DJI Mavic, Air and Mini Drones
Friendly, Helpful & Knowledgeable Community
Join Us Now

Hello from Woodstock GA

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.


As a New Drone Pilot, there are a couple of Legal Things you may need to do…

Good, you started off right and have your TRUST Certificate.

Now, if your Drone weighs less than 250-grams (0.55 pounds) and while you are flying under The Exception for Recreational Flyers, you are not required to register your Drone.

Link to the FAADroneZone (Optional Registration for Drones under 250-Grams…)


If you are considering acquiring your Part 107 License, here is a link to get you going…


Since you live in Georgia, there are specific laws and rules for you to follow, please check the link below for all the Rules and Laws that are in effect in your neck of the woods and it also links you to some of the Best Places to Fly in your area… Also, if you travel on vacation, visit friends, and relatives in other parts of the country, check back here so you do not run afoul of the law.


Even if you 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 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…
Thank you so much. I'm in the process of getting my 107 but wanted to slowly ease into it. This is my first time flying a drone and this information is so helpful😊
 
Hi, I just bought a drone and received my TRUST certification. I’m looking to see if there are any areas around Woodstock, Kennesaw, Acworth or Canton areas I could practice at?
In the DJI Fly app, there's an option at the top of the opening screen that says "Fly Spots".
Touching that opens up a map that can center on your position when you give permission. It shows fly spots that have been recommended by other users in your area.
For example, near Woodstock, there's Holly Springs, Mill Park and Blankets Creek that are marked.
There are more areas north away from all the airport restricted flight zones that show on the map.
For practice - know anyone with a big back yard? That's how I practiced. Then I moved to rural areas outside of town to fly over fields and around forests until I felt confident and proficient enough to fly in trickier areas.
My other advice is, bring a friend. For support, eyes on the sky and a witness in case someone bothers you.
 
In the DJI Fly app, there's an option at the top of the opening screen that says "Fly Spots".
Touching that opens up a map that can center on your position when you give permission. It shows fly spots that have been recommended by other users in your area.
I never knew what "Fly Spots" was supposed to offer, unfortunately, in my case I get nothing…

Perhaps it is so difficult to fly in my area of the peninsula in Hampton Roads. As you can see (Graphic below…), the whole area is covered with Class D Air Space and that includes two military bases and an international airport…

Home Map with Warnings.jpg

Here in the US, the FAA encloses each military airfield and most commercial airfields with a 5-nautical mile radius and in that a circle the maximum altitude is restricted based on the proximity to the airfield and the traffic patterns. The restrictions are usually the maximum of 400' on the outer areas and as they get closer to the airfield, the maximums lower to 300' to 200' to 100' (even 50') down to 0' (no flying…) These areas are called Zero Altitude Quadrants… I call them "Drone Taxi Zones…"

I live relatively close to an Air Force Base and I am in a Zero Altitude Quadrant, which means that Recreational Flyers may not fly any drone anytime…

I am a licensed Part 107 Pilot, and I had to use that license just to be able to fly my drone in my own yard… And since some of these areas overlap, I am flying in controlled Air Force Air Space in my back yard and in the controlled Air Space of the Airport in my front yard…

I hope you do not find your drone experience so onerous that you might quit.

I suggest you go to a park early in the morning and find a quiet spot away from trees and people and any dog walkers or schoolyard on a weekend. Community sports fields early in the morning is also a great place…

The Pilot Institute offer numerous course and one they offer FREE Is the "Recreational Flyer Made Easy"
No Credit card is needed to sign up for a free course and you might even find some of their other course are worth taking… I took the their Part 107 Course to get my license and I am a very happy alumni…

Good Luck…
 
  • Like
Reactions: wjkrysak