1st Time Drone Owners

[Desertdude]

I totally disagree!!

My 1st drone was a Yuneec Q5004K and it was a great drone, I then Purchased a Cheap drone, and all that thing did was frustrate me!! and was a total WASTE of $

So if you are wanting something like a Mavic Pro, Don't waste your $ on a cheap toy.

If you are a newbie and take your time and don't do stupid things.... a hobby grade drone is a great for a 1st time drone owner.

I agree the cheap drones are much harder to fly and they frustrate new drone owners. I bought the Mavic and I love it. I've been flying it for about two months now no crashes. You get what you pay for.

 

[dronebot]

i just have a suggestion for all you 1st time drone owners who jump right into a $1000 drone, Don't!!!

Take a little time and spend $40-100 on a smaller drone to practise?
Even though the Mavic is very easy to fly if you practise with a cheaper drone without all the gps features and fancy stuff, you will learn better control. It's also a lot easier to crash a $100 drone than a $1000 one! Usually the cheaper drones are more robust and sustain little damage when smashed into a tree or a wall!
I've been flying a traxxas Alias for a couple of years and it really helps to gain confidence.
Just my .02

I did just that. I bought a hundred dollar toy and flew it. I do have some small amount of experience flying RC planes so it went fairly well for me. That said I want to point out that I do believe that gaining a little experience with a cheap toy is not a bad idea. But even so the Mavic is easy to fly there is still a learning curve. Becoming a good videographer while flying the Mavic I am finding to be a challenge. So the fun continues.

 

[Draker1007]

Never though my post would generate such excitement.
Thanks everyone for your comments.

I just know for me it was a huge help learning on my Alias, no worry about bashing it off the wall or driving it into the ground. I gained a lots of experience flying it and it only helped me. The mavic is fantastic and anyone with no experience can fly it without a doubt.
It's all personal preference.

 

[Mavicflyer519]

I started out on a DJI P3S and was glad I didn't get anything less. Just my opinion, but I think it's important to start out with the basics of a Mavic Pro which is what the Phantom 3 Standard pretty much at a fraction of the cost since I got mine.on sale. Plus I wasnt too terribly concerned with crashing the P3S even though I never did. When I switched over to the Mavic Pro I felt more than ready to fly it. My only obstacle is figuring out all the features of the camera. Have a good one.

 

[phyllis]

i just have a suggestion for all you 1st time drone owners who jump right into a $1000 drone, Don't!!!

Take a little time and spend $40-100 on a smaller drone to practise?
Even though the Mavic is very easy to fly if you practise with a cheaper drone without all the gps features and fancy stuff, you will learn better control. It's also a lot easier to crash a $100 drone than a $1000 one! Usually the cheaper drones are more robust and sustain little damage when smashed into a tree or a wall!
I've been flying a traxxas Alias for a couple of years and it really helps to gain confidence.
Just my .02

i disagree, i dont see the newbies having the crashes that the more experienced are doing - i am new to drones and flying and I purchased a cheapie and it drove me crazy , the mavic is the first drone i consider i own , the other i gave away and the guy who got it is also being driven crazy by it - i am happy to take the responsibility on my purchase and potential loss , i am cautious and watching and learning and viewing videos etc and doing all i can to learn

 

[Peter Barnes]

My experience with a cheap toy drone was so frustrating and disheartening that I gave up the idea of getting a drone for photography for several years. The Mavic is such a dream to fly in comparison. After 15 hours of flight time I've yet to encounter any situation that my previous flying experience was useful for. The DJI flight simulator is a much better (and cheaper) way to get to know how the real thing works.

 

[AnzacJack]

You limp in with that?

Tighten it up AMG! You're leaking confidence everywhere...

Haha. Watch out Foxtrot, he is on "6 figures".

 

[dewster]

DJI made the Mavic and Phantom series with consideration for first time pilots. GPS, obstacle avoidance, and RTH are designed to get new pilots out of trouble. The intelligent flight modes like orbit allow pilots to achieve shots that used to require skilled piloting.

I think the tech inspires more confidence which helps to build skill. Buying a cheap practice drone just won't cut it. I think the playing field is equal if something goes wrong with the Mavic. We can't switch to atti or manual mode to save our ship.

 

[Mavicflyer519]

Completely agree with dewster and my earlier point exactly.

 

[YelloJacketStatus]

After seeing a neighbor kid having fun in the front yard, I started out with a inexpensive UDI818, and made a progression through the Hubsan models before I got the MP. The good thing about flying the inexpensive drones is I can practice flying in my backyard around trees, and not worry about blowing up a 1k$ machine. Most people will find it sketchy to fly the expensive quad within a foot or inches of branches and other obstacles. I think the skills learned by doing this allows one to be able to fly the MP in tight spaces (like woods, forest, etc) with more confidence. Also, it is fun to fly the the UDI or Hubsan at the spur of the moment from the 2nd story deck, even when its dark. There is fun to be had besides taking nice video.

 

[Kestrel]

After seeing a neighbor kid having fun in the front yard, I started out with a inexpensive UDI818, and made a progression through the Hubsan models before I got the MP. The good thing about flying the inexpensive drones is I can practice flying in my backyard around trees, and not worry about blowing up a 1k$ machine. Most people will find it sketchy to fly the expensive quad within a foot or inches of branches and other obstacles. I think the skills learned by doing this allows one to be able to fly the MP in tight spaces (like woods, forest, etc) with more confidence. Also, it is fun to fly the the UDI or Hubsan at the spur of the moment from the 2nd story deck, even when its dark. There is fun to be had besides taking nice video.

Hubsans are great inexpensive quads, I'll probably pick up a Hubsan 501 eventually.

 

[ZeroG]

I had bought a cheap $100 drone before the mp. I really just aggravated me. The longest I was able to keep it in the air was about a minute before it would crash. Found myself fighting with it the whole time with the sticks just to try to steady it. I've flown my mp about 4 times soo far and enjoyed every minute of it. I just take my time with it, and fly slow. I keep it in a wide open space so I can concentrate on the app more to learn all the options and functions without being worried about crashing into something. Its an awesome drone for beginner like me!

Okay, here's the long and the short of it. I've been flying collective pitch helicopters for nine years now, and quads for five years. Both of these aircraft are completely unassisted by any electronic guidance at all. And that means no GPS or ATTI. If I don't keep the attitude level, nothing will. It took me 3 years of constant daily practice to learn how to fly without crashing, and with perseverance I have been flying my collective pitch heli and quad crash free for five years. A year ago I purchased an Inspire 1, and I bought a Mavic Pro 2 months ago. I found them to be very easy to "fly", and I use the term loosely because it actually flies itself. If I'm up in the air, and I want to go and have a cup of coffee, I just take my hands off the sticks, it stays put, I get my coffee, come back, sit down, and oh yah, I've got a drone in the air! If I take my eyes of a collective pitch helicopter, it's in the dirt within 1/4 of a second. Not so with DJI products. The other day I was flying my Mavic and it occurred to me that my legs were getting tired, and I was 400' in the air. So I put my controller down, went to my car, opened my trunk, got my camping chair, unfolded it, sat down, picked up my controller, and went back to "flying". I guess my point is that these satellite guided drones are not really be flown. The satellites are flying the drones. I would strongly advise anyone who is new to UAS's to learn how to fly smaller, cheaper drones that have a 100% manual unassisted by electronic positioning systems before getting a Mavic - just my opinion.

 

[HeavensAbove]

It all depends on the individual.

Can you think in 3 dimensions for a kick off? How good were you as a kid playing with an RC car? How are you at FPS gaming? What is you attitude to risk? How much money do you have? Are you the cautious type or an adrenaline junkie?

Truth is that this is not a one size fits all argument. Some will find that progression helps and some will just find it a waste of time and money (unless they lose their £1k Mavic).

So do what suits you.

 

[Daniel]

i just have a suggestion for all you 1st time drone owners who jump right into a $1000 drone, Don't!!!

Take a little time and spend $40-100 on a smaller drone to practise?
Even though the Mavic is very easy to fly if you practise with a cheaper drone without all the gps features and fancy stuff, you will learn better control. It's also a lot easier to crash a $100 drone than a $1000 one! Usually the cheaper drones are more robust and sustain little damage when smashed into a tree or a wall!
I've been flying a traxxas Alias for a couple of years and it really helps to gain confidence.
Just my .02

Or.... you can fly conservatively with your Mavic, understand your learning curve as a new operator!

Watch different tips on YouTube on how to best operate your drone!

It's NOT rocket science!