Dusting Off the DJI Avata 2 - A Backyard Rip and Keeping Sharp After 40

Welcome back, everyone! Here at Get Fit Over 40, we talk a lot about the gym, nutrition, and physical health, but staying fit also means keeping your mind sharp, your reflexes quick, and your stress levels down. Sometimes, the best way to do that is to just get outside and engage in a hobby that gets your heart pumping. For me, that means strapping on the goggles and taking my DJI Avata 2 out for a spin.

To be completely honest, it’s been a minute since I’ve taken the drone out. When I first powered it up and took off from the patio, I was definitely feeling a little rusty. My thumbs felt a bit shaky on the sticks, and that familiar FPV (First Person View) orientation took a second to click back into place.

But the beautiful thing about hobbies you love is how quickly the muscle memory returns.

Within a few minutes, the rust shook off, and I was right back into it. What started as a cautious hover turned into a full-on backyard rip! There’s nothing quite like the feeling of dialing in your focus and just flying. I started looking for some interesting old and new lines around the property, threading the needle and hitting a few tight gaps between the trees that I normally might have second-guessed.

Once I had my confidence back, I decided to push it just a little bit more. I punched the throttle, getting up nice and high to just take in the scenic views of the neighborhood from above. It’s always breathtaking to see your everyday surroundings from a bird's-eye perspective. Then, to get the adrenaline really flowing, I brought it back down with a couple of aggressive, sweeping dives right back into the low-to-the-ground perspective.

The best part of the day? Absolutely zero crashes. I managed to keep the props out of the branches and brought the DJI Avata 2 home safely to the landing pad at the end of the session.

It was an incredibly fun time and a great reminder of why I love this hobby. It requires focus, hand-eye coordination, and split-second decision-making, all things we want to keep sharp as we get older.

So, this is your reminder: whatever that hobby is that you haven't touched in a while, whether it's an RC car, a bicycle, a camera, or a drone—dust it off this weekend. You might be rusty for the first five minutes, but the joy of getting back into the groove is absolutely worth it.

Get out there, have fun, and keep moving! 

• Buy the DJI Avata 2 Combo

DJI Neo 2 and Looki AI Recorder OneWheel MagWheel Ride

On a recent ride with my VESC-based MagWheel (OneWheel wannabe), I captured the experience using both my DJI Neo 2 and my Looki L1 AI Video Recorder. I’ve already shared my high regard for the improved Neo 2, which I used in its autonomous follow mode to track me from dynamic angles. Alongside it, I tested the Looki L1 AI Video Recorder for some first-person shots. Even though the Looki L1 isn’t all that high resolution (1600x1200), I was impressed overall no frame skipping, good overall color balance and sharpness. I also used the audio from the Looki L1 and it handled the sound well despite the wind from the ride. The final video blended the Neo’s tracking with the Looki’s first person clipped on perspective, showing how well these tools pair for immersive content.

Flog Number 1 - A Windy Day Over Alpha Lake Whistler BC

It was one of those days where you don’t really plan much, you just end up moving the entire time.

We’d already put in a solid stretch walking through Whistler. Started out casual, just heading toward the village, but it turned into something closer to eight… maybe nine miles by the time we were done. No rush, no destination that mattered that much, just walking, stopping, taking things in, moving again. The kind of day where you feel it in your legs a bit, but in a good way.

By the time we got back, Nicole had to jump into some work. Laptop open, focused, back into it. That’s kind of how these trips go, it's not fully “off,” it’s more like a mix. Some downtime, some work, just shifting between the two.

So instead of sitting around, I figured I’d take that window and do something with it.

Grabbed the Avata 2 drone, headed out, and decided this would be a good time to try something different, call it a “Flog.” Not a vlog, not a blog… just a flight log. Turn it on, talk a bit, fly, and see what happens.

Right from takeoff, you could tell it wasn’t going to be one of those easy, smooth flights. The wind was there. Not crazy, but enough that I had to pay attention. Switched into manual mode, got it dialed in, and I could feel it immediately, the drone leaning, pushing, needing constant input just to stay where it should.

Still, once you’re up, it’s hard not to appreciate where you are.

Out over Alpha Lake, everything opens up. Water below, mountains wrapping around in every direction, little pockets of activity here and there—boaters, people along the shore, townhouses tucked into the landscape. It’s one of those views that doesn’t really get old, even when you’ve been walking through it all day already.

Flying higher helped with the signal, but it also made the wind more noticeable. You could actually see the drone fighting it, tilting, correcting, drifting if you let off for even a second. It turns into less of a relaxed flight and more of a conversation between you and the conditions.

Drop lower, and the wind calms down… but then you start dealing with trees, signal dips, and obstacles. So it’s this constant back-and-forth, stay high and fight the wind, or go low and deal with interference. No perfect option, just adjusting as you go.

Somewhere in the middle of all that, it hits you that this is kind of the whole point.

Earlier in the day, it was miles of walking. Now it’s flying over the same area, seeing it from a completely different angle. And in between, there’s still work getting done, videos waiting to be edited, content being captured without really forcing it.

Nicole’s inside working. I’m out here flying. Same trip, two different modes, both productive in their own way.

The battery starts to drop into the mid-range, and the wind isn’t letting up. Signal’s still decent, but I can feel it’s probably a good time to head back. No need to push it.

Bringing it in, dropping altitude, the wind eases off almost immediately. Everything smooths out again, like flipping a switch. A quick reminder of how different things can be just depending on where you are in the air.

And that’s about it.

Nothing overly dramatic. No big moment. Just a full day, walking, working, flying, stacked together in a way that makes sense when you’re actually living it.

That’s the idea behind these Flogs.

Not just the flight…
but everything around it.

DJI Avata 2 Mule Deer Back Yard

Just posted an 8-minute FPV flight with the DJI Avata 2, soaring around my backyard in the beautiful weather. The highlight of the flight was definitely spotting some local mule deer wandering through the property while I was in the air!

The DJI Avata 2 is an incredibly fun and nimble drone to fly. Capturing wildlife from this unique FPV perspective really adds a whole new level of excitement to the footage. Sit back, enjoy the relaxing flight through the trees and around the yard.

DJI Neo 2 Mule Deer Encounter in Backyard

Recently, I took my DJI Neo 2 drone out for a casual flight around our acreage. With open fields and farmland surrounding us, it’s always a peaceful backdrop. While gliding over the familiar landscape, something special unfolded.

I spotted three mule deer, one mother with her two adolescent offspring. They weren’t tiny fawns but not fully grown adults, let’s call them teenagers. What struck me was their curiosity. As I maneuvered the drone slowly and calmly, they stood their ground—alert but not alarmed. They let me approach relatively closely, observing the drone with a mix of caution and wonder. It was a rare moment of harmony between technology and wildlife.

After a short while, I gave them their peace, flying the drone off and leaving them to their day. It’s always a privilege to interact with nature so closely, even with something seemingly so out of place like the DJI Neo 2.