New terrified pilot

[zeusfl]

Welcome to the forum

 

[skunky1]

Welcome.

I started my “training” with a Tello. Then upgraded fast to a M2P. The adrenaline still pumps every time I take off and hear those beeps

 

[Mazdaman323lx]

Im flying about 6 months and still terrified..........of losing another 1100 euro drone . On my second one this year. Thats 2500 including the other paraphenalia

 

[Ol' Sparky]

Set of prop guards was helpful when I first started out. Practice, practice practice and the controls will become second nature then you will venture farther and farther out. Happy flying!

 

[Craig580]

One of the good things about being in stage 4 lockdown and buying a drone has been all the research available and reading forums like this. Will take it easy when we get out but definitely armed with lots of information.

 

[Repaid1]

I was able to get a replacement drone so all is good, but it has made me very nervous to fly. I know I will get more comfortable eventually, but I was wondering how long it took everyone here to get comfortable flying for the first time.

I trusted my aircraft the first time I flew it, myself perhaps not so much. A bit of confidence will build with time on your end. Never get to "Comfortable" as that is when issues will happen. But the pucker factor fades. Practice in close, know your aircraft and it's operation at all times your in control and understand "Common problems" that could develop from time to time and understand what you as pilot in command must know what to do to circumvent and practice those things quite a bit at first and then routine follow up as time allows thereafter. Everyone is different some benefit from flight time some use simulators to hone skills YMMV. Welcome to site

 

[Repaid1]

Welcome.

I started my “training” with a Tello. Then upgraded fast to a M2P. The adrenaline still pumps every time I take off and hear those beeps

I know my surroundings on take off..so I use the C2 button to enable/disable the OA. Once up and clear I hit O/A. Saves from hearing those annoying "beeps" I would most prefer a mute on tone, but vibration still active on remote though

 

[Deleted Member 997]

I'm a seasoned combat Apache pilot and the UAS life is new to me. Like most of the posts here. Take it slow or this hobby will get expensive quickly. You also might want to look into insurance if your operating under part 107.

 

[Repaid1]

I'm a seasoned combat Apache pilot and the UAS life is new to me. Like most of the posts here. Take it slow or this hobby will get expensive quickly. You also might want to look into insurance if your operating under part 107.

As former Military (now retired) myself you really think he is a.) 107 pilot after reading his first post and b.) would need to be advised of insurance if he did have a 107?

I would be interested personally in how long in the seat or combat missions/kills one has to achieve to reach "Seasoned" status I ask as given scale size of these models and I have close to 700hrs on stick in just "Drones" in the 5+ years of flying these little suckers, if I could claim seasoned yet.

I do have 40 years in a full sized fixed wing though. Started flying RC Heli in 85, can you ticktock a Apache?

 

[Deleted Member 997]

As former Military (now retired) myself you really think he is a.) 107 pilot after reading his first post and b.) would need to be advised of insurance if he did have a 107?

I would be interested personally in how long in the seat or combat missions/kills one has to achieve to reach "Seasoned" status I ask as given scale size of these models and I have close to 700hrs on stick in just "Drones" in the 5+ years of flying these little suckers, if I could claim seasoned yet.

I do have 52 years in a full sized fixed wing though.

But do you have any Helicopter experience??

 

[Repaid1]

But do you have any Helicopter experience??

Sorry Hurricane Laura just blew though and took out my power..on Hotspot now...See above post edited does that count. See all tomorrow..going to call it a nice quiet nite

 

[Deleted Member 997]

Sorry Hurricane Laura just blew though and took out my power..on Hotspot now...See above post edited does that count.

I don't TikTok at all. But this should suffice

 

[msinger]

Welcome to the forum!

I learned that I need to take much more time to learn how to fly before I really take it out and start doing what I really want to do with it.

And spend time flying in wide open locations until you're comfortable manning the controls. When you're not flying around trees (or other obstacles), the only obstacle you'll have is the ground. And it's quite hard to accidentally crash the MA2 into a flat surface.

 

[Raos]

Thank you all for your replies. You have all been extremely helpful and I have gained a lot of insight and knowledge just from this one thread alone (not to mention all the other threads that have been very helpful as well). I have taken many of your suggestions and they have all helped me. I need to remember that I am still a baby when it comes to drones and need to adjust my expectations accordingly. I will be flying in tripod mode only for a while now and just spend my time getting used to the controls and doing basic maneuvers until I am much more comfortable. The urge to do some more advanced moves and get "that shot" will have to be suppressed until I am not longer a beginner.

For the member sho suggested doing figure 8's, thanks! That simple suggestion has already helped me tremendously. I spent an hour yesterday doing almost nothing but figure 8's (or attempting to) instead of what I was doing before which was just random movements without a lot of thought behind them. After that session I feel one step closer to being comfortable flying.

I am really happy I joined this site. The help here has been great. Thank you all!

 

[Laborous]

Welcome to the forum from the beautiful woods of Maine!
Not much more I can say, fly safe and stay safe!

 

[LowCountryFlyer]

Thanks for having me in the group. I am a very new pilot and kind of terrified every time I fly. I have only had my MA2 for a few days and flown 3 or 4 times. When I first got it I charged up the batteries and by the time it was ready it was dark out. I couldn't wait and took it to a local baseball field that has lights to try it out. It was a blast, but I could tell there is a bit of a learning curve. I was out for about 30 minutes and then went home. The next day I took it out first thing in the morning and after the drone being in the air for 30 seconds (enough time for me to get some height) I got a warning that the batteries were empty and it was RTM immediately. All the batteries were charged fully (including the remote and my phone) so I did not understand what was happening. I freaked out and panicked and the drone ended up going right into a tree about 30 feet off the ground. It dropped and completely broke the gimbal. I was able to get a replacement drone so all is good, but it has made me very nervous to fly. I know I will get more comfortable eventually, but I was wondering how long it took everyone here to get comfortable flying for the first time.

Fundamental lesson here is in any emergency:

DONT PANIC; FLY THE AIRCRAFT. I got this lesson from Jim Lovell, Commander of the Apollo 13 mission. There’s a famous interview with him about the crisis his crew experienced halfway to the moon and he talked about facing emergencies where, if you’re in a situation like, that it makes not sense to cry, pray, scream, bounce off the walls, etc. because when that’s all over you’re right back to where you started and you still have to solve this problem.

I tell this to my students as a CFI and it’s good advice for RPIC as well.

Another piece of advice. Follow manufacturer approved preflight checklists prior to operation. In these should be a verification, both of the battery power displayed by the LEDs on the battery pack and that displayed on the GUI of the operator’s app.

Another thing is be cognizant of the environment you will be flying in, not just around you, but above you as well. Trees eat drones for breakfast, so make sure you have a clear ascension corridor well clear of branches, leaves or limbs. Be aware of the highest local obstacles and set your RTH height accordingly. For city or residential flying, I typically like 150 ft for this, but it may have to be set higher if taller obstacles are known to be in the airspace you are using.

 

[Red_Pyro]

Thanks for having me in the group. I am a very new pilot and kind of terrified every time I fly. I have only had my MA2 for a few days and flown 3 or 4 times. When I first got it I charged up the batteries and by the time it was ready it was dark out. I couldn't wait and took it to a local baseball field that has lights to try it out. It was a blast, but I could tell there is a bit of a learning curve. I was out for about 30 minutes and then went home. The next day I took it out first thing in the morning and after the drone being in the air for 30 seconds (enough time for me to get some height) I got a warning that the batteries were empty and it was RTM immediately. All the batteries were charged fully (including the remote and my phone) so I did not understand what was happening. I freaked out and panicked and the drone ended up going right into a tree about 30 feet off the ground. It dropped and completely broke the gimbal. I was able to get a replacement drone so all is good, but it has made me very nervous to fly. I know I will get more comfortable eventually, but I was wondering how long it took everyone here to get comfortable flying for the first time.

Look my first flight I couldn't wait either, so I flew it indoor and crashed.. more fear than anything else. But I learned to go slowly, flying super slowly in an empty field first and than after 5-6 hours going to other places. Today I flew at 45km/h at 5m height alongside a river, and no fear at all, I was in control.

Take your time, and your confidence will build up. After all, what's worth buying a drone if it's not to fly it ? Just be careful with safety

PS: I have a MM, so 0 sensors to help me. You have an air, the sensors will assist you.
PSS: To answer your question: around 15 hours of flight to build confidence imo

 

[DomDeV]

Read the manual section on the INTELLIGENT batteries. After 24 hours, they will self-discharge to 95% (or 92% IRL...) after 5 days they will discharge to 60% (IIRC) - but even that *might be less* - in my experience, after the 5 day discharge, the battery doesn't really know it's charge accurately, and will tell the drone, and your controller misleading info. I learned about this the hard way !

New batteries have a bit of a 'bug' - they can not charge *at all* using the multi-battery charger, no matter how long you leave them. New batteries can arrive in 'hibernate' mode (beyond 5 days) and without a charge, might seem ok, but when it's used it'll seem to suddenly be drained. If you're lucky, it won't power up the drone....if you're lucky.
In particular if you use Sport mode, which is harder on the battery, and at full throttle I've seen a gust of wind suddenly drop the voltage, and battery life from '53%' to 'immediate landing' !

I've been doing a lot of battery/speed/range testing so I've graphs that show a severe voltage 'bounce' from gusts - really frightening.

Ultimately, as a newbie, stay away from Sport mode (it turns off collision, including ground collision), and always charge your batteries the day before, or on the day you fly.
If you don't fly for 5 days, use each for a short (just take off & hover for 60-120 seconds) flight to drain them a little, then fully recharge. Otherwise you'd better get used to those sphincter-crushing moments when it's telling you it's going to land.

PS. In a battery emergency, switch to 'normal' mode and fly straight home, preferably as high as you can - don't use RTH or Sport mode. The drone will switch to landing mode and slowly descend, so getting that extra height will give you extra range - unless you're flying into wind, in which case get it as close to the ground as you safely can to avoid the wind.

Best of luck !

 

[KeviP]

For days when I can't get out to fly, I bought a Blade Inductrix (basic, no FPV) to fly indoors. (There are many other manufacturers out there)
Great fun, practically indestructible and great for getting basic drone flying experience.
Infinitely more twitchy than a DJI but just what is needed for honing your reactions.

 

[Steel63]

Greetings from ormond Beach Florida