Based on what I've read in the manual, what I've watched on YouTube, and issues I've seen with other users, here's my list of what I plan to do when I finally get my Mavic Pro.

Let me know what you think, and let's see if we can crowdsource a more detailed first flight guide than what's in the manual (then perhaps we can move on to a second flight guide)

           

Prior to Delivery  

Read the quick start guide cover to cover

Read the manual cover to cover
Watch all DJI Tutorials
Subscribe to DJI Youtube channel

Print FAA UAV Registration and put it in my wallet

   

Post Delivery Inspection

Remove all stickers
Consider removing the Wifi SSID Sticker on the Mavic's front arm - if you do - keep it somewhere safe (like with your manuals)!

Remove Gimbal Clamp

Remove Gimbal Cover

Check batteries for deformation

Check mavic body for deformation

Check gimbal clamp is properly secured to body

Check Lens for Dust or Mold  
  

Preparing for First Flight (Can be performed indoors before going outside for first flight)

Charge Batteries

Upgrade DJI Go App  

Update Firmware

Start up the Mavic with EVERY battery to confirm batteries are looking good in DJI Go App and that the firmware is up to date

Confirm IMU is looking good in DJI Go App

Confirm stick inputs are tracking correctly (note, I am not planning to calibrate the controller out of the box unless I see a problem here)

Calibrate Gimbal  

Take still photos and look for blurry sides or gimbal alignment problems

Adjust gimbal roll if necessary  

Take video and look for blurry sides or gimbal alignment problems

Adjust gimbal roll if necessary  

Adjust Mavic Pro Settings per checklist below

Register Drone with DJI

Purchase DJI Care Refresh from DJI

Attach FAA UAV sticker  
  

Preparing for First Flight (Perform outdoors)

Calibrate Compass (outside, no metal on my person or nearby)

Preparing for Flight (Every Flight)

Charge Batteries if Necessary

Remove Gimbal Cover

Remove Gimbal Clamp

Extend drone legs and props

Inspect drone components - legs, landing gear, sensors, props, gimbal
Turn on controller

Turn on drone  

Start DJI Go App and go to Camera view

Confirm batteries are looking good in DJI Go App  

Confirm IMU is looking good in DJI Go App
Confirm Compass is looking good in DJI Go App - Calibrate Compass if necessary

Confirm GPS lock  

Confirm Home Point Set correctly

Set RTH Altitude to appropriate height (for first flight, let's say 50 ft)
Set Maximum distance to appropriate distance (for second flight, let's say 500 ft)

Set Focus as desired (for first flight, focus at infinity)
Check environment for hazards (electrical lines, etc.)

First Flight (large open clear area)  Start video recording  

Take off, hover at 40 ft for 10 seconds to acquire precision landing image

Confirm VPS reading  

Verify gimbal wheel

Verify Exposure wheel

Verify C1 button

Verify C2 button

Verify 5D button

Confirm Pitch response  

Confirm Roll response

Confirm Throttle response  

Confirm Yaw response

Fly Boxes  

Fly Circles

Land before battery failsafe RTH

Confirm total flight time

Following Flight
Turn off Mavic
Turn off Controller

Inspect drone components - legs, landing gear, sensors, props, gimbal
Fold drone legs and props
Attach Gimbal Clamp

Attach Gimbal Cover

   
Mavic Pro Settings Checklist  

MC Settings

   Enable Multiple Flight Mode (wait for second flight to do this)  
   Set RTH Altitude (50 feet for first flight, whatever is appropriate for subsequent flights)  
   Turn off beginner Mode (wait for second flight to do this)   
   Set Maximum Flight Altitude (Check 400 ft)   
   Advanced Settings  

      EXP

         Rudder left/right 0.2
      Sensitivity
         Yaw End Point 50

     Sensors  

         Confirm IMU Status as Good

     Smart Go Home enabled  

Visual Navigation System

   Turn on Forward Obstacle Sensing  

   Allow Horizontal Obstacle Avoidance

  Disable Backward Flying  

RC Control Settings

  Check button customization  

Aircraft Battery

   Advanced  

      Auto Discharge 3 days

Gimbal  

   Gimbal Tilt EXP – 50

  Gimbal Tilt Smoothtrack –20-30
   Advanced
       Gimbal Speed 20-30

         Enable Synchronized Gimbal Pan Follow
General Settings  
   Imperial

  Disable Youtube Live Streaming  

   Cache Map in Background Enable

  Video Cache - Enable      

Hi!

Thanks for the nice list.

A few suggestions (from my personal point of view):

• I think for precision landing 10 meters liftoff are required (p 15 of the manual).
• The RTH altitude should not be specified as a number but as "appropriate RTH altitude"
• I'd put the outside flight before the indoors flight.
• I'd put the steps that apply to any flight (charging batteries et al) in their own section (preparation for any flight).
  

All the best
Andreas

Great checklist, also in addition to reading the manual in the app, also watch the tutorial videos in the same section as the manual from the app.
one thing to edit is RTH. You set that differently to each flight. Some users like to fly in the city around skyscrapers (not recommended) but if you do something like that then you need to set RTH well above the highest structure. So me you can edit it to say "Set RTH to flight environment" or something like that. If set to 150ft it could cause an issue if you flew around tall structures with obstacle avoidance turned off (keep it on) Or if your in Sport Mode, or it's dark out.
Also your rudder EXPO, play around with all the flight settings including the gains and sensitivity. Each pilot is different and adjust it to how you like it.
Same with the gimbal tile EXP, play around and set to your liking.

And then here's a good video on antenna oriantation.
Also, subscride to the DJI YouTube channel.

DJI Tutorials Youtube

Str8nUpNFlyRigh Posted at 2016-11-10 10:36
Hi!

Thanks for the nice list.

Thanks!  You misinterpreted my list, but that was my fault.  I didn't mean to fly indoors before outdoors.  I meant to say what prepartion I could do indoors versus outdoors before the first flight.  List edited.

Ken calibrating controller out of box?

DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-11-10 10:38
Great checklist, also in addition to reading the manual in the app, also watch the tutorial videos i ...

Thanks Ken.  Edited checklist

DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-11-10 10:38
Great checklist, also in addition to reading the manual in the app, also watch the tutorial videos i ...

I have one other question for you, Ken.  I was thinking of pre-caching the maps based on the location I was planning to fly in, then put my phone in aircraft mode while flying.

I was thinking of including this as an optional or possibly recommended step.

What are your thoughts?

qMvQTfjUrm4z Posted at 2016-11-11 02:59
I have one other question for you, Ken.  I was thinking of pre-caching the maps based on the locat ...

I wouldn't worry about it. And if you did have any issue you can just load the map when you get to the location then put your phone in airplane mode if you want.
I've taken calls while flying and I've never had an issue.
Only in you get some kind of video lag then you start shutting everything down that uses RAM.
If your device is one that's listed as a DJI recommended device then you'll be fine.

iOS Version v3.0.2.
Requires iOS 8.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus,iPod touch 6,iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad Air Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 2 Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air 2, iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 3 Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini 4, and iPad mini 4 Wi-Fi + Cellular. This app is optimized for iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
Android Version v3.0.1.
Requires Android 4.1.2 or later.Compatible with Samsung tabs 705c, Samsung S6, Samsung S5, Samsung NOTE4, Samsung NOTE3, Google Nexus 9, Google Nexus 7 II, Ascend Mate7, Huawei P8 Max, Huawei Mate 8, Nubia Z7 mini, Sony Xperia Z3, MI 3, MI PAD, Smartisan T1.

*Support for additional Android devices available as testing and development continues.

DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-11-11 03:13
I wouldn't worry about it. And if you did have any issue you can just load the map when you get to ...

"iOS Version v3.0.2.
Requires iOS 8.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus"
Iphone 7?

I would like to add one that should be the first item on the list: RECEIVE MAVIC FROM DJI....

DPBT63x5ofXk Posted at 2016-11-11 03:22
"iOS Version v3.0.2.
Requires iOS 8.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plu ...

I'm sure it does, but I'll send an email.

MasterJack Posted at 2016-11-10 11:37
I would like to add one that should be the first item on the list: RECEIVE MAVIC FROM DJI....

{:4_1 ...

Why add something that can't be accomplished {:4_142:}

DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-11-11 03:41
I'm sure it does, but I'll send an email.

I'm sure it does, but I'll send an email.

Thank you

qMvQTfjUrm4z Posted at 2016-11-10 19:49
Thanks!  You misinterpreted my list, but that was my fault.  I didn't mean to fly indoors before o ...

Thanks for the clarification.

Another suggestion:
If flying in RC mode, turn of Wi-Fi in you mobile.

Str8nUpNFlyRigh Posted at 2016-11-11 00:29
Thanks for the clarification.

Another suggestion:

I asked Ken about caching the maps and changing to do not disturb mode on the phone.  He said it was unnecessary (see his response above).  I'll probably still do it myself (I don't see any downside), but decided to keep it off the official list for now.

Lol, you've missed off 'Have some fun', and don't forget to put your hiviz jacket on before opening the box

CamStevens Posted at 2016-11-11 17:58
I asked Ken about caching the maps and changing to do not disturb mode on the phone.  He said it w ...

Well, I guess it's two different things: turn off Wi-Fi vs. turning off telephony (? dunno if that's the correct term - i'm not a native speaker).

This is great! I was making a list myself, now I stop immediately Mine wasn't (neither going to be) this complete, so thanks a lot!!

One thing about the long wait time to receive the Mavic, I was able to do a lot of reading and learning ahead of time as to what to look out for and what to prepare for.  This checklist is the cherry on top of all that reading.  Good job Sir!

My Mavic arrived last Thursday.  Yay!

The LG G3 phone works petfectly well with the Mavic on android 6.0 Marshmallow

Verry informitive list, thank you for the time and effort!
STICKEY.?

Very informative indeed... just annoying that you have to do so much stuff, when you pay for a premium product!

cluc Posted at 2016-11-13 20:50
Very informative indeed... just annoying that you have to do so much stuff, when you pay for a premi ...

I guess I would agree with you about the post delivery checklist.  It's there mostly due to problems people have encountered out of the box which arguably a premium product would have quality checked better.  

But I would strongly disagree that the pre-flight checklist is too much.  I think of this hobby as basically flying around a whirling set of knives, and I think that means caution and constant vigilance is not to much to ask of myself.  I cringe every time I see a first flight video and watch the person turn on the drone before the controller - they either barely made it past the first few pages in the manual (not to mention the quickstart guide), or haven't spent enough time familiarizing themself with their whirling set of knives, in my opinion.

As much smarts as these devices have built in to them, they really have very weak redundancy - if you lose 1 motor, you lose control.  To me, that means that the major source of redundancy is the pilot - one reason I really wish they had kept explicit ATTI mode in the product.  

I also wish that DJI provided a MUCH more detailed manual.  A user in another post rightly pointed out that for all the dozens of settings in the DJI Go App, where is the description of each setting, and where is the description of how they might affect your flying set of knives?  One of the things I liked about my Pixhawk and APM setups is that because I had to choose the value for each setting myself, I had to spend a lot of time understanding what each setting did, and that led me to understand a lot more about how the drone worked.  That in turn made me a much better pilot, and much more able to provide that extra redundancy when some piece of that wonderful drone technology failed (which WILL happen).

Again, with respect to redundancy, I felt a whole lot more comfortable with my 3DR X8.  I bought it specifically because it has true redundancy in the lift system, and could recover from multiple ESC or motor failures.  Problem was, it was so huge and took so long to prepare to fly (so many props to attach!) that I found myself not flying as much as I would have liked.

So for me, in choosing Mavic, I have very consciously traded off redundancy (and therefore some safety) for portability and increased time in the air.  But as a result, I feel that taking the time to understand the aircraft and to check it thoroughly before and after each flight is all the more important.

Apologies, a very long winded answer to your short observation.  I'll step down off my high horse now.

Happy flying!

In the Preparing for First Flight (can be done indoors) section, in addition to charge batteries, update firmware, I would also add: Power up Mavic with each battery you own to confirm all batteries' firmware are up-to-date.

Thank you very much for the work you have done on the list.
Please go over my list that has been updated. If you think it is good please lite me know.

Prior to Delivery
   
Read the quick start guide cover to cover
Read the manual cover to cover
Watch all DJI Tutorials
Subscribe to DJI Youtube channel
Print FAA UAV Registration and put it in my wallet   
  
Post Delivery Inspection
Remove all stickers
Remove Gimbal Clamp
Remove Gimbal Cover
Check batteries for deformation
Check mavic body for deformation
Check gimbal clamp is properly secured to body
Check Lens for Dust or Mold  
  
Preparing for First Flight ( performed outside for first flight)
Charge Batteries
Upgrade DJI Go App  
Update Firmware
Confirm batteries are looking good in DJI Go App  
Calibrate Compass (outside, no metal on my person or nearby)
Confirm IMU is looking good in DJI Go App
Confirm stick inputs are tracking correctly (note, I am not planning to calibrate the controller out of the box unless I see a problem here)
Calibrate Gimbal  
Take still photos and look for blurry sides or gimbal alignment problems
Adjust gimbal roll if necessary  
Take video and look for blurry sides or gimbal alignment problems
Adjust gimbal roll if necessary  
Adjust Mavic Pro Settings per checklist below
Register Drone with DJI
Purchase DJI Care Refresh from DJI
Attach FAA UAV sticker  

First Flight (large open clear area)  
Turn on controller
Turn on drone  
Turn off Wi-Fi on Tablet
Start DJI Go App
Confirm GPS lock  
Confirm Home Point Set correctly
Set RTH Altitude to appropriate height  (To” appropriate RTH altitude” not a # ) Forward Obstacle on
Focus at infinity
Start video recording  
Take off, hover at 30 ft for 10 seconds to acquire precision landing image (page 15in Manual)
Confirm VPS reading  
Verify gimbal wheel
Verify Exposure wheel
Verify C1 button
Verify C2 button
Verify 5D button
Confirm Pitch response  
Confirm Roll response
Confirm Throttle response  
Confirm Yaw response
Fly Boxes  
Fly Circles
Land before battery failsafe RTH
Confirm total flight time

Mavic Pro Settings Checklist  
MC Settings
   Turn off beginner Mode (wait for second flight to do this)
   Enable Multiple Flight Mode (wait for second flight to do this)  
   Set RTH Altitude  (to “appropriate RTH altitude” not a # ) Forward Obstacle on
   Set Maximum Flight Altitude (Check 400 ft)
   Disable Maximum Distance (wait for second flight to do this)  
   Advanced Settings  
      EXP
         Rudder left/right 0.3 (Adjust to liking)
     Sensors  
         Confirm IMU Status as Good
     Smart Go Home enabled  
Visual Navigation System
   Turn on Forward Obstacle Sensing  
   Allow Horizontal Obstacle Avoidance
  Disable Backward Flying  
RC Control Settings
  Check button customization  
Aircraft Battery
   Advanced  
      Auto Discharge 3 days
Gimbal  
   Gimbal Tilt EXP – 50 (Adjust to liking)
  Gimbal Tilt Smoothtrack – 17 (Adjust to liking)
   Enable Synchronized Gimbal Pan Follow
General Settings  
   Imperial
   Disable Youtube Live Streaming  
   Cache Map in Background Enable
  Video Cache - Disable   
One Note: This list is grat, But I have come acrost sevral posts that say after doing the upgrade,   There mavic had problumes that were not there befor the update.
What is going on?

Thank you

Just watched some good videos from Drone Valley via YouTube, good tips on things to check on each flight.
- so might want to add to the list to check the blades.

cluc Posted at 2016-11-14 16:00
Just watched some good videos from Drone Valley via YouTube, good tips on things to check on each fl ...

Thanks.  Just added the following.  I may split out into a checklist for first flight versus every flight in the near future.

Extend drone legs and props
Inspect drone components - legs, landing gear, sensors, props, gimbal

CamStevens Posted at 2016-11-15 08:39
Thanks.  Just added the following.  I may split out into a checklist for first flight versus every ...

Awesome, this is good stuff.

by the time our mavics arrive... (hopefully Santa can get his sht together)... we will have an awesome checklist.

Cinematic settings

fansa5e1fb66 Posted at 2016-11-14 14:32
Thank you very much for the work you have done on the list.
Please go over my list that has been upd ...

Roll about man you should have been a fighter pilot :-)

Peel Posted at 2016-11-13 23:55
In the Preparing for First Flight (can be done indoors) section, in addition to charge batteries, up ...

Great suggestion.  So updated.

Couple of Qs?

-Disable Maximum Distance (wait for second flight to do this)
I would have thought Adjust rather than Disable might be more appropriate for second flight! After 70 flights I am happy with mine being set at 3000m. 5 seconds step to adjust it adhoc and keeping it closer than the 8km max means less area to search if it outlands.

-Video Cache - Disable
Why do this. Is it becasue your phone lacks storage space?

Great List BTW. Well done.

Logger Posted at 2016-11-19 15:34
Couple of Qs?

-Disable Maximum Distance (wait for second flight to do this)

My reasoning on the video cache was about possible resource starvation and crashes in the DJI Go App.  I actually have it turned on now, because I think I'd rather have video cached if something bad happens.  I have therefore changed this to Video Cache enabled

Agreed on not disabling maximum distance.  I'm going to edit it to "Set Maximum Distance to your comfort level"  I am actually increasing this flight by flight.  The reason I was originally thinking to disable this was because I saw a post very early on after release where a flyaway was caused by user error - his phone GPS coordinate was off, he updated his home point to his phone point (which was erroneously a mile away), and because the max distance was exceeded, the craft executed a RTH.  It seems like firmware updates have changed this behavior, because the manual now indicates that when a threshold is exceeded, the craft simply won't go any further away.

Thanks so much for starting this list! Used it as my reference point when I picked up my combo from my local (Singapore) reseller.

Happy to report that no dust bunnies or focussing issues - the whole posts abt that had me most worried (2nd to the reported flyaways).
10 flights in (for a newbie pilot) and no issues found!

The only thing i would add (explicitly) in addition to 'Remove All Stickers' is  to remove the Wifi SSID Sticker on the Mavic's front arm - No point making it too easy for people to pickup a free drone!

Hope you all get yours soon!

Great_Cookie Posted at 2016-11-19 18:35
Thanks so much for starting this list! Used it as my reference point when I picked up my combo from  ...

I personally wouldn't remove the SSID sticker - if somebody had that much physical access to the device, they could pretty much do whatever they wanted anyway.

That being said, I did add it to the list as something to consider.

CamStevens Posted at 2016-11-20 12:57
I personally wouldn't remove the SSID sticker - if somebody had that much physical access to the d ...

Actually, my point was more borne out of the question/concern that if anyone (apart from the owner or authorised) were to pick up a Mavic (eg Flyaway/abandoned/etc), would they still be able to connect and operate the drone via wifi - assuming that the ssid/wifi password had not changed.

In the vague universe of things, i'm sure there would be a reset for the craft - which would then default it back to the factory ssid/password. I'm sorry, but i'll be damned if i'm going to make it easy for anyone to use my drone without my prior permission.

Not sure if it's been mentioned so far but I would like to add 'Check for environment obstructions/dangers such as power lines' as a pre flight check.

Kevin16 Posted at 2016-11-20 12:22
Not sure if it's been mentioned so far but I would like to add 'Check for environment obstructions/d ...

Great idea.  List updated.

Hi all, just curious about the calibration of IMu, compas, gimbal and others - is it really necessary to calibrate before the first flight (esp. when not encountering any troubles?)Thanks.
(Using this msg for my question - accidentally put twice the same reply and can't delete none of them)

Hi, thanks indeed for a comprehensive info. Marking :-)