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New Pilot from Canada

Zetec7

New Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2022
Messages
3
Reactions
9
Age
70
Location
Sooke, BC, Canada
Hello, all. I'm a new member from Sooke, BC Canada.

I wanted a small, high-quality, very portable aircraft, so I bought a Mini 2 Fly More package (of course, a few weeks after I bought it, the Mini 3 came out).

So far, I'm loving it. We're moving out of the country, need to sell our home, so some drone footage for the listing seemed like a great idea....and I had the Mini 2, so I figured "How hard can it be?" Well, it was a lot harder than I thought, that's for sure! My property is over an acre, and is populated by 150' cedar and fir trees, with not much open area. That makes it a lot more challenging for a brand-new pilot (never flown a drone before). So, it's learn-as-I-go. I used to fly fixed-wing RC airplanes, and still have the muscle memory for that, which has caused me problems as the sticks on the Mini 2 have very different controls, but I'm learning.

I have noted a couple of issues, though, that I hope some here can shed some light on. Yesterday, I had the drone hovering about 6' up & 6' away from me when it suddenly ascended to about 20' & rotated 90 degrees, with no input from me. At that point I had absolutely zero control over it. Battery was at over 90%, GPS signal was solid, phone was at 95%, etc. I had also previously performed all the firmware updates as recommended (and subsequent flights were totally normal...until this one).

That was spooky!! After a minute or two, control returned (with no actions from me, as none seemed to be available) & all was normal again. Since I have to do some flying over water (ocean) tomorrow, I'm worried this might happen again.

Anyone have any experience with this, or suggestions on what to do if it does happen again?

My second issue is that when flying around and among trees & bushes, the drone drifts a lot - side to side & up and down - which makes it tricky when flying close to foliage. Is it possible that the GPS signal was weak with overhead bushes & allowed it to drift?

Thanks...
 
Hello from the Crossroads of America Zetec7.

If you follow the instructions below, it may be possible to extract the flight log from your device and see what could have happened.

The GPS could be compromised when flying low underneath foliage and the bottom VPS may not "see" the ground well, causing it to drift.

It's just a guess. 🤔

Welcome to the Forum. 😎
 
I wanted a small, high-quality, very portable aircraft, so I bought a Mini 2 Fly More package (of course, a few weeks after I bought it, the Mini 3 came out).
Hi Zetec,

Welcome from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, USA. We have a Member's Map in the Upper Right of the Title Bar.


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


Even if you may have flown Drones before, here is some Good Old Fashion Advice…

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 2, 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…"


Happy, Safe and Legal Droning…
 
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Greetings from Birmingham Alabama, welcome to the forum!
 
Welcome to the forum! :)
 
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Reactions: MA2 317 and GFields
Welcome to the forum. Sometimes it's hard to find the reason for such sudden weird movement. It could be the sensors if it's close to an object. However, normally it's safe to fly in an olen area, even above water. Use P or N mode to fly steady is another suggestion.
 
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Welcome to the forum.
Please and do be sure you have read our guidelines.
I hope you will find our site helpful and look forward to any input , photo's/video's you might post .
Don't be shy and ask anything if you can't find it by searching . Thumbswayup
 
I used to fly fixed-wing RC airplanes, and still have the muscle memory for that, which has caused me problems as the sticks on the Mini 2 have very different controls, but I'm learning.
You can change how the sticks behave in the DJI Fly app. Check and see if one of the other modes is closer to what you are used to, and maybe switch to that.
 
Thanks! So far I've been flying in Cine mode, because my very first, learning project is a crucial one - it's to showcase our home for sale on the MLS, Facebook, etc. Considering the environment (dozens of first growth 150' cedars, with many low-hanging boughs that I have to fly through, sometimes with only inches of clearance), it appears I chose a fairly ambitious project for learning on!

I'm getting there, though. I'm slowly learning to combine pitch, ascend/descend, yaw, forward/back and sldeslip all at the same time, which I need for various shots to satisfy my wife, who has taken on the role of director for the video!

By the way, I'm compiling all my videos and stills in Windows Movie Maker (still have it on my computer though it's no longer available) because it's easy, and I'm already familiar with it. Anyone have any suggestions as to an easy-to-learn, affordable (free?) video editor that I should consider?
 
By the way, I'm compiling all my videos and stills in Windows Movie Maker (still have it on my computer though it's no longer available) because it's easy, and I'm already familiar with it. Anyone have any suggestions as to an easy-to-learn, affordable (free?) video editor that I should consider?
Use the forum's search feature.
 
Welcome to Mavic Pilots!🙂Enjoy the forum!Thumbswayup
 
Hi Zetec,

Welcome from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, USA. We have a Member's Map in the Upper Right of the Title Bar.


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


Even if you may have flown Drones before, here is some Good Old Fashion Advice…

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 2, 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…"


Happy, Safe and Legal Droning…
Since he is flying a sub 250 gram drone a lot of rules don't apply to him but it is always smart to not do something stupid. Here is a great video explaining what a new pilot of a sub 250 drone should be doing.

Welcome to the forum and good luck selling your house.

 
Welcome to the forum. We look forward to your participation and your view of the world.
 
Since he is flying a sub 250 gram drone a lot of rules don't apply to him but it is always smart to not do something stupid.

It is a Good Video. I am in the US so I do not know how accurate his video presentation is but it is now over a year old. That is why when I posted the Link to the Canadian Drone Rules and Laws Web Site, I prefaced it with the warning, "Please check to ensure these are current."
 
It is a Good Video. I am in the US so I do not know how accurate his video presentation is but it is now over a year old. That is why when I posted the Link to the Canadian Drone Rules and Laws Web Site, I prefaced it with the warning, "Please check to ensure these are current."
As Canada's top instructors and were very much part of the formation of the new drone rules in Canada helping DOT and Nav. Canada form what we have now you can bet your bottom dollar the video is up to date.
 
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