Mavic as a first quadcopter?

[SHRED]

I've never flown a quad or and RC flyer except a very cheap heli.

Is it okay to jump in with a Mavic?
Or should I get a cheap quad first?

I don't anticipate not liking it so that isn't an issue I think.

 

[msinger]

You'll be fine with the Mavic as long as you take the time to read (and understand) the manual and practice in a wide open location that's free of all obstacles.

 

[Former Member]

Whats your mission?

Heres a thread for you:

Things you wish you knew when you started

 

[SHRED]

You'll be fine with the Mavic as long as you take the time to read (and understand) the manual and practice in a wide open location that's free of all obstacles.

Thank you msinger for all your informative posts and responses!

 

[SHRED]

Whats your mission?

To take aerial photos and videos when we travel.
Plus I like the stealth factor of this drone.

 

[Johnmcl7]

There's two competing views on this, one is that you should buy a cheap drone without all the sophisticated Mavic assists to learn how to fly a quadcopter then move up to a better drone like the Mavic to then be better equipped to handle it if it loses GPS reception. The other view is the one above, take time to read up on the drone and how it works, understand pilot errors and take it out somewhere wide and open without obstacles.

I went for the latter option, the Mavic is my first drone and I spent a while reading through the manual, reading up on causes of crashes on the Mavic forums, watched some of the DJI videos (the top ten pilot errors is useful although it doesn't all apply to the Mavic) and then took it to a wide open space and got started on beginner mode then moved to the normal mode. I've flown it frequently keeping it in wide open spaces without obstacles and had no issues at all with the Mavic, I am concerned about an unexpected switch to ATTI mode but I'm hoping that's a rare occurrence.

I chose to go with the Mavic first as it looked like a superb drone that does everything I wanted and so far I've been very pleased with it.

John

 

[TrayBoz]

Some will say it's good to start out with a cheap drone to practice with and learn to fly. I disagree. I purchased a few cheap drones ($100 or less) that did NOT have GPS of course, and I found them completely different than the mavic. You pretty much spend the entire time trying not to run into anything. They do not hover by themselves - very easy to crash. I could only fly them with moderate control on a windless day in an open field. I spent most of my time trying to trim the controls on a cheap plastic controller that felt like it came out of a Kracker Jack box. I already understand the basics of aerodynamics and control using 2 joysticks, so it didn't teach me anything except for extreme patience and frustration and the art of replacing propellers.

The mavic "almost" flies itself. With the mavic, you just let go of the controls and it will stop and stay put. It can take off by itself, hover by itself, and land by itself. I have hundreds of flights with no issues. As long as you're smart about it, and understand the APP and controls and basics very clearly, you should have no problem. I think it would be a great first drone - well perhaps not for a child or someone under about 14 years old. It is not a toy, and can be dangerous, and you could easily blow your $1000 investment in the blink of an eye if you aren't prepared and knowledgeable about it and fly cautiously. Read all the threads you can find on this forum about crashes before you fly - it will serve you WELL.

My .02 cents.

 

[regdawg]

If you get a mavic you wont regret it. For a first time flyer it is alot of money but if you take the time to learn I think it'll be well worth it especially for the photography/videohraphy aspect of it.

 

[larkin]

#1 deciding factor is if you want a drone for indoor flying, do NOT get the Mavic.

It's like a wild animal. Perfectly majestic in its natural habitat (outdoors) but if you try to domesticate it, it will get nervous, may snap and attack you, or most likely eventually die.

 

[BorisTheSpider]

Yeah depends exactly what you're looking for. If you're anything like me it will lead to more drones anyway! The mavic is an aerial video platform, you don't "fly" it so much as operate it if that makes sense - it largely flies itself. It's great fun if you enjoy making cool videos, but more basic quads are fun because you actually have to learn how to fly them.

I don't think more basic quads will teach you anything useful when it comes to how not to do dumb stuff with the mavic, that comes down to your own common sense and inclination to learn.

 

[KyyoS24]

It was my first one, other than those $60 toys r us quadcopters. Those are completely different and you're basically just trying not to crash. They mavic is ridiculously easy to fly!

 

[Starbase Durango]

To one point or the other, I agree with all. The Mavic can be a excellent 1st drone.
I, however chose to go the route of a cheap drone to learn the basics. I bought a Syma (X5C, I think). While it didn't have GPS, and was hard to trim, it did teach me how to fly, indoors, or out. Now I have read that Syma makes a version with GPS, and is still under $100.

Either way you go, you'll do fine. If you buy the Mavic, or weather you go the cheaper route, (then say, "why didn't I buy the Mavic 1st?")

Let us know what you decided!!!

 

[GerdS]

Clear answer: Buy a cheap 30$ drone first for getting practice with using the sticks. You will have to learn which stick is intended for what reaction and how to use the sticks if the drone is heading towards you. And as cheap drones don't support GPS they are behaving similar to the Mavic in emmergency situations, when falling back into ATTI mode. So, when you have learned flying the cheap drone you will be prepared for that if it will ever happen.
And if you have a crash during your first training seassons, damage will be very cheap to fix, compared to a crashed Mavic.
And you can fly this little drone also indoors, with bad weather outside.

 

[msinger]

And as cheap drones don't support GPS they are behaving similar to the Mavic in emmergency situations, when falling back into ATTI mode. So, when you have learned flying the cheap drone you will be prepared for that if it will ever happen.

When the Mavic is flying in ATTI mode, it doesn't fly anything like a $30 drone. The only difference you'll notice is that it drifts with the wind instead of holding it's horizontal position.

 

[GerdS]

When the Mavic is flying in ATTI mode, it doesn't fly anything like a $30 drone. The only difference you'll notice is that it drifts with the wind instead of holding it's horizontal position.

You are right, it's not exactly the same, the Mavic will e.g. keep its altitude, toy drones mostly don't do that.
But in any case, somebody who has learned manually controlling such a simple toy drone will be prepared to do same in case his Mavic will fall back into Atti mode and just that is the point.

 

[regdawg]

I sent straight into a phantom as my 1st drone and don't regret. I can probably say I learned faster with a phantom rather than a $50 toy drone. So if you have the money might as well go into something your going to enjoy flying for awhile.

 

[slr001]

No practice needed.

I think some people think flying these is as technical and difficult as RC Planes.

You can take the maverick out to your driveway, launch it up 10 feet. Go inside eat a sandwich and come back out and it will be right where you left it. Go back in, take a nap and it will be sitting on your driveway waiting for a new battery.

You will spend more time trying to learn the camera than you spend trying to learn how to fly the mavick.

 

[newnan3]

I started with toy quads then moved to racers. I initially purchased a Phantom before the racer and returned it before opening the box. It was because at the time I knew I wanted to fly them for fun. Ive always been into photography but it wasnt until the MP came along that I considered an aerial photo drone.

So if you think you might want to fly one for the heck of it get a toy quad to start. If youre strictly gonna do video and photo then get a Mavic/Phantom.

I would recommend getting a small toy quad anyways. I had a Syma X11 (the one without the camera) and it was great. Its a much lower stress flight bc you cant kill that thing unless you get it stuck in a tree or on a roof (both of which Ive done).