Hello All

I am very new to flying drones with my entry into the hobby with the spark.

So far I have only flown the spark about 5 times. Not going higher than 30meters.

I get a bit nervous getting to that height. I’m worried to death of it being taken by a gust of wind or something. Even when not very windy down low how do I know it’s not really windy up high?

Am I being overly cautious?

Is the spark a much more capable drone than I think?

I normally just fly it straight up and rotate it for panoramic shots and bring it back down. Normally just practice flying around / maniuvering at low heights.

Is there any tips anyone can give me for more confidence?

Thanks guys.

Andy

Hi, thanks for reaching DJI Forum. We do feel glad that you choose DJI Spark as your first drone. We strongly suggest to fly with caution especially when there is an error message pop-up on the app, make sure to fly with properly charged batteries. Kindly update your firmware and the remote controller to avoid errors. You can also visit our official YouTube channel for more videos about your new Spark. Have a safe flight always. Thank you.

your doing nothing wrong for a new flyer , the more you practice and try a few things.Take your time there is no rush, i suggest looking on youtube for what the spark is capable off.but remeber some of the people on there dont stick to the rules.   the main advice i can give is TAKE YOU TIME learning and just little bits and ALWAYS keep it in sight ,even when you are experienced  .Thats how i learned and now i have MAVIC AIR , and PHantom 4 pro + check out my channel to see from the beggining to now .....
  its nothing special but might help.......

Hello Wobbles

Thanks very much for your reply and tips it’s all good stuff to read and see from your videos another user who started with the spark. Your video’s are really good!

Hopefully I can just improve with practice

"Is the spark a much more capable drone than I think?" I 'd say: YES ;-)

wobbles Posted at 2018-8-10 11:49
your doing nothing wrong for a new flyer , the more you practice and try a few things.Take your time there is no rush, i suggest looking on youtube for what the spark is capable off.but remeber some of the people on there dont stick to the rules.   the main advice i can give is TAKE YOU TIME learning and just little bits and ALWAYS keep it in sight ,even when you are experienced  .Thats how i learned and now i have MAVIC AIR , and PHantom 4 pro + check out my channel to see from the beggining to now .....https://youtu.be/PB4iyFdExho
  its nothing special but might help.......

Excellent Video Wobbles ! Nice to see that your Drone Family is increasing.

Nice advice too.

As long as you don't abuse and keep following the rules, you have nothing to worry about. Keep it in VLOS (Visual Line of Sight) and take one step after the other.

I would worry when I see New Pilots flying their first flights trying to achieve over 2000m distance, or doing height records.

Someone Cautious like You, is making way of becoming a Very Good Pilot. Accidents do happen, in every sport / hobby / etc.. but at least is something happens you know that you did you best to prevent bad situations, so that alone would put your mind at rest.

DMX_MT Posted at 2018-8-11 08:22
Excellent Video Wobbles ! Nice to see that your Drone Family is increasing.

Nice advice too.

thks , try to help as many as i can , as i had loads of great advice when i started ..cheers

Take it salami tactics , one slice at a time.
Practice, practice and practice.
Congratulations on the purchase of your Spark.
Have fun and fly safe.

Hello everyone. It’s very nice to hear some positive advice from all. I went out today with the drone and flew on the beach. I was thinking it would be too windy but it handled it just fine!! I put it in sport mode just to be in the safe side and I’m very pleased and surprised on how well it flew. Only 22 meters high and no more than a 30 meter radius away but definitely my best flight yet!

A quick photo from my beach flight

Great photo and good start.  I too was extremely cautious with my first 10 flights or so.  Getting into the habit of checking your sensors, number of satelites, the weather forecast (check out UAV Forecast), and the legality of where you are flying will serve you well.  I just did flight 35 on the weekend, its a very capable drone, especially for its size.  Dont be fooled by the "selfie" marketing.  Its the real deal.  Fly Safe!

I was like you when I got my Spark.  First few flights it was up and down.  I remember my first flight, I think I only went 10m high and started to panic!

I watched a lot of video tutorials online before I even purchased my drone, then watched handling and safety ones once I got it, now I'm confident its more about watching about filming/photography using the drone.

I see you went to the beach for a trial run.  What I'd recommend is what I did.  I went to a wide open space, early morning so there was nobody around.  Here I practiced a lot of maneuveres, forward, back, left right, and getting accustomed to those controls when the drone is facing different ways.   Then I took it up to different heights to gain confidence.  I still get a rush/mild sense of panic when I send it up to max height, and I think the panic is healthy.  It means I don't do anything stupid, maintain focus on controlling the drone properly, and don't cause unnecessary problems to anyone or anything within the vicinity.

If you are worried about weather, get one of the UAV apps that tell you whether it is good to fly or not.  They're a good indicator for satellite numbers, rain, wind, basically all conditions relating to drone flight and safety.

Andy, for me all those feeling are what make flying so fun. It the thrill of knowing this will fly.  The more confident you get the more things you will be able to do. These drones are a whole lotta fun.

Sidd