Good for a beginner?

[Skyscope]

Is that something a beginner could (relatively) easily learn to use?

Yes, it's not difficult to use the Mavic 3 Pro as a beginner. And like the Mavic 3 Classic, it's very robust in the wind.
The three cameras are of course nice to have and you will quickly get good results. But it will take some time and some learning to really master them at least for filming, because they are quite different in almost every way.

And as you are a beginner, here are some exercises for basic manoeuvres from DJI you can do to to learn basic steering safety. They're from the days of the Phantoms, but still helpful:

https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/phantom_2_vision_plus/en/Phantom_2_Vision_Plus_Pilot_Training_Guide_v1.1_en.pdf

_____

Some of my Beginner tipps:

1.
As a beginner never start your drone indoors / in the house / with a roof over your head / near people. Do your first flights alone (i.e. without distraction), look for a wide field or a wide meadow, and always fly well above your head height, and stay there.

2.
Never press the RTH button. Always fly your drone back to you yourself. This is the only way you will be able to control the drone intuitively by building muscle memory in a relatively short time, instead of having to keep thinking about where right and left are again for months or even years, especially when the nose of your drone is pointing towards you.

3.
Practice without any autonomous flight mode for at least the first 5 to 10 days of flight. Safe and intuitive flying can only be learned by flying, not by letting someone or something fly.

4.
Never press the RTH button.

5.
Always avoid pressing the RTH button.

___

Everything else will then take care of itself.

 

[rwilliam99]

They're from the days of the Phantoms, but still helpful:

https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/phantom_2_vision_plus/en/Phantom_2_Vision_Plus_Pilot_Training_Guide_v1.1_en.pdf

Thanks for posting this. I'm always looking for new/different ways to practice my flying - while this is somewhat dated, it still applies I think.

Are you sure you shouldn't ever press RTH?

 

[mobilehomer]

RTH is a very useful tool. The drone has a couple automatic RTH scenarios and you would do well to learn what happens.

 

[old man mavic]

i think the point that @Skyscope is trying to make ,when it comes to the RTH button function,is that a lot of flyers rely on it to bring their drone back home, instead of trying to fly it back themselves
the issue with that is, what height RTH is set at ,can be an issue if the wind suddenly picks up or there are obstacles that are higher than the set RTH height ,so it is always better to practice manually flying back home, and being able to control the drone yourself as much as possible
there is nothing wrong with using auto RTH if the location and conditions allow it to be successfully accomplished,and then as the drone descends overhead just cancel the descent as the drone nears the landing spot and land it yourself ,it is a good way of keeping your muscle memory and fine control skills up to date

 

[Eversuperior]

The Mavic 3 Pro is almost a perfect drone for the flyer. The only disadvantage that is too expensive.

 

[Chris Mitchell]

I've never owned a drone before and was considering this: Buy DJI Mavic 3 Pro (DJI RC) - DJI Store

Is that something a beginner could (relatively) easily learn to use?

I live in western Tennessee, and it's always a little breezy here, so I thought something smaller might be frustrating.
Thank you

If you want the Mavic 3 Pro and have the budget for it the then by all means go for it. Don’t think you have to settle for less just because you are a beginner. The Mavic 3 Pro is no harder to fly than any other gps camera drone. I definitely recommend buying the Care Refresh though. I get it on all my drones and I have well over 1,000 flights. Accidents still happen. As far as the Classic vs the Pro, definitely get the Pro if you can afford the few bucks more.

 

[New England Droning]

I've never owned a drone before and was considering this: Buy DJI Mavic 3 Pro (DJI RC) - DJI Store

Is that something a beginner could (relatively) easily learn to use?

I live in western Tennessee, and it's always a little breezy here, so I thought something smaller might be frustrating.
Thank you

I'm a photographer for the past 45 years and I decided to start with a mini 2 in 2020 (nov) and I was hooked pretty quick. I also got the mini 2 stuck in a tree (no damage) I had to send it back for a computer board issue (covered by refresh) and then I let the refresh lapse (don't do that) because I had to pay out of pocket to get it repaired after I crashed it last Aug. It only cost me 170$ and they sent me a brand new mini 2.
But the main reason for me to have a drone is for photography. I'm not watching it fly around. I'm creating artwork so I bought the Mavic 3 Pro with refresh and 2 batteries. I bought this for the outstanding optics to advance my photography.

The main question is WHY do you want it? if you plan on flying FPV through and around things in close proximity then I think you might want or need a different drone. The M3P is a big drone and good if not great for photography. but if you do something stupid with it and IF the refresh does not replace it, are you ok being out $2,500 $$$

it all comes down to purpose, what is yours?

 

[Chris Mitchell]

Yes, it's not difficult to use the Mavic 3 Pro as a beginner. And like the Mavic 3 Classic, it's very robust in the wind.
The three cameras are of course nice to have and you will quickly get good results. But it will take some time and some learning to really master them at least for filming, because they are quite different in almost every way.

And as you are a beginner, here are some exercises for basic manoeuvres from DJI you can do to to learn basic steering safety. They're from the days of the Phantoms, but still helpful:

https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/phantom_2_vision_plus/en/Phantom_2_Vision_Plus_Pilot_Training_Guide_v1.1_en.pdf

_____

Some of my Beginner tipps:

1.
As a beginner never start your drone indoors / in the house / with a roof over your head / near people. Do your first flights alone (i.e. without distraction), look for a wide field or a wide meadow, and always fly well above your head height, and stay there.

2.
Never press the RTH button. Always fly your drone back to you yourself. This is the only way you will be able to control the drone intuitively by building muscle memory in a relatively short time, instead of having to keep thinking about where right and left are again for months or even years, especially when the nose of your drone is pointing towards you.

3.
Practice without any autonomous flight mode for at least the first 5 to 10 days of flight. Safe and intuitive flying can only be learned by flying, not by letting someone or something fly.

4.
Never press the RTH button.

5.
Always avoid pressing the RTH button.

___

Everything else will then take care of itself.

“Never press the RTH bottom” and “always avoid pressing the RTH button” is really bad advice. This may be well intentioned as the idea is to know how to fly the aircraft and situational awareness is always important. But pease don’t tell folks not to use the functions that are built-in to our drones. Bad idea.

 

[mobilehomer]

“Never press the RTH bottom” and “always avoid pressing the RTH button” is really bad advice. This may be well intentioned as the idea is to know how to fly the aircraft and situational awareness is always important. But pease don’t tell folks not to use the functions that are built-in to our drones. Bad idea.

Exactly. The FAA recommends using RTH if VLOS cannot be reestablished. Just make sure your RTH altitude is higher than surrounding obstacles.

 

[Skyscope]

But pease don’t tell folks not to use the functions that are built-in to our drones. Bad idea.

This is obviously a matter of opinion. Reporting with 10 years of experience with beginners and after analyzing countless crash reports on the largest European drone forum with 55K members, I have come to the conclusion that relying on autonomous flight modes is a very bad idea, especially but not only for beginners.

Of course, RTH is very helpful in case of signal loss or if you didn't keep an eye on your battery capacity and should also be trained with some experience, however it's simply a fact that the vast majority of regular camera drone crashes happen in one of the autonomous flight modes, not during manual flights.

But in the end post #21 are just well-intentioned beginner advices that nobody has to follow, of course.
Anyone who thinks they have to fly their drone home with RTH should do so. As I said, just don't be surprised if you find it difficult to intuitively control your drone even in difficult situations for a longer time, that's all.

 

[Chris Mitchell]

This is obviously a matter of opinion. Reporting with 10 years of experience with beginners and after analyzing countless crash reports on the largest European drone forum with 55K members, I have come to the conclusion that relying on autonomous flight modes is a very bad idea, especially but not only for beginners.

Of course, RTH is very helpful in case of signal loss or if you didn't keep an eye on your battery capacity and should also be trained with some experience, however it's simply a fact that the vast majority of regular camera drone crashes happen in one of the autonomous flight modes, not during manual flights.

But in the end post #21 are just well-intentioned beginner advices that nobody has to follow, of course.
Anyone who thinks they have to fly their drone home with RTH should do so. As I said, just don't be surprised if you find it difficult to intuitively control your drone even in difficult situations for a longer time, that's all.

I understand the good intentions. However, my perspective is not only as a 107 pilot but also as an FAA CFI/CFII/MEI since 1990 and ATP since 1995 teaching primary flight students all the way thru their ATP and teaching Airline pilots - including Boeing 737 and similar aircraft. And as a 121 pilot myself for many years.

The parallels between large aircraft pilots and drone pilots are very similar in this regard.

Most of the first skills a large airplane pilot is taught in a new aircraft is proficiency in ALL aspects of the aircraft auto flight systems. Ninety-95% of a typical airline flight is conducted in one of the auto-flight modes - not hand flown, except for takeoff and landing. Pilots of any level (sUAS all the up to the above mentioned pilots) should be intimately proficient - not just familiar - with ALL aspects of their aircraft. And definitely not afraid or hesitant to use any of the technology of their aircraft.

What causes aircraft accidents and drone crashes is NOT the technology (e.g. RTH) but a hesitancy, fear or lack of knowledge/proficiency in using it, or a deficiency in procedures. Drone pilots that crash while using RTH or any other "autonomous" flight modes are most likely going to crash at some point anyway as crashing drones often goes hand-in-hand in learning to fly them.

Avoiding automation in flying drones should not be considered a badge of honor or anything other than a deficiency in training and skills. My advice to a new (or any) drone pilot is, in addition to developing manual flight skills, start using all auto flight modes right away and become very proficient at them asap.

 

[Skyscope]

The parallels between large aircraft pilots and drone pilots are very similar in this regard.

I have to disagree there too, I don't think you can really compare beginners in both fields.
The first big difference between pilots of manned aircraft and remote pilots is that for the latter there is no personal life-threatening risk if something goes wrong. As a result, drones are being handled much more rashly, including using autonomous flight modes.

If you look outside the box of this forum or other drone specialist forums, where already enthusiasts who are interested in backgrounds are exchanging ideas, you'll find many drone beginners that do not even think about many safety-related issues.
And these beginners increased and continue to increase every year as the drones become easier to fly with their sensors and autonomous flight modes. The manufacturers' marketing encourages this, as it is promised that the drone will take care of everything itself. Which, as is well known, it does not do.

And many drone pilots only think of possible penalties and the costs in the event of a crash or other possible incidents, even personal damage to others is often not thought of. And as mentioned above on top of that there's the fact that you don't have to take personal damage into account, just in contrast to manned flight, where you sit in the plane yourself.

The second big difference is that pilots of manned aircrafts receive very intensive and personal training over weeks and months before they are allowed to fly alone.
In contrast Drone pilots mostly train themselves, and that should focus specifically on flying, not on operating modes that let the drone fly.

Once beginners have gained a certain level of experience and competence in manual flight, they can move on to the autonomous flight modes. Otherwise they cannot react adequately if something goes wrong in one of these modes, which will happen sooner or later.

 

[Chris Mitchell]

Break it down however you want but advising drone pilots (new or experienced) to never use RTH is a bad idea.

 

[Skyscope]

Well, not a particularly substantive statement, since you obviously have little to counter my arguments.

 

[EgoTrip]

I've never owned a drone before and was considering this: Buy DJI Mavic 3 Pro (DJI RC) - DJI Store

Is that something a beginner could (relatively) easily learn to use?

I live in western Tennessee, and it's always a little breezy here, so I thought something smaller might be frustrating.
Thank you

I've flown small "toy" drones in the past, and found them very hard to control. So I was also concerned with putting done some serious money on a Mavic 3 Pro.

I can tell you this thing is crazy-easy to fly. It floats perfecting in the air, waiting for your command, and handles decent wind gusts.

I did some simple training moves that I saw on FB, like flying in a square, etc. After one battery charge, I felt comfortable with it. I've been through about a dozen battery charges now, and flying is a breeze (it's really fun in sport mode). I'm still learning the interface for the application, and making the most out of pictures and video.

 

[MA2 317]

I've flown small "toy" drones in the past, and found them very hard to control. So I was also concerned with putting done some serious money on a Mavic 3 Pro.

Cheap drones are easy to crash.

DJI drones are easy to fly.

.