New Pilot please critique my checklist.

[JayJ03]

I should be getting my Mavic 2 Pro tomorrow. I modified another members list but if I need to add anything please let me know.

Before leaving for location:
Obtain any waivers or authorizations if needed for flight location
Check weather conditions of flight location
Check NOTAMS for flight location
Check battery levels (Mavic, controller) Check each cell voltage in app
Confirm MicroSD is in Mavic and formatted
Preload maps
Check for any firmware updates

At location:
Check weather/wind speed
Unfold Mavic arms
Check propeller blades condition (Replace if nicked, cracked or deemed unsafe)
Remove Gimbal cover
Attach ND Filter If needed
Place Mavic on Launch site (Level ground, clear of any overhead obstacles)
Connect phone to controller
Open DJI app
Power on controller
Power on Mavic
Set phone to do not disturb & airplane mode
Make sure compass is calibrated (not needed every time)
Look for “Ready to Go” message on controller
Confirm GPS & Compass are connected
Confirm return to home is set and RTH altitude
Make sure Flight mode switch is not set to sport
Clear area for takeoff
Power on motors
Take off and hover for 30 seconds. Check gimbal and camera setting.

 

[teebone]

WOW this is rather in depth. I've been flying for over 5 years and MAYBE perform 2-3 of these before i takeoff. Good thing DJI products are so reliable (for me at least) because I've never had a single accident. Good Luck!

 

[BigAl07]

I should be getting my Mavic 2 Pro tomorrow. I modified another members list but if I need to add anything please let me know.

Before leaving for location:
Obtain any waivers or authorizations if needed for flight location
Check weather conditions of flight location
Check NOTAMS for flight location
Check battery levels (Mavic, controller) Check each cell voltage in app
Confirm MicroSD is in Mavic and formatted
Preload maps
Check for any firmware updates

At location:
Check weather/wind speed
Unfold Mavic arms
Check propeller blades condition (Replace if nicked, cracked or deemed unsafe)
Remove Gimbal cover
Attach ND Filter If needed
Place Mavic on Launch site (Level ground, clear of any overhead obstacles)
Connect phone to controller
Open DJI app
Power on controller
Power on Mavic
Set phone to do not disturb & airplane mode
Make sure compass is calibrated (not needed every time)
Look for “Ready to Go” message on controller
Confirm GPS & Compass are connected
Confirm return to home is set and RTH altitude
Make sure Flight mode switch is not set to sport
Clear area for takeoff
Power on motors
Take off and hover for 30 seconds. Check gimbal and camera setting.

My suggestions:

I do a thoroughly visual (and touch) inspection of the aircraft and transmitter before I leave home just in case there is something needing repair/replacement. This might save you a drive.

I do a physical check to make sure battery is thoroughly seated before placing on launch pad.

My Hover Inspection lasts maybe 5-10 seconds unless waiting for full GPS to engage

Ensure "Home Point Is Set" before leaving launch area.

 

[jeplane]

The more items on a check-list, and the more humans say “f... it” and glance over some items.

So keep it simple.
For example, must you have a line for “unfold arms”? Seriously?
“Place on launch site”?

Power on controller and power on Mavic should be on the same line, so as to minimize the list. Even better, does it need to be mentioned at all??

“Compass calibrated” should instead be check for compass error message and check orientation of the unit matches with map

Also, read this to find more pertinent infos for your check-list:

Prevent a Crash or Flyaway with Your DJI Drone (The Complete Guide) | Phantom Help

Phantom Help is a site for help with DJI Phantom drones. Find the latest fixes, how-tos, guides, accessories, modifications, and more.

www.phantomhelp.com

 

[BigAl07]

The more items on a check-list, and the more humans say “f... it” and glance over some items.

And yet some of us follow our checklists to a "T" each and every time we fly. Sometimes you've just gotta follow the procedure even if you don't feel like it . . . .

 

[katarian]

I'm following as well. My drone gets here Monday

 

[Porky]

You get into a standard checklist routine before you fly, it becomes “habit” when you get “flying time hours” behind you.

One of the important ones as mentioned by BigA107 is checking the battery, making sure both clips are engaged, heard so many horror story’s about batteries not seated correctly. I think I’m over cautious with that because I fly over water the majority of the time.?

 

[1cmathis]

Geez, Jay. I can only imagine your list for driving a car? ?

 

[AMann]

Great list!

Before takeoff:

Check site and flight area for obstacles and reset RTH height as needed.

Confirm home point was locked in.

Check camera settings (ISO, file type and size, etc.)

Also, It looks like you are keeping your props on in storage, there’s a lot of opinions about that but I take mine off as you cant inspect the bottom of the hub and locks with it on and there’s less of a chance of bending them in the case.

 

[JayJ03]

The more items on a check-list, and the more humans say “f... it” and glance over some items.

So keep it simple.
For example, must you have a line for “unfold arms”? Seriously?
“Place on launch site”?

Power on controller and power on Mavic should be on the same line, so as to minimize the list. Even better, does it need to be mentioned at all??

“Compass calibrated” should instead be check for compass error message and check orientation of the unit matches with map

Also, read this to find more pertinent infos for your check-list:

Prevent a Crash or Flyaway with Your DJI Drone (The Complete Guide) | Phantom Help

Phantom Help is a site for help with DJI Phantom drones. Find the latest fixes, how-tos, guides, accessories, modifications, and more.

www.phantomhelp.com

Thanks for your information as I made those changes! I was just going off what someone else had and looking to modify it. Which is why I made this post.

 

[JayJ03]

Geez, Jay. I can only imagine your list for driving a car? ?

I am known to do lots of research and be prepared.

 

[old man mavic]

a check list is a good idea but most of the stuff on your list can be done at home before you go out to fly i do a visual inspection of my gear when i get home after a days flying and during that process any damage will become apparent,its also a good idea to make sure your equipment is clean before storage i use an air puffer to blow dust from the motors also make sure the camera and sensor lenses are clean, with time you will be able to do all these things without even realising you are doing them, they become second nature.

you say that you are getting your new drone tomorrow,is this your first drone or do you have previous flying experience,i ask because there is a lot to learn about for successful flight ,but judging from your replies i guess you already know that happy flying OMM

 

[Mossiback]

A checklist is a good idea, at least until you develop a routine, but you might want to slim it down a bit.

Before leaving for location:
Obtain any waivers or authorizations if needed for flight location
• You may want this item in a separate category. In some instances it may take several days to get permission to fly.
Check weather conditions of flight location
Check NOTAMS for flight location Not needed if flying locally, with exceptions noted below.
• I know I will get some static for this, but unless you are flying in an area new to you or where temporary NFZ's pop up regularly, you won't need to do this every time. Assuming you will be flying locally like most do, paying attention to the news about things that may close an airspace and looking at the wind in the trees will give enough of a weather report. If travelling a distance before flying the weather may change by the time you get there. For me, if it is not raining and the wind is not blowing the trees, I fly.
Check battery levels (Mavic, controller, phone) Check each cell voltage in app
• If you charge everything before you head out, you will not need to check battery levels. Don't forget your phone charge.
Confirm MicroSD is in Mavic and formatted
Preload maps
Check for any firmware updates
• Why ruin your day with a firmware (or software) update? I fly with my tablet in airplane mode so it does not see the internet and is not aware of any update. Before I did this, a background update hosed my video feed to the point is was unusable. I turned off auto-updating so it will not happen again. If you want to update, first research what it will get you and whether there are reported problems with your display device. Then install with enough time to roll it back if you experience problems. After installation, check your settings as some get changed back to the defaults.

At location:
Check weather/wind speed
Unfold Mavic arms
Check propeller blades condition (Replace if nicked, cracked or deemed unsafe)
• I teetered on this one, but as @old man mavic mentioned you should do this after flying so you are ready for your next flight. A quick visual is all that is needed if you have already done a through check.
• In the steps below, I set up my RC, tablet holder, tablet settings (airplane mode, brightness, etc), tablet in holder, turn on RC, connect RC to tablet (which starts Go 4 automatically), before even taking my MP out of the case. That way, when the MP is ready, Go 4 is already communicating with the RC and ready for connection to the MP.
Remove Gimbal cover
• I know the M2 cover is different, but I taped some ribbon to mine so I cannot forget to remove it so is not needed in a check list.
Attach ND Filter If needed
• Somewhere in here you should confirm that the camera lens and filter are clean.
+ Confirm that the battery is securely snapped into place.
Place Mavic on Launch site (Level ground, clear of any overhead obstacles)
Connect phone to controller
Open DJI app
• It should open automatically when connected to the RC
Power on controller RC (I know, but so many call their phone the controller that I just had to change this)
Power on Mavic
Set phone to do not disturb & airplane mode and connect to RC
• Set phone mode before connecting to RC
Make sure compass is calibrated (not needed every time)
• Replace with; "Confirm the actual heading and indicated heading match." Go 4 should tell you if the compass needs calibration.
Look for “Ready to Go” message on controller
Confirm GPS & Compass are connected
• Replace with; "Confirm at least 11 satellites are detected." You may adjust the number but that is my comfort level. I don't know what you mean by "compass connected".
Confirm return to home the homepoint is set and RTH altitude
• You can confirm your RTH settings if you want but if there have been no software updates it should not be changing. As for the altitude, this is normally checked after you are airborne. That way you can see how high the tallest obstacle is and set RTH 30 (or whatever you want) feet above that.
Make sure Flight mode switch is not set to sport
Clear area for takeoff
• Not sure what this means. If the area was not clear you would not be there in the first place. If clearing people, then again it may not be a good place to fly.
Power on motors
Take off and hover at 30 feet for 30 5 seconds. Check gimbal and camera settings and focus.

Not part of a checklist, but after takeoff I rise straight up until I can get a good view of the area so I can see if there are any people around. I then plan my flight to avoid them.

 

[JayJ03]

you say that you are getting your new drone tomorrow,is this your first drone or do you have previous flying experience,i ask because there is a lot to learn about for successful flight ,but judging from your replies i guess you already know that happy flying OMM

I have another small cheap drone that I have flown a few times and thats it.

 

[kilomikebravo]

A point sorta on subject...

In the airline world, they are in fact "check" lists while in the military, they are "do" lists. The former is just double checking that items have already been accomplished and the latter is done as you go. I do have a printed checklist but I use it to "check" not "do" UNLESS I have forgotten something and then the "check" list saves my bacon.

 

[bobscheel53]

I should be getting my Mavic 2 Pro tomorrow. I modified another members list but if I need to add anything please let me know.

Before leaving for location:
Obtain any waivers or authorizations if needed for flight location
Check weather conditions of flight location
Check NOTAMS for flight location
Check battery levels (Mavic, controller) Check each cell voltage in app
Confirm MicroSD is in Mavic and formatted
Preload maps
Check for any firmware updates

At location:
Check weather/wind speed
Unfold Mavic arms
Check propeller blades condition (Replace if nicked, cracked or deemed unsafe)
Remove Gimbal cover
Attach ND Filter If needed
Place Mavic on Launch site (Level ground, clear of any overhead obstacles)
Connect phone to controller
Open DJI app
Power on controller
Power on Mavic
Set phone to do not disturb & airplane mode
Make sure compass is calibrated (not needed every time)
Look for “Ready to Go” message on controller
Confirm GPS & Compass are connected
Confirm return to home is set and RTH altitude
Make sure Flight mode switch is not set to sport
Clear area for takeoff
Power on motors
Take off and hover for 30 seconds. Check gimbal and camera setting.

Confirm that compass indicator on map is correct before takeoff

Even a calibrated compass can be wrong if there is metal nearby or underground.

 

[Joe4flight]

I should be getting my Mavic 2 Pro tomorrow. I modified another members list but if I need to add anything please let me know.

Before leaving for location:
Obtain any waivers or authorizations if needed for flight location
Check weather conditions of flight location
Check NOTAMS for flight location
Check battery levels (Mavic, controller) Check each cell voltage in app
Confirm MicroSD is in Mavic and formatted
Preload maps
Check for any firmware updates

At location:
Check weather/wind speed
Unfold Mavic arms
Check propeller blades condition (Replace if nicked, cracked or deemed unsafe)
Remove Gimbal cover
Attach ND Filter If needed
Place Mavic on Launch site (Level ground, clear of any overhead obstacles)
Connect phone to controller
Open DJI app
Power on controller
Power on Mavic
Set phone to do not disturb & airplane mode
Make sure compass is calibrated (not needed every time)
Look for “Ready to Go” message on controller
Confirm GPS & Compass are connected
Confirm return to home is set and RTH altitude
Make sure Flight mode switch is not set to sport
Clear area for takeoff
Power on motors
Take off and hover for 30 seconds. Check gimbal and camera setting.

I don’t really understand what this is, but I’ve seen checking/calibrating IMU is also an important item to check before flight. Thoughts?

 

[kilomikebravo]

Joe: As I understand things, as long as the aircraft doesn't give you any warnings after startup (in Go4 only,) and, the heading of the aircraft agrees with the Radar Display, then you're good to go. I have been flying Mavics for three years and have never done an IMU cal.

 

[Joe4flight]

Cool! Thx Kilo!!!!

 

[RickAung]

Great to use checklist
As an ex Helicopter and Airline pilot the simpler the checklist the better. Too much detail is confusing and too long becomes time consuming and more likely to skip or gloss over.
Routine checks are done from memory then run through the checklist to make sure nothing critical missed The drone warns you of problems read them carefully before continuing

Keep it simple and fun. Enjoy