When to stop Beginner Mode

deuter · Jan 10, 2016

I have had four flights so far this weekend, has been awesome with some great full hd video.

The last flight being in the bush, it was so much fun.
When can I take my beginner mode off, what difference will it make to my current easy flying and video/photo shooting.What do I need to keep in mind.

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fordruid · Jan 10, 2016

Think of your UAS as a child. The farther away it gets the easier that it gets in trouble. Keep it on a short leash until it behaves itself enough that you trust it farther away. (in other words, when you are comfortable with your control of the UAS)

Moose408 · Jan 10, 2016

Take it off when you start getting warnings that you have reached the beginner's mode boundaries.I was fairly comfortable flying my Phantom after 2 days and wanted to go further.

deuter · Jan 10, 2016

Moose408 said:
Take it off when you start getting warnings that you have reached the beginner's mode boundaries.I was fairly comfortable flying my Phantom after 2 days and wanted to go further.

I always get warning while flying, in face I reach to 30 mts high and through the side boundaries all the time.

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deuter · Jan 10, 2016

fordruid said:
Think of your UAS as a child. The farther away it gets the easier that it gets in trouble. Keep it on a short leash until it behaves itself enough that you trust it farther away. (in other words, when you are comfortable with your control of the UAS)

Anything else I need to change apart from the mode.

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fordruid · Jan 10, 2016

No, in fact no other changes is best. GPS mode, return home settings etc..

Triakis · Jan 10, 2016

fordruid said:
Think of your UAS as a child. The farther away it gets the easier that it gets in trouble. Keep it on a short leash until it behaves itself enough that you trust it farther away. (in other words, when you are comfortable with your control of the UAS)

And if it misbehaves you can shout at it and like most children it won't listen to you!

Flights over water, particularly seawater, are the moment the training wheels are removed.
Indoor flying is another. I've gotten good at it with helicopters and toy quads but my P3P will shred the drapes among other things so I'll try the barn first.

Slow Polk · Jan 10, 2016

Never used beginner mode yet. Will have to try it some time.

Frankc · Jan 10, 2016

When either of these two qualify :-

1. You are fully happy with your flying skills and know how to get the drone back to you after its gone out of sight and sound.
2. When your not bothered about loosing it or hitting something out of sight.

deuter · Jan 10, 2016

Frankc said:
When either of these two qualify :-

1. You are fully happy with your flying skills and know how to get the drone back to you after its gone out of sight and sound.
2. When your not bothered about loosing it or hitting something out of sight.

First one does not even apply, as the beginner mode will not allow you to go far

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Frankc · Jan 10, 2016

deuter said:
First one does not even apply, as the beginner mode will not allow you to go far

Yes that is why I said it. The beginner mode wont allow you to get out of sight and sound. So when your happy or confident enough to switch beginner mode off you will probably have the drone go out of sight and sound. So only when "You are fully happy with your flying skills and know how to get the drone back to you after its gone out of sight and sound" only then should you turn off your beginner mode.

deuter · Jan 10, 2016

Frankc said:
Yes that is why I said it. The beginner mode wont allow you to get out of sight and sound. So when your happy or confident enough to switch beginner mode off you will probably have the drone go out of sight and sound. So only when "You are fully happy with your flying skills and know how to get the drone back to you after its gone out of sight and sound" only then should you turn off your beginner mode.

Any tips ? I believe the key is to know the surroundings so to be able to determine where on earth is the phantom

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Frankc · Jan 10, 2016

I do not know if this will work on your app set up but if you look in the bottom left corner of the DJI app you will see a tiny map. On that map you will have a circled H , obviously for home, and a arrow. The thin pointed bit is the direction your drone/camera is pointing. If you turn the drone until the little arrow is pointing at home it should fly back to you. If it doesn't just turn it until it does flay back towards the H and you.

Hope this helps.

Wibble · Jan 10, 2016

I never used beginner mode. Last thing I wanted when learning was the **** thing fighting me. If it goes too far away just use RTH - cancel it when you see it overhead.

Rumbaar · Jan 10, 2016

When you're comfortable to go further, that's the best answer. My first flight was in a football/cricket field and the beginner boundary didn't even let it reach the boundaries of the field, so I had it turned off within the first few minutes of flight.

Slow Polk · Jan 10, 2016

Wibble is right on the money. I learned to fly RC back in the 80's and when you fly a plane you can't take your fingers off the controls and think about what you are doing. With the Phantom (and most high end drones) all you have to do if you get into trouble is relax and it will stay where it is. If you can't see it hit home. Start out in a wide open area and have fun. Relax and take your time stay out of the trees and above the ground. I learned early on that the more space you have between your bird and the ground the better. It gives you more time to correct what ever the problems is. Just have fun.

AAPhoto · Jan 10, 2016

One thing you can do to become more comfortable is fly in the flight sim in the DJI Go app. Try all the perspectives, take it out beyond line of sight, watch the flight path on the mini map, keep track of which direction the Phantom is facing, and the effect moving the controls has on it, the breaking speed, how to quickly change directions, and practice making figure 8's until you don't have to think about it. I'm to the point where I can make figure 8's and rotate them to make something out of the flight path that looks like flower petals. That wasn't easy when I first started. When you're comfortable, take it outside in a huge field with no obstructions and try it for real, but keeping the Phantom within line of sight. After you're completely comfortable with that, then maybe take it a little further and try using the screen to help you fly/record, but while still being aware of where you're Phantom is. Most importantly, have fun!