Am I a wuss ?

[AZDave]

I was very nervous for my first 50 flights. Then I became quietly confident in my piloting skills. I joined this forum once I did 100 flights. Now I’m anxious about my MA2, as I keep seeing all these threads about AC flying away & dropping out of the sky!
I’m now learning to trust my piloting skills, & have accepted that there is a tiny chance I may lose the AC one day through no fault of my piloting skills but rather technology.

Pretty sure that the great majority of those reported flyaways have eventually been attributed to operator error.

 

[offtheback]

Ok so I’m new I get it but how many of you lot actually lose your legs when starting this flying thing. What’s wrong with me I can hardly send her 10 feet without falling into a jibbering wreck?

Will this feeling pass, I can’t remember feeling this bad on my driving test!!!

Maybe it’s an age thing

I found it extremely helpful to have an experienced pilot fly with me the 1st 2 times out.Hope you can find someone.

 

[PatrickMicc]

Your nervousness isn't a terrible thing as it puts you on high alert. It is a sign of caring and responsibility. There are so many guys that go out there and just do whatever, the consequences be what they may. Dealing with the excess nervousness is a progressive thing. Some folks, like me, never get 100% over the nerves when flying, but as you build confidence you'll be able to do more and more advanced flight maneuvers.

As noted above, take things really slow at first. Most humans only have experience driving cars so only know forward and backward and turning on an arc- and on one plane. A UAV not only also does that but goes up and down, side to side and can do them all simultaneously. It will take some training and practice to get it all down. Baby steps, each time pushing your envelope just a little more as your skill develops will help with confidence even it it doesn't completely calm the nerves. But you'll see that at some point in a short while you'll only be slightly nervous doing the things that turn you into a puddle of jello today.

One thing that we all have to learn to accept is that one day you will crash. But your care will keep the crashes and the damage to a minimum. Learning to understand that crashes are ultimately inevitable is hard, but with caution will also help tamp down the nerves.

I have attached a video below that might help you. Good training for control and confidence as you prepare to further spread your wings.

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that was goof to watch
How do I switch to ATTO mode on Mavic 2
pro ?

 

[mereflyer]

Ok so I’m new I get it but how many of you lot actually lose your legs when starting this flying thing. What’s wrong with me I can hardly send her 10 feet without falling into a jibbering wreck?

Will this feeling pass, I can’t remember feeling this bad on my driving test!!!

Maybe it’s an age thing

A couple more things to add to the good advice above. I found the thing you need to understand first. Just move the drone up 1 or 2 metres and let it hover - take your hands off the controls first for a few seconds and then just watch carefully as you try each of the control directions, slowly and carefully. try that a few times then just land and relax...

Rinse and repeat until you feel some confidence - You will quickly get to know the reactions and results of control inputs. Then take it up another couple of metres and the same again - these are the baby steps they are referring to above.

Just realise you are in control of a very user friendly little machine, which will obediently stop and hover for you if you just take your hands away from the controls when things get confusing.

Try this and see if it helps you overcome that nervous feeling and lead you into being a more confident and relaxed pilot, ready to advance to the joy of drone flight and camera operations.

BTW its not necessarily and age thing - I am 79 and cant get enough of flying my MP.
I still enjoying the challenges after more than 3 years of mostly very enjoyable flying and picture taking, so persevere and you will soon be there your self!

 

[vindibona1]

that was goof to watch
How do I switch to ATTO mode on Mavic 2
pro ?

I don’t know that you can do that automatically. But the ATTI Mode is some thing they can be a bit scary. Unfortunately it comes on spontaneously when it doesn’t have GPS to lock onto. But when it does flying your drone in that mode it’s like driving your car on black ice with no brakes. It’s unfortunate that you can’t switch that mode on to practice, Because when it comes on we typically have no practice flying in that mode and it’s easy to go into a panic.

 

[Libertyville Flyer]

I wasn't nervous at first after reading, learning and taking my Part 107 test. I became much more nervous after reading all of the problems that other people have had on social media and on youtube.

 

[Ditchdoc]

I was pretty nervous. The main reason, I had just dropped a thousand bucks on a MA2 fly more package along with a few accessories. That was a lot of cash for me. The LAST thing I wanted to do was crash it.

I read the manual front to back, twice.

I watched video after video on You Tube etc.

I felt I had a pretty good grasp of the basics.

Even then, I took baby steps. I assembled and inspected all the various parts. After all the research, I was pretty well grounded in in the startup process.

I started with powering up on my desk, took a few pictures and operated the gimble as a hand held camera.

After installing and updating software, confirming my phone would work with every thing, got my ID number and so on ...

Finally, I got to the first flight.

A simple launch. Straight up to about 10 or 15 feet. Rotate left and right in place. Move forward and backward a bit, maybe another 15 or 20 feet. Finally, straight up to clear the tree line and again, rotate to view the surround country side from maybe about 100 feet. Take a few pictures. Then pretty much straight back down, a little adjustment for the landing spot, and land.

Hey .... not so bad.

From there I carefully explored maneuvering and in a wide open space relatively safe from obstacles, I practiced circles, figure eights etc at relatively low altitudes. I gradually sent the MA2 off further and and higher.

This experience made me more comfortable at the controls and gave me more confidence in the MA2s abilities.

Since, I have done more practicing with video and exploring the various special modes provided.

These are wonderful, smart machine/robots that have and amazing amount of technology. They can be complex and all the features and abilities take practice to learn.

I am still much of a novice and for me, its still scary doing over water flights etc. Just don't get to ad lib. Plan flights with a purpose and stick to it. Be aware of the limitations.

 

[LA 2020]

Ok so I’m new I get it but how many of you lot actually lose your legs when starting this flying thing. What’s wrong with me I can hardly send her 10 feet without falling into a jibbering wreck?

Will this feeling pass, I can’t remember feeling this bad on my driving test!!!

Maybe it’s an age thing

Yes you get the jitters when first flying but it passes as you get more comfortable and knowing you won't crash. Just take it slow in the beginning and don't take chances until you make many successful flights

 

[Theresasky]

Thank you for posting the training video!

 

[netfolks2000]

When I got my first drone, Mavic Air, I was nervous about loosing/crashing it due to my inexperience. I did several things that really helped enjoy the drone.
1. Put an orange skin on it as it was almost impossible to see against a grey sky at even moderate distances.
2. Put stobes on front and rear legs to help keep track of it.
3. Started just flying and getting enough experience that I no longer needed to look at the sticks before doing anything to change the flight. Being confident makes a world of difference.
4. Just started enjoying the challenge of getting better images and videos and quit worrying about loosing it. Now, I can get it out and just enjoy the experience.

"Losing" a drone is always the biggest concern. They cost so much and you usually need to find "the carcass" if you crash it for insurance purposes.

 

[Grazuncle]

I am new to the Mini 2 as well... I don't get much time to actually fly this thing.. So i know the feeling you are having.

What I did do was to get into the (free version) DJI flight simulator cheap. The mini 2 controller won't work with it so i bought an Xbox One controller and the best thing was to be able to control the simulator drone (eventually) without looking at the control sticks and it has made a big difference out in the field. Getting the feel of what the sticks do and by how much... Fortunately the real thing is a lot less twitchy than the Xbox simulator because I slowed down the movements.

Ps.. you can fly anytime and you can never any damage your drone in a simulator..

there are plenty of threads on the forum about this option.

 

[Zebra48]

Ok so I’m new I get it but how many of you lot actually lose your legs when starting this flying thing. What’s wrong with me I can hardly send her 10 feet without falling into a jibbering wreck?

Will this feeling pass, I can’t remember feeling this bad on my driving test!!!

Maybe it’s an age thing

I have experienced the same emotions. Glad to read the reassuring and encouraging comments. The advice about attaching strobes is welcome. I had already considered that and am awaiting their arrival. Just hoping that they help with visibility.

 

[Tolly]

I'm 66 now and got my first drone in lockdown a year ago. Like you, I spent a really long time being nervous. Never mind the camera settings, the quickshots, the map, the compass: It was all I could do to fly a bit and make sure I got it back safe. Moving on the first big step was learning I could lose signal and trust the RTH It works a treat! About 4 months in I realised the next thing giving me the trouble. It was that I couldn't get a really clear view of where the drone was heading on my mobile phone screen. I maximised the brightness, tried sunshades but still struggled. I think it's down to my aging eyesight. Anyway I researched it a bit and found that most phones are are around 4-500 NITS (how bright it is) I bought a used Samsung Galaxy 8+ (7-800 NITS) and never looked back. Now I am confident I can see the way ahead and soon relaxed into flying. Now I fly in free air with no nerves or concerns. What makes me nervous now is flying really close to trees, low down to water and through arches etc but these are enjoyable nerves

 

[ultracat]

Ok so I’m new I get it but how many of you lot actually lose your legs when starting this flying thing. What’s wrong with me I can hardly send her 10 feet without falling into a jibbering wreck?

Will this feeling pass, I can’t remember feeling this bad on my driving test!!!

Maybe it’s an age thing

Not at all, Kevalli.

I think it's fairly prudent to be cautious when you first start out--I certainly was, and I imagine that most sensible, responsible pilots want to take their time and carefully test the controls before venturing any distance with their drone.

The nervousness begins to pass with experience, so my best advice is to start wracking up as much flight time as you can. You don't have to go far, or go fast. It's all about acclimatizing to the controls.

Here's my top ten tips that I think will help you overcome your drone flying anxieties:

1. Find a wide open flat field with minimal obstacles and low grass, preferably on top of a hill far away from any power lines or buildings. Position yourself in the center of that expanse.

2. Use beginner mode and/or set up your altitude and distance limits to modest levels--no more than sayyy 40m in any direction. Using tripod mode slows things down even more, and makes the controls much less twitchy.

3. Have all obstacle-avoidance features activated--even if there's nothing close around you, it will help avoid planting it in the ground or flying it into the back of your head accidentally. Memorize the location of the pause button. Practice reaching for it with your finger until it's an automatic movement. Any time you lose orientation or think you're out of control, press that button. Confirm its location by making direct visual contact with the drone before continuing.

4. Plan flying a simple obstacle course. Set up two markers some distance apart. Practice slowly flying it over to one nearby marker, achieving a stable altitude of a given height, then move it over to the other marker, back and forth until it becomes a comfortable exercise.

5. In the beginning, as much as possible, try to orient the drone facing the direction that you are, so that the control inputs move in a normal way. When you fly the drone facing you, the control inputs are inverted which may be confusing at first.

6. Rely on the automatic take-off and landing features when you first start. You can practice doing this manually later on when you're more familiar with the controls. Likewise avoid trying the handheld take-offs and landings until you're able to handle the craft with precision.

7. Gradually, as you feel comfortable, methodically test each intelligent flight mode for capturing footage. It helps to carefully read those intro windows that describe what each mode does when activated. It helps even more to watch a few YouTube videos of a person doing each of these features so you know what to expect. This avoids a sudden panic when the craft suddenly flies up and away from you, seemingly out of control, but actually just following the preset action.

8. Relax that instinct to keep the drone busy moving. I was very guilty of this at first. When you turn the craft on, there's this gnawing impulse to immediately take off, often before you have everything set up properly, or before you have completed your preflight checklist. Let the clock tick and go through all the proper steps before you fly. So what if you lose 5 or even 10% of your battery while go through the necessary steps? You'll eventually learn to do certain things before you activate it to make your flights more efficient, but in the meantime, there's no need to rush. Same goes for that urge to keep it moving once in the air. Don't know just what to do or where you should go next? Let it hover. I promise your drone will not get impatient with you, and the battery doesn't drain as fast as you might think while you let it stay in one place. Orient yourself properly, decide on a safe line of flight using both the viewscreen and a direct visual reference of where the drone is in the sky.

9. Take notes! As a Canadian, I use the indispensable Drone Pilot Canada app to check my location, the weather, and record each flight. At the end of each flight, I always make a point of recording the particulars about the conditions, problems I encountered, and importantly, mistakes that I made. There is much room for review and improvement when you start--you are unlikely to do everything correctly every time, and it's very important to document the gaps in your knowledge and experience so you can avoid those same errors in future. And, it will help boost your confidence over time to have a diary your progress and see your development unfold.

10. I saved this potentially contentious one for last: it's not necessary and might not even helpful for some, but for me I found this tip absolutely priceless to improving my ability to precisely control my M2P--a little tip I learned from Alex Harris Scottsdale Video Production by Alex Harris - Corporate Videographer, editing, animation, photography - Scottsdale Video Production by Alex Harris (and no, he's not paying me to say this LOL). Take the sticks off the controller. Seriously, just leave them off and use your thumbs directly on the trackballs. I swear my smoothness improved 200% instantly once I started doing that. I haven't used the sticks since and I'm doubting I will in future. If DJI ever catches onto this, hopefully they'll offer new, low-profile screw-in nubs--no more than half a centimeter tall, as a means to provide slightly better traction while still keeping your thumbs as close as possible to the trackballs.

I commend you if you had the stamina to read through all of the above lol, and I hope that some of what I said resonates, or at least makes sense to you in helping you to keep calm and gain confidence with flying your drone. Stay safe and happy flying!

 

[DavidBlezard]

I watched this video just last week. It's a great video with some great exercises. Only thing I didn't quite agree with was sending the drone up to max height so soon. That was something I took quite a while to get the courage up for.

Flying high is a newbie thing to do. Anything after a 150 feet or so does not change the view much. 90% of my flying is 100 feet or lower. 50 feet and lower is better for scenery and building like old stone buildings.

 

[AirStreamPictures]

It’s ok to be nervous. We all were at first. Then we learned that flying a drone has risks, and that’s just part of the deal. I crashed my Mavic twice, learned some things about the multitudinous ways you can screw up while flying, and learned to repair the drone.

I’d suggest flying some exercises: try to fly a perfect square with the camera always facing forward (in the direction you’re flying). Then do it again with the camera always facing the same way. Then try to circle around an object like a tree or a church steeple with the camera always pointed at the thing you’re circling. Doing these exercises will build your sense of control over the aircraft and increase your confidence.

it’s also a really good idea to take a certification course, even if you have no desire to do commercial flying. It’s just good to know the rules of the air, and you’ll learn quite a bit about how to avoid trouble.

But mostly, have fun!

 

[eznoh]

Ok so I’m new I get it but how many of you lot actually lose your legs when starting this flying thing. What’s wrong with me I can hardly send her 10 feet without falling into a jibbering wreck?

Will this feeling pass, I can’t remember feeling this bad on my driving test!!!

Maybe it’s an age thing

I think it might be a bit of an age thing, I started at 76, but it does get better. Take it slow (says the guy who has one drone on a neighbors roof, another 88 feet up in a tree, and luckily got the 3rd back a couple of weeks ago when it landed someone's deck and they nicely called the number I had put on it.)

 

[DavidT_ NZ]

Ok so I’m new I get it but how many of you lot actually lose your legs when starting this flying thing. What’s wrong with me I can hardly send her 10 feet without falling into a jibbering wreck?

Will this feeling pass, I can’t remember feeling this bad on my driving test!!!

Maybe it’s an age thing

It is normal to feel like you do at first and there are some great replies here to your posting. The sensation that I remember when first flying my Air 2 was one of slight vertigo when looking at the screen! The video “transported” my visual indicators up to the drone’s height and the brain wasn’t used to it! A very weird feeling. But after a few flights, the screen became just that - an image - and I became more familiar with using it to assist me with the flight control. But two important things remain: (1) breathe and don’t panic and (2) put your faith in both the drone’s capabilities and your own, as your experience grows, and don’t tell yourself “I will crash this thing one day”. A year after my first flight, my drone is unmarked and flying like new. I treat it well, fly it safely and monitor its battery and rotors. Some day it will expire - like me - but I don’t stay awake worrying about either! Watch lots of YT videos, listen to the advice from fellow pilots, be responsible with your safe flying, trust your drone (you bought a good one) and relax, stay vigilant and enjoy filming. I also use my Air 2 as a working tool, to inspect my house roof and gutters (for cleaning). And I have just captured the autumn leaf colours on the trees around my home. When you start to realise that the drone can be a tool and you can fly it where you want it to go, you see it in a different light. Good luck, stay safe and enjoy the ride. And no, you’re not a wuss! You are a drone pilot! Welcome aboard. ???????

 

[DavidT_ NZ]

I think it might be a bit of an age thing, I started at 76, but it does get better. Take it slow (says the guy who has one drone on a neighbors roof, another 88 feet up in a tree, and luckily got the 3rd back a couple of weeks ago when it landed someone's deck and they nicely called the number I had put on it.)

Hi Eznoh: thankfully, I live in New Zealand or else I would be checking to see if you were out driving on the roads before I went to do my shopping …… ? Stay safe - cheers ??????

 

[eznoh]

Hi Eznoh: thankfully, I live in New Zealand or else I would be checking to see if you were out driving on the roads before I went to do my shopping …… ? Stay safe - cheers ??????

The way this country is going we may want to move to NZ, but no need to worry, I never fly the drone and drive a car at the same time!?