Completely new pilot here, any tips would be helpful!

mtraps · Oct 23, 2017

Hey guys, I just purchased a Mavic Pro Combo, haven't even received it yet, but I'd like to get in the loop before I fly it. So a few main questions I've gathered:

First of all, are there any common beginner mistakes that I can avoid. I'd hate to crash this this. Anything I should know before I get this in the air?

Also I have heard some rumours that you require some sort of certification to fly a drone or it would be considered illegal? Does that apply to this drone or only massive, heavy drones? if it does apply where do I go to get certified?

Can you fly this is windy conditions or does it have to be completely calm out?

Can this drone be used for professional purpose indoor and/or outdoor?

Any tips are so appreciated, thanks in advance guys

EDIT: I am from Canada (Ontario, possibly moving to BC)
EDIT 2: I am using for professional and personal purposes

JustStig · Oct 23, 2017

Hi there.
I'm a fairly new quad flyer also. Just got it this weekend and I have put about 3 hours of flight time (5 batteries).
Here's what I did & personal experience.

First of all I'd say watch lots of youtube, especially the mavic drone crash footage to see where they went wrong, one thing I've noticed is that they crash into a lot of things flying side ways.

No drone certification is required if you're flying as a hobbyist or for recreation, but you do have to register your mavic with the FAA ($5).

Wind: Personal experience, I would not fly anything more then 15mph & gust beyond 25mph, but that's just me, in P mode, with 15mph steady and 25mph gust the drone was having a hard time making head way and had to decrease altitude to get any where.

You can go into Sport mode to get more power but I'm not comfortable doing that just yet since I'm flying fairly close to the tree line.

Indoor: Never tried it, if you do, remember the return to home altitude setting

The drone can produce 4k Video/images so I don't see why you can't use it for professional purpose but that requires a cert. from the FAA, Part 107 but I haven't done that since I don't intend to make money off of my hobby.

pixl · Oct 23, 2017

Many of your questions cannot be answered without knowing exactly where you are.

mQo · Oct 23, 2017

watch youtube videos. Before i got mine (btw got it last friday- already 14 flights and almost 4 hours, unfortunately i only got 1 battery, which sucks, especially when you start to fly

) i spent almost 2 weeks watching (mainly) crash/flyaway footages to get hang onto what people did wrong - i think 90% is the pilot error mistakes that caused these

what helped me a lot is that i used to fly with toy-grade quads (like Syma) for quite some time, which gave me pretty solid foundation on how to maneuver (especially when the head of the copter is facing you -> reversed controls) - i'd suggest to buy some cheap small quadcopter like Cheerson CX10 to practice indoors - its hard to fly but lots of fun, and in the end it'll help you with gaining those skills

and also - take it slow. Start with beginners mode and work your way up. Don't push it to far unless you know what you're doing.

msinger · Oct 23, 2017

Welcome to Mavic Pilots!

Here are some items you might find useful:

Mavic Manual & Release Notes (the manual does not come in the box)
Firmware Update Instructions
Tips for Avoiding Common Pilot Mistakes
Tips for Avoiding a Crash
Worldwide Drone Regulations
MavicHelp.com (lots of Mavic tips & accessories)

mtraps said:
I have heard some rumours that you require some sort of certification to fly a drone or it would be considered illegal? Does that apply to this drone or only massive, heavy drones? if it does apply where do I go to get certified?

Where do you live?

mtraps said:
Can you fly this is windy conditions or does it have to be completely calm out?

The Mavic manual recommends not flying in wind speeds exceeding 10 m/s (22 MPH). While the Mavic can handle stronger winds, that's pretty good advice. When flying in windy conditions, make sure you're not going to be flying into the wind on the way back to the home point. The Mavic could make negative progress if the wind is too strong or possibly not have enough battery power to make it back to the home point.

mtraps said:
Can this drone be used for professional purpose indoor and/or outdoor?

Yes, it can be flown indoors/outdoors. When indoors, you'll want to make sure you have enough room to fly and are not flying close to any magnetic metal objects. It might helpful to have a set of prop guards on hand for indoor flights.

mtraps · Oct 23, 2017

mQo said:
watch youtube videos. Before i got mine (btw got it last friday- already 14 flights and almost 4 hours, unfortunately i only got 1 battery, which sucks, especially when you start to fly ) i spent almost 2 weeks watching (mainly) crash/flyaway footages to get hang onto what people did wrong - i think 90% is the pilot error mistakes that caused these

what helped me a lot is that i used to fly with toy-grade quads (like Syma) for quite some time, which gave me pretty solid foundation on how to maneuver (especially when the head of the copter is facing you -> reversed controls) - i'd suggest to buy some cheap small quadcopter like Cheerson CX10 to practice indoors - its hard to fly but lots of fun, and in the end it'll help you with gaining those skills

and also - take it slow. Start with beginners mode and work your way up. Don't push it to far unless you know what you're doing.

Good call. I've had quite a bit of experience with cheaper drones ranging from $30-$150. Gone through about 4-5 different ones. Pretty solid flyer, but it will be a whole different game with this things price lol. Gotta be super careful!

mtraps · Oct 23, 2017

JustStig said:
Hi there.
I'm a fairly new quad flyer also. Just got it this weekend and I have put about 3 hours of flight time (5 batteries).
Here's what I did & personal experience.

First of all I'd say watch lots of youtube, especially the mavic drone crash footage to see where they went wrong, one thing I've noticed is that they crash into a lot of things flying side ways.

No drone certification is required if you're flying as a hobbyist or for recreation, but you do have to register your mavic with the FAA ($5).

Wind: Personal experience, I would not fly anything more then 15mph & gust beyond 25mph, but that's just me, in P mode, with 15mph steady and 25mph gust the drone was having a hard time making head way and had to decrease altitude to get any where.

You can go into Sport mode to get more power but I'm not comfortable doing that just yet since I'm flying fairly close to the tree line.

Indoor: Never tried it, if you do, remember the return to home altitude setting
The drone can produce 4k Video/images so I don't see why you can't use it for professional purpose but that requires a cert. from the FAA, Part 107 but I haven't done that since I don't intend to make money off of my hobby.

Hey there, thanks a lot! for the advice! Does the FAA only apply to American citizens? (I'm in Canada) If not, how do I apply for it?

Robert Mitchell · Oct 23, 2017

mtraps said:
Hey guys, I just purchased a Mavic Pro Combo, haven't even received it yet, but I'd like to get in the loop before I fly it. So a few main questions I've gathered:

First of all, are there any common beginner mistakes that I can avoid. I'd hate to crash this this. Anything I should know before I get this in the air?

Also I have heard some rumours that you require some sort of certification to fly a drone or it would be considered illegal? Does that apply to this drone or only massive, heavy drones? if it does apply where do I go to get certified?

Can you fly this is windy conditions or does it have to be completely calm out?

Can this drone be used for professional purpose indoor and/or outdoor?

Any tips are so appreciated, thanks in advance guys

There are tons of threads on here for beginner tips.
At the present time in the US, no registration or certification is required to fly recreationally.
The Mavic takes wind just fine, up to a point. The limits are in the manual, but for a beginner you might want to keep it out of a lot of wind.
The Mavic can certainly be used for professional purposes, but in the US, you must be a certified UAV pilot to fly it for commercial use.

mtraps · Oct 23, 2017

msinger said:
Welcome to Mavic Pilots!

Here are some items you might find useful:

Mavic Manual & Release Notes (the manual does not come in the box)

Firmware Update Instructions

Tips for Avoiding Common Pilot Mistakes

Tips for Avoiding a Crash

Worldwide Drone Regulations

MavicHelp.com (lots of Mavic tips & accessories)

Where do you live?
Canada (Ontario)

The Mavic manual recommends not flying in wind speeds exceeding 10 m/s (22 MPH). While the Mavic can handle stronger winds, that's pretty good advice. When flying in windy conditions, make sure you're not going to be flying into the wind on the way back to the home point. The Mavic could make negative progress if the wind is too strong or possibly not have enough battery power to make it back to the home point.

Thanks, How do you test the wind speeds?

Yes, it can be flown indoors/outdoors. When indoors, you'll want to make sure you have enough room to fly and are not flying close to any magnetic metal objects. It might helpful to have a set of prop guards on hand for indoor flights.

Where do you live?
Canada (Ontario)

The Mavic manual recommends not flying in wind speeds exceeding 10 m/s (22 MPH). While the Mavic can handle stronger winds, that's pretty good advice. When flying in windy conditions, make sure you're not going to be flying into the wind on the way back to the home point. The Mavic could make negative progress if the wind is too strong or possibly not have enough battery power to make it back to the home point.

Thanks, How do you test the wind speeds?

Thank you

Meanee · Oct 23, 2017

JustStig said:
No drone certification is required if you're flying as a hobbyist or for recreation, but you do have to register your mavic with the FAA ($5).

Is this still true? Didn't John Taylor vs FAA made registration unnecessary?

msinger · Oct 23, 2017

mtraps said:
Does the FAA only apply to American citizens?

It only applies to people flying in the US (citizen or not).

msinger · Oct 23, 2017

Meanee said:
Is this still true? Didn't John Taylor vs FAA made registration unnecessary?

No. Registration is optional for hobbyists. See more details here.

pixl · Oct 23, 2017

mtraps said:
Hey there, thanks a lot! for the advice! Does the FAA only apply to American citizens? (I'm in Canada) If not, how do I apply for it?

A google search goes a long way...

Unfortunately, there are new drone laws in Canada that are extremely limiting:

https://www.tc.gc.ca/media/documents/ca-opssvs/Flying_for_fun_EN-V8.pdf

and there are stricter rules set to take effect soon, including mandatory insurance.

EDIT: the process of getting licensed commercially is not that easy -- there's a course involved and a test. But that's just the beginning -- the paperwork and application to fly commercially is arduous and is required for each location that you do commercial work.

Cbslagle · Oct 23, 2017

ALWAYS look at the UAV Forecast before you fly. Get the app, its free.
ALWAYS remember to remove gimbal clamp.
ALWAYS set your return to home correctly to where you are. Make sure that you see it on the map.
ALWAYS take wind warnings seriously.
ALWAYS set RTH height at least 100 feet higher than anything around you.
ALWAYS check props before takeoff and do not fly with damaged ones.
BUY a decent set of ND filters. I keep an ND 16 on mine most of the time.
BE Aware of your surroundings. Example, if flying in POI mode, know that you will be able to make a clean circle.
BE careful in active track. It cuts corners and WILL hit trees. Be ready to pause it at anytime. That option has saved me a few times.

Have fun, it's a great piece of technology.

Cbslagle · Oct 23, 2017

Cbslagle said:
ALWAYS look at the UAV Forecast before you fly. Get the app, its free.
ALWAYS remember to remove gimbal clamp.
ALWAYS set your return to home correctly to where you are. Make sure that you see it on the map.
ALWAYS take wind warnings seriously.
ALWAYS set RTH height at least 100 feet higher than anything around you.
ALWAYS check props before takeoff and do not fly with damaged ones.
BUY a decent set of ND filters. I keep an ND 16 on mine most of the time.
BE Aware of your surroundings. Example, if flying in POI mode, know that you will be able to make a clean circle.
BE careful in active track. It cuts corners and WILL hit trees. Be ready to pause it at anytime. That option has saved me a few times.

Have fun, it's a great piece of technology.

PS. NEVER fly indoors.

mtraps · Oct 23, 2017

pixl said:
A google search goes a long way...

Unfortunately, there are new drone laws in Canada that are extremely limiting:

https://www.tc.gc.ca/media/documents/ca-opssvs/Flying_for_fun_EN-V8.pdf

and there are stricter rules set to take effect soon, including mandatory insurance.

EDIT: the process of getting licensed commercially is not that easy -- there's a course involved and a test. But that's just the beginning -- the paperwork and application to fly commercially is arduous and is required for each location that you do commercial work.

Wow, why do we Canadians have to be so uptight Thanks for the tips!

mtraps · Oct 23, 2017

Cbslagle said:
ALWAYS look at the UAV Forecast before you fly. Get the app, its free.
ALWAYS remember to remove gimbal clamp.
ALWAYS set your return to home correctly to where you are. Make sure that you see it on the map.
ALWAYS take wind warnings seriously.
ALWAYS set RTH height at least 100 feet higher than anything around you.
ALWAYS check props before takeoff and do not fly with damaged ones.
BUY a decent set of ND filters. I keep an ND 16 on mine most of the time.
BE Aware of your surroundings. Example, if flying in POI mode, know that you will be able to make a clean circle.
BE careful in active track. It cuts corners and WILL hit trees. Be ready to pause it at anytime. That option has saved me a few times.

Have fun, it's a great piece of technology.

Awesome, I just downloaded the app. What does setting the RTH height hiegher do? Do you have a good spot to buy the ND filters? I'll save this list for future use

mtraps · Oct 23, 2017

Cbslagle said:
PS. NEVER fly indoors.

Really? I was planning on using it for real estate tours. Not a good idea? And why? What if I had guards on the blades?

pixl · Oct 23, 2017

mtraps said:
Really? I was planning on using it for real estate tours. Not a good idea? And why? What if I had guards on the blades?

Buddy -- and I say this with only the best intentions -- you need to do a LOT more research. Use Google and YouTube. You are a long way from ready to fly.

mtraps · Oct 23, 2017

pixl said:
Buddy -- and I say this with only the best intentions -- you need to do a LOT more research. Use Google and YouTube. You are a long way from ready to fly.

I've seen some sources saying they use it for that alone. Some say fly on tripod mode using guards. What's your reasoning behind NOT flying indoors?