Nubie Here!

[rudyjoe]

Just got my Drone after waiting for the right time to pull the trigger and here i am. I always look for a good forum to get all my help and tips cause i will always have something to ask about. So hi guys!
My last airtime flying anything was a very cool dual line stunt kite! I had alot of fun with that and probably will pick up another one too. But this is a newer adventure to enjoy and learn. Thats life. So i ran across a Potensic Atom SE w/ extended package and after doing some checking out and price ranges on others, this is what i wanted to start with. I still haven't taken it out to fly yet but will as soon as i can. Its gonna be a blast but its all so new to me and the learning curb should be interesting! Anyway Thanks for any advice in advance.

 

[GFields]

Greetings from Birmingham Alabama USA, welcome to the forum! We look forward to hearing from you!

 

[LoudThunder]

Just got my Drone after waiting for the right time to pull the trigger and here i am.

Welcome from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, USA.

As a New Drone Pilot, there are a couple of Legal Things you may need to do…

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…). If your Drone weighs less than 250-grams (0.55 pounds), and while you are flying under The Exception for Recreational Flyers, you are not required to register your Drone. If it weighs more, you are required to register your Drone.

Link to the TRUST Certificate at 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 Registration for Drones under 250-Grams…)

FAADroneZone

faadronezone-access.faa.gov

If you are considering acquiring your Part 107 License, here is a link to get you going…

Drone Courses - Free and Paid Drone Pilot Training

30+ free and paid classes to fly your drone. Pass your FAA Part 107 license exam, learn how to fly your drone, and more.

pilotinstitute.com

Since you live in California, 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.

Federal Drone Laws in the United States (FAA) - Pilot Institute

44809 is an exemption from Part 107 drone laws. This means that drone pilots fly under Part 107 drone rules by default unless they meet all 9 of the requirements to fly under 44809, the exception for limited recreational operations of unmanned aircraft. You can read more about these requirements...

pilotinstitute.com

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

You paid a lot of money for that Drone, put your phone number on it. If your drone gets lost or stuck in a tree and it finally comes down when you are not around, give the finders an opportunity to contact you so it can be returned.

Now, for the Fun Part, But 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 puppy or kitten 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, 6- feet (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."

Fly On and Fly Safe…

 

[sarahb]

Welcome!

 

[rudyjoe]

Welcome from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, USA.

As a New Drone Pilot, there are a couple of Legal Things you may need to do…

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…). If your Drone weighs less than 250-grams (0.55 pounds), and while you are flying under The Exception for Recreational Flyers, you are not required to register your Drone. If it weighs more, you are required to register your Drone.

Link to the TRUST Certificate at 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 Registration for Drones under 250-Grams…)

FAADroneZone

faadronezone-access.faa.gov

If you are considering acquiring your Part 107 License, here is a link to get you going…

Drone Courses - Free and Paid Drone Pilot Training

30+ free and paid classes to fly your drone. Pass your FAA Part 107 license exam, learn how to fly your drone, and more.

pilotinstitute.com

Since you live in California, 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.

Federal Drone Laws in the United States (FAA) - Pilot Institute

44809 is an exemption from Part 107 drone laws. This means that drone pilots fly under Part 107 drone rules by default unless they meet all 9 of the requirements to fly under 44809, the exception for limited recreational operations of unmanned aircraft. You can read more about these requirements...

pilotinstitute.com

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

You paid a lot of money for that Drone, put your phone number on it. If your drone gets lost or stuck in a tree and it finally comes down when you are not around, give the finders an opportunity to contact you so it can be returned.

Now, for the Fun Part, But 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 puppy or kitten 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, 6- feet (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."

Fly On and Fly Safe…

Excellent Advice, Much appreciated! Yup first thing i took care of was TRUST. Also Did some reading on the whole drone thing and do's/don'ts and law etc. plus youtube. Next was to find a good forum and here i am! Thanks for your insight and help! Great Info i didn't think about too. (like phone number) . I'm gonna have fun learning on this little drone for sure. Oh, i also ordered 2 hi - viz lights for seeing it better. I found a pair on ebay that are so bright even in daylight to keep a eye on it. They will work great for safety too. ok then so tomorrow i'll go to a good spot away from everything/body and start out real simple and slow and practice,practice,pratice! it will be a new experience for sure! : )

 

[rudyjoe]

Welcome!

Thanks! I'm Looking forward to learning something new! This is my own B-Day gift to myself hitting the 70 mark on the 1st and loving it! (at any age!)

 

[LoudThunder]

i'll go to a good spot away from everything/body and start out real simple and slow and practice,practice,pratice! it will be a new experience for sure! : )

It sounds like you will have your drone for a long time and have lots of fun with it.. There is another web site where a new member there was so anxious to fly their new drone that all they did was charge the battery, but it was night time by then, but hey, why should that bother anyone?

He took off, now mind you, he lives not far from an International airport and was flying in their controlled airspace, but that was only about a 30-second issue…

He lifted off, and flew straight down the street into his neighbor's tree. From the blinking lights, he could see he was about 30-feet up… The next day, after approaching the neighbor, who refused him permission to come on his property or to climb the tree, he then convinced his neighbor to let him hire a tree cutting company with a cherry picker to reach in with a pole to retrieve the drone.

It cost him over $100 for the service… As the expression goes, Don't be that guy…

Fly Safe and Enjoy your new found Hobby!

 

[rudyjoe]

Its sooo easy to be excited and impatient as i learned from others. I seem to take it more in stride and not rush into anything. It was 4 months before i took another look at what drones were about and what was my best option and price as a first timer. So i was gonna go and do this maiden voyage thing today but realized that sunday could be busy with people etc so i put it off till tomorrow where i'll have the whole flat top to myself ( a once landfill ). Yup all in good time, no hurry no worry. Thanks for the encouragement. Funny

 

[rudyjoe]

Finally got to do a 1st run today. Definitely a learning curve with this! The controls are awesome but need to have the lightest touch for having a smooth flow in the sky. I LIKE IT!

 

[LoudThunder]

Definitely a learning curve with this! The controls are awesome but need to have the lightest touch for having a smooth flow in the sky

Does your drone have a control screen that allows you to set the Progressive Movement of the Sticks. On my DJI Mini 2, I can set the sensitivity of the sticks so sensitive that the slightest movement will turn the drone like it is a spinning top or set it so that I can move the stick almost all the way over and it barely responds…

Try Googling it by searching how to set the controls or check YouTube for your make and model of drone and setting its controls…

 

[rudyjoe]

Sorry i just came on and saw this. So no its not as nice as a dji mini2. That would be good to have but its ok for now to get my feet wet. Later i will see about a bigger jump into this if it goes that way otherwise ill be happy with what i got... yeah right! lol

 

[Dom7785]

Excellent Advice, Much appreciated! Yup first thing i took care of was TRUST. Also Did some reading on the whole drone thing and do's/don'ts and law etc. plus youtube. Next was to find a good forum and here i am! Thanks for your insight and help! Great Info i didn't think about too. (like phone number) . I'm gonna have fun learning on this little drone for sure. Oh, i also ordered 2 hi - viz lights for seeing it better. I found a pair on ebay that are so bright even in daylight to keep a eye on it. They will work great for safety too. ok then so tomorrow i'll go to a good spot away from everything/body and start out real simple and slow and practice,practice,pratice! it will be a new experience for sure! : )

I would also recommend having a weather app handy that allows you to see what kind of wind conditions are at various altitudes. I’ve gotten myself in trouble once, flying in an area where gusts were reported above what my drone normally handles the min I got to 300 feet. Ground level was fine so I didn’t take into consideration wind speeds above ground.