Learning to Fly

[Letac]

Hi,

I got my certificate the other day and I was about to order a Mavic Air just hours ago, but then I realized I'd never read a word about learning to fly a drone. I also remember a few people who crashed theirs. So, before I spend a $1K on a drone and crash it on day one, can you give me some tips and share your experiences? Does it make any sense to buy a $50 "toy" so if I crash it won't be a big deal. My thing with this idea is that a toy is a toy and even the best pilot can't do what the drone isn't capable of.

Thanks a lot!

 

[wytnyt]

best advice is read the manual and watch youtube on the mp and ask questions here then read the manual and watch youtube on the mp and ask questions then read the manual and watch youtube on the mp and ask questions
seriously
and welcome aboard

 

[lightbg]

I'm in the minority here, but I would suggest buying a cheap hobby grade drone to understand stick input and basic flight movements. As automated as the Mavic is it can still drop out and dump you into atti mode, which means you'd better know that with the drone facing you the left/right stick is reversed, and you don't need surprises when things start going south in a hurry. Stick time is stick time, period. No simulator can bring up your pucker factor like a real flight issue, so get a "beater" and learn it backwards, then enjoy your Mavic with the knowledge that you can handle an issue regarding GPS dropouts and such.

Plus, you can fly a tiny whoop indoors and learn FPV at the same time.

Jake

 

[wytnyt]

i agree getting a cheapie to learn on but i got a p3 to learn on,since it had atti mode it was perfect to learn with and it still gives you the feel of a ''real'' drone which of course it is but much less than a 1k drone.

 

[Letac]

Hey lightbg and wytnyt, thanks a lot for your replies. Since both of you agree that buying a cheap drone isn't a bad idea, do you have any recommendations? Either an exact model or what features I should look for in one.

Thanks again!

 

[microlinux]

There is very little skill cross-over between a "toy'" drone and Mavic. They share few flight characteristics other than moving through the air . . .

Basic flight is very easy with a Mavic. My 9 year old nephew has no problem, but it's important to read and fully understand the manual before you fly. Stick to open areas when you start - generally speaking, it'll only crash if you tell it to (read the manual).

 

[Just_nick]

There is very little skill cross-over between a "toy'" drone and Mavic. They share few flight characteristics other than moving through the air . . .

Basic flight is very easy with a Mavic. My 9 year old nephew has no problem, but it's important to read and fully understand the manual before you fly. Stick to open areas when you start - generally speaking, it'll only crash if you tell it to (read the manual).

Incorrect. Despite the ridiculous amount of user assistance, a small drone and a DJI fly in very similar ways. The difference is that when you go into atti mode, where you don't get coddled by all the DJI software, you suddenly realize that a dumb drone is nearly identical to flying the atti-mode DJI. In fact, any DJI pilot that has never flown a dumb drone before is only neutering themselves, because you will have zero idea what to do if the stabilization stuff fails, especially in a windy day.

 

[Launchpad McQuack]

Hi, I actually bought a micro drone as my first drone. 25 bucks. Learned to fly indoors then outside with it. Moved on to my Mavic after hours of fun with the micro. Well worth the practice first!

 

[microlinux]

The difference is that when you go into atti mode, where you don't get coddled by all the DJI software.

You lose GPS, it doesn't suddenly take on the flight characteristics of a $50 toy drone - you have to compensate for wind and brake manually. A $50 dollar toy drone flies so differently than a Mavic in ATTI I don't think there's a lot to cross-over.

 

[Launchpad McQuack]

You lose GPS, it doesn't suddenly take on the flight characteristics of a $50 toy drone - you have to compensate for wind and brake manually. A $50 dollar toy drone flies so differently than a Mavic in ATTI I don't think there's a lot to cross-over.

You lose GPS, it doesn't suddenly take on the flight characteristics of a $50 toy drone - you have to compensate for wind and brake manually. A $50 dollar toy drone flies so differently than a Mavic in ATTI I don't think there's a lot to cross-over.

I am new to flying my MP and have had gps on my 5 flight days. Thank you for your input on atti and flying without gps. I havent flew without gps. Any suggestions for practicing to fly safely and prepare for "no gps" situation?

 

[microlinux]

Any suggestions for practicing to fly safely and prepare for "no gps" situation?

It's a shame there's not an official way to put the Mavic into ATTI mode manually. There are some hacks people have suggested, but I'd be cautious of anything that doesn't allow to you move in and out of ATTI from the controller/device.

If you're concerned that you wouldn't be able to manually pilot the Mavic back against the forces of nature, you may be flying in conditions generally beyond your skill level. Take it slow and get a feel for how it's reacting to your inputs, don't panic.

 

[Ashley]

Did someone had some bad experiences with toy drone?

 

[Wolfeel]

Hi,
I had less than 2 min of flight experience before bying the MA. As stated above read the manual carefully and watch youtube to get know the basics, then it is practice. I started indoors in the slow beginner setting (did not think the virtual mode was that interesting). Indoors is just to small, at least my place, so you quickly find yourself outdoors. Stick to wide open areas and you will be fine, thanks to the technology, and thats why I invested 1K USD into this thing.
I have less than 2h now, so I cant tell what will happen if I lose conection/GPS, hope I will not find out anytime soon. have to wait for better weather before I can get some serious flight time, right now it is snow and minus 10 C over here. It will still work fine for about 12-14 minutes, but my fingers will not......

 

[MMCompton]

Love my MPP, but HAD to check out the E58. Great 2MP/720 camera, onboard MicroSD, video streaming to free smartphone app, under $100 (w/2 extra batteries, yet cheaper with just one). Way harder to fly than my MPP, but way cheaper, that’s kinda the point.

 

[Where are my keys?]

[QUOTE="Letac, post: 417616, member: 53230"]I got my certificate the other day and I was about to order a Mavic Air just hours ago, but then I realized I'd never read a word about learning to fly a drone.[/QUOTE]
Something here is not making sense to me.
They are now saying that children born this year will never need to learn to drive a motor vehicle.
It may be only a few years away when you will not need to physically touch your controller, it could be done with voice alone. You will however need to read the instructions to know which voice commands the craft will respond to. You must have read something "to get your certificate", you must have read something to post to the forum, why would anybody not spend a couple of hours to read the instructions. Sorry this smells like a wind up.

 

[AerialsRus]

Try - How to fly a drone - begineers guide - How to Fly a Drone: A Beginner's Guide to Multirotor Systems

 

[msinger]

The Mavic Air is very easy to fly. It is pretty technical though, so you'll need to invest some time to learn how everything works. If you start flying in a wide open area that's free of all obstacles, there's no reason why you cannot skip the cheap $50 drone and safely learn how to fly the Mavic Air. Plus, the experience you gain will be applicable to the Mavic Air.

can you give me some tips

These items will get you off to a good start:

• Mavic Manual & Release Notes (the manual does not come in the box)
• DJI GO Manual
• Mavic Air Beginners Guide (covers all of the basics)
• Firmware Update Instructions
• Tips for Avoiding Common Pilot Mistakes
• Tips for Avoiding a Crash
• Worldwide Drone Regulations
• MavicHelp.com (lots of Mavic Air tips & accessories)

 

[aksobby]

Hi,

I got my certificate the other day and I was about to order a Mavic Air just hours ago, but then I realized I'd never read a word about learning to fly a drone. I also remember a few people who crashed theirs. So, before I spend a $1K on a drone and crash it on day one, can you give me some tips and share your experiences? Does it make any sense to buy a $50 "toy" so if I crash it won't be a big deal. My thing with this idea is that a toy is a toy and even the best pilot can't do what the drone isn't capable of.

Thanks a lot!

Go straight to the top and get a Mavic Pro. It has a beginners mode, tripod and cinema mode that restrict speed heights etc so that you do not get into serious trouble. From reading this site for 4 months I see that most problems of failure are caused by pilot error ie. flying when too windy and by not being in line of sight.

 

[wytnyt]

The difference is that when you go into atti mode,.

agreed
get a cheap but full fledge drone to learn both flying and atti mode,most will spene 100 dollars in a toy drone but a p3 can be found for @200

 

[Letac]

[QUOTE="Letac, post: 417616, member: 53230"]I got my certificate the other day and I was about to order a Mavic Air just hours ago, but then I realized I'd never read a word about learning to fly a drone.

Something here is not making sense to me.
............. You must have read something "to get your certificate", you must have read something to post to the forum, why would anybody not spend a couple of hours to read the instructions. Sorry this smells like a wind up.[/QUOTE]

Not sure what got you so confused ;-). I read instructions and manuals, never throw them away, and lecture others about their failures to read them ;-). As I said, I never read a thing about actually flying the drone i.e. keeping the drone in the air by controlling it in one way or the other. To get a certificate you do not need to know how to fly.