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Total newbie here.

Mike T.

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Joined
Aug 30, 2022
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Location
Ontario, Canada
Hi from Woodstock Ontario Canada. I'm a total Newbie having inherited a brand new, unflown Mavic Air 2 from my daughter. I'm in the very early stages of reading, assessing licensing requirements, drone registration, operation and flight rules. As this drone is above 250g it's a whole other world than with sub-250g drones. If I was buying a drone it would have been from the DJI Mini series which would have made my life much simpler.
When I get all the above done I'll need to find an open space with nothing to bash into for a km or more all around, plus no-one close enough to annoy. That won't be easy. Wish me luck!
 
Greetings from Birmingham Alabama, welcome to the forum!
 
Welcome to the forum.
I hope you will find our site helpful and look forward to any input , photo's/video's you might post .
Don't be shy and ask anything if you can't find it by searching .Thumbswayup
 
Hi from Woodstock Ontario Canada. I'm a total Newbie having inherited a brand new, unflown Mavic Air 2

Welcome from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, USA. We have a Member's Map in the Upper Right of the Title Bar.


Since you live in Canada, there are specific laws and rules for you to follow, please check to ensure these are current.


Even if you may have flown Drones before, here is some Good Old Fashion Advice…

Do not let the excitement of the moment get the best of you. When you are going out to fly, do it slowly and deliberately. Get used to a set procedure and even practice it.

There are so many things I could write but these are the highlights that I feel need mentioning.

Plug in your phone/tablet into your controller; turn on the Controller and DJI Fly App (if it does not start on its own…). On the Drone, open the front legs, then open the back legs, then remove the Gimbal Cover.

The Gimbal is the most delicate item on the Drone and banging or bumping can damage it. I also fastened a short "Remove Before Flight" ribbon to the cover so it's more noticeable and I do not forget to remove it…

Turn on the drone and watch it come to "life." Watching the Gimbal go through its self-check is almost like watching a kitten or puppy opening its eyes for the first time…

Place the drone down (preferably on a Landing Pad) while it finishes its self-test (collecting satellites, etc…).

Check your battery status (Phone, Drone, and Controller), check the Signal Strength, by now the Controller should have reported it updated the Home Point.

Lift off, 4-5 feet (1-1/2 meters) or so, hover a bit, check the controls (move the drone a bit forward, back, left, right, yaw left and right). By now, your Controller will probably report again, Home point Updated.

If you go out in a rush and race thru your start up and take off before the drone has finished it prep, it may update its Home Point over that pond or that old tree you are flying over and in your excitement, you'll fly the drone long past it Low Battery point and when it engages Return to Home and lands in the pond or in a tree; it will be all on you…

Now go have fun, learn to fly the drone by sight before you try to fly it out a distance depending on the video feed, FPV.

I would also advise you to use YouTube and watch a lot of the Videos on flying and setting up the Drone. When it is too dark, too cold, or too wet, you can "fly it vicariously" through YouTube. Also watch some of the Blooper Drone Videos and learn how not to fly your "New Baby."

Below is the link to all of the downloads offered by DJI for the Mavic 2, including the User Manual.

After you read the Manual, read it again, you will be surprised what you missed the first time and you will be better prepared for that first "scary moment…"


Happy, Safe and Legal Droning…
 
Wow, Thunder, that was a whole load of good information. Especially the bit about taking time for the drone to decide on the Home Point!
I'll certainly read the Mavic 2 manual a couple of times.

Right now, with some research today, I'm having trouble coming up with a launch or a fly area anywhere near me. If I launch from my backyard, "line of sight" of anywhere but almost straight up will be non-existent. Up the street is an empty park of a couple of acres but the city's rules are "No person shall operate a drone in any city park."
Across the lake down the street is a large conservation area that is almost always empty of people and it contains a 4-mile long lake a 1/4 mile wide. But their rules say "Possession or use of a drone in the park is prohibited." Sure none of those entities can stop me flying in the airspace "over" their parks but where the heck do I launch from?
So at the moment I'm going "Where the heck do I fly this thing" and I'm not coming up with any answers.
 
"Where the heck do I fly this thing" and I'm not coming up with any answers.

I sometimes fly at a local high school if there are no after school activities or on the weekends and holidays.

Not sure if I'm breaking any rules but I'm in full view of the school surveillance and no questions yet from anyone.

Your results may vary. 🤔
 
I'm having trouble coming up with a launch or a fly area anywhere near me.
Mike,

Ontario is a might big place and I do not know exactly where you might be so here are some generic clubs and organizations that might be of help to find a place to fly and maybe some new friends to fly with…

Ontario Drone Community


905 Squadron Model Flying Club -- A subsidiary of the Aurora Model Aircraft Club


GTA Drone Flying Club


Good Luck!

LT
 
Welcome to the forum! :)
 
Welcome to Mavic Pilots! :) Enjoy the forum!Thumbswayup
 
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