Hello from Somerset, UK

[GreyDad]

Hi everyone, I’m Neil in Somerset, England, and a relatively new drone owner - finally bought one last month after 10 years of interest in them… great fun and wish I’d got one years ago. Trying to make up for lost time, part way through a UK A2 CofC qualification and as soon as I’ve found the thin sliver of green and pleasant land that is *not* an RFZ/NT/EH/NE/SSSI/National Park/Royal Estate/feudal fiefdom I’ll be out for some practice flying!

Mainly personal interest but I once had my own small video production business and the wee Mini 3 Pro has rekindled my interest in videography again. I’d like to film some current work-related stuff too so figure I’d best get the qualifications and some commercial insurance to make it easier.

Joined here after finding the answers to several questions so thanks and appreciate the expertise and experience.

 

[Southwold]

Hi everyone, I’m Neil in Somerset, England, and a relatively new drone owner - finally bought one last month after 10 years of interest in them… great fun and wish I’d got one years ago. Trying to make up for lost time, part way through a UK A2 CofC qualification and as soon as I’ve found the thin sliver of green and pleasant land that is *not* an RFZ/NT/EH/NE/SSSI/National Park/Royal Estate/feudal fiefdom I’ll be out for some practice flying!

Mainly personal interest but I once had my own small video production business and the wee Mini 3 Pro has rekindled my interest in videography again. I’d like to film some current work-related stuff too so figure I’d best get the qualifications and some commercial insurance to make it easier.

Joined here after finding the answers to several questions so thanks and appreciate the expertise and experience.

Very warm welcome to the forum, I am based in Southwold UK also a new member to this forum but have bean flying two different drones for the last 13 years, great place to be
PS also a license pilot

 

[old man mavic]

welcome to the forum
may i ask why you are doing your A2 C of C

 

[Southwold]

welcome to the forum
may i ask why you are doing your A2 C of C

Nice to meet you @old man mavic been to Wales on many occasions, beautiful country

 

[GreyDad]

Very warm welcome to the forum, I am based in Southwold UK also a new member to this forum but have bean flying two different drones for the last 13 years, great place to be
PS also a license pilot

Thanks! We used to live in Suffolk, in Woolpit, so we know Southwold which is lovely. We bought our first “big” sailing boat (well, 23ft, it seemed big to us) when we lived there. We still sail down here in the West Country and I have an ambition to aerial film around the coast and the boat, although I’m a bit nervous about the over-water bit.

 

[MA2 317]

Hello from the Crossroads of America GreyDad.

Nice to meet you Neil.

Welcome to the Forum.

 

[GreyDad]

welcome to the forum
may i ask why you are doing your A2 C of C

Thanks. More for my own enjoyment and learning really butI’ve also got my eye on a bigger machine at some point, probably a Mavic 3. It was a free course and turned out to cover far more than the CAA required minimum so for a newb was pretty useful. It’s forcing me to be a bit more structured when I go out too, so practice flying is also aimed at passing the practical self-assessment as well as just learning about the Mini 3 Pro, bothering the neighbours and generally having fun.

 

[GreyDad]

MA2 317" data-source="post: 1541059" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch">

Hello from the Crossroads of America GreyDad.

Nice to meet you Neil.

Welcome to the Forum.

Hi and thanks! I’ve travelled across quite a lot of the US and even lived in New Jersey (!!) but never made it to Indiana! I did have a school friend from Indiana, that was when I was growing up in Canada, as I’m dual citizen UK/Canada… it’s all far too complicated…

 

[old man mavic]

the reason i asked was because ,due to the changes that came into force having the A2 C of C ,which i myself have passed ,rather took away the whole point of its usefulness
i agree that the knowledge gained from doing the course and passing the exam at the end ,is useful when it comes to flying your drone, and it would mean that you would be able to fly the Mavic 3 in the extended Legacy requirements for that weight of drone, closer than the 150m distance ,till the end of 2025 ,when it will become obsolete ,if the CAA keeps to what they have said , about a complete rethink of the open category for recreational flying

 

[GreyDad]

the reason i asked was because ,due to the changes that came into force having the A2 C of C ,which i myself have passed ,rather took away the whole point of its usefulness
i agree that the knowledge gained from doing the course and passing the exam at the end ,is useful when it comes to flying your drone, and it would mean that you would be able to fly the Mavic 3 in the extended Legacy requirements for that weight of drone, closer than the 150m distance ,till the end of 2025 ,when it will become obsolete ,if the CAA keeps to what they have said , about a complete rethink of the open category for recreational flying

Yes, understood. I realised it was all in a state of flux, and with some not inconsiderable controversy, when I was looking to buy the drone late last year.. I decided to do it anyway, the course is free so I just pay for the exam and anyway if it’s valid for 2-3 more years it may still prove worthwhile for the larger Mavic 3, assuming I manage to hide a second drone purchase from Mrs Dad

 

[Hauptmann]

Welcome to our forum, from Hauptmann, in Hurst, Texas!

You'll love the flexibility of vantage points an aerial camera platform affords--you'll get shots and videos you could only dream of before! I fly a Mavic 2 Pro now, but will soon be upgrading to the Mini 3 Pro.

As a former videographer, you'll have huge advantage over most of us in producing good work.
We have over 150,000 members--including many from the UK--who enjoy helping each other get the most out of our hobby. Most of the questions you'll have have already been addressed, and are easy to search. If you have NEW questions, just ask!

I'm envious of the adventures you will enjoy with your drone. There is so much in the UK you don't see elsewhere. One Sunday years ago, four of us were driving on a narrow country road near the Cornish Coast. Suddenly, out of the mist, 30 or 40 of vintage cars drove past us in the other direction. One group were HRGs, and the other, Lotus 7s! Don't know what they were headed for--a race? A rally? A joint car club meet? Whatever it was, we were as thrilled to be watching as they must have been driving, each clad either in dusters and scarves, with those quaint hats from that period, or in early 1950's racing suits with vintage goggles and helmets! Some cars bore numbers and taped-up headlights like week-end racers in the old days. Oh--to relive that day with my drone!

Glad to have you with us! Show off your country. Show off your stuff!

Rich R (aka Hauptmann)

 

[GreyDad]

Thank Rich! I’m looking forward to it. I used to film stereo 3D (remember that?) and I was at one point investigating how to lift a small stereo video camera with a drone to get aerial 3D shots. There was a UK drone company whose name I forget run by a highly competent lady who was very interested in this but alas I couldn‘t get the project funded.

So far I’ve just flown around the garden and over the house numerous times, stalking Mrs Dad around the garden using ActiveTrack and practicing how to fly slowly and smoothly without hitting anything, although I did crash my drone trying to follow her into the greenhouse. When the weather improves I’ll get up the hill behind us and grab some bigger shots across to Glastonbury and South Wales.

 

[GreyDad]

Nice to meet you @old man mavic been to Wales on many occasions, beautiful country

I can see Wales (or “Mordor” as we affectionately call it ) from the hill behind our house!

 

[wjkrysak]

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

 

[GFields]

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

 

[LoudThunder]

Hi everyone, I’m Neil in Somerset, England,

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 the UK, 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

Even if you may 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…"

DJI Mini 3 Pro - Download Center - DJI

At DJI Download Center, Learn aboutDJI Mini 3 Pro

www.dji.com

Fly On and Fly Safe…

 

[msinger]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[timc_drone]

Welcome to the forums. From Houston, Texas.

 

[Drone Master]

Welcome to Mavic Pilots! Enjoy the forum!

 

[Kendallfordguy]

Welcome from Wisconsin!