Newbie advice required

[Adaaam75]

Hi guys (that includes gals),

So I have my new Mavic Pro and although I live in Saffron Walden, a smll town in rural Essex, England. I'm trying to look for areas to take off from. I know this sounds silly but i'm not confident enough to launch where there will be interested people wanting to look, ask questions etc. So I've found one place but I'm wondering if I could just launch from my rear garden? Sounds like a strange question but it's built up and although I'd be avoiding the obvious overhead phone lines/power cables, is there a risk of interference from general built up areas?

Also, can i control it within my car or would that cause problems?

I guess I'm just a little apprehensive to send it up! Any advice will be great.

 

[Seakayaker]

If there is an RC model club around they usually have insurance and ok's to fly with authorities (at least in canada) but you have to pay for the right. That is where I have done most of my test flights so far. Also a newbie. The whole legal thing is daunting and don't underestimate paranoia of neighbours...... Failing that, I would go somewhere far far from people.....

 

[choo choo]

Hi guys (that includes gals),

So I have my new Mavic Pro and although I live in Saffron Walden, a smll town in rural Essex, England. I'm trying to look for areas to take off from. I know this sounds silly but i'm not confident enough to launch where there will be interested people wanting to look, ask questions etc. So I've found one place but I'm wondering if I could just launch from my rear garden? Sounds like a strange question but it's built up and although I'd be avoiding the obvious overhead phone lines/power cables, is there a risk of interference from general built up areas?

Also, can i control it within my car or would that cause problems?

I guess I'm just a little apprehensive to send it up! Any advice will be great.

I’ve sent you a PM with some details. Happy flying. Regards. Brian (Choo Choo)

 

[Prmath]

Hi guys (that includes gals),

So I have my new Mavic Pro and although I live in Saffron Walden, a smll town in rural Essex, England. I'm trying to look for areas to take off from. I know this sounds silly but i'm not confident enough to launch where there will be interested people wanting to look, ask questions etc. So I've found one place but I'm wondering if I could just launch from my rear garden? Sounds like a strange question but it's built up and although I'd be avoiding the obvious overhead phone lines/power cables, is there a risk of interference from general built up areas?

Also, can i control it within my car or would that cause problems?

I guess I'm just a little apprehensive to send it up! Any advice will be great.

I’m cautious also with a $1500 investment. We ALL are.
Find a good open spot and shoot for being ALONE..... I was told to stay away from water at first. Good advice :>}
HEIGHT is your best friend and Overconfidence is your enemy.

 

[redserv]

I’m cautious also with a $1500 investment. We ALL are.
Find a good open spot and shoot for being ALONE..... I was told to stay away from water at first. Good advice :>}
HEIGHT is your best friend and Overconfidence is your enemy.

Well said

 

[Prmath]

@ 30mph.....................
15 miles in 1/2 hour
7.5 miles in 15 mins ???........GO HOME !
Just wondering out loud

 

[NAVMAV]

Ummmm... "Controlling it from my car?"

Oboy, THAT raises the hair on our arms, neck, etc. Just an immediate, knee-jerk reaction BUT, that's about the last thing we'd consider doing.

These wee Beasties are tough enough to control SAFELY all by themselves. Adding a vehicle to the mix is - in our opinion - downright terrifying.

Of course, this assumes you meant 'moving'? Just sitting in the car would be okay but... begs for lost visual contact.

Regardless, we realize you're just asking, and for a First Drone you could not have picked a better one. Congrats, and best wishes for Tons of Fun.

You'll LOVE it.

Rgds, NAVMAV

 

[Prmath]

Ummmm... "Controlling it from my car?"

Oboy, THAT raises the hair on our arms, neck, etc. Just an immediate, knee-jerk reaction BUT, that's about the last thing we'd consider doing.

These wee Beasties are tough enough to control SAFELY all by themselves. Adding a vehicle to the mix is - in our opinion - downright terrifying.

Of course, this assumes you meant 'moving'? Just sitting in the car would be okay but... begs for lost visual contact.

Regardless, we realize you're just asking, and for a First Drone you could not have picked a better one. Congrats, and best wishes for Tons of Fun.

You'll LOVE it.

Rgds, NAVMAV

During this hot summer up in Alabama, I position my truck looking out the front windshield with AC working and flew the Mav2Pro straight out then up to 300ft. I went out to 16000ft, got scared and brought it home. The glass don’t seem to matter

 

[Storyline]

My advice would be to find some out of the way place for your first few flights to build your confidence and make sure your specific aircraft is well behaved and will stay in a nice stable hover.

I had one of the original phantoms and there is no way I would fly that from my garden but the Mavic is completely different. Now I am confident mine is well behaved I regularly fly it from our small lawn. If you do not use precision landing (I have my bottom sensors turned off but I don't think that is essential) then it will only climb to 4 or 5 feet initially and then just stay there. There is small tree about 6 feet in front of where I take off so I get a collision warning but ignore that and just climb to say 15 feet and above it. Then if all looks good I climb up above any hazards and then set off on the flight.

I would advise you to just climb vertically up to say 20 or 30 feet in stages and then land for a couple of times again building confidence. Another advantage of not using precision landing is that you are in control all the way down to touchdown.

It is also good in the early stages of learning to fly to practice flying in fixed patterns. There are suggestions on youtube.

 

[Seakayaker]

I can't recall the exact link but yes on YouTube there was a brilliant long video about learning to fly RC drones from a chap in the UK with something like 12 steps I used for many weeks. I started with cheap little toy drones like Hubsan X4 indoors on a marked floor square about 1 meter across. Going step by step you finally get the muscle memory to keep it all straight. It was MUCH harder than any drone with GPS because you have to control altitude with throttle but after mastering that it is dead easy with Mavic. So if you have not already done that kind of thing I recommend the little Hubsan X4 until you can fly consistently without crashing. Don't fly outdoors in wind with it though - they get so far away and it is so small you can lose it easily. Good luck.

Cheers

Gord

 

[Adaaam75]

I’m cautious also with a $1500 investment. We ALL are.
Find a good open spot and shoot for being ALONE..... I was told to stay away from water at first. Good advice :>}
HEIGHT is your best friend and Overconfidence is your enemy.

Thanks for that, couldn't agree more having already realised the higher I am the happier I am at the moment!

 

[Adaaam75]

Ummmm... "Controlling it from my car?"

Oboy, THAT raises the hair on our arms, neck, etc. Just an immediate, knee-jerk reaction BUT, that's about the last thing we'd consider doing.

These wee Beasties are tough enough to control SAFELY all by themselves. Adding a vehicle to the mix is - in our opinion - downright terrifying.

Of course, this assumes you meant 'moving'? Just sitting in the car would be okay but... begs for lost visual contact.

Regardless, we realize you're just asking, and for a First Drone you could not have picked a better one. Congrats, and best wishes for Tons of Fun.

You'll LOVE it.

Rgds, NAVMAV

Well thanks for the kind words and your time in replying Navman. I can bet you get some wonderful locations to shoot from where you are!!! I'm enjoying researching interesting locations too now!

 

[Adaaam75]

My advice would be to find some out of the way place for your first few flights to build your confidence and make sure your specific aircraft is well behaved and will stay in a nice stable hover.

I had one of the original phantoms and there is no way I would fly that from my garden but the Mavic is completely different. Now I am confident mine is well behaved I regularly fly it from our small lawn. If you do not use precision landing (I have my bottom sensors turned off but I don't think that is essential) then it will only climb to 4 or 5 feet initially and then just stay there. There is small tree about 6 feet in front of where I take off so I get a collision warning but ignore that and just climb to say 15 feet and above it. Then if all looks good I climb up above any hazards and then set off on the flight.

I would advise you to just climb vertically up to say 20 or 30 feet in stages and then land for a couple of times again building confidence. Another advantage of not using precision landing is that you are in control all the way down to touchdown.

It is also good in the early stages of learning to fly to practice flying in fixed patterns. There are suggestions on youtube.

Thanks for the top advice, I'll get looking. I fear i may be guilty of trying to run before I can walk

 

[Carly Swinson]

I agree with Seakayaker, I am also avoiding areas with people for now until i master it and i am sure they will not sue me or make a fuss about it

 

[Storyline]

I can't recall the exact link but yes on YouTube there was a brilliant long video about learning to fly RC drones from a chap in the UK with something like 12 steps I used for many weeks. I started with cheap little toy drones like Hubsan X4 indoors on a marked floor square about 1 meter across. Going step by step you finally get the muscle memory to keep it all straight. It was MUCH harder than any drone with GPS because you have to control altitude with throttle but after mastering that it is dead easy with Mavic. So if you have not already done that kind of thing I recommend the little Hubsan X4 until you can fly consistently without crashing. Don't fly outdoors in wind with it though - they get so far away and it is so small you can lose it easily. Good luck.

Cheers

Gord

I used a similar method and completely agree it is all about getting the muscle memory so it becomes instinctive to get the drone to go where you want it to. I also used a Hubsan but also used a simulator on the pc. Although unless you have a controller with 2 sticks which you can connect it is not as good as the real thing. However it will teach you how to fly nose in which is always a challenge at first and is cheaper than a small drone. I also found it good to learn to fly very slowly in curved lines by mixing turn/yaw (left stick) with forward/pitch (right stick). Getting them in balance and in muscle memory takes quite a time. All of this is of course a piece of cake if you are 14-16 years old

Thinking about it, if funds permit, the Tello is a much better alternative to the Hubsan. I've got one and when you have bought a controller it becomes a first class training aid that you can use indoors. It is also great fun and it's camera is quite remarkable for it's price/size.