Paranoid Pilot?

[S O]

Hi everyone,

First time drone owner in UK and very much enjoying it (although not much flight time due to our lovely weather....)

As I’ve never owned a drone before I think I’m taking all the right precautions, I’m only flying it in line of sight, I always have a spotter with me just in case and I’m staying well away from water and trees!

I recently went to Ireland and was excited about getting some epic shots of the amazing landscapes on the coast but when I was there I quickly realised I was far too nervous to fly it anywhere windy and/or near the sea. I’ve not used any of the intelligent modes yet, but I’m very comfortable flying it manually (prefer it if I’m being honest). I don’t think the wind was too strong (about 16-18mph blowing inland) but I just had visions of it drifting out to sea and me never getting it back.

The question: am I being too precious/paranoid? Do I just need to trust it more? Is this something that comes with time?

Obviously this is a ‘spensy bit of kit and the thought of losing it scares me. I have DJI refresh so not as worried about crashing it so much as losing it completely.

Am I right to be so nervous???

 

[Congoblue]

I'm with you on that, I've been flying my Mavic for 9 months and it's always behaved perfectly but I still find flying it to be a bit nerve wracking. Not just the prospect of it flying away and me losing it but also what if it crashes and hits someone, hits a bird, etc etc.

I think you do get more confident its abilities as you fly it more - but I am not sure you will ever get away from that bad feeling you get when you are flying it away from you and it becomes a tiny dot in the distance. You gotta do it though to get the good shots.

 

[4wd]

I think it's called being sensible, as you soon found the weather is hugely limiting at least this time of year.
It takes a while to get thoroughly familiar with it and feel comfortable as it disappears into the distance.
Even after several years flying various models, most flights demand your full attention to minimise any risk - that little buzz and adrenaline boost is a large part of the appeal if we are honest.

 

[Ifti]

I've had many flights but each time I would only ever fly when it was a bright sunny day with no wind at all - which limited flight times in the UK - hence my reason for selling my MP drone.
I regret it now though and am waiting to see what the MP2 drone brings to the table. I think some of the guys that have got some fantastic shots are also very daring, but it does seem to pay off!! Gotta put yourself out there and take a risk now and then!

Take it slowly, pushing yourself a little each time. Flying shouldn't be a completely nervous experience, it should be fun too. Adding that little bit extra will make you feel more confident over time.
Have fun, and stay safe

 

[S O]

Sounds like I'm not just being overly-nervous then so that's good!

Flying shouldn't be a completely nervous experience, it should be fun too.

This is what I've tried to make it about so far - I've had a spotter with me but up to now I've not even really looked at the screen on my phone, I've just been watching the drone and having fun flying it. I'm hoping as time goes on I'll be more comfortable with "just flying" it and be happy to watch the camera a bit more.

I'm guessing that planning your shots in advance and where you're going to fly makes a huge difference when avoiding obstacles etc?

 

[CamoGreg]

You can fly above water without issue !!

 

[Congoblue]

You can fly above water without issue !!

We know you can, it's just a matter of confidence that the drone is not going to quit and sink without trace - how scared were you while you were filming that?

 

[Rnl]

I'm in the country so I fly a lot by camera only, you get use to not seeing the bird, but I'm constantly watching batt., Signal strength. I do fly low under 200 feet if out of sight. It is relaxing.

 

[Texy]

Please just fly it even if you feel you are tasking risks. You won't lose your drone. You will gain valuable experience. You will live better too.

 

[CamoGreg]

We know you can, it's just a matter of confidence that the drone is not going to quit and sink without trace - how scared were you while you were filming that?

Relax [emoji6]

 

[Congoblue]

Relax [emoji6]

Haha! If only I could. So you were perfectly at ease flying your £1000 aircraft over that lake??!

 

[CamoGreg]

Haha! If only I could. So you were perfectly at ease flying your £1000 aircraft over that lake??!

Would say 99% !! But that was cool !

 

[jaysrmc]

Sounds like I'm not just being overly-nervous then so that's good!



This is what I've tried to make it about so far - I've had a spotter with me but up to now I've not even really looked at the screen on my phone, I've just been watching the drone and having fun flying it. I'm hoping as time goes on I'll be more comfortable with "just flying" it and be happy to watch the camera a bit more.

I'm guessing that planning your shots in advance and where you're going to fly makes a huge difference when avoiding obstacles etc?

Everytime I fly over water I squeeze my butt cheeks so I don't crap my pants but the shots are worth it.

 

[wytnyt]

i can certainly relate to being worried about my mavic flying away to the wild blue yonder,it wasnt really the money loss so much as not being able to fly so to help i bought another mavic,reading so many topics about atti mode i knew i needed to familiarize myself with it,,using aluminum foil was out of the question so i go buy a phantom and really enjoy flying it,i also wanted a selfie drone so i bought a spark and having loads of fun with them,since buying these i know i can wait to fly my mavics and get some miles under my belt first.,since enjoying the phantom so much i sorta wish i had went with my initial feelings and got a phantom obsidion

 

[S O]

Go with what you are comfortable with. If you don't want to lose your Mavic or crash it, don't take risks you aren't comfortable with. If you feel you are limiting yourself too much and missing out then start by pushing a little past your comfort level.

One thing you can do is read a lot of the threads on here where people crash or lose their drones. Most of them have valuable insight as to how the operator could have avoided the problem. The Mavic is generally quite reliable but it is also complex and there is a lot to know.

As for flying in wind, I would suggest using an app to tell you the wind and gusts at various altitudes and not to fly with gusts above 20-25 mph or so. Also, if you are flying in wind, you must learn to account for wind in calculating battery usage. You need to also remember that you may end up in a situation where the wind is too strong for the Mavic. You can put it in sport mode to try to bring it back, or as a last resort, you can try to land somewhere safe and go retrieve it.

Yes it’s the wind that worries me the most, I only flew it near the sea when the wind was blowing inland so at least I was fighting against the direction of the sea if any makes sense.

Some of it is probably lack of experience as never in my life have I had to know about windspeed etc before so it’s all a learning curve. I don’t know if the wind will suddenly pick up and change direction completely or how fast that will happen.

I use the default weather app on my iPhone for checking windspeed but always add 5mph in my head for altitude/gusts and then decide if I’m happy flying in that speed. If I get high wind warning I bring it back close straight away so I can run over and grab it if I need to.

Again, all sounds like it comes down to experience. I’ve done 15 flights up to now but still wouldn’t go or without a spotter or fly it or of sight yet.

 

[S O]

(For a mod/admin)

Tried to edit my last post to fix typos at the end but getting an error saying my post is spam-like or inappropriate??

 

[Congoblue]

Some of it is probably lack of experience as never in my life have I had to know about windspeed etc before so it’s all a learning curve. I don’t know if the wind will suddenly pick up and change direction completely or how fast that will happen.

I sail dinghies as well so me and the wind are old adversaries. If the wind is steady then it does not usually suddenly pick up or change direction - you always get some other warnings e.g. a line of dark clouds approaching. If the wind is already gusty then it can be quite unpredictable but you shouldn't be flying anyway then. Obstructions such as hills, cliffs and buildings can have unexpected effects with the wind direction and strength. The wind is always stronger at higher altitude.

Regarding flying out of sight, you should not do that anyway according to the rules.

 

[CamoGreg]

Yes it’s the wind that worries me the most, I only flew it near the sea when the wind was blowing inland so at least I was fighting against the direction of the sea if any makes sense.

Some of it is probably lack of experience as never in my life have I had to know about windspeed etc before so it’s all a learning curve. I don’t know if the wind will suddenly pick up and change direction completely or how fast that will happen.

I use the default weather app on my iPhone for checking windspeed but always add 5mph in my head for altitude/gusts and then decide if I’m happy flying in that speed. If I get high wind warning I bring it back close straight away so I can run over and grab it if I need to.

Again, all sounds like it comes down to experience. I’ve done 15 flights up to now but still wouldn’t go or without a spotter or fly it or of sight yet.

Try UAV forecast !

 

[JoostGT3]

I am with you man! I am not that scared, fly in moderate winds (but always check directions) and often over water.
I do feel a big sigh of relieve and involuntary nerves whenever the Mav' is landing next to me. My previous mavic (had it replaced under warranty) used to have the old "gimball reset after switching between photo and video" bug... the first time it happened, I was 800m out in quite strong winds and over water... I nearly crapped my pants. Flew her back in a straight line in sport mode!

Long story short, I love flying the drone, but there is always some nerves in the back of my head...

 

[jaysrmc]

Hi everyone,

First time drone owner in UK and very much enjoying it (although not much flight time due to our lovely weather....)

As I’ve never owned a drone before I think I’m taking all the right precautions, I’m only flying it in line of sight, I always have a spotter with me just in case and I’m staying well away from water and trees!

I recently went to Ireland and was excited about getting some epic shots of the amazing landscapes on the coast but when I was there I quickly realised I was far too nervous to fly it anywhere windy and/or near the sea. I’ve not used any of the intelligent modes yet, but I’m very comfortable flying it manually (prefer it if I’m being honest). I don’t think the wind was too strong (about 16-18mph blowing inland) but I just had visions of it drifting out to sea and me never getting it back.

The question: am I being too precious/paranoid? Do I just need to trust it more? Is this something that comes with time?

Obviously this is a ‘spensy bit of kit and the thought of losing it scares me. I have DJI refresh so not as worried about crashing it so much as losing it completely.

Am I right to be so nervous???

No way are you being too nervous. I did not do over water flights until I had been flying drones for about a year. I fly over trees all the time but never close to them because a strong gust could make it drift into a tree top.

I guess when I am flying I am always nervous. The thing to remember is do not panic, set your return to home alt to match your suroudnings and if you start to panic, press the return to home button once and then again and it will come to you. I have never had my mavic not return to home when I started to panic for whatever reason. I am a lot less nervous flying the mavic than I am with the Bebop 2. Mavic owners have no idea how good we have it compared to parrot products.