Complete Beginner. Just purchased a Mavic. What have I done!

[Parthpanchal]

I just picked a Mavic Pro. I have never flown a drone. Years ago I was pretty good flying RC Airplanes. I have ordered a Syma X5c to really learn to fly and I am just now going over the Mavic trying to figure everything out. This is quite the piece of equipment! I am thinking I will get proficient with the Syma before the Mavic's maiden flight. I would love to hear any tips that you guys can offer. I look forward to the journey.
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[Jalal]

You Tube is your best friend

 

[Duke56]

$50 drone to a $1,000 drone and you purchased the $1,000 drone first. The huge disparity between the Syma X5C and the Mavic Pro as far as features and performance will not prepare you for the Mavic. You're better off just practicing flying the Mavic than trying to transition from the Syma to the Mavic. And when I say practice I mean like 20 hours, 30 hours of practice.

My first Drone was the DJI Spark. I had it for 7 months before purchasing my Mavic 2 Zoom. The simular features, though not as advanced, of the Spark and learning how to fly it for 7 months were key in my transition to the M2Z.

Another point is, flying the Syma when you have the temptation of the Mavic Pro waiting in the wings, you won't even fly the Syma long enough to get any benefit from it. You'll convince yourself way before you're ready, to fly the Mavic. Then you're next post will be "I crashed" or "I lost" my Mavic, what do I do?

Just my humble opinion. Either way, fly safe and enjoy!

 

[Drone_guy]

I just picked a Mavic Pro. I have never flown a drone. Years ago I was pretty good flying RC Airplanes. I have ordered a Syma X5c to really learn to fly and I am just now going over the Mavic trying to figure everything out. This is quite the piece of equipment! I am thinking I will get proficient with the Syma before the Mavic's maiden flight. I would love to hear any tips that you guys can offer. I look forward to the journey.

The Mavic is a breeze to fly. Start in an OPEN FIELD using beginner mode, try to get as many hours as you can and then switch to regular flight when you feel confident enough. Did I mention you should start in an OPEN FIELD? Forget buying the X5...that's a waste of time.

Also, wait till you're proficient at operating the Mavic before you start doing photography.

 

[ataraxia]

Heh, I'm guessing most of y'all wouldn't recommend flying a Mavic Pro as their first ever drone in their cramped office not on beginner mode? Because I definitely don't know anybody that's done that...

 

[FoxhallGH]

Heh, I'm guessing most of y'all wouldn't recommend flying a Mavic Pro as their first ever drone in their cramped office not on beginner mode? Because I definitely don't know anybody that's done that...

Even as a more experienced flyer, I wouldn't put my Mavic up indoors - let alone in a cramped office ... That's just looking for trouble (and repair bills!).

 

[FoxhallGH]

I just picked a Mavic Pro. I have never flown a drone. Years ago I was pretty good flying RC Airplanes. I have ordered a Syma X5c to really learn to fly and I am just now going over the Mavic trying to figure everything out. This is quite the piece of equipment! I am thinking I will get proficient with the Syma before the Mavic's maiden flight. I would love to hear any tips that you guys can offer. I look forward to the journey.

I thought it might be easier to learn to fly on a cheaper drone first - But - the Mavic Pro has so many stability 'assists' that make it so much easier and forgiving to fly (and you can trust it to keep a fixed altitude and position much more). If you get into trouble, and get your sticks mixed up, you know that you can just let the sticks pop back to centre, and the Mavic just stops and hovers. You also have 'Tripod mode' which is perfect for slooowwwing everything down while you are training ... I remember one cheap drone that I had - I would spend about 75% of the battery just getting it trimmed so it would hover in the same place before I could do any flying training!

 

[adam3112]

I'm quite new to the Mavic Pro and the hobby in general and because it's so easy to fly it didn't take me long to learn the controls of the Mavic.

Despite a minor IMU / Compass issue I had a few weeks back (which I posted about), I really enjoy flying it around and strangely I have a lot of trust in it.

Compared to the £200 Horse Poo drone I got off Amazon and sent back a couple weeks before, it really is incredibly stable in flight, especially when it's windy.

Things like the solid Ocusync video connection and the obstacle sensors make it quite hard to make mistakes imo, unless you're flying it backwards and sideways out of VLOS.

Edit: The only more difficult thing to learn is the complex Menus / Settings of the DJI Go app and knowing what each setting does. I really recommend having a read of the manual beforehand to nail this bit down.

I love my Mavic, so glad I sent that other one back and spent abit more money.

 

[draver]

I've also just purchased a Pro. My game plan is to take each facet of the device and master them one at a time. My first goal is to completely understand the Return To Home settings and operation. I feel that with that expertise and the "Pause" button I can reasonably expect to get out of almost any future situation I experience or create. Hopefully this safety net will give me the confidence to delve into the more exotic options the device seems to offer. Baby steps all the way.

Edited to add: It's been raining here the past few days or I would be testing this, but I have a question for the forum. If I launch my Pro without setting a Home Point, while it is in flight, should I be able to still set my controller as an original Home Point? Meaning, I launch not knowing where I will personally wander to, then find a spot, open settings and activate the Return To Home at my then current controller location? I think this should work, but inquiring minds want to know.

 

[vanderzyde0]

Fly it - practice practice practice

Use the same progression you used on RC planes - stay slow and close and practice maneuvers and landings. Then venture farther when you are comfortable.

 

[FoxhallGH]

I've also just purchased a Pro. My game plan is to take each facet of the device and master them one at a time. My first goal is to completely understand the Return To Home settings and operation. I feel that with that expertise and the "Pause" button I can reasonably expect to get out of almost any future situation I experience or create. Hopefully this safety net will give me the confidence to delve into the more exotic options the device seems to offer. Baby steps all the way.

Edited to add: It's been raining here the past few days or I would be testing this, but I have a question for the forum. If I launch my Pro without setting a Home Point, while it is in flight, should I be able to still set my controller as an original Home Point? Meaning, I launch not knowing where I will personally wander to, then find a spot, open settings and activate the Return To Home at my then current controller location? I think this should work, but inquiring minds want to know.

You can update the home point [HP] while in flight - and if you set the controller as the home point, then the Mavic will use the point the controller was at when set as the HP - BUT - if you have moved and then trip RTH, the Go 4 app' will ask you to confirm if you want to use the saved HP, or the HP at your current location (smart little critter knows you have moved!). Note however that the new location needs to be static and this won't work to a moving vehicle / boat.
It's not difficult to test this feature out and confirm exactly what you are seeing and what happens ... Best to do it in practice before it's needed in anger!!

 

[j.coffield]

Ditch the syma altogether. Just remember the mavic is not crash proof, if your a beginner fly it like you just spent $1000 of your hard earned money on it (which you did) and you will be fine. Stay out of sport mode for a while as well. You will be just fine.

 

[Geoffsh]

The Mavic is incredible but don't be too hasty to do anything adventurous until you familiarise yourself with the controls and features. It's great fun with a great camera

 

[StevietheWorm]

Heh, I'm guessing most of y'all wouldn't recommend flying a Mavic Pro as their first ever drone in their cramped office not on beginner mode? Because I definitely don't know anybody that's done that...

My first ever drone flight started in my house with my Mavic Zoom in sport mode. It's so easy to fly it's not funny. If you're in an open field don't waste your time with beginner mode, just fly it higher than any surrounding tree's and let rip.

 

[mavic 999]

Fly your drone as StevietheWorm suggests and you will learn how to repair them in 2 minutes.

 

[dennyc39]

I'd recommend careful exploration (open area, good light, etc.) of unexpected circumstances, such as:

App disconnect and flight only by using the RC controller and display.
loss of signal
loss of visual contact both with and without the app connected.
etc.

Fly in good light; first part of the morning, or late afternoon.

When possible, fly mostly into the wind, so you won't have to struggle flying back.

When possible, fly with the sun at your back. Easier to see the drone, but it may be harder to see the display.
An open car door can sometimes provide useful shade.

Also, get familiar with RTH behavior, such as the immediate climb to RTH altitude, and lack of precision (sometimes) in finding the home point. It can be 10-15 feet or so.

Do a lot of manual landings.

Make your own checklists. This exercise helps with your familiarity much more than using or memorizing someone else's list. It also will help avoid things like driving 30 miles to fly somewhere and finding you left the cable at home. Not that I would ever do that.

Install the battery by pressing down first on one side and then the other in order to get two distinct clicks. Batteries have been known to come off.

Be sure you get a positive lock on each prop when you put it on. It should pop up slightly into the lock position. My habit is to leave them on unless I have a specific reason to take them off. A couple of straps cut from velcro tape helps keep things tidy when carrying it.

Experiment with the "Find my Drone" app. Keep RC and Display batteries above 50% so they will last a while in case you really do have to use the app.

Use the screen recorder so you can review a recent flight from the drone's point of view. It is useful for knowing things like signal and GPS strength that might have escaped notice during the flight.

Get familiar with the energy situation bar (green line with duration and the yellow Get it Home Now dot.)

Get real familiar with the menus and checklists so you can find things like "set RTH altitude" in a hurry.

I check IMU status before every takeoff. I don't know if it is necessary, but it gives me confidence.

Really Do: "Check the Home Point on the Map" before takeoff.

Use the Gimbal Down button to safety check the area beneath you before descent.

Don't be too quick to fly backwards or sideways. Yaw around to the direction you want to move and have a look for obstructions. Your depth perception is not very good at a distance. After that, it is a very useful camera skill to be able to fly a course with the camera pointing in some arbitrary direction.

The obstruction detection seems to work noticeably better when the trees are in leaf as opposed to bare.

Altitude hold seems uncertain to unstable when below 15 feet and over water.

At first, keep your thumb off the left stick unless you need it to yaw or to change altitude. Until habits are well-formed, it is rather easy to accidentally change altitude when you really meant to go forward or back. Not good in tight quarters. Also, you can accidentally mix in some up or down stick when you only wanted to pan the camera.

Take some pictures! You also want to learn to drive the camera.

 

[mrwagdog]

I started on a Syma X5c. I flew that little drone quite a bit. I crashed it. I repaired it. I flew it some more. I still have it and it still flies.

My opinion is that learning to fly a toy drone like a Syma (or hubsan, or whatever) is a very valid experience prior to flying a Mavic. They are NOTHING alike in the air, but I feel I'm a better pilot because of those couple of years flying "toy" drones.

The Mavic has a lot of software to deal with and more controls. Getting the two sticks under control, is IMO, the most important part. The nice thing with the Mavic is you can let go of the sticks and it will stop and hover in place.

Some folks will say learning to fly on a cheap toy drone is a waste of time; I disagree. I still fly my toy drones for fun, fwiw.

And yes, youtube is your friend. Don't fly inside. Large, open field, beginner mode, go slow, etc... you're going to enjoy this!

 

[ChattMavicPilot]

I agree with mrwagdog. I too started on a SYMA drone and flew it for several months before moving to my MA. No, they do not fly anything alike, but the same theory of flight (i.e. the two sticks for control). I feel more confident flying my MA due to all the crashing and figuring out how to smoothly control the SYMA as it has no flight controls. I actually just flew my SYMA today for the first time since getting my MA and Tello drones and it was still a blast to fly. I prefer spending $10 on repairing a drone after crashing versus $200 on repairing my MA.

 

[freefaller500]

I just picked a Mavic Pro. I have never flown a drone. Years ago I was pretty good flying RC Airplanes. I have ordered a Syma X5c to really learn to fly and I am just now going over the Mavic trying to figure everything out. This is quite the piece of equipment! I am thinking I will get proficient with the Syma before the Mavic's maiden flight. I would love to hear any tips that you guys can offer. I look forward to the journey.

Hi

I just picked a Mavic Pro. I have never flown a drone. Years ago I was pretty good flying RC Airplanes. I have ordered a Syma X5c to really learn to fly and I am just now going over the Mavic trying to figure everything out. This is quite the piece of equipment! I am thinking I will get proficient with the Syma before the Mavic's maiden flight. I would love to hear any tips that you guys can offer. I look forward to the journey.

I had my new mp for a year be for I took it out due to weather here in the UK and other commitments plus timming but like you I was concerned I got it right befor my first flight, YouTube is great to pickup tips, try not to frighten yourself reading other flyers mishaps I did, my first flight was fantastic what was all the worry about, just go fly with caution and care. good luck.

 

[Turn11]

Opinions are like belly buttons, everyone has one, here's my 2¢.
Several are bits and pieces, some disagree with others thoughts. My first ever drone was a M2P, I had watched a number of Youtube video's and did a lot of reading on Mavicpilots. I updated the firmware on all components (first and last time the batteries needed updating).
It can be quite windy here so I watch UAV Forecast until the winds were agreeable and went to a local soccer park where there are about 16 fields. From this location I don't have to worry about trees or buildings. I have about a 120° window with nothing but low brush for further than one battery will take me. I put it up, got the feel and learned a bit about controls that appear to be reversed when flying towards me, manual landing and got used to routinely glancing at the display to see settings, distance and elevation. I did this for several batteries.
The next day I started with three fresh batteries and enabled multiple flight modes pg 37 MP/MPP, Page 45 M2P and started to experiment, try Sport mode and other modes of interest. A word of caution, always be aware of wind speed and direction. (UAV Forecast) or an app of your choosing. Wind speed at ground level may not necessarily be representative of wind at different elevations. You might be out a distance and the battery is getting low and when you turn to go home you notice the forward speed is minimal. Sport mode is your worst enemy as it eats battery like a top fuel dragster drinks gas in a quarter mile.

Also in sport mode the stopping distance is significantly increased.

If you slip into ATTI mode, knowing how to control your AC can make the difference between going home with your bird or going home with a dried tear on your cheek.
I bought a Hubsan H501S, it has a selector switch P / ATTI to at least get the feel of what will happen and how to control it.