DJI recently brought the new AIR 2S on the market, a stunning new drone for photographers that demand the highest quality. Naturally there are some parts, accessories and possible upgrades available as well, and not all of them are directly from DJI.
We ‘ve already explained that there are 2 different remote controllers for this drone, the regular DJI remote controller and the new DJI Smart Controller, so for more about this, please check out the main article about the DJI Air 2S.
Protection:
Both you drone and remote controller can use some protection, so DJI has a set of Propeller Guards available to make sure the props don’t get damaged in challenging terrain.
If you should damage the propellers, there is always the possibility to buy and install new props, DJI offers Low-Noise propellers with white or yellow tips. (beware that your drone needs 4 of course).
There are alternatives available on Amazon like these Carbon Fibre props, they are a bit stronger and also Noise-Reducing.
For even more protection of the entire drone and at the same time, some personalisation, there is this set of leather body stickers for the body of the drone, spare batteries and even the remote, they come in 7 different designs, water resistant and scratch resistant for better protection.
If you want some protection fort he remote controller, there is an easy way to get a protective cover for it, just like those rubber protective covers for your TV remote or your car key, there is a rubber cover available for the standard Air 2S Remote Controller, available on amazon.
Transport:
Transport can be demanding on any drone, props usually are better when secured and this is possible with these specially designed clamps to hold down the attached props during transport, another way is to detach the props whenever you need to transport the drone.
Backpacks are available at DJI and Amazon , there is a dedicated hardcase for the Air 2S but some others are designed to carry 2 or more drones of the mavic series in one case, they have also designed some backpacks, Prices can be expensive but the product you get is top quality and assures safe transport for your drone or other equipment.
Landing:
An interesting problem that drone pilots often face is the lack of a clear landing area, I myself have used flat rocks, the roof of my car or even a cycling road as a safe flat clear place to take off and land, however sometimes it is difficult to find a good spot. The solution is to carry your own landing platform with you! There is a simple easy to use foldable platform available on Amazon that you can carry in any backpack and open when needed on the spot, lay it over snow, grass, gravel or any uneven or dirty surface to give your drone a nice clean place to take off and land, and afterwards you just was hit with water, it even has 4 corner holes so you could use pins to anchor it down.
Another landing pad is available on Amazon and this one is very different from the previous one (1st link above). This is a plastic landing pad, it can be used for all kinds of model helicopters and drones, easy to assemble, you can personalise it with pre-printed stickers. The advantage of this landing pad is that it houses a 9V battery in the base that powers the built-in LED lights, perfect for evening and nighttime flights. The design of this pad is so that it interlocks, so if you buy 4 of them you can create your own giant landing pad and use more LED lights for your drone to safely return home.
Landing is more difficult at night, so why not get one of these small LED warning lights for additional visualisation during flight and landing.
The design of the Air 2S and all others in the Mavic series is such that the drone is very low on its feet, so the body will almost tough the ground when landing on a flat surface, making it even more difficult when landing on slightly uneven surfaces. This extra landing gear reduces that risk by raising the drones landing height and is also equipped with LED lights for added safety and visibility during flight and landing, especially at night!
But why not go one step further? Did you ever land a drone on water? With this extra landing gear it’s possible, the gear attaches to the bottom of the drone and includes 2 big foam floaters, raising the landing height and giving the drone the possibility to land on water or any other surface, easy when landing on dirty surfaces. An added feature is the possibility to attach a second camera on top of the drone, you can attach a GoPro or DJI Osmo Action on the top if you like. . Beware that this doesn’t mean you can land in the sea as usually the waves are a bit too much for such a small drone.
Now there is still one more problem, what to do when it all goes wrong anyway? Bye bye drone? Any new drone pilot is bound to have some accidents now and then, that’s why in general the DJI drones can handle a bump or two, but what if you damage your props accidentally at altitude and your drone comes crashing down, or you pushed your drone to the limits and suddenly the battery is completely drained? Then there is this solution, an onboard parachute that can save your drone, let’s face it, drones are pretty expensive when you want a good one! The parachute comes in a small battery powered container attached to a belt that wraps around the drone, you simply charge the battery, attach the package and when all goes wrong, just stop the engines and the parachute saves your drone by gliding it gently back to earth.
Personalisation:
Flying a drone is fun and making good photos and video is the reason why most consumers get one, but why not use the drone for something funny and attach a delivery system on it? Simply install the system and attach whatever item you want to deliver, like wedding rings that fall from the air to make that special day even better, drop a note to anyone or help them by delivering a life buoy … possibilities are endless.