Disabled Pilot Question

[Brahma]

Hello folks.

Thank you for letting me join the forum!

I’m looking at getting my first drone and am after some advice. I used to be a keen amateur photographer and spent many hours out with my camera taking landscapes and trying for some decent wildlife shots. Unfortunately this has come to an end following a back injury that means I’m pretty much housebound 24/7. I spend most of my day in my conservatory so have glass in 3 sides looking out onto my back garden and some local countryside. We have a dog that my wife walks everyday.

So my question: as I can’t walk my dog with my wife anymore, I’ve thought about using a drone from my conservatory and “following” my wife as she strolls around with our little beast. Would I be able to do this from the comfort of my easy chair? Or will I lose connectivity?

I don’t yet have a drone but am thinking of buying a DJI mini 3. Is this a good choice?

Many thanks,

 

[GFields]

Greetings from Birmingham Alabama USA, welcome to the forum! We look forward to hearing from you!

The Mini 3 Pro is a good choice. You can use the zoom feature to capture wildlife without getting too close.

 

[John Brainerd]

In my experience, glass doesn't cause much of any interference for the controller radio. For example, many people fly from the comfort of their cars in inclement weather. Trees and metal structures will prove more of a problem. If you maintain line of sight to the drone from your conservatory, you should be fine with any modern DJI drone.

 

[tstr14]

Sympathies for your loss of mobility! We all take our mobile freedom and ability of movement for granted until we lose them.

If the UK rules are similar to the US, you can only pilot the drone if it is in your line of sight. In reality, that isn't very far and once the wife and pooch turns a corner, you will probably lose visual of the drone. However, your wife could pilot the drone and have it follow her and Fido, recording the whole venture for your viewing on their return.

As to the question of losing the signal, it too is pretty much line of sight, though it extends far beyond what the unaided human eye can see.

 

[Kendallfordguy]

Welcome from Wisconsin!

 

[PakNheat380]

Welcome to the forum from NW Montana

 

[Cafguy]

Great Advice! Welcome to the forum!!

 

[russpury]

Mini 3 Pro would be a good choice since it has active track and can follow your wife as she walks. I think the M3P is the minibum with active track. Another consideration is that you'll want to launch the drone from outside the house so return to home won't put it on the roof. The opportunities for photography from the drone may prove to be a real benefit to you as it will open up opportunities you haven't had before. DJI is an excellent choice for a drone.

 

[MA2 317]

Hello from the Crossroads of America Brahma.

Welcome to the Forum.

 

[Cafguy]

Another consideration is that you'll want to launch the drone from outside the house so return to home won't put it on the roof.

 

[Laborous]

Welcome to the forum from the beautiful woods of Maine,USA!
A lot of good suggestions here, fly safe and stay safe!

 

[wjkrysak]

Welcome to the forum. We look forward to your participation and your view of the world.

 

[Brahma]

Thank you for all the welcomes folks - really appreciated . The Mini 3 Pro is getting good tips for me from you guys - I’ll dig in and have a look at it - thank you.

 

[Felix le Chat]

Hello folks.

Thank you for letting me join the forum!

I’m looking at getting my first drone and am after some advice. I used to be a keen amateur photographer and spent many hours out with my camera taking landscapes and trying for some decent wildlife shots. Unfortunately this has come to an end following a back injury that means I’m pretty much housebound 24/7. I spend most of my day in my conservatory so have glass in 3 sides looking out onto my back garden and some local countryside. We have a dog that my wife walks everyday.

So my question: as I can’t walk my dog with my wife anymore, I’ve thought about using a drone from my conservatory and “following” my wife as she strolls around with our little beast. Would I be able to do this from the comfort of my easy chair? Or will I lose connectivity?

I don’t yet have a drone but am thinking of buying a DJI mini 3. Is this a good choice?

Many thanks,

Welcome from the windy West Midlands of England.

 

[SpitFire]

Greetings from Chicago the Windy City, and welcome to the forum.
FLY SAFE & FLY SMART
I also sympathise for your loss of mobility, I have trouble walking, so I fly my drone from my car in the cold and in the heat. I had to experiment, to learn how to fly from inside a car. People are always looking for the pilot, where is he at?

 

[msinger]

Welcome to the forum @Brahma!

Would I be able to do this from the comfort of my easy chair? Or will I lose connectivity?

It really depends on whether or not you maintain VLOS the entire time. By that, I mean any obstacles that come between you and the drone could cause the signal to be lost. And then the drone would return back to the home point -- which could be problematic depending on where you take off (as noted above).

I don’t yet have a drone but am thinking of buying a DJI mini 3. Is this a good choice?

Any of the DJI consumer drones could do what you mentioned -- even more so if you were already comfortable flying DJI drones. You might struggle a bit learning how everything works if you're only able to fly inside. Being outside right next to the drone would give you a better feel for how it works and allow you to clearly see what's going on.

After flying many DJI consumer drones since 2016 (I own most all of them), here are some recommendations to help with whichever DJI drone you decide to buy:

• Skip buying a non-DJI practice drone and start with any of the DJI consumer drones (ideally the model you'll be flying most). While it's true DJI makes one of the most expensive consumer drones, you likely won't learn much about your DJI drones by flying drones made by other manufacturers. And then you'll be back to square one again when you finally decide to ditch the practice drone and start flying a DJI drone.
  
  
• Before attempting to fly, watch some videos on YouTube.com to learn more about your drone. Search for something like "Mini 2 Beginner's Guide" (replace "Mini 2" with your drone model).
  
  
• Read the DJI manual (available in the "Products" section of the DJI Download Center) from beginning to end (maybe a few times). You're certainly not going to remember everything, but it'll give you a good understanding of the available features and capabilities of your drone. And then you can go back to the manual or YouTube videos when you need to take a deeper dive into a specific topic.
  
  
• Don't power on your drone or take off when within about 20 feet of any magnetic metal objects (like your car or rebar in concrete sidewalks). See more on compass interference in this compass calibration guide.
  
  
• Before taking off, always review the drone settings in DJI Fly (or the app you're using) to ensure everything is set as expected. If you do plan on flying near any obstacles, ensure the RTH altitude is set properly in case your drone needs to automatically return back to the home point mid-flight.
  
  
• Never take off before DJI Fly (or the app you're using to fly) audibly mentions or shows the home point has been set. The drone will attempt to fly back to the home point location automatically if it loses connection with the remote controller, so it's crucial to ensure that location has been set prior to takeoff.
  
  
• DJI drones have a lot of awesome automated flight features. Use them with caution and never assume they are always going to function as expected (always be ready to take control if needed).
  
  
• Sensors are great and they can help prevent your drone from crashing into obstacles. They are not foolproof though. Never rely on them 100% or assume they are going to work perfectly in all flight conditions -- or react the same way when flying in similar conditions from past flights.
  
  
• Find a flat, wide open place to practice (free of people, trees, and all other obstacles). It's pretty hard to crash a DJI drone into the ground, so you'll likely have the best success if that's your only obstacle. Continue flying in this location (or similar locations) until you're able to control your drone without thinking about it (like riding a bike).
  
  
• Make sure you can easily see your drone at all times (required by law in most countries). After removing all nearby obstacles, nearly everyone who crashes/loses a drone is either not watching it with their eyes or cannot clearly see where it's located.
  
  
• The screen is chock-full of great information. Use it as a reference (sparingly) as you do when looking at your dashboard while driving a car. It's also a great tool for framing the perfect photo or getting your drone in just the right spot before hitting record. If you're mostly staring at the screen while flying, you'll probably have no idea where your drone is located.
  
  
• Don't fly in sport mode until you're comfortable controlling your drone. You don't want to get into a situation where you need to maneuver quickly and aren't quite sure which stick to move (another reason not to practice near obstacles).
  
  
• DJI batteries require special care that is unlike other batteries you commonly use. To prevent any damage to your DJI batteries, follow the tips in this DJI battery maintenance & storage guide.
  
  
• DJI drones record a lot of useful information in the TXT flights. The logs are helpful for things like troubleshooting issues you experienced during a flight, locating a lost drone, and many other things. The TXT files can be found on your phone/tablet or remote controller (if it has a screen). See these instructions for more details. And then you'll need a tool like my free online DJI log viewer or Flight Reader (keeps your flight logs offline) to decrypt and access/view the data within.

 

[old man mavic]

welcome to the forum

 

[sarahb]

Welcome!

 

[Brahma]

Welcome to the forum @Brahma!


It really depends on whether or not you maintain VLOS the entire time. By that, I mean any obstacles that come between you and the drone could cause the signal to be lost. And then the drone would return back to the home point -- which could be problematic depending on where you take off (as noted above).


Any of the DJI consumer drones could do what you mentioned -- even more so if you were already comfortable flying DJI drones. You might struggle a bit learning how everything works if you're only able to fly inside. Being outside right next to the drone would give you a better feel for how it works and allow you to clearly see what's going on.

After flying many DJI consumer drones since 2016 (I own most all of them), here are some recommendations to help with whichever DJI drone you decide to buy:

• Skip buying a non-DJI practice drone and start with any of the DJI consumer drones (ideally the model you'll be flying most). While it's true DJI makes one of the most expensive consumer drones, you likely won't learn much about your DJI drones by flying drones made by other manufacturers. And then you'll be back to square one again when you finally decide to ditch the practice drone and start flying a DJI drone.
  
  
• Before attempting to fly, watch some videos on YouTube.com to learn more about your drone. Search for something like "Mini 2 Beginner's Guide" (replace "Mini 2" with your drone model).
  
  
• Read the DJI manual (available in the "Products" section of the DJI Download Center) from beginning to end (maybe a few times). You're certainly not going to remember everything, but it'll give you a good understanding of the available features and capabilities of your drone. And then you can go back to the manual or YouTube videos when you need to take a deeper dive into a specific topic.
  
  
• Don't power on your drone or take off when within about 20 feet of any magnetic metal objects (like your car or rebar in concrete sidewalks). See more on compass interference in this compass calibration guide.
  
  
• Before taking off, always review the drone settings in DJI Fly (or the app you're using) to ensure everything is set as expected. If you do plan on flying near any obstacles, ensure the RTH altitude is set properly in case your drone needs to automatically return back to the home point mid-flight.
  
  
• Never take off before DJI Fly (or the app you're using to fly) audibly mentions or shows the home point has been set. The drone will attempt to fly back to the home point location automatically if it loses connection with the remote controller, so it's crucial to ensure that location has been set prior to takeoff.
  
  
• DJI drones have a lot of awesome automated flight features. Use them with caution and never assume they are always going to function as expected (always be ready to take control if needed).
  
  
• Sensors are great and they can help prevent your drone from crashing into obstacles. They are not foolproof though. Never rely on them 100% or assume they are going to work perfectly in all flight conditions -- or react the same way when flying in similar conditions from past flights.
  
  
• Find a flat, wide open place to practice (free of people, trees, and all other obstacles). It's pretty hard to crash a DJI drone into the ground, so you'll likely have the best success if that's your only obstacle. Continue flying in this location (or similar locations) until you're able to control your drone without thinking about it (like riding a bike).
  
  
• Make sure you can easily see your drone at all times (required by law in most countries). After removing all nearby obstacles, nearly everyone who crashes/loses a drone is either not watching it with their eyes or cannot clearly see where it's located.
  
  
• The screen is chock-full of great information. Use it as a reference (sparingly) as you do when looking at your dashboard while driving a car. It's also a great tool for framing the perfect photo or getting your drone in just the right spot before hitting record. If you're mostly staring at the screen while flying, you'll probably have no idea where your drone is located.
  
  
• Don't fly in sport mode until you're comfortable controlling your drone. You don't want to get into a situation where you need to maneuver quickly and aren't quite sure which stick to move (another reason not to practice near obstacles).
  
  
• DJI batteries require special care that is unlike other batteries you commonly use. To prevent any damage to your DJI batteries, follow the tips in this DJI battery maintenance & storage guide.
  
  
• DJI drones record a lot of useful information in the TXT flights. The logs are helpful for things like troubleshooting issues you experienced during a flight, locating a lost drone, and many other things. The TXT files can be found on your phone/tablet or remote controller (if it has a screen). See these instructions for more details. And then you'll need a tool like my free online DJI log viewer or Flight Reader (keeps your flight logs offline) to decrypt and access/view the data within.

Hey pal!!

This is a great set of do’s & font’s for a beginner - thank you so much for taking the time to write all this down for me. I’ll take your advice and go straight for a DJI drone and learn on that from the off

 

[LoudThunder]

Thank you for letting me join the forum!

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.

Member Map

mavicpilots.com

Since you live in Scotland, there are specific laws and rules for you to follow, please check to ensure these are current.

Overview : Flying drones and model aircraft | UK Civil Aviation Authority

Find out what you need to know and do when you fly drones or model aircraft in the UK

register-drones.caa.co.uk

I will not get preachy about the legality of flying a drone from inside your home, where you cannot see the drone. But you should know…

But as has been mentioned, your location, inside a building, will be a hindrance to the signal strength, not only will the building interfere, but every tree, power pole, and the neighbor's homes will all serve to weaken the signal…

Not only will the intervening structures cause and issue, so will you… the antenna are directional and if you are facing the back yard while you wife is walking the dog down the street in front of your home, you are pointing the wrong way…

Good Drone Antenna signal and you will get a better idea of what I am writing about…

Next as has been mentioned, the drone needs to be launched from outside and in a clear area with no trees directly overhead, else if the drone does an uncommented Return to Home (due to signal loss), it could wind up landing in a tree if the landing location is not clear.

So, 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, and 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 puppy or kitten 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, 6 feet (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."

Fly On and Fly Safe…