Before Flying - Educate yourself !!!

[msinger]

The big thing to me right now is learning all the dang features this little thing has

Agreed. That's what really trips most people up. Getting the Mavic into the air is super easy.

 

[rydfree]

Agreed. That's what really trips most people up. Getting the Mavic into the air is super easy.

It would be interesting information if we could somehow get a accurate assessment of crashes vs people who have had prior RC flight experience .
Learning to fly one of these is more of a gaming skill than actually knowing how to fly . In 10 years of building and flying multi-rotors I have never crashed anything bigger than a racing drone . I just find them incredibly easy to manage . I have crashed many many planes and helis throughout the years though. Maybe it helps because I have the prior RC experience plus the fact I have gaming experience as well . If you had to write code to create a Boot disk for a computer just to play a game back in the 90's ,you'll probably understand

 

[Kestrel]

It would be interesting information if we could somehow get a accurate assessment of crashes vs people who have had prior RC flight experience .
Learning to fly one of these is more of a gaming skill than actually knowing how to fly . In 10 years of building and flying multi-rotors I have never crashed anything bigger than a racing drone . I just find them incredibly easy to manage . I have crashed many many planes and helis throughout the years though. Maybe it helps because I have the prior RC experience plus the fact I have gaming experience as well . If you had to write code to create a Boot disk for a computer just to play a game back in the 90's ,you'll probably understand

Anyone can fly a DJI product its a quadcopter on training wheels but what noobs don't have is experience, if something goes wrong and it goes into the "infamous ATTI mode" people that have flown other drones without bells and whistles should be just fine. ATTI mode is still altitude hold but noobs are scared of it for some reason..

 

[msinger]

ATTI mode can certainly be attributed to some of the crashes mentioned on this site. However, I've seen more crashes caused by not doing things specific to DJI quadcopters -- like setting the proper RTH altitude. IMHO, people should spend less time flying cheap quadcopters and more time studying the Mavic manual.

 

[Kestrel]

ATTI mode can certainly be attributed to some of the crashes mentioned on this site. However, I've seen more crashes caused by not doing things specific to DJI quadcopters -- like setting the proper RTH altitude.

Sure there are any number of reasons people crash their DJI product but I feel like experience on other aircraft can teach you how to avoid some crashes.

 

[Glen e]

The big thing to me right now is learning all the dang features this little thing has.

This is the probably the most important thing I think that has been written here ,in my opinion. This is a complex hobby. It requires you to know navigation, tech, computers, and other disciplines, I literally had no idea how sophisticated the hobby was, when I got my P4 for Christmas. The only thing you can do is get the manual, and the PDFs online , and open the DJI go app/aircraft settings, look at each feature on the screen, and then look it up. And then after you do all that, distill your 10 questions and put them here, and people like Msinger will answer them for you. He never misses. It is a killer hobby, but takes patience and your ability to learn. Part of the problem is that most people simply won't read anymore. And I don't mean post, I mean various forms of documentation on a product.

And the next thing you read here is:

"I crashed my drone, what happened?"..... …

Think about it: how many people do you know that could understand the following sentence:

'I was messing with the Fstop and WB, suddenly I lost Wi-Fi, and the drone would not initiate an RTH."

And then there are Litchi missions.....LOL

 

[ThisIsCusel]

I handed my syma x5c controller to a friend who is a seasoned phantom pilot. In under a minute, he flew it straight into the only tree around 3 times.

He had no idea how to "fly" a drone. Embarrassing.

I liken the DJI products to a 16 year old jumping behind the wheel of an automatic transmission automobile (Basically a 2 ton wrecking machine) with no idea or respect for the machine they are operating. I think drivers should learn on manual transmission to earn the respect and knowledge for the auto and how it works.

All of you who have said you shouldn't learn how to fly a "toy" quad should be ashamed of yourselves.

If YOU want to skip it, feel free. But just because you can't do it doesn't mean you should be giving bad advice.

I can fly a toy quad through a forest no problem. I guarantee now that I have the Mavic, after one flight, I'm a hell of a better pilot than my previously mentioned friend.

 

[ISpeekW00kie]

I'm a firm believer in buying a small quad for outdoor use, think Blade QX 180 or LaTrax Alias, as beginner equipment. There are no bells and whistles to it. It forces you to learn how to fly without a "safety net". Now does this apply to everybody? Absolutely not, but it doesn't mean that you should tell somebody else that they shouldn't do it. I'm glad that I crashed a cheaper quad bunches of times than a 1000 dollar Mavic.

 

[jbst505]

I agree. I am new to droning and it is easy to get into tricky spots. It is a good idea to stay on beginner mode until you get the feel of the controls.

 

[armoredsaint]

this is my 1st ever drone, i didn't even read the manual - i went out and had fun

 

[dewster]

The Mavic is easy. Fear not.

 

[737captain]

And why is that? Learning the fundamentals of flight is always a good idea before you take off on an expensive flight.. I see it all the time, Noobs jam the throttle all the way up a lot instead of being easy on the sticks all it takes is them doing that and then ending up crashing.

I completely agree. When $1000 is floating 200' above you is no time to reach for the instructions. I think know the app and the RC as much as you can prior to flight is key, it should be as instinctive as possible. Or pay the price. Just my $0.02

 

[dewster]

Use the Force Luke. Let go...

 

[ThisIsCusel]

After an unexpected switch to atti mode:

0-7 seconds: the amount of time you THINK something is wrong with your drone

After 7 seconds: the time you KNOW something is wrong with your drone.

Good luck

 

[Blucenturion]

Flying in your house is particularly dangerous. I once read herein the phrase "GPS ghosting", and there's probably much truth, and much explanation, in its erratic behavior in your dining room. Keep kids clear if you're gonna try it!

 

[Johanna]

For me, having absolute 0 knowledge or experience with RC devices starting with the 'toy' drones gave me a basic understanding. The other reason was I wanted to know if it was a hobby I would enjoy and invest bigger $$ in. Hubsan then Syma, then P3P and now Mavic. Read everything I could find, and watched endless vids, and continue to learn. I think it depends on each individual.

 

[Cyberpower678]

I handed my syma x5c controller to a friend who is a seasoned phantom pilot. In under a minute, he flew it straight into the only tree around 3 times.

He had no idea how to "fly" a drone. Embarrassing.

I liken the DJI products to a 16 year old jumping behind the wheel of an automatic transmission automobile (Basically a 2 ton wrecking machine) with no idea or respect for the machine they are operating. I think drivers should learn on manual transmission to earn the respect and knowledge for the auto and how it works.

All of you who have said you shouldn't learn how to fly a "toy" quad should be ashamed of yourselves.

If YOU want to skip it, feel free. But just because you can't do it doesn't mean you should be giving bad advice.

I can fly a toy quad through a forest no problem. I guarantee now that I have the Mavic, after one flight, I'm a **** of a better pilot than my previously mentioned friend.

I drive a manual transmission. They're a lot of fun to drive.

 

[Wacker2611]

I had a small online debate with someone the other day. He was one of those 'I've flown rc helis for years' type of guys who could obviously outfly me blindfolded, but had zero experience with any DJI Craft. I won't go in to the details, but he was coming out with all sorts of old skool rc procedures that he was recommending to employ with the Mavic, all of which were wrong and some could even threaten a safe flight.
Flying a collective pitch heli for years will obviously hone your flying skills/orientation etc. But it is nothing like flying a Mavic or similar and the sooner these experts realise that the better.

 

[Cyberpower678]

I had a small online debate with someone the other day. He was one of those 'I've flown rc helis for years' type of guys who could obviously outfly me blindfolded, but had zero experience with any DJI Craft. I won't go in to the details, but he was coming out with all sorts of old skool rc procedures that he was recommending to employ with the Mavic, all of which were wrong and some could even threaten a safe flight.
Flying a collective pitch heli for years will obviously hone your flying skills/orientation etc. But it is nothing like flying a Mavic or similar and the sooner these experts realise that the better.

What was he suggesting?

 

[Wacker2611]

Well, silly things like you should always remove and check your props after every flight, calibrate your IMU before every flight, some erroneous advice on when you should calibrate the compass, never fly more than 200m away from you etc etc.