yet!

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I would enjoy seeing someone lash paracord to a mini and hoist an avata outa the mudflats..

Phantoms rock on many many levels :wink:

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I still have my Phantom 4 pro and really need to get more with it! Yes ok its old and bigger than the new generatoon drones but it still holds its own especially in wind! I always wondered why the phantom name couldnt have been continued on with a new design. I probably will upgrade at some point but still keep the P4 pro flying hopefully lol.

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