Just purchased my MA2 with fly more combo, and a 4th battery. I have been watching this thing for months considering it and have finally pulled the trigger. I registered with FAA, checked for air space restrictions, and brought it to the open fields and basically zipped around for a couple hours, learning the features and getting used to controls. I enjoy travel and intend to bring this along to capture areas I visit. Obviously as a beginner, there is an enormous amount of info that I do not know yet. I'm trying to learn what a flight log is and how to use it, what causes my video feed to randomly freeze when I get near this hill, along with other things that all of you probably learned a long time ago. So, from some of you pros in here, what advice or tips, or important lessons learned or need-to-knows would you give to someone that is new to the hobby?
New to the scene... Advice? Suggestions?
- Thread starter 88lance
- Start date
Be careful when yawing while close to anything! I had a few close calls because the stick yaw is inverted when the aircraft is facing the operator. This can be detrimental when trying to line it up for a hand catch at low altitude.
Also adjusting your gamble setting to make it smoother is good thing to do. It definitely makes videos seem more cinematic and professional looking.
When there are objects such as hills nearby or I am flying around them I tend to set my Return to Home Altitude as high as possible. This a precaution for signal loss and auto Return to Home initiation. It may take a moment to get signal so being a higher altitude helps and most importantly gives a larger buffer for flying over objects of different elevations. Just remember that doing manually will cause your Mavic to elevate to that height when manually initiated. This can be problematic on a low battery.
Don't run the battery too low. Sometimes wind can impede your return to home and leach battery power.
Lastly, I try to always keep an eye out for open areas near where I am flying via the camera to make an emergency landing. Desperately, trying to find one in rush can be problematic.
Also adjusting your gamble setting to make it smoother is good thing to do. It definitely makes videos seem more cinematic and professional looking.
When there are objects such as hills nearby or I am flying around them I tend to set my Return to Home Altitude as high as possible. This a precaution for signal loss and auto Return to Home initiation. It may take a moment to get signal so being a higher altitude helps and most importantly gives a larger buffer for flying over objects of different elevations. Just remember that doing manually will cause your Mavic to elevate to that height when manually initiated. This can be problematic on a low battery.
Don't run the battery too low. Sometimes wind can impede your return to home and leach battery power.
Lastly, I try to always keep an eye out for open areas near where I am flying via the camera to make an emergency landing. Desperately, trying to find one in rush can be problematic.
Heindrich1988
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the Air 2 club. 
I made the same choice as you as a total cinematography and drone noobie. The Air 2 is such a capable little drone that you really have a lot of room to grow with it!
In the 5 weeks or so that I've had my drone, I've watched many hours of YouTube videos to learn about Air 2 features, basic photopgraphy/videography, ND filters and the editing side of things (Adobe Premiere primarily). It's a steep learning curve and can feel a bit overwhelming at first, but just have realistic expectations and take it one step at a time.
I've uploaded 6 videos to YouTube so far. The first one was a simple fly by of my neighbourhood, with no editing. Then I produced two videos with basic editing using the DJI Fly App (no music). Then I produced my first very rough composition edited on Adobe Premiere combining music, video and colour-correction. Finally in my last two videos, I worked on refining my composition and adding variety into the clips I captured.
As for tips, I like learning via visual demonstration. Thankfully there's loads of great drone YouTubers out there. Here's a random selection I watched:
Finally, if I were to offer one tip myself. Be smart with where you take off from, especially as a beginner. I live in China at the moment, most people live in apartments here. Almost every week, I see in my DJI customer WeChat group that some idiot crashed their drone flying off their balcony or indoors. For my first few hours of practice, I took off from the roof of the tallest buildings for miles around me. It was a bit intimidating at first, but it also meant that short of mechanical failure, it was basically impossible for me to crash. When I wanted to fly around a landmark on a hilltop recently, I made the exhausting climb on two different days to capture the shots I wanted, instead of just flying up the hill from ground level. It was a good thing that I did, because some antennae on the landmark seemed to mess with the drone GPS a little... it was the first time ever that my Air 2 drifted a little bit without my interaction with the sticks. If I weren't stood at the landmark myself, I might have panicked and lost connection.
I made the same choice as you as a total cinematography and drone noobie. The Air 2 is such a capable little drone that you really have a lot of room to grow with it! In the 5 weeks or so that I've had my drone, I've watched many hours of YouTube videos to learn about Air 2 features, basic photopgraphy/videography, ND filters and the editing side of things (Adobe Premiere primarily). It's a steep learning curve and can feel a bit overwhelming at first, but just have realistic expectations and take it one step at a time.
I've uploaded 6 videos to YouTube so far. The first one was a simple fly by of my neighbourhood, with no editing. Then I produced two videos with basic editing using the DJI Fly App (no music). Then I produced my first very rough composition edited on Adobe Premiere combining music, video and colour-correction. Finally in my last two videos, I worked on refining my composition and adding variety into the clips I captured.
As for tips, I like learning via visual demonstration. Thankfully there's loads of great drone YouTubers out there. Here's a random selection I watched:
Finally, if I were to offer one tip myself. Be smart with where you take off from, especially as a beginner. I live in China at the moment, most people live in apartments here. Almost every week, I see in my DJI customer WeChat group that some idiot crashed their drone flying off their balcony or indoors. For my first few hours of practice, I took off from the roof of the tallest buildings for miles around me. It was a bit intimidating at first, but it also meant that short of mechanical failure, it was basically impossible for me to crash. When I wanted to fly around a landmark on a hilltop recently, I made the exhausting climb on two different days to capture the shots I wanted, instead of just flying up the hill from ground level. It was a good thing that I did, because some antennae on the landmark seemed to mess with the drone GPS a little... it was the first time ever that my Air 2 drifted a little bit without my interaction with the sticks. If I weren't stood at the landmark myself, I might have panicked and lost connection.
Great information, thank you both. This drone is definitely a great beginner drone, it seems incredibly easy to control. I just read a post here on the forum that talked about someone flying down into a gorge. The drone refused to regain altitude to come back out of the gorge and eventually crashed. Others posts in the thread mentioned this being an issue with the drone being at a negative altitude from where it was launched at. Does launching from the top of a building like you mentioned have this same risk?
Unless there's a bug, from a pure IMU perspective the MA2 should have no problem going below take off altitude such as a gorge or down a building. You could be violating AGL rules though if the distance down is greater than 400ft.
However down a gorge may encounter a signal issue. Even then, if fail safe is set to RTH (default), it should rise to RTH altitude above TO. But then if horizontal distance is less than 60ft, it may just land down there.
However down a gorge may encounter a signal issue. Even then, if fail safe is set to RTH (default), it should rise to RTH altitude above TO. But then if horizontal distance is less than 60ft, it may just land down there.
Heindrich1988
Well-Known Member
The first few times that I flew, I always stayed at least 15m above takeoff height, to ensure that I would clear all potential obstacles.
I remember reading about the gorge a few weeks back. If I understand correctly, his potential problem arose because his drone lost contact with satellites once it descended into the gorge, which messed with the GPS. I don't fully understand that specific case to be honest.
In my own experience... if I try to fly from the foot of very tall buildings (once I got comfortable operating my drone), such as inside my neighbourhood, I can also struggle for satellite connection. The drone will let me take off with 5 or 6 satellites, and it remains remarkably stable regardless. Having said that, when I don't have 10+ satellites, I wouldn't risk flying far away, if at all.
In terms from flying downwards from my roof... I did do it several times, but not to anywhere near ground level, so I still had good satellite connection to the drone. I did lose connection between the drone and controller several times when doing so, but the drone behaved exactly as expected, rising to the preset altitude (relative to roof) and flying back to my roof automatically. I also flew off a hilltop once and flew maybe 300m down the hill with no connection or GPS issues.
I think the key is to avoid placing the drone in the situation where satellite connection could be interrupted. Whilst it is important to be careful, there is no need to be overly fearful either. In my 13hr and 154km flight experience thus far, the only time my Air 2 did something slightly unexpected is when it drifted a tiny bit (it moved maybe 1-2 meters after I left it hovering) when I flew very close to some antennae on the top of a local landmark.
THE CYBORG
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the forum and now to throw in my two cents....
I have read several post about how the drone was lost in any type of water and how many Gimbal was effected when running into something.
So I do not fly over water without attaching the Rescue Jacket with a the wet suit.
I also have on a Gimbal Hood.
You can do a search on this forum to see how many post on this fact.
I have post pictures of them on this forum.
You going to fly an unmanned air craft and you are the pilot and the camera man.
Do not let the camera man mess up the pilot focus.
As the pilot you have to do a pre-flight check list so re-check all of your settings before take off and after take off.
If you run into any problems you can find most them on this forum.
I have read several post about how the drone was lost in any type of water and how many Gimbal was effected when running into something.
So I do not fly over water without attaching the Rescue Jacket with a the wet suit.
I also have on a Gimbal Hood.
You can do a search on this forum to see how many post on this fact.
I have post pictures of them on this forum.
You going to fly an unmanned air craft and you are the pilot and the camera man.
Do not let the camera man mess up the pilot focus.
As the pilot you have to do a pre-flight check list so re-check all of your settings before take off and after take off.
If you run into any problems you can find most them on this forum.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2020
- Messages
- 1,619
- Reactions
- 2,250
- Age
- 66
- Location
- Red Head , NSW, Australia 🇦🇺
- Site
- youtu.be
Welcome to the forum. Lots of great advice here already, so I’ll keep it short.
1. Don’t attempt to hand catch or launch until you’re certain you know what to do for both. Heaps of YouTube videos to show you. I thought I knew what to do on my second flight out with my MA2, and sliced my pinky to pieces! Took two months to heal, and I still have what I think is long term nerve damage at the point of my finger. Some call it “right of passage” lol.
2. On the motivational side just watch what is possible by Niklas Christl with his MA2. One of, if not the best drone cinematographer there is in my opinion!
Good luck & safe flying!
1. Don’t attempt to hand catch or launch until you’re certain you know what to do for both. Heaps of YouTube videos to show you. I thought I knew what to do on my second flight out with my MA2, and sliced my pinky to pieces! Took two months to heal, and I still have what I think is long term nerve damage at the point of my finger. Some call it “right of passage” lol.
2. On the motivational side just watch what is possible by Niklas Christl with his MA2. One of, if not the best drone cinematographer there is in my opinion!
Good luck & safe flying!
hiflyer201
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2018
- Messages
- 2,674
- Reactions
- 2,116
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2018
- Messages
- 8,091
- Reactions
- 13,262
- Age
- 54
I forgot about the GPS angle.
My Mini is most touchy about GPS, taking up to a minute to get 9 satellites before I'll get a green "Ready to fly". 9 is about the minimum for DJI.
You can take off with less, but then you're relying on the downward sensors for positioning, don't have a home point set yet so no RTH, and when you finally do get a GPS lock during flight, your HP won't be where you took off but rather where the lock finally occurred. It's best to only take off with a GPS lock and consequentially HP set.
So the gorge thing. If GPS lock was lost and it was low enough to ground, then altitude would only be allowed 15ft from the newly sensed ground. If there's no VPS or GPS lock, then altitude limit is at a greater height, but should be in reference to takeoff altitude since that's the only altitude reference available. This issue can occur with any DJI quad, not just the MA2.
My Mini is most touchy about GPS, taking up to a minute to get 9 satellites before I'll get a green "Ready to fly". 9 is about the minimum for DJI.
You can take off with less, but then you're relying on the downward sensors for positioning, don't have a home point set yet so no RTH, and when you finally do get a GPS lock during flight, your HP won't be where you took off but rather where the lock finally occurred. It's best to only take off with a GPS lock and consequentially HP set.
So the gorge thing. If GPS lock was lost and it was low enough to ground, then altitude would only be allowed 15ft from the newly sensed ground. If there's no VPS or GPS lock, then altitude limit is at a greater height, but should be in reference to takeoff altitude since that's the only altitude reference available. This issue can occur with any DJI quad, not just the MA2.
I have had no issues over water what so ever. I ran 3+ miles outs into the open ocean and back at around 50 -100 ft. I have also dropped to about 15 ft over the open ocean. Just make sure to keep some elevation as the waves appear much smaller from a distance than they actually are and wind can be a big factor as gust can significantly move your drone's elevation up and down.
If you have a failure or crash over the pacific ocean your drone is gone in most scenarios. No rescue jacket or floats are going to be able to save your bird. The waves in the open ocean and at the shoreline will easily overtake small floating objects. Plus, if you are any distance out it is unlikely that you will find your floating drone even if you have boat. The current will move it significantly and by the time you get to that area where you landed and the battery will be depleted in most scenarios and you will not be able to get an accurate location.
If you have a failure or crash over the pacific ocean your drone is gone in most scenarios. No rescue jacket or floats are going to be able to save your bird. The waves in the open ocean and at the shoreline will easily overtake small floating objects. Plus, if you are any distance out it is unlikely that you will find your floating drone even if you have boat. The current will move it significantly and by the time you get to that area where you landed and the battery will be depleted in most scenarios and you will not be able to get an accurate location.
Thank you all. I'm also glad to hear that there are not as many issues over water as I thought before, since I plan to do a lot of beach flying. I came across several youtube videos of people saying "soon as I got out over the water, it just fell out of the sky like a rock". Seems to be a lot more rare occurrence than I thought. I don't plan to fly in the rain, but an emergency water landing is always possible. I'll definitely check out the water jackets with all the beach shots I'm planning. I'm also considering the smart controller, since staring at my dim phone in the sun kind of sucks. What is the deal with flying in the cities? My town just has an entire blanket rule for city limits that says "absolutely not, don't even ask". But I do find a lot of videos of downtown areas and flying over big buildings. This obviously seems to be against the rule of not flying over people. But the shots are great. Do some cities just not care? Or is it just being sneaky and getting away with it?
88lance, I would have to say it is not being sneaky but being discrete and not making an issue or spectacle. If they see you doing it or have to respond due to a complaint then that is one thing. But, I doubt that any police department is actively hunting down drone fliers who are not causing problems.
The Jurisdiction are confusing and there is a difference between FAA airspace restrictions, Federal & State laws and municipal ordinances.
Some applications would be:
1) All law enforcement no matter the jurisdiction have the ability to to cite, seize and arrest. It is up to their discretion or department policy on how to handle the incident.
2) Flying in an FAA restricted airspace without authorization could be a felony, misdemeanor or citation which could result in a significant fine or jail/prison time. The FAA has the resources to investigate and knowledge to prosecute.
3) National Parks are federal jurisdictions. From my understanding Rangers in general take an educational approach and inform you about the law. Rangers are law enforcement officers but where you could be potentially prosecuted if a verbal or written warning or fine were not deem sufficient could be either in the Federal or State. If it state you would be prosecuted in the County for which the park is located in.
4) State laws, as a resident of California there is a State law that prohibits flying over Correctional Institutions such as jails or prison. It would be likely that if a pilot was lingering or intentionally flying over a jail a prison in a nefarious manner that they would be prosecuted.
5) City and County Municipal Codes, would typically be handled by the Sheriffs or local police. Municipal codes for the most part are misdemeanors with a maximum of $1,000 and no more than one year in jail.
6) Independent Jurisdiction, such as preserves, parks and open spaces are allowed to have their own ordinances. Typically the rangers or patrols are not law enforcement and would need to contact the local jurisdictions to arrest. They do for the most part have the ability to issue citations.
With all the long winded break down of jurisdiction covered, the reality is if you are flying safely in an area that is not a no fly zone, FAA restricted airspace without authorization and/or somewhere would good sense would tell you not to fly plead ignorance of the specific municipalities ordinances or laws. The FAA does not care about local ordinances and are not going to invest the resources and time. Flying over a jail or prison or in a no fly zone will probably be a problem for the pilot as it difficult to claim ignorance.
So to answer your question about do most Cities not care. The city is rarely the entity responding, it will more than likely be some form of Law Enforcement. Most interactions with law enforcement for these type of municipal violations are just a conversations and informing the pilot of the ordinances. I have had several of these. Never has it never been more than a friendly conversation. Most of them are just there because someone called and it is their obligation to respond.
That being said, I was never doing anything that would be considered exceptionally dangerous or reckless. I use the term "exceptionally" because some people have the belief that all drones are dangerous. It can be inferred that most of the calls on drones come from those people or the self appointed ambassadors for public indignation and self righteousness.
I think enforcement of drone ordinances is almost entirely subject to recklessness, harassment and your disposition. The first two are cut and dry. But if you are being reasonable and fairly safe then it falls to the Law Enforcement Offices discretion. My philosophy and experience is that worst that will happen is I will have to prematurely end my flight and not fly in that area again. But I also am non confrontational, don't come off as a know it all legal eagle and do not argue with what they ask. I always make sure I am in open airspace on Airmap or have FAA approval. I then acknowledge my municipal error and thank them for the information.
For the most part police do not want to ruin your day or do paper work over something like this. Be cool, be nice, be friendly, be respectful, be humble to your own "ignorance" and do what they ask.
The Jurisdiction are confusing and there is a difference between FAA airspace restrictions, Federal & State laws and municipal ordinances.
Some applications would be:
1) All law enforcement no matter the jurisdiction have the ability to to cite, seize and arrest. It is up to their discretion or department policy on how to handle the incident.
2) Flying in an FAA restricted airspace without authorization could be a felony, misdemeanor or citation which could result in a significant fine or jail/prison time. The FAA has the resources to investigate and knowledge to prosecute.
3) National Parks are federal jurisdictions. From my understanding Rangers in general take an educational approach and inform you about the law. Rangers are law enforcement officers but where you could be potentially prosecuted if a verbal or written warning or fine were not deem sufficient could be either in the Federal or State. If it state you would be prosecuted in the County for which the park is located in.
4) State laws, as a resident of California there is a State law that prohibits flying over Correctional Institutions such as jails or prison. It would be likely that if a pilot was lingering or intentionally flying over a jail a prison in a nefarious manner that they would be prosecuted.
5) City and County Municipal Codes, would typically be handled by the Sheriffs or local police. Municipal codes for the most part are misdemeanors with a maximum of $1,000 and no more than one year in jail.
6) Independent Jurisdiction, such as preserves, parks and open spaces are allowed to have their own ordinances. Typically the rangers or patrols are not law enforcement and would need to contact the local jurisdictions to arrest. They do for the most part have the ability to issue citations.
With all the long winded break down of jurisdiction covered, the reality is if you are flying safely in an area that is not a no fly zone, FAA restricted airspace without authorization and/or somewhere would good sense would tell you not to fly plead ignorance of the specific municipalities ordinances or laws. The FAA does not care about local ordinances and are not going to invest the resources and time. Flying over a jail or prison or in a no fly zone will probably be a problem for the pilot as it difficult to claim ignorance.
So to answer your question about do most Cities not care. The city is rarely the entity responding, it will more than likely be some form of Law Enforcement. Most interactions with law enforcement for these type of municipal violations are just a conversations and informing the pilot of the ordinances. I have had several of these. Never has it never been more than a friendly conversation. Most of them are just there because someone called and it is their obligation to respond.
That being said, I was never doing anything that would be considered exceptionally dangerous or reckless. I use the term "exceptionally" because some people have the belief that all drones are dangerous. It can be inferred that most of the calls on drones come from those people or the self appointed ambassadors for public indignation and self righteousness.
I think enforcement of drone ordinances is almost entirely subject to recklessness, harassment and your disposition. The first two are cut and dry. But if you are being reasonable and fairly safe then it falls to the Law Enforcement Offices discretion. My philosophy and experience is that worst that will happen is I will have to prematurely end my flight and not fly in that area again. But I also am non confrontational, don't come off as a know it all legal eagle and do not argue with what they ask. I always make sure I am in open airspace on Airmap or have FAA approval. I then acknowledge my municipal error and thank them for the information.
For the most part police do not want to ruin your day or do paper work over something like this. Be cool, be nice, be friendly, be respectful, be humble to your own "ignorance" and do what they ask.
vindibona1
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2020
- Messages
- 3,977
- Reactions
- 3,962
I'll try not to cover any ground already covered by others.
*Learn the rules. At a minimum, learn the basic rules; no flying over people or cars, maximum height 400' above ground level, yada yada. Download Airmap and/or Kittyhawk to check for restricted zones where you propose flying.
* Become familiar with the strengths and weakneses of your drone, especially when it comes to wind and weather. There are many tales where a drone has to come home into the wind but works so hard to get back it runs out of juice before getting back to home point. I suggest downloading the app UAV Forecast, or a similar app for wind profiles, weather and satellite availablility at given times during the day.
* Judging height for obstacle clearance for return-to-home is important. Google Earth is your friend. It has an amazing ability to tell how high stuff is when you hover over it. Two months ago I had a near miss, having set my RTH based on the published information the info was off by 40 feet! Had I used Google Earth to check first I would have avoided what could have been a catastrophe. Before going out to unfamiliar area, take a moment at home to scan the area you're flying near. In addition to giving you obstacle heights, you can sometimes use it to find good places to launch from or areas close by the launch point to park.
*Battery storage. Something that took me a few months to become aware of, is that DJI recommends that batteries be stored with a 40%-60% (?) charge. They shouldn't be stored long term with a full charge of fully depleted. This should allow your batteries to avoid needing replacement prematurely.
*Strobes are great, especially at the beginning to help spot your drone and keep your eyes on it. Even a few hundred feet out it becomes a spec, being no larger than a skeletonized shoe box. When I first started flying I put a strobe on as a "headlight" so I could visually see it's orientation when it's not right on top of me. If you don't like the headlight idea, a strobe on the bottom will really help you spot your drone at distance. For the money I highly recommend Firehouse Technoloy's Arc V. Around $35.
Arc V strobe via Amazon
* While it's probably been said already, take your time and practice a lot until it becomes 2nd nature. Learn to maneuver your drone in large open areas. Practice circles, figure-8's, maneuvering backwards as well as forward. As someone pointed out, when your drone is facing you it's tricky because front/back, left/right slide, left/right yaw are all reversed on the controls. Again, a light on the front helping you to see your MA2's orientation can be a wonderful aid when starting out [I now have red/green strobes mounted the front arms for that purpose].
* Inspect your propellers each time before you fly. Always have spare props on hand.
* Make sure you have an SD card installed before you fly (and it has enough storage space left). I suggest having a spare SD card in your case all the time. There WILL be a time when you forget to take it out of your computer when you go out to fly.
* If you're like me, you're going to forget to turn the video on from time to time. At first it might be wise to start filming even before liftoff. Yeah, it takes more time to review long clips, but you won't end up missing something because you got so caught up in flying that you didn't pay attention to turning the video on. A show of hands of how many of us have failed to turn the video on???
* Download your images and clips as soon as possible after returning home. If there are any issues with the card you want to know sooner rather than later. It would be a bummer to have two flights on a bad card, no?
I think that's all I can think of at the moment. Congratulations on your new bird- and good luck.
*Learn the rules. At a minimum, learn the basic rules; no flying over people or cars, maximum height 400' above ground level, yada yada. Download Airmap and/or Kittyhawk to check for restricted zones where you propose flying.
* Become familiar with the strengths and weakneses of your drone, especially when it comes to wind and weather. There are many tales where a drone has to come home into the wind but works so hard to get back it runs out of juice before getting back to home point. I suggest downloading the app UAV Forecast, or a similar app for wind profiles, weather and satellite availablility at given times during the day.
* Judging height for obstacle clearance for return-to-home is important. Google Earth is your friend. It has an amazing ability to tell how high stuff is when you hover over it. Two months ago I had a near miss, having set my RTH based on the published information the info was off by 40 feet! Had I used Google Earth to check first I would have avoided what could have been a catastrophe. Before going out to unfamiliar area, take a moment at home to scan the area you're flying near. In addition to giving you obstacle heights, you can sometimes use it to find good places to launch from or areas close by the launch point to park.
*Battery storage. Something that took me a few months to become aware of, is that DJI recommends that batteries be stored with a 40%-60% (?) charge. They shouldn't be stored long term with a full charge of fully depleted. This should allow your batteries to avoid needing replacement prematurely.
*Strobes are great, especially at the beginning to help spot your drone and keep your eyes on it. Even a few hundred feet out it becomes a spec, being no larger than a skeletonized shoe box. When I first started flying I put a strobe on as a "headlight" so I could visually see it's orientation when it's not right on top of me. If you don't like the headlight idea, a strobe on the bottom will really help you spot your drone at distance. For the money I highly recommend Firehouse Technoloy's Arc V. Around $35.
Arc V strobe via Amazon
* While it's probably been said already, take your time and practice a lot until it becomes 2nd nature. Learn to maneuver your drone in large open areas. Practice circles, figure-8's, maneuvering backwards as well as forward. As someone pointed out, when your drone is facing you it's tricky because front/back, left/right slide, left/right yaw are all reversed on the controls. Again, a light on the front helping you to see your MA2's orientation can be a wonderful aid when starting out [I now have red/green strobes mounted the front arms for that purpose].
* Inspect your propellers each time before you fly. Always have spare props on hand.
* Make sure you have an SD card installed before you fly (and it has enough storage space left). I suggest having a spare SD card in your case all the time. There WILL be a time when you forget to take it out of your computer when you go out to fly.
* If you're like me, you're going to forget to turn the video on from time to time. At first it might be wise to start filming even before liftoff. Yeah, it takes more time to review long clips, but you won't end up missing something because you got so caught up in flying that you didn't pay attention to turning the video on. A show of hands of how many of us have failed to turn the video on???
* Download your images and clips as soon as possible after returning home. If there are any issues with the card you want to know sooner rather than later. It would be a bummer to have two flights on a bad card, no?
I think that's all I can think of at the moment. Congratulations on your new bird- and good luck.
Thanks for the replies. I may try some city shots sometime if I can find a place that is safe and empty of people. I really should start recording video, I have not done that yet. I put a 128 card in the drone, but have not recorded anything, just flew around watching the screen and doing maneuvers. I will definitely discharge my batteries a bit, right now they are all sitting at 100 percent. How do flight logs work? People that have crashed talk about pulling the record out and seeing what the drone was doing in the final moments to learn what caused it. Where is this stored? How do you access it? Is it something that I need to enable, or is it already recording this information each time it launches?
Similar threads
DJI Drone Deals
1. Mini 2
2. Mini 3 Pro
3. Mini 4 Pro
4. Air 2s
5. Air 3
6. Avata 2
7. Mavic 3 Pro
8. Mavic 3 Classic
2. Mini 3 Pro
3. Mini 4 Pro
4. Air 2s
5. Air 3
6. Avata 2
7. Mavic 3 Pro
8. Mavic 3 Classic
Forum statistics
