Retired and new to drones

don309

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I'm new to drones and bought a beginners model Ruko u11mini, which should be here today
I'm 73 years old and retired.
I actually wanted a drone to take with me fishing new spots, the legs and back aren't what they use to be. Also wanted it to inspect my roof now and than.
I'm in Philadelphia, Pa, so if your near by and want to message me. I'd love to see an experienced pilot fly, and get so tips.
 
Greetings from Birmingham Alabama USA, welcome to the forum! We look forward to hearing from you!
 
I'm new to drones and bought a beginners model Ruko u11min

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…). 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.

Link to the TRUST Certificate at the Pilot Institute Web Site (FREE…)


Since you live in Pennsylvania, 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.


First off, you need to understand that your new drone is more a toy 9a high end toy, but a toy never the less).

It is not GPS so you will have to fly it even to hover it or a light breeze will blow it away. It has not obstitacal avoidance so if you do not see that small branch in front of the drone, you will fly into it… and what ever is it over, it will fall into… (your favorite fishing hole, etc…).

Amazon says you have 60-minutes flying time… in reality, you may get 2-batteries that at best will give you 20-25 minutes of flying time each. Take it a park or open field and learn to fly it first before you take it out in the woods, fishing…

My first drone was also a non-GPS drone and it was a blast to fly ,but yu have to fly it the entire time. You take your eyes off it and it will not be where you left it…

And trying to fly, using the video is not legal, and especially not safe…

Be careful. Watch numerous Youtube videos on this drone and have safe fun…

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."

Below is the link to Ruko home page on this drone….


Fly On and Fly Safe…
 
You said the ruko U11 mini doesn't have GPS? I'm not doubting you. But the description on Amazon say's it does.
Now after setting everything up between the controller, drone, and phone. When I go through all the steps to fly. The app on my phone says it has satellites & wi-fi. So wouldn't that make it a GPS flying drone?
I do have to get to a more open space. But I took it up about 15" in my yard, worked to controls a little (very little).
The wind is blowing at 15mph. And it hovered pretty good of course it was at a low altitude.
The drone also has follow me, rth, doesn't that work off of GPS?
For today I'm happy I got it ready, to do some real practice flying.
 
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You said the ruko U11 mini doesn't have GPS? I'm not doubting you.
I apologize as I am wrong about the GPS capability, I quickly googled it and saw no reference to it having GPS, after reading your email, and doing more Googling, I find out that it does…

A few words about the GPS, always make sure you have good GPS reception before you take off. The drone does have Return to Home (RTH) with the press of a button and I imagine it also will do a RTH if it gets out of range or you lose signal. Be sure to set the RTH altitude higher than all the local obstructions (trees, poles, houses, etc…). If you take off from under a cover, a tree, or roof; that is your Home Point and if it comes back under its own power, it will land in the tree or on the roof, etc…

If you take off in a hurry, before it gets good GPS signal, it will set the Home Point, wherever it happens to be at that moment, over a tree, a pond, a lake, a road, etc…

I believe the Follow Me, works off the WiFi, it will follow the phone, or it follows the locked in image you put in when you are using the camera… Only your manual will explain it.

Again, watch YouTube Video Reviews of your drone to learn its strong and weak points and the videos often have good "How-to" videos to set the drone up for best performance.

Once again, I am sorry for the bad information. Good luck and enjoy!
 
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I'm new to drones and bought a beginners model Ruko u11mini, which should be here today
I'm 73 years old and retired.
I actually wanted a drone to take with me fishing new spots, the legs and back aren't what they use to be. Also wanted it to inspect my roof now and than.
I'm in Philadelphia, Pa, so if your near by and want to message me. I'd love to see an experienced pilot fly, and get so tips.
The Ruko u11mini is listed as a GPS drone ! Use it in an open field and learn how the auto return works ! Its pretty neat !! Have fun !!
 
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I'm new to drones and bought a beginners model Ruko u11mini, which should be here today
I'm 73 years old and retired.
I actually wanted a drone to take with me fishing new spots, the legs and back aren't what they use to be. Also wanted it to inspect my roof now and than.
I'm in Philadelphia, Pa, so if your near by and want to message me. I'd love to see an experienced pilot fly, and get so tips.
Have you looked at the DJI Air 3?
 
DJI Air 3 is out of the question, could never fit it in my budget.
I'm sending the Ruko 11 mini back to Amazon. It says it may take 50-60 seconds to pair with the controller, I've waited 3-5 minutes and sometime no pairing at all. That's like almost 1/3 of flying time. And the little I did fly it, it seemed to lose connection quickly.
I think the next step for me is DJI mini 2 se Is see a sale on it. I guess I get a cheap refurbished Iphone 12 for it.
 
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If you are considering DJI, consider their refurgished drones, they have the same warranty as brand new ones and most foks cannot tell they are not new...

I flying the Mni 2 for 3-years now and it is Great. I use three different devices, a Motorola Moto G Smart phone, a Galaxy Tab S2 and a Galaxy Tab A8.. the smart phone is nice and liight, the S2 is light and has an 8" screen, the A8 has a big 10" screen, but it is heavy...

they are rodered off their web site, verses in a store... unless youare lucky enough to have a DJI Store in you location... eBay and Amazon also offer sales through verious online DJI Stores. consider these and I recommend also buyint the Care Refresh policy, if yu crash it, it's very cheap to replace it even if yu drop in int the ocean...

Good Luck!
 
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