The DJI Mavic Air made headlines when announced because of its compact design. Clever engineering allows you to fold the propellers into drone’s body for portability. But as we’ve heard from some readers, how to unfold the DJI Mavic Air and fold it back again isn’t as obvious as it sounds.
When you take your Mavic Air out of the box for the first time it will be in the folded position. Your natural instinct will be to pull those top, outer propellers open first.
But give them a tug and you’ll find that they get trapped by the landing gear of the lower propellers.
like a lot of DJI’s products, there’s a system. Here’s how it works.
Unfolding the DJI Mavic Air
- First we need to identify the top and bottom of the drone. This is simple. The bottom of the drone houses the camera. With the bottom of the Mavic Air resting in your palm, we’re now ready to unfold the Mavic Air.
- To unfold the Mavic Air, you need to start with the lower propellers. Pinch each of these around the landing gear (the triangular bit sticking out of the propeller leg), then pull it down. As you pull, about halfway start to twist the propeller leg outward. You’ll feel it naturally glide into shape. Do this for both legs.
- Next, unfold the Mavic Air’s top, outer propellers. You’ll find your instinct is now correct here. Simply pull outward. No twisting required this time.
You’re now ready to turn on the drone and fly!
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Folding the DJI Mavic Air
To fold the Mavic Air, simply reverse the process you used when unfolding it.
- Start with the top, outer propellers and push the inward. Remember how they were initially closed in by the landing gear of the bottom propellers? This is why you need to reverse the unfolding process. The bottom propellers keep the top ones secure.
- Next, twist down with the bottom propeller legs and secure them against the body of the Mavic Air. And you’re done!
Still unsure how to unfold the DJI Mavic Air and fold it back again? Sometimes seeing it helps with understanding. In the video below we show you step-by-step how it’s done.
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