Hello from a Newbie

[JamesH]

Hi,

I recently bought a Phantom 4, my first UAS, after a couple of years of thinking about it. (The trigger for me was the collision avoidance feature.) I'm terribly excited to start flying, but I'm trying to be conscientious about it. I'm flying the simulator for hours on end, I'm reading local/state/federal laws and regulations, I've joined the AMA, and, obviously, I joined this forum to try to learn more. I really don't want to endanger anyone, bother anyone, or break any laws. Photography is one of my hobbies and this brings a whole new element to that hobby for me.

My equipment at the moment is pretty base. I've got the Phantom 4 all updated with the latest firmware. I bought an extra battery, and my interface is an Apple iPad Air 2. I like the screen real estate, but we'll see how the weight does. I bought a neck strap to try to address the weight concern. I also got a glare protector for my iPad when I'm using it to fly.

I'm going to kind of keep my head down a bit and read as much in here as I can. I try my best to learn from other peoples' mistak..., um, experiences. I will listen to anyone, so feel free to tell me how to be a safer, effective member of this community and have fun at the same time.

--James H.

 

[Colin Eglington]

James, be careful not to crash it like I did last week as Dji cannot provide the spares to repair it. I am very disappointed. It flies great though!

 

[Practicalperfection]

Hi James, I just bought the same about 3 weeks ago and it is also my first . It is an incredible piece of technology . The beginner mode helped a lot limiting distance and height for the first couple of flights. What kind of footage/photos are you looking to capture? Looking forward to seeing some of your work. [emoji3][emoji106]


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[JamesH]

James, be careful not to crash it like I did last week as Dji cannot provide the spares to repair it. I am very disappointed. It flies great though!

I hear you loud and clear. That's part of why I've been flying the simulator so much and reading about other peoples' experiences. Not too much more I can think of to be prepared. I bought my Phantom 4 at the Apple Store because I've always had great support from them if I have any problems. I also bought the DJI Care, so I've got even more backup. Past that, fate will play whatever role it does.

 

[JamesH]

Hi James, I just bought the same about 3 weeks ago and it is also my first . It is an incredible piece of technology . The beginner mode helped a lot limiting distance and height for the first couple of flights. What kind of footage/photos are you looking to capture? Looking forward to seeing some of your work. [emoji3][emoji106]


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app

I'll be keeping my Phantom 4 in beginner mode for a while, too, until the controls are intuitive to me and I have more experience.

My primary area of interest in photography is landscapes. I really like the way sunrises and sunsets affect the way the earth looks. The shadowing provides a different sense of depth than we see the rest of the day and at night. In addition, the coloring is so different when the sun is passing through more atmosphere. I like the deserts a lot and the coastline. That's part of why living in Southern California is the perfect place for me.

 

[JamesH]

I'm happy to report that my first flight occurred today. Other than a little dust being kicked up, nothing is the worse for wear. I only flew about 10 minutes because the wind started picking up. I'm attaching my first, favorite picture. You can clearly see the bird poop on the top of my truck.View media item 1531