Am I Just Paranoid or What?!

[Classic flyer]

Welcome to the hobby a

Hey All,

New dronie, new member...First of all, thanks to everyone for all of the insight, tips and info on this forum! I've had my Air for about 2 weeks now. I can't wait to use my drone when traveling! Thank goodness my back yard is a park where I have free reign to practice flying, and I'm still getting used to the controls, features and flying a quad. I crashed once into a palm tree branch because of my own stupidity, but no damage done ( got too close and forgot the left/right controls were backwards when flying toward you! DUH!). Typical rookie mistake. I've been practicing a lot, every chance I get, however, when I explore the neighborhood further and further away, or going higher and higher, I seem to get paranoid about crashing or losing my Air or something going wrong. I guess this is normal for a beginner. Before each flight I make sure I calibrate, GPS signal is good, all systems are normal, etc...Question is, how do (or did) you get over the fact that if/when you can't directly see the Air or have a hard time seeing it (Yes, I know, you're supposed to keep VLOS), that you learn how to control it strictly based on the video on the controller/phone screen? What about flying VLOS but far away (i.e., filming tall buildings, etc.)? Are there any suggestions as to how to get over the fear and how to learn to control the bird simply based on the data and camera view? Is it simply practice and technique (experience) or is there any tips to share? Does the FPV camera setting help (I haven't tried it yet)? Please don't bash me too bad! I'm an over 60 gentleman and don't always see and hear as well as I used to, so seeing the Air at 300-500 feet after looking at the controller/screen is sometimes difficult. But thanks anyway for the experiences, tips and suggestions in advance!

Welcome to the hobby and the forum sir ask all the questions you have and be assured that one of the "TECHIES" here will be able to get you on the right track...be safe fly safe

 

[Thwyllo]

I feel your pain! I need glasses for near vision and it makes refocussing on the distant drone and back to the screen each time increasingly difficult. My only advice would be (1) maintain a decent height as much as possible and (2) don't panic. If in doubt, let go the controls and stop and think for a second. It's very easy, even in a familiar landscape, to lose your orientation and start flying off in the wrong direction - the flashing lights are no use whatsoever after a couple hundred yards. So just pause, spin the thing around and take stock of exactly where you are and want to go. Enjoy!

 

[ScubaBob]

Look at the map & follow the green line back to you. Keep an eye on the video feed for any obstructions, maintain altitude if not sure. If ALL else fails, RTH but only as a last resort

Hey All,

New dronie, new member...First of all, thanks to everyone for all of the insight, tips and info on this forum! I've had my Air for about 2 weeks now. I can't wait to use my drone when traveling! Thank goodness my back yard is a park where I have free reign to practice flying, and I'm still getting used to the controls, features and flying a quad. I crashed once into a palm tree branch because of my own stupidity, but no damage done ( got too close and forgot the left/right controls were backwards when flying toward you! DUH!). Typical rookie mistake. I've been practicing a lot, every chance I get, however, when I explore the neighborhood further and further away, or going higher and higher, I seem to get paranoid about crashing or losing my Air or something going wrong. I guess this is normal for a beginner. Before each flight I make sure I calibrate, GPS signal is good, all systems are normal, etc...Question is, how do (or did) you get over the fact that if/when you can't directly see the Air or have a hard time seeing it (Yes, I know, you're supposed to keep VLOS), that you learn how to control it strictly based on the video on the controller/phone screen? What about flying VLOS but far away (i.e., filming tall buildings, etc.)? Are there any suggestions as to how to get over the fear and how to learn to control the bird simply based on the data and camera view? Is it simply practice and technique (experience) or is there any tips to share? Does the FPV camera setting help (I haven't tried it yet)? Please don't bash me too bad! I'm an over 60 gentleman and don't always see and hear as well as I used to, so seeing the Air at 300-500 feet after looking at the controller/screen is sometimes difficult. But thanks anyway for the experiences, tips and suggestions in advance!

Practice, practice, practice in safe areas while you build up your confidence. I spent hours on the beach where I had minimal possible things to crash into sending my drone out and bringing it back. I went out as far as 1400-1800 feet and as high as 250 feet. I would try RTH and watch what happens to the drone when I select that option. I would slowly take the drone toward a building and look at the screen while listening for warnings. I would fly out into a headwind and watch how quickly my battery was discharged and then see the difference when flying back with a tail wind. You have plenty of time to do all kinds of experiments and shoot neat videos once you have mastered the craft. Too many rookies take their bird out and on their first flight send it 1000 meters out and 400 feet high and lose the bird--only to wonder later "Why?" Practicing with the drone in a safe area is like drivers education. Learn to parallel park in an empty parking lot before trying on the street. Same concepts with a drone. Practice.

 

[FrankyZ]

Statefarm insurance is your friend.
Coverage for $5 a month! Anything happens and I mean anything - submit claim and your bird is covered.
Personal Articles Policy just for the Mavic Air and perhaps some related accessories.

Then fly with less stress.
Not available in all states - CA being one of them

Be very careful of Done Insurance and that it is NOT associated with your home owner's policy. Otherwise one claim "could" cost you. Check carefully.

 

[skiptv]

Hey All,

New dronie, new member...First of all, thanks to everyone for all of the insight, tips and info on this forum! I've had my Air for about 2 weeks now. I can't wait to use my drone when traveling! Thank goodness my back yard is a park where I have free reign to practice flying, and I'm still getting used to the controls, features and flying a quad. I crashed once into a palm tree branch because of my own stupidity, but no damage done ( got too close and forgot the left/right controls were backwards when flying toward you! DUH!). Typical rookie mistake. I've been practicing a lot, every chance I get, however, when I explore the neighborhood further and further away, or going higher and higher, I seem to get paranoid about crashing or losing my Air or something going wrong. I guess this is normal for a beginner. Before each flight I make sure I calibrate, GPS signal is good, all systems are normal, etc...Question is, how do (or did) you get over the fact that if/when you can't directly see the Air or have a hard time seeing it (Yes, I know, you're supposed to keep VLOS), that you learn how to control it strictly based on the video on the controller/phone screen? What about flying VLOS but far away (i.e., filming tall buildings, etc.)? Are there any suggestions as to how to get over the fear and how to learn to control the bird simply based on the data and camera view? Is it simply practice and technique (experience) or is there any tips to share? Does the FPV camera setting help (I haven't tried it yet)? Please don't bash me too bad! I'm an over 60 gentleman and don't always see and hear as well as I used to, so seeing the Air at 300-500 feet after looking at the controller/screen is sometimes difficult. But thanks anyway for the experiences, tips and suggestions in advance!

You spent $800 why not spend a little more and take a flight training course. There are many offered all over the country

 

[Dragon2650]

Thanks again to everyone for the tip! yes, I already have DJI replacement 'insurance' and my neighbor is a State Farm agent, so I asked her to check into the insurance. I also have signed up for flight training at our local club. I agree...Practice makes perfect!

Everyone have a great Father's Day!

 

[LTWATCH]

Statefarm insurance is your friend.
Coverage for $5 a month! Anything happens and I mean anything - submit claim and your bird is covered.
Personal Articles Policy just for the Mavic Air and perhaps some related accessories.

Then fly with less stress.
Not available in all states - CA being one of them

Not in MA either

 

[JoelP]

I am 2 months into flying my Mavic Air and also have lost VLOS on a couple of occasions. Here are a few things that have helped me. I have a hood for my Iphone6 to improve visibility of the display and also try to fly from an area under a tree or in some shadow. Now when I lose VLOS I look at the display and confirm that it still have an image and that the MA is flying OK. Next I take it up to about 150 ft per the display so that I know at what height to look for it and to take it away from the tree line to make spotting in the sky a bit easier. Lastly I have added a Firehouse strobe to the right rear leg extender facing to the right side. Once it is at 150 ft., if I still cannot spot it, I execute a 360 degree yaw and watch for the strobe. This strobe can easily be see up to 2 miles out. When I can see this strobe I know that it is facing to the right. People will tell you to just look at the map and the arrow, but when my video froze on 2 occasions the map display was of no use whatsoever, so the trick with the strobe was far better for getting my orientation. At that point I could easily fly it home without having to rely on the RTH feature, which will come in handy if you happen to accidently reset the home point to some other location in one of your flights. Enjoy your new drone.

 

[Dragon2650]

Great tips JoelP! I just put a Strobon Cree white strobe on my MA and wow! What a difference in being able to see the bird and it's orientation!

 

[Classic flyer]

I am 2 months into flying my Mavic Air and also have lost VLOS on a couple of occasions. Here are a few things that have helped me. I have a hood for my Iphone6 to improve visibility of the display and also try to fly from an area under a tree or in some shadow. Now when I lose VLOS I look at the display and confirm that it still have an image and that the MA is flying OK. Next I take it up to about 150 ft per the display so that I know at what height to look for it and to take it away from the tree line to make spotting in the sky a bit easier. Lastly I have added a Firehouse strobe to the right rear leg extender facing to the right side. Once it is at 150 ft., if I still cannot spot it, I execute a 360 degree yaw and watch for the strobe. This strobe can easily be see up to 2 miles out. When I can see this strobe I know that it is facing to the right. People will tell you to just look at the map and the arrow, but when my video froze on 2 occasions the map display was of no use whatsoever, so the trick with the strobe was far better for getting my orientation. At that point I could easily fly it home without having to rely on the RTH feature, which will come in handy if you happen to accidently reset the home point to some other location in one of your flights. Enjoy your new drone.

Good idea...Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance

 

[Cheech Wizard]

Statefarm insurance is your friend.
Coverage for $5 a month! Anything happens and I mean anything - submit claim and your bird is covered.
Personal Articles Policy just for the Mavic Air and perhaps some related accessories.

Then fly with less stress.
Not available in all states - CA being one of them

I bought mine from Dell and got the extended 2 year warranty, but it doesn't cover me for lost or stolen. I have seen other posts saying $65 a year from State Farm which is great! Iv'e been lucky and only lost it once (so far) 40 ft up in a tree.

Can you verify that lost or stolen is covered?

 

[Cheech Wizard]

Thanks! Never thought of following the track...

Also in the Map is a "Radar" screen you can toggle to that will show the nose direction compared to where you are.

 

[Cheech Wizard]

Hey All,

New dronie, new member...First of all, thanks to everyone for all of the insight, tips and info on this forum! I've had my Air for about 2 weeks now. I can't wait to use my drone when traveling! Thank goodness my back yard is a park where I have free reign to practice flying, and I'm still getting used to the controls, features and flying a quad. I crashed once into a palm tree branch because of my own stupidity, but no damage done ( got too close and forgot the left/right controls were backwards when flying toward you! DUH!). Typical rookie mistake. I've been practicing a lot, every chance I get, however, when I explore the neighborhood further and further away, or going higher and higher, I seem to get paranoid about crashing or losing my Air or something going wrong. I guess this is normal for a beginner. Before each flight I make sure I calibrate, GPS signal is good, all systems are normal, etc...Question is, how do (or did) you get over the fact that if/when you can't directly see the Air or have a hard time seeing it (Yes, I know, you're supposed to keep VLOS), that you learn how to control it strictly based on the video on the controller/phone screen? What about flying VLOS but far away (i.e., filming tall buildings, etc.)? Are there any suggestions as to how to get over the fear and how to learn to control the bird simply based on the data and camera view? Is it simply practice and technique (experience) or is there any tips to share? Does the FPV camera setting help (I haven't tried it yet)? Please don't bash me too bad! I'm an over 60 gentleman and don't always see and hear as well as I used to, so seeing the Air at 300-500 feet after looking at the controller/screen is sometimes difficult. But thanks anyway for the experiences, tips and suggestions in advance!

I had a few issues showing off for my friends : "Let's see how close I can get to that tree"... 3 propellers, "Watch me clean the leaves out of the gutters"... 2 propellers and some scratches, .. you get the idea..HA. Just be careful as it seems you are,

 

[Thwyllo]

Good idea...Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance

There were six p's when I learnt that phrase LOL

 

[GavieboyDji]

Thanks! Never thought of following the track...

You shouldn't need to calibrate GPS every time only do it if the go4 app prompt you to. And make sure every time when you start flying check that the orientation of the drone matches on the map and you are good to go.

 

[BD0G]

I bought mine from Dell and got the extended 2 year warranty, but it doesn't cover me for lost or stolen. I have seen other posts saying $65 a year from State Farm which is great! Iv'e been lucky and only lost it once (so far) 40 ft up in a tree.

Can you verify that lost or stolen is covered?

Covered!!!!

 

[Cheech Wizard]

Covered!!!!

Then well worth the money.

 

[Tony56]

Statefarm insurance is your friend.
Coverage for $5 a month! Anything happens and I mean anything - submit claim and your bird is covered.
Personal Articles Policy just for the Mavic Air and perhaps some related accessories.

Then fly with less stress.
Not available in all states - CA being one of them

I called my local State Farm agent and asked about this. He said it is a personal item policy for items such as diamond rings or anything of monetary value. He also said I must first have a State Farm policy before any personal item can be added to the policy.

What have you all been told? Does anyone have the State Farm drone insurance without an existing State Farm policy in force...???

 

[MdMavicMan]

Hey All,

New dronie, new member...First of all, thanks to everyone for all of the insight, tips and info on this forum! I've had my Air for about 2 weeks now. I can't wait to use my drone when traveling! Thank goodness my back yard is a park where I have free reign to practice flying, and I'm still getting used to the controls, features and flying a quad. I crashed once into a palm tree branch because of my own stupidity, but no damage done ( got too close and forgot the left/right controls were backwards when flying toward you! DUH!). Typical rookie mistake. I've been practicing a lot, every chance I get, however, when I explore the neighborhood further and further away, or going higher and higher, I seem to get paranoid about crashing or losing my Air or something going wrong. I guess this is normal for a beginner. Before each flight I make sure I calibrate, GPS signal is good, all systems are normal, etc...Question is, how do (or did) you get over the fact that if/when you can't directly see the Air or have a hard time seeing it (Yes, I know, you're supposed to keep VLOS), that you learn how to control it strictly based on the video on the controller/phone screen? What about flying VLOS but far away (i.e., filming tall buildings, etc.)? Are there any suggestions as to how to get over the fear and how to learn to control the bird simply based on the data and camera view? Is it simply practice and technique (experience) or is there any tips to share? Does the FPV camera setting help (I haven't tried it yet)? Please don't bash me too bad! I'm an over 60 gentleman and don't always see and hear as well as I used to, so seeing the Air at 300-500 feet after looking at the controller/screen is sometimes difficult. But thanks anyway for the experiences, tips and suggestions in advance!

I get a little on edge myself, which kind of blows in reality when you're trying to enjoy it, but, I try to stay away from people, and depending on the flight, if i become unsure of where i am based on the video feed, i used the active track to come back home. I honestly go out of visual sight all the time and have no issues, but I am usually above 300'. at that height, it's so quiet (at least my mavic pro is) that nobody even knows it's there.

 

[BD0G]

I called my local State Farm agent and asked about this. He said it is a personal item policy for items such as diamond rings or anything of monetary value. He also said I must first have a State Farm policy before any personal item can be added to the policy.

What have you all been told? Does anyone have the State Farm drone insurance without an existing State Farm policy in force...???

I personally have other Statefarm policies in place as well as the drone, but I read a thread by a member that indicated he was able to insure just his drone.