Andy Mac 230
Well-Known Member
And that gents is why we always end up with a pile of spare screws when assembling an Ikea wardrobe and when we were kids Half a dozen bits of plastic mouldings after assembling an airfix model...lol
PhantomFandom
Well-Known Member
I completely agree and interestingly enough I had just brought up a similar point of view in a separate thread earlier this morning... Stop the rot before it gets worse.
As they say, there's no need to re-invent the wheel so then why duplicate the information that is in the manual or that has been posted here a hundred times before?
PhantomFandom
Well-Known Member
I agree and do the same exact thing. I have read the manual of every one of my drones from cover to cover. In fact I read the manual of a few DJI drones prior to even purchasing my first one. When I settled on purchasing a used P3P as my very first drone, I downloaded, printed out, and read the entire manual multiple times prior to meeting the person selling it. I wanted to at least have a basic knowledge of how it works and what to expect before doing a test flight. I didn't fly it myself when I bought it but I knew enough to ask questions and ask to see specific things.
These are expensive machines that can easily crash and can hurt others if not properly operated. Take the time to read the manual and learn how the thing works!
PhantomFandom
Well-Known Member
Well said. It reminds me of a desk sign I have seen a few times in offices. It reads along the lines "Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part"
In this case as you mentioned it is actually inconsiderate for someone not wanting to take the time to do a little research and expect others to do it for them. Of course it is not always the case, but you can tell when the person has not done the most basic of research. We have seen the questions where people can't even power on their drone because they don't perform the double press. It's in the manual !!
PhantomFandom
Well-Known Member
Actually in today's world of electronics you basically never see a manual. In the case of something as dynamic as a drone with firmware and software updates, it is best to have the manual online so that it is always the most current version and can be updated easily. A paper manual can be outdated by the time the drone hits the shelves.More people would read the manual if DJI actually put a printed one in the box with the drone.
Just mentioning here for everyone's benefit (if in case there are people who don't know); the manuals for every DJI product are available under the "Downloads" section of the product page at dji.com ( the URL is usually www(dot)dji(dot)com/<product-name>/downloads). The small booklets which DJI ships in the box are not the full user manual; they are quick start guides and product safety notices and such.
THE CYBORG
Well-Known Member
this whole thread ,is really an example of the modern disposable world we all live in now ,and the fact that we believe all the things we see on the internet,
when i was young, then to own something such as a model flying machine required many hours of construction, and then having someone to show you how to fly it
today the main difference is that we just have to remove it from the box it came in and then just go and fly it and depending how interested we really are in our new machine,we go to the trouble of finding out how it works or we just fly it a couple of times till we crash it, or it flies away,
forums like this one have become the flying sites where we once went for advice ,its just the way of things
when i was young, then to own something such as a model flying machine required many hours of construction, and then having someone to show you how to fly it
today the main difference is that we just have to remove it from the box it came in and then just go and fly it and depending how interested we really are in our new machine,we go to the trouble of finding out how it works or we just fly it a couple of times till we crash it, or it flies away,
forums like this one have become the flying sites where we once went for advice ,its just the way of things
Really sick of these threads.
if you don’t want to answer a question that you feel is in the manual then please be quiet and Move On. Thank you.
The manual is a reference manual not a flight instruction manual.
It doesn’t mean much until you already know what you’re looking for.
It’s not designed to be readable in the sense that a flight instruction manual would be.
When I got my first drone phantom four I watched the DJI videos and looked at the manual but as I said it really wasn’t very helpful.
I had a crash but nothing in the manual would’ve helped me prevent it.
So if you really wanna help new pilots go out And write a flight instruction manual for the drone you have that actually explains things in context Unlike the manual.
if you don’t want to answer a question that you feel is in the manual then please be quiet and Move On. Thank you.
The manual is a reference manual not a flight instruction manual.
It doesn’t mean much until you already know what you’re looking for.
It’s not designed to be readable in the sense that a flight instruction manual would be.
When I got my first drone phantom four I watched the DJI videos and looked at the manual but as I said it really wasn’t very helpful.
I had a crash but nothing in the manual would’ve helped me prevent it.
So if you really wanna help new pilots go out And write a flight instruction manual for the drone you have that actually explains things in context Unlike the manual.
Martysticks
Well-Known Member
Here is my take. When my BIL introduced me to his new Mavic Air last April I was amazed at this little toy. While it was obviously an impulse buy for him I could see that he liked it and it made me think that I would also like this as a new hobby. I’m very tech oriented (retired software engineer who specialized in operating systems) and someone who always wanted to fly (my dad was a private pilot), I thought I ‘might’ enjoy it. The key word here is ‘might’. Using this forum here gave me lots of insight on not only how to fly drones, but also what people were doing with them as a hobby. I learned an awful lot here, bought my own Mavic Air last August and really enjoy it. I’m hooked now, with not only my MA, but also a Mavic Pro Platinum and a Mavic 2 Zoom. As for someone who spent a career reading IBM manuals and publications I can assure you I’ve read everyone I could find from DJI. This in no way could ever replace the knowledge and instructions I’ve garnered here. P.S. while my BIL still flys his MA on occasion, he now thinks I’m crazy and that he has created a monster ?
Sorry you feel that way; it wasn't my intention to offend people.
I am in complete agreement with you here. My point was, and still is, reading the user manual is a starting point; not the end, of learning about your drone and its capabilities and limits.reading it is the very least you could do, and should be expected of everyone who operates these machines.
I am not sure what your point is here. May be it is true that reading the manual may not have contributed anything to averting the crash in this one particular case; but that doesn't mean you would not need to read it at all.
I beg to differ. The user manual, while it doesn't have an answer to every question, does contain a lot of detailed information on how the drone works and its capabilities as well as limits. I somehow feel that you are downplaying the importance of the user manual because it doesn't teach you things you can only learn from actual flying experience.
As a newbie to the drone world, I read the manual and watched many training videos - but it is just too much information to take on, in one go.
And to be honest, the engagement with other members on the forum is also part of the enjoyment in the drone world, rather than endlessly re-reading the manual.
And to be honest, the engagement with other members on the forum is also part of the enjoyment in the drone world, rather than endlessly re-reading the manual.
i have 20 20 vision am 65 years young and i can,t see the **** thing either
( Mod Removed Insulting Remark)
Further DJI bills as so easy they have their videos so the impression is your good.
And last but not least since DJI does ntpo include a printed copy those not inclined to read them arte not going to go look for them.
FWIW My wife wrote the first tech ref for OS2 - which no customers actually read.
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It's not that I am offended it just that you are wasting your time and the frog is annoyed because it's never going to learn to sing.
Many even if they read the manual are not going to really understand it.
So as I request please just don't read those threads if you have so little empathy to not understand then please don't make them feel uncomfortable by manual shaming them. They probably already feel stupid and this type of comment is un helpful not to mention off topic.
PhantomFandom
Well-Known Member
One could say the same exact thing to you. If you don't like these threads and have no interest then please be quiet and move on. Correct?
Not true at all. It is an excellent starting point and gives you a basic overview of how to operate this complex piece of machinery. You don't need to be looking for anything in order to read it and get good information from it.
The saem can be said about literally thousands of YouTube videos that have nothing to do with the cause of your specific crash. Just because it wouldn't help in that case, does not preclude it from having valuable information.
Apples and oranges. As I said above, the user manual is only a starting point. Basic knowledge of the equipment, how to operate it, and what its limits are. It is not, and was not meant to be a pilot training manual. Much like the manual that comes with a new car. It gives you valuable information about the car and its systems, but in no way does it teach you how to drive. That doesn't mean you just ignore it and not learn about the features of your automobile.
Because I am attempting to keep your misguided indignation from hurting others who are may not be as clever as you are.
I don't want others to feel that maybe you will be shaming them for not finding the information elsewhere.
It's obvious yall just don't really care about others, you just want to cry about something that is just basic human nature.
So cry your eyes out but please don't hurt others,
In what universe is asking someone to read the user manual considered shaming? I certainly don't consider it to be shaming; or am I just rude? I am genuinely baffled.
I've seen many threads where instead of answering the question they are told "If you had read the manual etc".
Actually most threads on this forum fail to address the OP'S question. It amazes me to no end.
Anyway that's shaming. Not only that many have tried to read the manual and just not got it.
Further this rant will change nothing.
If you want more people to read the manual convince DJI to provide a legible copy with the drone.
By not providing it the implication is you don't need to read it.
as for "Whatever happened to reading the manual first?
It's nothing new reading the manual first has never ever been a "thing". If clubs had come with a manual cavemen would not have read it either. I used to write detailed manuals for software I wrote but never again - I got sick of saying "section 5.2.1 clearly explains this" virtually no one read the manual.
So really what's your point again?
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