My new Inspire 1 is arriving tomorrow (Wednesday). Haven't been this excited in a long time.

Have a lot learn (never flown before), retired videographer. Loads of questions will be forth coming. Any advice from the young bucks (or the old ones) with experience in flying is greatly appreciated.

APOLOGIES: I changed my username, so I hope at this early juncture it doesn't cause any problems.

The only advice I would have given you would be to learn to fly with a less expensive  and more durable drone like the phantom.  There is a pretty good flight simulator with the pilot app.  practice practice practice

Wow.  You really have a huge learning curve ahead if you have no experience.  Even very experienced pilots are having a lot to remember.
   You really should buy a cheap little one or better yet a phantom 2 to practice on.  You really need flying in atti mode nose in to be confident enough to gain control when the inspire loses gps etc.   unless your super rich, and don't live near anyone.e

dennis.aerialpe Posted at 2015-1-28 00:43
The only advice I would have given you would be to learn to fly with a less expensive  and more dura ...

Thanks for the advice. You're right about practice. My plan is to start slow, very slow. Will be doing some serious time on the Pilot flight sim for certain. Nothing to prove here.

Get a micro quad and practice practice practice. Nose in flight and turns should be second nature.  I got a blade micro qx and terrorize the dogs in my living room . I try to imagine one of my dogs as a subject to photograph and follow them around the house lol . I have been flying RC off and on for a few years mostly planes. I have been practicing with the micro quad for 3 weeks when I can. Ive had my Inspire for a couple weeks but only did a 20 second hover on my patio. Im  familiarizing myself with the app and following the forums on this site and in RCGROUPS. My inspire maiden will be soon.

The NANO QX is a fun and tough little quad.

Good luck, I would follow the advice of others in response to your post. I started with a bare Phantom bare meaning no camera just to see if I could handle it. That was over a year ago. I am still learning. I have a few Phantoms now and things can go wrong and the panic sets in. The Inspire is a very sophisticated Quad with many functions and options. Also there are a few issues that DJI is straightening out. Do yourself a favor and grab a Phantom then find a large open area without any people around a get some good stick time. Start with GPS Flight and venture into ATI. You asked and we gave you our advice,Now it is up to you.

johnmont250.ema Posted at 2015-1-28 00:47
Wow.  You really have a huge learning curve ahead if you have no experience.  Even very experienced  ...

No, I'm not super rich, hence the reason for not buying a Phantom--simply not enough funds in the budget. Yes, I'm ready for the learning curve. As I said above, I'm in no rush and have no expectations of opening the box and flying like I was born doing it. Slow and easy.

rodger Posted at 2015-1-28 01:14
Good luck, I would follow the advice of others in response to your post. I started with a bare Phant ...

"You asked and we gave you our advice,Now it is up to you."

Point well taken. The problem is, as I explained above, the funds simply weren't there. It was either or, not to mention other extenuating circumstances I won't go into here.

It would have been better had I been more clear in my original post. Please, accept my apologies.

Gotcha, just another thought.  Practice on another quad is more important than taking it slow with the inspire.  There really is no taking it slow with the inspire. Once it in the air, it can lose gps, and instantly you need skills.    Also if you try and take off slowly, that could cause a tip or imbalance and break a prop, you need to punch it, and clear the ground.  Like I said, once it's airborne, there is no taking it slow.
Just trying to be helpful,   But this thing is for real, no pets or kids or anyone  anything around you....

InspiredOne Posted at 2015-1-28 01:19
No, I'm not super rich, hence the reason for not buying a Phantom--simply not enough funds in the  ...

I would find a local RC - Radio Controlled Flying Club with an instructor for a proper RC helicopter. You'll pay for club membership, public liability insurance and the instructors time and possibly hire of their 'learner' helicopter. It's worth every penny and the main advantage is that you'll learn how to fly something which is inherently unstable, which quadcopters are not.

If you can achieve a reliable good basic control without learning 3D nonsense, then you'll be fine with a quadcopter.

johnmont250.ema Posted at 2015-1-28 01:28
Gotcha, just another thought.  Practice on another quad is more important than taking it slow with t ...

Thanks, John. Much appreciated!

Guess I shouldn't have taken DJI's pitch too seriously: "Even if you’ve never flown before..."

Solution.Design, good idea. I will look into that. Thanks!

Read the manual, then read it again and again.

It is a wonderful machine and a delight to fly, I got (proficient ?) on a Phantom Vision which was a bit help

jamess3430 Posted at 2015-1-28 01:54
Read the manual, then read it again and again.

It is a wonderful machine and a delight to fly, I go ...

Great advice, James, "read the manual." Saw a video the other some kid said, "I'm not too good with details..." Then he admitted to not reading the manual.

All aircraft--big or small--require attention to detail.

You can do it! Just don't get froggy and run out the door as soon as the firmware is in and the batteries are charged. You should spend a good amount of time acquainting yourself with the firmware install and all the settings and options that are available. Print out the manual and go through it several times highlighting important stuff. Don't be too proud or anxious to come on the forum and ask "dumb" questions. We have all done that. These guys are great and seem happy to help.

When you are ready, go to a quiet clearing away from spectators, friends and children. You don't need anyone to get you distracted. Get the harness adjusted so the RC is a comfortable height and you have easy control of the sticks without the RC flopping around. Try to position yourself so there is as little glare on the monitor as possible. Antennas up and pointed generally at the bird.

An old piece of rug makes a good landing mat and keeps dust and debris from blowing up in the rotor wash. Start the motors and let them warm a little. Look at all the readout info on the monitor, by now you should know what to look for.     Settle down! EASE that left stick forward SLOWLY. This machine is very powerful and the acceleration is outrageous. Raise the drone up till it's out of the wash, about 10 feet or so. Let the sticks go and just watch it. Remember, if you get spooked just let go of the sticks. At this point you will have a world class smile on your face, guaranteed. The Inspire is very well behaved and it should stay right there.

SLOWLY make SMALL inputs to the controls and observe the bird's reaction. Move a few feet away from your spot, come back and gently lower to a landing. lift it up and do it all again. Stay right there in a small area and let your brain, eyes and hands learn until you go through that first 3 or 4 battery charges. Go charge the battery and do it again. You will know when it's time to venture away from the rug. Remember, slow is safe. You'll be O.K. Don't go near the White House.   

2001guns (I like that name), thank you for being so encouraging!

I've been reading the manual and watching set-up videos. Promise, won't be rushing anything here. When it arrives, I will acquaint myself with the firmware, settings, etc.

Thanks, again, for your (instilling) confidence!

P.S. LOL -- Yes, I will stay away--far away--from the White House.

Take it slow and burn multiple packs in beginner mode.. You should be fine.

Blade_Strike Posted at 2015-1-28 02:57
Take it slow and burn multiple packs in beginner mode.. You should be fine.

"... burn multiple packs in beginner mode..."

NEWBIE ALERT!  Sorry, Blade, could you translate, please?

Fly multiple packs in beginner mode

Congrats on the new copter , if you take it slow you should be fine lots of great advice here to absorb.
lol.. burn up some battery juice!!
One thing that helped training with a few phantoms was too keep the rear of the copter towards you.(green lights) Trust me on this it helps build confidence and keeps the craft orientated for the new flyer.
If you like flight simulator's look at the inspire as the same thing with an actual craft in the air in real time.
The more you fly the more you learn about the craft and your limitations.
Svens preflight list may help its a thread posted  here.

Blade & Colonel...

"multiple packs" = "battery juice"?

= flying time.

Got cha! Thanks!

Apple pilot app that can be found here in a few threads it has a nice flight simulator in the academy section.
If flying, fly android pilot app and android firmware to play it safe.
Tons o videos on start up etc... on YouTube pop some pop corn and immerse yourself  its all easy to grasp .
Know your indicator lights like its a religion

Thanks, Colonel.

I've gone back and forth on Android vs. iOS and I think I'll wait for the iOS approval. Now, having said that, depending on how long that approval takes, I may be forced to use Android to begin with (using my Samsung 5s Galaxy). But I was counting on doing some "early" practice with the flight sim before trying the real thing.