Trust me and use this post as your back screen phone.
You just got or will have soon your 1st drone ever?! And you wish make it last longer than a month..?! Read this!!!
Understand that flying/piloting is not natural for human beings, flying remotely less endangered yourself but it's even less natural, taking pictures and videos while flying a remote device it's even more complicated.
Don't be a heroe of dead drone while trying to fly in your backyard, over water, under bridges and other so exciting way. Keep that for in a month or two...
A) Days/weeks Prior the first flight:
1) Order floats for your drone as, soon or later, you will fly over water.
2) Watch online tens (but better hundred+) tutorials and crashes videos about drones, your model and other models. All kind of crash. Learn. Learn... And learn. If you don't, you will be soon in that collection of dead drones, trust me.
3) Spot an open area with no trees (and no tree means 0 tree, not the single one into which you will crash as I read in this forum today), no water, no public, no main road, no aerial wires of any kinds. Be familiar with this place, check out if birds play around and which kind.
If is no such areas reachable be ready to lost your drone in many different way, crash, lost, sunk... Just make your pick.
B) Hours before 1st flight:
1) Be familiar with your drone, body, accessories, propellers, batteries, sd card, gimbal and lock...
2) Read the user guide twice and more, forward and backward.
3) Do a preflight checklist and print it, your screen phone will be busy at the time of fly.
4) Watch again some tutorials and crashes.
C) While operating your training
(1st week flights)
0) Do not use fpv goggles during that period
1) Stay in beginner mode. Even it's frustrating.
2) Don't bother about video or photo. Start video before take off then stop it after landing. Not using too high resolution or your shooting will end before the landing.
3) Keep your drone in visual sight and be able to check around in the sky and on the ground what is going on time to time.
4) Fly all your saoul and batteries
5) Go back home, refill batteries, check your movies, check your flight logs fully.
6) From 2nd or 3rd session only try some tracking mode
D) Once you feel more comfortable
1) Fly with normal mode, stop using beginner mode but DO NOT fly in Sport Mode.
2) Start bothering photo and video settings while flying
3) Learn fly low level, above water, under trees, use slow speed, tripod mode, use floats, be sure you can reach the drone by swimming or with canoe.
4) Learn take-off & landing from your hand.
E) After few months
You now can fly into Sport Mode if needed.
You can now fly with fpv goggles but this is still at risk as you cannot checkout the surroundings.
You are now an expert, you created automatisme that will make you avoiding many crash to come.
F) ALWAYS:
1) switch off your sim card if using a smartphone or tablet with sim card. Receiving a call while flying is the last thing on hearth you want.
2) Triple check your checklist and the surroundings, buildings, wires, ppl, especially kids, pets & wild animals..
G) NEVER:
- Fly inside
- Under the rain
- Into the darkness
- Fly from a moving boat at the sea on which one you have no control of direction as a ferry
- Fly in a tunnel
- Above water even with floats if you haven't possibilities to reach it after water emergency landing.
- Landing near small kids, animals and other unpredictable behaviors as drunk guys..
- Accept/offer to lend the rc to someone for try
You just got or will have soon your 1st drone ever?! And you wish make it last longer than a month..?! Read this!!!
Understand that flying/piloting is not natural for human beings, flying remotely less endangered yourself but it's even less natural, taking pictures and videos while flying a remote device it's even more complicated.
Don't be a heroe of dead drone while trying to fly in your backyard, over water, under bridges and other so exciting way. Keep that for in a month or two...
A) Days/weeks Prior the first flight:
1) Order floats for your drone as, soon or later, you will fly over water.
2) Watch online tens (but better hundred+) tutorials and crashes videos about drones, your model and other models. All kind of crash. Learn. Learn... And learn. If you don't, you will be soon in that collection of dead drones, trust me.
3) Spot an open area with no trees (and no tree means 0 tree, not the single one into which you will crash as I read in this forum today), no water, no public, no main road, no aerial wires of any kinds. Be familiar with this place, check out if birds play around and which kind.
If is no such areas reachable be ready to lost your drone in many different way, crash, lost, sunk... Just make your pick.
B) Hours before 1st flight:
1) Be familiar with your drone, body, accessories, propellers, batteries, sd card, gimbal and lock...
2) Read the user guide twice and more, forward and backward.
3) Do a preflight checklist and print it, your screen phone will be busy at the time of fly.
4) Watch again some tutorials and crashes.
C) While operating your training
(1st week flights)
0) Do not use fpv goggles during that period
1) Stay in beginner mode. Even it's frustrating.
2) Don't bother about video or photo. Start video before take off then stop it after landing. Not using too high resolution or your shooting will end before the landing.
3) Keep your drone in visual sight and be able to check around in the sky and on the ground what is going on time to time.
4) Fly all your saoul and batteries
5) Go back home, refill batteries, check your movies, check your flight logs fully.
6) From 2nd or 3rd session only try some tracking mode
D) Once you feel more comfortable
1) Fly with normal mode, stop using beginner mode but DO NOT fly in Sport Mode.
2) Start bothering photo and video settings while flying
3) Learn fly low level, above water, under trees, use slow speed, tripod mode, use floats, be sure you can reach the drone by swimming or with canoe.
4) Learn take-off & landing from your hand.
E) After few months
You now can fly into Sport Mode if needed.
You can now fly with fpv goggles but this is still at risk as you cannot checkout the surroundings.
You are now an expert, you created automatisme that will make you avoiding many crash to come.
F) ALWAYS:
1) switch off your sim card if using a smartphone or tablet with sim card. Receiving a call while flying is the last thing on hearth you want.
2) Triple check your checklist and the surroundings, buildings, wires, ppl, especially kids, pets & wild animals..
G) NEVER:
- Fly inside
- Under the rain
- Into the darkness
- Fly from a moving boat at the sea on which one you have no control of direction as a ferry
- Fly in a tunnel
- Above water even with floats if you haven't possibilities to reach it after water emergency landing.
- Landing near small kids, animals and other unpredictable behaviors as drunk guys..
- Accept/offer to lend the rc to someone for try
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