DJI Mavic, Air and Mini Drones
Friendly, Helpful & Knowledgeable Community
Join Us Now

Commercial pilot but drone newbie from Seattle, WA!

Rhuarc

New Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2023
Messages
4
Reactions
29
Age
42
Location
Washington, USA
Hey everyone! I just acquired the Mini Pro 3 for my birthday and am looking forward to getting into this hobby.

I am a commercial pilot flying 737's for a living, but am completely new to drones so I'm sure I have a lot to learn. I enjoy still photography as a hobby as well, so this will kind of be combining my 2 passions,

Thanks everyone!
Rhuarc
 
Greetings from Birmingham Alabama USA, welcome to the forum! We look forward to hearing from you!
 
Welcome to the forum! :)
 
Welcome from SEPA. Private pilot and new drone pilot here, hope your drone treats you well.
 
Welcome to Mavic Pilots! :) Enjoy the forum!Thumbswayup
 
I just acquired the Mini Pro 3 for my birthday and am looking forward to getting into this hobby.

Welcome from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, USA. We have a Member's Map in the Upper Right of the Title Bar. Click on "Members" and then Click on "Member's Map…" Check it out and you might find some new flying friends.


As a New Drone Pilot, there are a couple of Legal Things you may need to do…

If you have not already done so, you will need to get your TRUST Certificate. You can get that at the Pilot Institute Web Site (FREE…) . If your Drone weighs less than 250-grams (0.55 pounds) and you are flying under The Exception for Recreational Flyers, you are not required to register your Drone.

When I first started flying I registered my Mini 2 because the TRUST Certificate and FAA Registration established me as a "certified" Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Pilot.

Link to the TRUST Certificate at the Pilot Institute Web Site (FREE…)


Link to the FAADroneZone (Optional Registration for Drones under 250-Grams…)


If you are considering acquiring your Part 107 License, here is a link to get you going…


Since you live in WAshington, there are specific laws and rules for you to follow, please check the link below for all the Rules and Laws that are in effect in your neck of the woods and it also links you to some of the Best Places to Fly in your area… Also, if you travel on vacation, visit friends, and relatives in other parts of the country, check back here so you do not run afoul of the law.


Even if you have flown Drones before, here is some Good Old Fashion Advice…

You paid a lot of money for that Drone, put your phone number on it. If your drone gets lost or stuck in a tree and it finally comes down when you are not around, give the finders an opportunity to contact you so it can be returned.

Now, for the Fun Part, But do not let the excitement of the moment get the best of you. When you are going out to fly, do it slowly and deliberately. Get used to a set procedure and even practice it.

There are so many things I could write but these are the highlights that I feel need mentioning.

Plug in your phone/tablet into your controller; turn on the Controller and DJI Fly App (if it does not start on its own…). On the Drone, open the front legs, then open the back legs, then remove the Gimbal Cover.

The Gimbal is the most delicate item on the Drone and banging or bumping can damage it. I also fastened a short "Remove Before Flight" ribbon to the cover so it's more noticeable and I do not forget to remove it…

Turn on the drone and watch it come to "life." Watching the Gimbal go through its self-check is almost like watching a kitten or puppy opening its eyes for the first time…

Place the drone down (preferably on a Landing Pad) while it finishes its self-test (collecting satellites, etc…).

Check your battery status (Phone, Drone, and Controller), check the Signal Strength, by now the Controller should have reported it updated the Home Point.

Lift off, 4-5 feet (1-1/2 meters) or so, hover a bit, check the controls (move the drone a bit forward, back, left, right, yaw left and right). By now, your Controller will probably report again, Home point Updated.

If you go out in a rush and race thru your start up and take off before the drone has finished it prep, it may update its Home Point over that pond or that old tree you are flying over and in your excitement, you'll fly the drone long past it Low Battery point and when it engages Return to Home and lands in the pond or in a tree; it will be all on you…

Now go have fun, learn to fly the drone by sight before you try to fly it out a distance depending on the video feed, FPV.

I would also advise you to use YouTube and watch a lot of the Videos on flying and setting up the Drone. When it is too dark, too cold, or too wet, you can "fly it vicariously" through YouTube. Also watch some of the Blooper Drone Videos and learn how not to fly your "New Baby."

Below is the link to all of the downloads offered by DJI for the Mini 3 Pro, including the User Manual.

After you read the Manual, read it again, you will be surprised what you missed the first time and you will be better prepared for that first "scary moment…"


Fly On and Fly Safe…
 
Hello from Minnesota and welcome to the Forum....Congratulations on your Mavic Mini 3 Pro...There's a lot of good quality teaching/feedback going on in here. Just ask, and the experts are great on providing good sound advice for you to apply and use... Remember to always Fly safely and fly smartly representing all of us drone hobbyist well.
 
Thank you everyone for the kind words, the advice, and most of all the warm welcome! I've already got on order 4 Vifly strobes/lights, I have my Part 107 license, the drone (nicknamed Jiminy) has been registered, and I am currently 3d printing legs that can hold the Vifly strobe/lights.

I did my first 2 flights today! The first one was a short test flight that I forgot to start recording the camera on. The second one was also fairly quick but actually remembered to start recording! Of course it is the PNW so it decided to start raining and I had to cut it short. I'll post up my first little video shortly!

Does anyone know if the deal for the Phantom Rainsuits for forum members is still valid? I emailed them but have not heard anything back yet.

Thanks again everyone, I look forward to getting to know you all!
Rhuarc
 

DJI Drone Deals

New Threads

Forum statistics

Threads
134,560
Messages
1,596,272
Members
163,062
Latest member
rstegner
Want to Remove this Ad? Simply login or create a free account