New pilot (soon)

Scottie74 · Jan 25, 2018

Hey all, I am about to receive my first drone, arrives on Saturday, and am excited to join the community of phantom pilots!! Any tips you can offer will be much appreciated, anything from flying tips, to software, to accessories I should consider, and anything in between!! Have been slowly reading all the threads here, and I thank all those who help others!! Looking forward to hearing your opinions, and hopefully in the future, I will be helping other new pilots as well!!

With The Birds · Jan 25, 2018

Welcome!!!!!

You are probably best to use the search function and ask specific questions from there. The tips for new operators had been covered in numerous threads.

My advice- download the manual now and read it cover to cover.

Don’t worry about playing with any third orty apps until you get used to flying in the GO app.

Don’t think about autonomous flight modes (litchi waypoints etc) unless you are comfortable flying manually.

Have fun...

Scottie74 · Jan 25, 2018

With The Birds said:
Welcome!!!!!

You are probably best to use the search function and ask specific questions from there. The tips for new operators had been covered in numerous threads.

My advice- download the manual now and read it cover to cover.

Don’t worry about playing with any third orty apps until you get used to flying in the GO app.

Don’t think about autonomous flight modes (litchi waypoints etc) unless you are comfortable flying manually.

Have fun...

Already reading the manual for the second time!! And only plan on using "Go" for the time being, after reading lots of advice here!! Have already read lots of threads, but as new things come out so often, sometimes threads are not always as up to date as they could be!! Threads get lost, and comments dry up, so I figured aanew thread would inspire comments from users, which are more up to date for myself, and other new users!!

alokbhargava · Jan 25, 2018

My advice would be to avoid flying near trees, buildings and keep direct line of sight. Most accidents happen with trees or buildings.

Fly from a flat horizontal surface to avoid tipping off.

Scottie74 · Jan 25, 2018

Agreed!! Already have a number of flat open spaces scouted for learning!! After reading some of the stories here, caution will be my master, at least while learning!!

African wildlife · Jan 25, 2018

Welcome Scottie74! Are you going to call your drone The Enterprise?

Get a set of ND/PL filters. Set your shutter speed to double your fps/frames per second. (I'm guessing you may already have seen this advice.)

Carefully plan in detail where you want to fly and what you want to film. "Be prepared" works.

Then it's the all-important "Why?" question. Go beyond what many do with drones, always pushing yourself to be the best you can be. (But with regards to flying, take it one step at a time.) The real challenge is to use your brain better and better, with the drone being just a tool. DJI's slogan "The future of possible" is a good indicator - but in the words of Jean-Luc Picard you still have to "Make is so!" (And, no, I'm not a Trekkie.)

Think ahead about editing. What computer? What software?
Making my mind up about editing software

Scottie74 · Jan 25, 2018

African wildlife said:
Welcome Scottie74! Are you going to call your drone The Enterprise?

Actually thinking of calling it either the heartbreaker, in honor of the recently departed Tom Petty, or The Traveling Wilbury, in honor of Tom Petty, George Harrison, and Roy Orbison!!

I am still investigating filters, and trying hard to understand them, and when to use what!! I am Australian, but living in China at the moment, but lucky enough to have a friend who is a professional photographer, who also flies the phantom, helping me!! However, his English is extremely limited, and my Chinese is nonexistent!! So learning is slow!!

The "one step at a time" advice, is definitely something that I will be following!! Already have a number of wide open spaces scouted for training, and risky flying will definitely be a no-no for a while!! I am sure with time, experience, and knowledge, risks will be taken, but only with appropriate safeguards in place!!

Thanks for the welcome

Scottie74 · Jan 25, 2018

African wildlife said:
Welcome Scottie74! Are you going to call your drone The Enterprise?

Get a set of ND/PL filters. Set your shutter speed to double your fps/frames per second. (I'm guessing you may already have seen this advice.)

Carefully plan in detail where you want to fly and what you want to film. "Be prepared" works.

Then it's the all-important "Why?" question. Go beyond what many do with drones, always pushing yourself to be the best you can be. (But with regards to flying, take it one step at a time.) The real challenge is to use your brain better and better, with the drone being just a tool. DJI's slogan "The future of possible" is a good indicator - but in the words of Jean-Luc Picard you still have to "Make is so!" (And, no, I'm not a Trekkie.)

Think ahead about editing. What computer? What software?
Making my mind up about editing software

Actually thinking of calling it either the heartbreaker, in honor of the recently departed Tom Petty, or The Traveling Wilbury, in honor of Tom Petty, George Harrison, and Roy Orbison!!

I am still investigating filters, and trying hard to understand them, and when to use what!! I am Australian, but living in China at the moment, but lucky enough to have a friend who is a professional photographer, who also flies the phantom, helping me!! However, his English is extremely limited, and my Chinese is nonexistent!! So learning is slow!!

The "one step at a time" advice, is definitely something that I will be following!! Already have a number of wide open spaces scouted for training, and risky flying will definitely be a no-no for a while!! I am sure with time, experience, and knowledge, risks will be taken, but only with appropriate safeguards in place!!

Thanks for the welcome

msinger · Jan 25, 2018

Congrats on your new P4P. You're going to love it!

Scottie74 said:
I am about to receive my first drone, arrives on Saturday, and am excited to join the community of phantom pilots!! Any tips you can offer will be much appreciated, anything from flying tips, to software, to accessories I should consider, and anything in between!

Here are some things to check out:

Phantom Manual & Release Notes (the manual does not come in the box)
DJI GO Manual
Firmware Update Instructions
Tips for Avoiding Common Pilot Mistakes
Tips for Avoiding a Crash
Worldwide Drone Regulations
PhantomHelp.com (lots of Phantom tips & accessories)

Scottie74 · Jan 25, 2018

msinger said:
Congrats on your new P4P. You're going to love it!

Here are some things to check out:

Phantom Manual & Release Notes (the manual does not come in the box)

DJI GO Manual

Firmware Update Instructions

Tips for Avoiding Common Pilot Mistakes

Tips for Avoiding a Crash

Worldwide Drone Regulations

PhantomHelp.com (lots of Phantom tips & accessories)

Thanks, great reading material for me!!

African wildlife · Jan 25, 2018

Scottie74 said:
Actually thinking of calling it either the heartbreaker, in honor of the recently departed Tom Petty, or The Traveling Wilbury, in honor of Tom Petty, George Harrison, and Roy Orbison!!

I am still investigating filters, and trying hard to understand them, and when to use what!! I am Australian, but living in China at the moment, but lucky enough to have a friend who is a professional photographer, who also flies the phantom, helping me!! However, his English is extremely limited, and my Chinese is nonexistent!! So learning is slow!!

The "one step at a time" advice, is definitely something that I will be following!! Already have a number of wide open spaces scouted for training, and risky flying will definitely be a no-no for a while!! I am sure with time, experience, and knowledge, risks will be taken, but only with appropriate safeguards in place!!

Thanks for the welcome

The Heartbreaker is great. But don't crash! I'm a big fan of "I won't back down" and mentioned Tom's death less than an hour ago.

We use Polar Pro's ND/PL set. Many choose the ND set, but we would have no use for the ND32 as we almost always fly during or near to the golden hours of sunrise/sunset. The ND/PL would be especially useful if you'll be filming on the coast, which I'm guessing you will be.

I've never worked in China, but make use of the opportunity whilst you're there because of some special landscapes. And if you don't know the Olary Ranges, South Australia, consider going there. The sheep farmers would welcome you and the open spaces are immense - plus you may see yellow-footed rock-wallabies.

Scottie74 · Jan 25, 2018

African wildlife said:
The Heartbreaker is great. But don't crash! I'm a big fan of "I won't back down" and mentioned Tom's death less than an hour ago.

We use Polar Pro's ND/PL set. Many choose the ND set, but we would have no use for the ND32 as we almost always fly during or near to the golden hours of sunrise/sunset. The ND/PL would be especially useful if you'll be filming on the coast, which I'm guessing you will be.

I've never worked in China, but make use of the opportunity whilst you're there because of some special landscapes. And if you don't know the Olary Ranges, South Australia, consider going there. The sheep farmers would welcome you and the open spaces are immense - plus you may see yellow-footed rock-wallabies.

I plan on being here for at least a few years, and love the scenery here, both natural, and man-made!! Half the reason for buying a phantom was specifically for my time here, because there are some truly amazing places here!! If ever you get the chance to visit, I highly recommend it!!

Scottie74 · Jan 25, 2018

African wildlife said:
The Heartbreaker is great. But don't crash! I'm a big fan of "I won't back down" and mentioned Tom's death less than an hour ago.

We use Polar Pro's ND/PL set. Many choose the ND set, but we would have no use for the ND32 as we almost always fly during or near to the golden hours of sunrise/sunset. The ND/PL would be especially useful if you'll be filming on the coast, which I'm guessing you will be.

I've never worked in China, but make use of the opportunity whilst you're there because of some special landscapes. And if you don't know the Olary Ranges, South Australia, consider going there. The sheep farmers would welcome you and the open spaces are immense - plus you may see yellow-footed rock-wallabies.

You are right, the Heartbreaker might be tempting fate!! That's ok, I like The Traveling Wilbury as well!!

KevMo Photog · Jan 25, 2018

Congrats on your new venture into DJI Drones! And you will love it! It's so addictive! Nothing to be scared of tbo! Hands off and it just stops! Just go fly and have fun!
Make sure your RTH altitude is set a little higher than whatever your flying around! I also like to make sure that the DJI lady has told me that my homepoint has been recorded. Some guys will go ahead and take off before it has hooked up to enough satellites to get GPS. Usually hooks up just fine but I just like to wait on that. LOL.
If your gonna be flying video you'll want to soften your birds controls up a lot with the EXP settings in the Go app. So your sticks aren't so fast and jerky. Def want ND filters for video as well. Been mentioned above. It's so you can double your shutter speed of your frame rate for best cinematic blur. Matter of opinion with some! LOL. Works for me! Youtube is your best friend when it comes to picking up good info as well. There is some bad... but some really good help too!

Spazz_MMCF · Jan 25, 2018

Congrats! Being a new pilot myself... I can't stress enough to read the manual a few times... it's a lot to soak in and stick!

Another thing that I am still doing is practice!!! Certain maneuvers will help hone your skills... like slow consist figure 8's in a wide open area . I started this with just the right stick keep drone facing in one direction. Then go the opposite way... switch it up. Then once you get comfortable, practice same thing only now incorporate the left stick and yaw to keep the camera in the flight path.

Practicing these techniques has vastly improved my skills in a short time

Shoemaker · Jan 25, 2018

Howdy from Louisiana!
Have fun and don’t crash!

Shoemaker · Jan 25, 2018

China IS Amazing
But wouldn’t live there
Lol

John Locke · Jan 25, 2018

KevMo Photog said:
If your gonna be flying video you'll want to soften your birds controls up a lot with the EXP settings in the Go app.

Excellent suggestion Kev! One setting I like to help with softening camera actions is "gimbal pitch smoothing". I set mine to about 20, which really helps to remove sudden starts and stops, smoothing things out.

Scottie, what model Phantom did you order?

Scottie74 · Jan 25, 2018

John Locke said:
Excellent suggestion Kev! One setting I like to help with softening camera actions is "gimbal pitch smoothing". I set mine to about 20, which really helps to remove sudden starts and stops, smoothing things out.

Scottie, what model Phantom did you order?

Phantom 4Pro, took a friends phantom for a fly, and loved it!!