DJI Mavic, Air and Mini Drones
Friendly, Helpful & Knowledgeable Community
Join Us Now

What else do I need?

RavenManiac

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2019
Messages
75
Reactions
16
Location
Williamsburg, VA
As a new drone pilot, and aside from my Mavic Mini and my iOS device, what else do I need to be a safe pilot?

So far, I purchased a PSYTECH landing pad and a LumeCube Strobe. I also see that a lot of forum members use an app called UAV Forecast and have accounts with airdata.com. Some people are suggesting that I put bird eye stickers on the Mavic Mini to keep birds away from it.

Sorry for the silly questions. I just want to make sure I do everything right. :)
 
Last edited:
Fly in a comfortable space where you can VLOS and practice learning your stick controls. :)
Additional accessories will come later. Know your drone.
 
Bird eye stickers :oops::D

I know. Crazy right? Here's what I was looking at:


Amazon.com: Shark Sticker Decal Waterproof Anti Scratch Skin Guard for DJI Mavic Pro / Mavic Air and DJI Spark Drone By Hobby-Ace: Toys & Games
 
the landing pad is a good accessory, but forget other stuff till you have mastered flying the thing that makes you a safe pilot is you ,read the manual so you understand as much as you can about how different things work, find a nice quiet area away from trees and practice, practice ,practice, learn how to land your drone manually, dont just use the RTH button,fly at about eye level and start off doing squares, with the drone facing away from you, then turn so the camera is facing you and note how the controls are reversed, so left stick makes it go right forwards it goes backwards and so on, this is the hardest part to learn, but just take your time and it will become easier, when you have got comfortable with squares ,try figure of eights going slowly forwards and applying yaw so the drone turns as it moves forwards ,i know you will be keen to get some video footage as soon as you can,but if you get confident in flying your drone first,then you will have more success when you do start videoing,good luck with your new drone and happy flying
 
I know. Crazy right? Here's what I was looking at:


Amazon.com: Shark Sticker Decal Waterproof Anti Scratch Skin Guard for DJI Mavic Pro / Mavic Air and DJI Spark Drone By Hobby-Ace: Toys & Games
I don't know - Many times I have seen smaller birds attack crows and hawks. If you make your drone look like a raptor you may actually increase the chance of it being attacked.
 
I would suspect you already have one, but SD card(s).

If you plan or end up in controlled airspace, you'll need to register with FAA as hobbyist and use LAANC through Airmap or Kittyhawk app.
 
I would suspect you already have one, but SD card(s).

If you plan or end up in controlled airspace, you'll need to register with FAA as hobbyist and use LAANC through Airmap or Kittyhawk app.

I actually need to get a few of those. I was thinking of either a 64GB Samsung EVO Plus or a SanDisk Extreme Plus. What do you guys use?
 
i would stick to 64g because if you had an issue with the card you would be loosing a lot of stuff better to spread it about on smaller cards
 
  • Like
Reactions: RavenManiac
Practice & learn the controller icons & advance settings.

Practice cinematic drone flying skills.

Study what makes a great video vs a ho-hum video. Key elements:

<> Keep it short (Myself, under 3 minutes.)
<>Vary your shooting angles.
<>Find an interesting subject or theme.
<>Hone your video editing skills (Especially transitions.).
 
Practice & learn the controller icons & advance settings.

Practice cinematic drone flying skills.

Study what makes a great video vs a ho-hum video. Key elements:

<> Keep it short (Myself, under 3 minutes.)
<>Vary your shooting angles.
<>Find an interesting subject or theme.
<>Hone your video editing skills (Especially transitions.).
Excellent advice. Thanks!
 
And then there is the discussion about which video editor to obtain. Suggest you first do a search on this topic. You’ll quickly conclude everyone has their favorite. The main factor will be your existing computer system vs editing software requirements.

Just in case you have a Mac, look at starting with iMovie, it is free, editing skills pretty much transfer over to offer platforms, and there are numerous YouTube tutorials.

You’ll also see DeVinci Resolve mentioned. No matter which you choose, there will be a steep learning curve.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RavenManiac
As a new drone pilot, and aside from my Mavic Mini and my iOS device, what else do I need to be a safe pilot?

So far, I purchased a PSYTECH landing pad and a LumeCube Strobe. I also see that a lot of forum members use an app called UAV Forecast and have accounts with airdata.com. Some people are suggesting that I put bird eye stickers on the Mavic Mini to keep birds away from it.

Sorry for the silly questions. I just want to make sure I do everything right. :)
Knowledge!
 
Lycus Tech Mavic Air 3 Case

DJI Drone Deals

New Threads

Forum statistics

Threads
130,592
Messages
1,554,167
Members
159,594
Latest member
mini2+