What type of drone pilot am I?

[Streak]

Some years ago I built a 450 sized Trex heli but never got beyond being able to hover.
Ove the past number of years I investigated building a quadcopter but always talked myself out of it.
Each year I take a look at what's new with DJI but again do nothing about it.
This year the Mini 2 has caught my attention and I have been watching many videos about how to set it up and its capabilities in general.
Or should it be the Air 2S or should I wait for Mini 3 or should I go and seek counselling for not being able to commit!
I am an amateur photographer too (not too knowledgeable on video) so I find the flying camera aspect appealing.

For fun I went online and got my TRUST certificate.
I then heard about part 107 - did some free online courses and then got 96% on some practice tests.
Talk about putting the cart before the horse!

I guess now I need to find out if I have what it takes to properly fly one of these things!! FWIW I am in my 60s and live in San Diego.
I have an old copy of the Phoenix flight simulator that has the old DJI Phantom as one of the quads.

Would that be a good place to start?

 

[teccer]

Some years ago I built a 450 sized Trex heli but never got beyond being able to hover.
Ove the past number of years I investigated building a quadcopter but always talked myself out of it.
Each year I take a look at what's new with DJI but again do nothing about it.
This year the Mini 2 has caught my attention and I have been watching many videos about how to set it up and its capabilities in general.
Or should it be the Air 2S or should I wait for Mini 3 or should I go and seek counselling for not being able to commit!
I am an amateur photographer too (not too knowledgeable on video) so I find the flying camera aspect appealing.

For fun I went online and got my TRUST certificate.
I then heard about part 107 - did some free online courses and then got 96% on some practice tests.
Talk about putting the cart before the horse!

I guess now I need to find out if I have what it takes to properly fly one of these things!! FWIW I am in my 60s and live in San Diego.
I have an old copy of the Phoenix flight simulator that has the old DJI Phantom as one of the quads.

Would that be a good place to start?

IMO not a good place to start, just go for the mini 2 a lot easier to fly, plus I'm in my 80s and love my mini 2

 

[MA2 317]

Hello from the Crossroads of America Streak.

I started with a Spark in 2017 and now I'm flying the MA2.

I like them both.

Welcome to the Forum.

 

[Skwirl]

I picked up a mini 2 the end of December last year. I enjoy flying it. Its relatively easy to get going with it.
I havent had any mishaps so far, lol. I think the mini is easy to control and works very well.
What Ive learned so far is, theres a lot more to it than just getting that mini in the air, a lot more.
Learning and understanding the controls, the remote controller and what should happen when you do this. That type of stuff. Understanding the RTH point, making sure its set correctly. Even then its not auto pilot, lol. The can land near your RTH point. I almost landed mine in some weeds. Luckily I was watching it and cancelled the RTH and landed manually.
Asked about that on here and found out thats normal.
Then you'll need to learn how to upload your flight logs and check that info. All this is info is on the forum.
The key thing Ive learned so far isnt just flying the drone, thats easy. Its knowing what to do when something happens and its not doing what you thought it would.
I'm still happy with my drone ownership though, just a lot more to learn than what I thought. But, I enjoy learning new stuff.

 

[OkDrone]

So, I did the same as you. Read a lot and considered a purchase many times. I did the trust exam first, knowing I would follow through with getting a drone. I decided on the 2s as my first. I have purchased a mini 2 for my girlfriend and have flown it. "Don't tell her". It is fun, just does not have a lot of the bells. In the end budget will determine what you should be looking at. The 2s is a fantastic choice.

 

[Tomk_]

The air 2/2s is a fine bird. I think you would be happy with it. I would be if I had it. I have the Mini2. It is perfect for me. I have no desire for the Air 2 or Mavic 3. I thought the mini was amazing when my nephew got one. After I got the Mini 2 (which is mind blowing) he got rid of his Mini. I would be happy with the Mini if I had no other choice. Same with the Air 2. Given a choice... I choose the Mini 2. Full stop.

I see no point in simulator practice for any of these three quads. They are just to easy to fly...though it takes practice to get good at. By good at I mean able to take good movies and pictures.

 

[Rchawks]

I flew rc sailplanes for years, also have a few helicopters, and started flying drones two years ago with a mavic mini and then a ma2. I'm very impressed with the MA2. I considered the 3 but for me I decided to wait until something comes out between the MA2s and the 3. I missed both the upgrades on the MM and the MA2 doesn't matter they both serve my purpose well. BTW welcome to the forum.

 

[BigAl07]

Some years ago I built a 450 sized Trex heli but never got beyond being able to hover.
Ove the past number of years I investigated building a quadcopter but always talked myself out of it.
Each year I take a look at what's new with DJI but again do nothing about it.
This year the Mini 2 has caught my attention and I have been watching many videos about how to set it up and its capabilities in general.
Or should it be the Air 2S or should I wait for Mini 3 or should I go and seek counselling for not being able to commit!
I am an amateur photographer too (not too knowledgeable on video) so I find the flying camera aspect appealing.

For fun I went online and got my TRUST certificate.
I then heard about part 107 - did some free online courses and then got 96% on some practice tests.
Talk about putting the cart before the horse!

I guess now I need to find out if I have what it takes to properly fly one of these things!! FWIW I am in my 60s and live in San Diego.
I have an old copy of the Phoenix flight simulator that has the old DJI Phantom as one of the quads.

Would that be a good place to start?

First off WELCOME to the forum

Congrats on getting your TRUST behind you and researching your Part 107. KUDOS!

I think the Air2S is possibly the best Bang for the Buck in an all around good flying camera platform. I do however believe that someone who is knowledgeable and comfortable with a camera in full MANUAL mode is better off with the Mavic 2 Pro as a starter system. It's got a bit better camera and much more flexibility if you are comfortable in MANUAL Camera mode as opposed to Full Auto everything. That is unless you want to jump right into the Mavic 3 (some people are still seeing bugs/issues with the M3 as it's the latest and greatest) . From what I'm hearing the M3 is a fairly big improvement over the M2P in many ways but it's also a good bit more expensive.

If you're looking to shoot everything in AUTO go for the Air2S but if you're really wanting to get full control and shoot in MANUAL camera mode the M2Pro or the M3 is your best bet.

 

[Angel new MA2]

Some years ago I built a 450 sized Trex heli but never got beyond being able to hover.
Ove the past number of years I investigated building a quadcopter but always talked myself out of it.
Each year I take a look at what's new with DJI but again do nothing about it.
This year the Mini 2 has caught my attention and I have been watching many videos about how to set it up and its capabilities in general.
Or should it be the Air 2S or should I wait for Mini 3 or should I go and seek counselling for not being able to commit!
I am an amateur photographer too (not too knowledgeable on video) so I find the flying camera aspect appealing.

For fun I went online and got my TRUST certificate.
I then heard about part 107 - did some free online courses and then got 96% on some practice tests.
Talk about putting the cart before the horse!

I guess now I need to find out if I have what it takes to properly fly one of these things!! FWIW I am in my 60s and live in San Diego.
I have an old copy of the Phoenix flight simulator that has the old DJI Phantom as one of the quads.

Would that be a good place to start?

I also build and pilot the 450
The drone is not at all the same
I have the MA2 from the earlier days and I’m happy with it
The flight is simple and if you are not the guy taking chance flying low over water or flying in the forest, tunnels or other hard places you will be more than happy with the MA2. If you really look for more professional photography than MA2S may be interesting.
If you like to invest less and have fun take mini2

 

[F00Man]

IMO not a good place to start, just go for the mini 2 a lot easier to fly, plus I'm in my 80s and love my mini 2

teccer: Lookin' **** fine in that pic for an 80 year old ​

 

[Crashdummytest]

Some years ago I built a 450 sized Trex heli but never got beyond being able to hover.
Ove the past number of years I investigated building a quadcopter but always talked myself out of it.
Each year I take a look at what's new with DJI but again do nothing about it.
This year the Mini 2 has caught my attention and I have been watching many videos about how to set it up and its capabilities in general.
Or should it be the Air 2S or should I wait for Mini 3 or should I go and seek counselling for not being able to commit!
I am an amateur photographer too (not too knowledgeable on video) so I find the flying camera aspect appealing.

For fun I went online and got my TRUST certificate.
I then heard about part 107 - did some free online courses and then got 96% on some practice tests.
Talk about putting the cart before the horse!

I guess now I need to find out if I have what it takes to properly fly one of these things!! FWIW I am in my 60s and live in San Diego.
I have an old copy of the Phoenix flight simulator that has the old DJI Phantom as one of the quads.

Would that be a good place to start?

From my experience/point of view: Nothing less than Air2S if you are serious about photo/video. The Mini2 & 3 you can get later, if you need it.

 

[Streak]

First off WELCOME to the forum

Congrats on getting your TRUST behind you and researching your Part 107. KUDOS!

I think the Air2S is possibly the best Bang for the Buck in an all around good flying camera platform. I do however believe that someone who is knowledgeable and comfortable with a camera in full MANUAL mode is better off with the Mavic 2 Pro as a starter system. It's got a bit better camera and much more flexibility if you are comfortable in MANUAL Camera mode as opposed to Full Auto everything. That is unless you want to jump right into the Mavic 3 (some people are still seeing bugs/issues with the M3 as it's the latest and greatest) . From what I'm hearing the M3 is a fairly big improvement over the M2P in many ways but it's also a good bit more expensive.

If you're looking to shoot everything in AUTO go for the Air2S but if you're really wanting to get full control and shoot in MANUAL camera mode the M2Pro or the M3 is your best bet.

Thanks for the welcome and to all who have commented so far.
Interesting comments on shooting in manual mode. I would have expected that to be an option on all of these DJI models. Using my DSLR I am either in aperture priority or manual mode and for my business Instagram channel I almost always use my phone and shoot in manual mode to get the effect I am after. I am not one for post processing (except for some b/w control points and some sharpening) so I try and get as close to what I want right out of the camera.
However I don't think I will be serious enough to warrant the expense of the M3. My biggest challenge now is learning to fly. I am talking about learning to fly properly and not relying on the safety features of the drone.

 

[BigAl07]

Thanks for the welcome and to all who have commented so far.
Interesting comments on shooting in manual mode. I would have expected that to be an option on all of these DJI models. Using my DSLR I am either in aperture priority or manual mode and for my business Instagram channel I almost always use my phone and shoot in manual mode to get the effect I am after. I am not one for post processing (except for some b/w control points and some sharpening) so I try and get as close to what I want right out of the camera.
However I don't think I will be serious enough to warrant the expense of the M3. My biggest challenge now is learning to fly. I am talking about learning to fly properly and not relying on the safety features of the drone.

That's one of the BEST replies I've seen in a long time....

It's much better to get the image as good as possible out of the camera and what many of us strive to do. I find Auto Mode to be just a bunch of "Compromises" and it usually yields mediocre results at best. I will concede I am my own worst critic and what most find pretty dang good work I find barely acceptable and it gets worse the older I get LOL.

Learning to fly the aircraft is such a KEY point that many of us seem to overlook. We never take the training wheels off and always fly around letting the "safety features" keep us out of trouble. The thing is, when those safety features don't work many of us have no clue what to do and the next thing you hear/see is, "Hey, my new drone FLEW AWAY all by itself and I had no control over it at all!" In reality this means, "The drone was operating in a way I am not familiar and I honestly had no idea how to react to be able to maintain any type of control of the aircraft."

KUDOS to you for your excellent attitude.

Allen

 

[Skwirl]

With that mindset, go get one.
Flying is easy to learn and control. Do your preflight to check conditions and then fly.
The only auto function I use regularly is launch. The rest of the time I'm controlling the drone. Like I posted before, RTH is a little off. Monitor your batt while flying, wind speed and direction. Return and land while you still have power. Make sure your home point is set a launch. Those 3 things seem to avoid most issues.
Read a lot on here, lol. Go to the crash section and read those threads. Great way to learn, unfortunately.

 

[teccer]

teccer: Lookin' **** fine in that pic for an 80 year old ​

and that was only taken 3 years ago,;-)

 

[Chetk7677]

Welcome from central Florida.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I have an old copy of the Phoenix flight simulator that has the old DJI Phantom as one of the quads.

Would that be a good place to start?

My biggest challenge now is learning to fly. I am talking about learning to fly properly and not relying on the safety features of the drone.

Welcome to the forum.

As far as ease of control and learning to fly goes with the DJI drones mentioned (Mini 2, Air 2S), you won't need the sim that's for sure.
The aircraft does remarkably well for new pilots, it just hovers so steady, the most important thing is start slow, learn to fly #1, photos / video can come later . . . (it is nice to get one photo first flight to remember the occasion !).

Most important is ensure home point recorded, and drone orientation is correct, set return to home altitude right for surroundings, and have some fun learning the sticks.

Just do what you're obviously doing, read up here, visit youtube and search > drone model first flight < watch some of those, go visit the big open park / field / sports ground, clear of trees, and learning will come very quickly.

A sim won't really give you any background or training for wind events, RTH incorrect settings etc, best to read up and learn those little things here.
(Drone sims are great for atti control type FPV drones, that's about all you need them for.)

 

[Chaosrider]

I haven't flown any of the larger (more expensive) DJI birds, but I have 3 Mini-2s, and they are just awesome!

I came to droning from being a Part 61 pilot, and not even a semi-pro photographer. I actually started with a sub-$100 trainer, which I bought mostly because it had a camera. With no GPS or wind resistance, it ended up Gone With The Wind. I replaced it with my first Mini-2, and I was just in wonder at the difference.

If I had known then what I know now, and had the option, I might have gone for the Mini SE instead of the Mini-2. I film every flight, and I love to watch the vids, but refined quality photography was never my objective.

That was 8 months ago, and now I'm considering upgrading. Selling one of my Mini-2s so that I can get either an A2 or A2s.

It's really just about your budget. From what I've read here, any DJI drone that you buy is going to be easy to fly, with rare exception. At this point in my droning life, if funding wasn't an issue, I'd get a full blown loaded FPV combo, hand control included. But at $2K, that's not going to happen soon.

Most people recommend getting the "Fly More" kit, and I agree with that assessment. The Mini-2 Fly More retails for $600. I'm looking to sell one of my Mini-2 Flymores for $450. Original box, everything is there, everything works. Low mileage!

If you're interested in my Mini-2, contact me off-list. In any event, get something, and start flying! I'm 67, so don't worry about the age thing. You're still a kid!

;-)

TCS