New Pilot Checks
Tip 1: STUDY STUDY STUDY all the YouTube Videos you can find on your model drone;
This will prepare you for what you are about to do...and help you setup your drone and hopefully prevent you from smashing your prized possession on the first day or any other day;
Tip 2: Before rushing home from the shop, slapping in a battery and taking to the skies...beware all countries have laws, and Australia shows these on the CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) website; MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THE RULES.
BASIC RULES: Below 120m in height but at least 30m away from people and not within 5.5km from helicopter landing zones (turns out I live slam in the middle of 3 of these zones for Hospital and Search and Rescue etc. I can fly in my area but I plan and check via the CASA app. Laws may also apply in other cities, national parks or public spaces so do your homework; Ignorance is no excuse to the law.
Tip 3: As per tip 2, you are NOT ALLOWED TO FLY AT NIGHT period! Ignorance is no excuse to the law;
Tip 4: You CANNOT FLY OVER CROWDS (like Sports events etc.) or to view emergency situations like fire or accidents!
Tip 5: You CANNOT FLY IN CONTROLLED AIRSPACE...yep that means no go over Sydney Harbour...yes someone actually did this...oh boy are they in trouble! Have a look at the CASA app called “Can I Fly There?” from iTunes (I use iPhone 7+) as this is supper great to PLAN YOUR FLIGHT.
Tip 6: Fly with the RC Mode (Remote Controller) as Wifi is good for a park maybe, but severely limits true flight; use it with your updated iOS iPhone and the DJI 4 GoApp;
One of the biggest tips I have, is to use two fingers on the control sticks, that is your thumb and forefinger so you are making small adjustments; Yes my XBOX champ son wants to fly with his thumbs but it makes super big adjustments that does not look so cool in 4K; Also, you can fit an iPhone 7+ into the RC holder arms without obscuring the Home button, as the arms with the lightning cable passed through it, will grip the phone without you needing to remove your phone cover (saw that on a video and was super handy to know);
Tip 7: Make sure you remove the gimbal (Camera transport plastic fittings that sits behind the gimbal and the cover that fits over the gimble) BEFORE SWITCHING ON YOUR DRONE! You do not need anything at first, to view the photos or video you take, as you can download these from your drone via Wifi, although it is slow, and I do recommend getting a Micros SD Card Reader to USB and or Lightning so you can download the large 4K files via an adaptor or download file directly to a PC for your George Lucas effects editing with a Micro SD to SD Card adaptor that can then for some laptops directly(faster way to do things for sure); Worth investing in a filter lens as light in Australia or in Queensland at least, is very sharp in the summer; I now look at my 128GB card via a Samsung and plays 4K videos directly off the card;
Tip 8: (left out in first attempt at this post) Carry a lens cloth with you to clean the camera lens of any nasty smudges; also, I had to upgrade the iOS on my phone as the DJI app would not connect to my phone at first;
Tip 9: I removed the stickers over the gimbal and the front sensors, but did not find any on the bottom (mentioned in some videos online; CALIBRATE your drone as per the instructions or you may find your drone not returning home or acting weird; also take note of your craft details including Serial Number and Wifi details (under battery on the Mavic Pro) and do a FIRMWARE UPGRADE as the firmware from the factory will possibly be much older; When you connect you drone for the first time via the RC (with switch set to RC on the Mavic Pro) it will prompt you to upgrade the firmware (Download and then upgrade process as described in videos); I know some people want to fly unregistered, possibly after purchasing with a credit card dough! Just do the right thing people.
Tip 10: Check the weather, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE FULLY CHARGED BATTERIES, plan your flight with clear skies and lessor or no wind, and PLAN WHERE YOU ARE ALLOWED TO FLY (suggest planning 2 or maybe up to 3 different spots for the day as conditions may not suit where you plan to go first) and SLAP ON SOME SUNSCREEN and HAVE FUN but FLY SAFE!
Return to Tip 1 and learn more settings...and so on (what I’m doing now).
P.S. one last note is that although the Mavic Pro in the Fly more combo comes with a nice bag, I quickly fitted all my gear in a hard case that I can also use as a launch pad in taller grass. Last but not least is to join the MavicPilots forum to learn many many things and get extremely valuable tips from fellow dronies.
Happy flying guys and girls!
