kevinelliott
Second Officer
Flight distance : 354131 ft
Offline
|
Now I know this will be the largest selling drone yet. That means there's a lot of new people to the world of UAS/UAV. So many people will just run out and put their bird into the air carelessly, and I'd like to strongly encourage everyone to take their time and really get to know the procedure, where it's legal and safe to fly, and not try to do stupid things until they are experienced.
Here's some tips:
1. Read the damn manual.
I know it's easy to skim it and just power things up and run outside and fly. But you are really going to want to know how to handle emergencies. You will want to know how to trigger RTH manually, how to ensure GPS home point is correct, how to avoid obstacles, how to set minimum RTH height, how to bring the bird back before power runs out, how to avoid a CSC, etc. Trust me, once you get into a funky situation your first few times you are going to panic, and not knowing the details will just make it worse.
2. Do not fly over people.
I know it's tempting. Just don't do it. Maybe later once you have practice and everyone's permission. But don't do it now. You're going to feel really bad if you chop off someone's finger, or you hurt a little child when you were goofing off. Also, people don't want annoying buzzing quads flying over them. We like them, but so many people don't.
3. Don't piss off cops, rangers, or other security figures.
We want this hobby to last. You are investing a lot of money in this right? Don't piss people off or we will get even more serious laws put into place that will ruin it for all of us. I can't stress this enough. If you know the drone laws, good, reinforce them to the cop, but don't argue unnecessarily and don't piss them off. Be cool about it, and they will be cool back.
4. Don't intentionally fly near off limits monuments.
Places like the Golden Gate Bridge and the Statue of Liberty are off limits. In some cases DHS will get involved. If you get away with it but post video later, you might even get harassed by a government organization for doing it. Just check to be sure if you're allowed first.
5. Register with the FAA.
Do it now. You don't need your Mavic to register. Go and get it out of the way. Print it out and shove it in your wallet. Then print a label and put it on your Mavic when you get it.
You can register at the FAA's sUAS Registration Service.
6. Watch videos about Phantom, Inspire and Mavic camera optimization.
If you tune it right, you can make some professional looking videos.
I like to set the following:
Format | mov | Color | D-Log | Sharpness | -2 | Contrast | -2 | Saturation | -1 | FPS | 30 or 60 |
Using these settings will absolutely require some adjustment during post-production (meaning, in your video editing software after you transfer the video files off your drone to your computer) because it will look flat and lifeless. This is intentional, as it reduces all of the unwanted onboard processing from the video so you can make it look the way you want it to look. More details, more highlights in the shadows, less clipping in white areas, etc.
Color grading is optional, and well beyond the scope for a newbie, but something to look into for next level video.
UPDATE: According to Bloom's video review of the Mavic Pro, the settings above (which work great for me on the Inspire) causes problems on the Mavic. The reason is that with the compression of 2.7k/4k is too strong (60mbit) and causes D-Log to really show artifacts. His recommendation was something along the following:
Format | mov | Color | D-Cinelike | Sharpness | -1 | Contrast | -1 | Saturation | 0 or -1 | FPS | Highest |
Color grading is optional, but highly recommended. Bloom uses FilmConvert -- but keep in mind that this is $200+.
7. Use DJI+ Discover app.
We all need to get social there so we can discover each other and great places to fly. It's fun to meet others in the hobby and go flying together. You learn a lot. Go register right now (I'm on there as this same username, come say hello).
8. Join or start a local user group.
There are Facebook groups for your region, and Meetup groups too. If not, make a new one. Spread the word about the hobby. (I made a Facebook group called California Drone Enthusiasts, but there are lots of other opportunities for other areas -- let me know if you find or create one).
9. Practice basic maneuvers.
Strafe side to side.
Fly a square.
Fly a circle while aiming at center.
Fly far away and come back with RTH.
Fly low to ground, safely (don't go too low! They naturally drift down and could crash!)
10. Do not fly low over water.
Don't do it. Don't even think about it. You need to get better at using and understanding your drone first.
You could confuse the sensors and the bird can splash down if you aren't careful. They drift down under certain movements, and if you are immediately over the ground or water, it might crash. Sometimes they lose height when hovering or making abrupt direction changes.
Once you understand the movement of these things well, then you can take on more risks.
11. Send me your first Mavic videos.
I'm compiling a "first users" video on YouTube and would love to see your first videos. Just something fun that shows some footage of where new Mavic fliers are flying. Send me a message and I'll give you a Dropbox path to upload your content -- you will be credited in the video too of course.
12. Never lose sight of it in the sky.
It's tempting to stay staring at the screen and never look up. But as good as the collision detection is, it's not perfect, and it doesn't see behind , up, down, or to the sides. Also, it's illegal in most places to lose line of sight. If you need to focus on footage, then have a buddy to be your spotter. This will keep your drone safe, reduce your stress and panic, and also keep things safe and legal.
13. Consider studying and getting licensed for FAA Part 107.
If you're in the USA or planning to come to the USA you might need to think about getting Part 107 licensed from the FAA. It's completely optional if you're a hobbyist, but I still recommend you look at the study materials.
Unless you were planning on flying your new drone for commercial purposes, chances are you never considered getting a Part 107 license. You have to be Part 107 licensed if you are flying your drone for a profit, such as real estate aerial cinematography.
Otherwise, you're a hobbyist, and all you need to do is register at the FAA sUAS Registration Service. But, I urge you to consider getting your Part 107 license, or at least studying for the Part 107 license test. The reason is you will become much, much more familiar with some concepts, such as:
- airspace designations (Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D, Class E) and what they each mean
- airspace procedures (right of way, etc)
- air traffic controller (ATC) details
- weather and metar report analysis
You will feel more confident about what your legal rights are, more confident about protecting your rights when people try to tell you that you are not allowed to fly, and also feel more confident about having your bird in the air in general. I highly recommend this.
There are pay courses to really study for Part 107 with videos and documentation, but you can start for free right now using the FAA's free Remote Pilot – Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Study Guide pdf.
14. Don't be Casey Neistat.
For those of you who don't know him, Casey Neitstat is an incredibly popular personality on YouTube. He posts a "vlog" (video log) almost daily, sharing his crazy life in NYC.
I like the guy. Maybe you do too. He's funky, hip, fun, obviously making great money, and everyone gives him toys (including DJI, who gave him a Mavic to test). His video has a signature editing style that others are starting to mimmic. But, he's careless. He's intentionally abusive to his toys (because they "get in the way of his creativity", which I can understand).
But more importantly, he's negligent and a terrible example for people in the UAV community. He loses line of sight (illegal in USA), he crashes every drone he's ever had, he doesn't read any manuals, and he's just overall incredibly careless. He literally lost the pre-production Mavic Pro that DJI sent him, permanently. The guy might kill someone's kid by accident one day.
This hobby needs everyone coming into it to be careful and thoughtful. There's a lot of people in the world who don't like these things. They want to shoot them out of the sky. And that's because a few bad apples are ruining it for everyone. You're investing a lot of time and money into this now, so don't you want to help promote the hobby in good light?
Just don't be Casey Neistat.
15. Do not fly in freezing temperatures.
The specifications for the Mavic Pro indicate that the aircraft, controller, and the camera are only rated down to 32 degrees farenheight (0 degrees celsius). The reason for this is that the components must not be exposed to frozen temperatures and will likely have issues as a result.
Also, batteries must be warmed (room temperature or slightly higher) before they are used in near freezing temperatures -- in otherwords, you should not have them out in the cold car or garage for more than a few minutes before flying them. They should be stored indoors and be warm just before flight. You risk power going out entirely if the batteries are too cold during flight. Do not fly more than a few minutes in near freezing temperatures. I don't have a specific number of minutes in mind, but keep in mind that you are risking the health of your Mavic Pro if you stay out too long.
The Inspire, a professional grade drone, is rated for temperatures lower than freezing and will have less issues in these environments.
There is so much more to say, but I'm sure you will learn a ton on your own. This is a great hobby, and you're going to have a lot of fun once you build confidence. If you have any specific questions, or additions to this little guide, send me a message. Good luck!
|
|