Very helpful and glad I have seen it. Thanks for posting. Curious re your final rank in the USAF CMSgt. Were you THE CMSgt or one of them. The most senior rank in non-commissioned team. Very well done-must have been fun.
Wanted a drone for years and finally caved and bought one.
- Thread starter krizzo
- Start date
chopperguy
Well-Known Member
LoudThunder
Part 107 Licensed
Hey, glad you noticed, I was a Chief Master Sergeant, an E-9 in the Air Force and I served for over 30-years. A Chief (as an E-9 is addressed) is the highest of the Enlisted Ranks. Of the 300,000 plus personnel serving in the Air Force, there are about 3,000 E-9s serving as they are limited by law to no more than 1% of the force.
I was not the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, that job is the highest ranking E-9 by virtue of the position and that position is abbreviated as CMSAF. That person acts as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Air Force Chief of Staff (the highest ranking General in the Air Force.
That is so interesting and very well done in your service. Honoured to know you through the Forum. See the current top CMS USAF is a lady.
careless
Well-Known Member
Welcome aboard from another new forum member, hope to hear about your experiences, photos, videos and hope we can all help you with questions as well.
I came from flying heli's and drone flying is so so so easy in comparison, took me months to get used to just taking off and landing
I came from flying heli's and drone flying is so so so easy in comparison, took me months to get used to just taking off and landing
Tarmactripper
Well-Known Member
just like me said i'd never fly a drone, have bought 3 in 6 weeks, totally converted and enjoying the experience
Welcome from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, USA. We have a Member's Map in the Upper Right of the Title Bar.
Members map
mavicpilots.com
As a New Drone Pilot, there are a couple of Legal Things you may need to do until you get your Part 107…
If you have not already done so, you will need to get your TRUST Certificate. You can get that at the Pilot Institute Web Site (FREE…) . Your Drone weighs less than 250-grams (0.55 pounds) and you are flying under The Exception for Recreational Flyers, you are not required to register your Drone until you get that part 107…
Since yu want to become a Professional Drone Pilot, you need to Talk the Talk. You do not "live in a 0ft fly zone", You live in a "Drone Taxi Zone…" ()
I registered my Mini 2 because the TRUST Certificate and FAA Registration established me as a "certified" Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Flyer.
Link to the Pilot Institute Web Site (FREE…)
FAA TRUST Online Portal for Recreational Drone Operators - Pilot Institute
Get your FAA TRUST Certificate of Completion to legally fly drones for recreational reasons in the United States.trust.pilotinstitute.com
Link to the FAADroneZone (Optional for Drones under 250-Grams…)
FAADroneZone
faadronezone.faa.gov
Since you are working on acquiring your Part 107 License, here is a link to get you going…
Online Ground School: Aviation Classes - Pilot Institute
Pilot Institute offers courses on drones and airplanes from world-class experts. Pass the Part 107 or Private Pilot exam and take to the skies.
Since you live in Utah, there are specific laws and rules for you to follow, please check the link below for all the Rules and Laws that are in effect in your neck of the woods and it also links you to some of the Best Places to Fly in your area… Also, if you travel on vacation, visit friends, and relatives in other parts of the country, check back here so you do not run afoul of the law.
Drone Laws and Best Places to Fly in Every US State - Pilot Institute
Even if you 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 Mini 3 Pro, 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…"
DJI Mini 3 Pro - Download Center - DJI
Learn and download DJI Mini 3 Pro related apps, software, and manuals at the DJI Download Centerwww.dji.com
Happy, Safe and Legal Droning…
Loud has some very good points for starting out.
I'll add: In the initial configuration set your return to home altitude to be higher than the tallest obstacle.
In my practice area we have a 130' tree to the SE which also serves as my wind direction and speed indicator at that altitude. Wind on the ground and winds aloft can vary by 15mph easily, especially in the afternoons.
Take it easy and don't let 'friends' get you to fly when the weather's bad or in places where sUAS are prohibited. In the final analysis it's the pilot responsible for what happens.
Practice low and slow, keep 'er in direct view* until it does what you're thinking as second nature. There's an amazingly lot to learn with these little aircraft.
Edit to add: *I mean not momentarily blocked by trees, or other things such as a roofline- not 1/2 mile away. ;-)
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