My first mistakes; 1: Flying outside with too much wind. (crashed and broken) 2: Asking myself how high it will go and then doing it. (lost in the wind) 3: Leaving lipo's charged ready for use. (they died) 4: Taking off the propguards for longer flight times. (much damage on my wall-art) 5: Showing off without experience. (lost and crashed and broken) 6: Let a friend try it even before I had enough knowledge myself. (crashed and broken) 7: Not having spare parts on the shelf. (hurry up China!)
You mentioned at the end about other rookie mistakes. Well, my biggest mistake was that I did not view your video first! I was guilty of 6 out of 7. Thanks for your information, it will make me a better ground pilot.
A mistake I made when learning was reducing throttle from high altitude to let the craft go straight down. Its very unstable and sometimes can not come to a stop and hits the ground hard. Its much smoother to go forward while descending.
Ready Set Drone another tip: in sharpie, write your name and contact info on the body and a note saying there is a 50$ reward for it. I’ve done this, and gotten it back when I was flying in another state.
Buy a DJI or other expencive drone without any experience of flying drones. they may be easy to fly but once something goes wrong. you need skills to recover from it. and if you have no experience you are going to crash. buy a cheap toy drone and practics then step it up a notch. ect ect.
I recommend the Traxxas Aton, it's fairly cheap @ $319 - VERY powerful, but it has 3 modes, film (Easy, practically flies iteself) - Sport (Fun/Fast) and Expert (Full manual control) - GREAT to learn on, start on Film until you're comfortable, then move to sport, then after a long time move to expert... there's an OH SHIT button called the Airbrake that'll stop it where it is in the air, in sport/expert mode. - It's almost 2 pounds and WILL do 50mph+ - don't get careless or you can seriously injure or even kill someone, or do some heavy property damage.
+'96 VR-4 Spyder you are completely missing the point. you need to crawl before you walk. get a $20 syma 5x.or skrc q16 which you can learn to fly on and crash many times without it braking. then when you have more experience go spend $300 or more on a drone have all that features.
It's what I teach all my friends to fly on, film mode is very forgiving, it's been crashed 20+ times and I've only had to replace a couple props, there's a large private park near where I live where I have permission to fly (I gave the owners some aerial footage of their house in exchange) - the only thing they're gonna hurt is the drone. I DO see your point, but the Aton is so forgiving it makes for a great beginner drone. (IMO)
i uderstand all that but the price is not forgiving at all. and for that price you can get away with a lot better beginner quard. What im trying to say is. why sepend sub $300 on a beginner drone when you dont know how to fly or even know if the hobby are fro you or not. maby the drone you talk about is a better 2nd drone. once you have made up your mind. i mean i much rather trow $20 away then $300. ofcause if people know someone who have the quard in question and they are letting them fly it. sure go for it,
I agree. I have a DJI Phantom 3 4k and I always avoid flying over property just in case. Just out of interest though, if I included a polite apology with my contact details and offered a reasonable cash reward say $50 on a $500 drone, would you be inclined to return it to me or keep it knowing that you could sell it second hand but without the controller. I'm aiming for the right incentive if I ever lose contact and the drone lands in a random location.
That's brilliant! "a polite apology" With the right attitude and the willingness to accept responsibility even when you damage somebody's property anonymously is a lost virtue, e.g. leaving a note on a parked car you hit. On my wish list, a password protected flight control system making reward -vs- resale an option.
This was an excellent presentation. Good communication skills [as though you had some media experience]. Good tips. I learned a few things and I've been flying four years. Thanks for thinking of others and for taking the time to post this.
I started with the Phantom 3 standard. I just wanted something to fly around, but then I got into the camera aspect. And these guys saying the Phantom isn't tough or that a beginner can't save it. BS ! I saved mine after taking it too high with a low battery. And my son crashed it into the power lines. It then hit the PAVEMENT hard enough to eject the battery. (Those batteries are a little bit hard to pull out too) One prop was broke. Replaced all props just to give it some TLC, and it fired up and took to the sky again. They're tough and I coaxed mine out of a tree from 50 yards with a low battery, with less than a month experience, and with the craft flying TOWARDS me, so people shouldn't assume that they know so much about how tough something is for sure.
As an absolute beginner, these tips are a "life savior"! #2 - this is the best tip ever! Saved me the confusion about directions and I was able to actually fly my Drone. Speaking of it, I followed your tip for Syma and I am really happy with my purchase to help me learn how to fly those things.
I plan to use it for security work. The site where I'm at has cameras all right. Even signs that says the property is under 24 hour surveillance. Trouble is, most cameras on site are blurry, and others are facing in directions I don't think is conducive to security. The site's camera system doesn't even record images. I'd need a drone with GPS so that it can hover in place while I work the camera, capturing images. Also, with suspicious activity, a guard may have to confront, either by design or accident. A drone can eliminate that and track a suspect at a distance. And as the building I serve is old and somewhat dilapidated it could serve the client in inspecting hard to reach places. An aspect of security I've thought right away is that, if a suspicious person spots the drone, you should never fly directly back to your position. It'll just point them towards you. Break line of sight while going another direction, then return home. Otherwise you could find a stranger attempting to rob you of it. Homeless/druggies/delinquents aren't always the most rational or forgiving, even if they're trespassing. More fun, means I'd stay awake, flying the damned thing. Cold out? Having to put on boots, sweater, heavy jacket, walk a circuit in the cold, when you're sitting in a nice warm kiosk it's easy to get lazy. It's faster than an old fart on two legs. :-P Yep, these are all excuses for me buying into one of these on a security guard's salary.
Ready Set Drone lol srry for not replying faster. Anyway It isn’t really a professional drone so noI think. Also the drone I talked about is now broken so yea
Great video - thanks for the tips and, as an aviation safety professional - very glad to hear you reference that. Stay away from those airports, approach and departure paths folks.
just watched this. i was taking off on a uneven surface and was wondering why it was drifting and not balanced. i tried it today on a even surface and it corrected it. thanks
Yes, most of the crashes i've got due to the desorientation and panicking! And i have had attempts to slowly lift it up in the air, which created the effect you've mentioned. Thank you very much.
Just started flying a drone I understand RC cars real well drones a different story, I think I found a new hobby I like I have a hunderd dollar drone now and I am going to practice in then by a little bit better one, Safety guards on rotors are a good idea when you start!!
I recall this tip when I flew rc helies, practice hovering your heli nose on. This in time will help you grow accustomed to mirroring your controller input. This is easier said than done but you can practice hovering nose on with your drone.
Great set of videos and advice. I started with a $50 Sky Viper using the auto launch and hover until I got comfortable with the controls and moved to manual mode.
I did the same as well Mastered the flight of the sky viper even bought a second one was and still is a great toy..moved up to the xk 251 and I fucken lost lost it in the 3rd flight it was like a jack rabbit and my skyvipers we're like Vwbugs . I was not ready for such power
I think if you are flying a $5,000+ copter with a RED or high end DSLR attached to it, then a parachute makes sense. But for smaller, lighter, cheaper quadcopters, I don't think it's worth the hassle or expense. Thanks for watching!
As a relatively new drone pilot, I love your tip at about 2:05 about flying in circles to train yourself on the left/right confusion thing. I took that one step further and decided to fly figure eights in a big field. I tried flying them at various speeds, altitudes, and wind conditions. Then I took it to the next level and worked on flying the same figure eight pattern, but all the while keeping the camera trained on me - even as I walked around. I'm getting better at this next level one but still need more practice.
I just got a drone today and gave it it's maiden voyage. Believe it or not I made about 4 of these mistakes. The biggest one is the orientation mistake. Getting this corrected saved other mistakes, which it did for me. Great video!
Great info for beginners. One thing I don't see and is rare.Drones flying together. I figure all drone flyers have one thing in common above color religion or what ever is the love of flying drone's. Its also an reason for other drone flyers to get to know each other and share there experience they had. More group drone flying be a hoot. At my home I have family come over and atleast 3 drones are flying together is so much fun. I figure more group flying videos is need on you tube. great video's enjoyed them very much.
I am new to drone flying and this video explained exactly what I have done multiple times. I am learning to pay attention better but I should have listen to this earlier as it was very informative Thanks
Good info and video. What I did right away was to tape some bright orange ribbon on the back landing legs so that I could more easily the which way the nose was pointing. Kept the ribbon short enough so that it would not interfere with the props.
@@readysetdrone My Spark is Lava Red. If I can't figure out it's orientation, all I have to do is an "up elevator", which makes it rear up like a horse on it's rear legs - if I see the color red, then I know it's facing me.
I watched a rookie fly one a few days ago. He crashed it into a tree three times and over the top of a house once. I have to admit , for coming from Walmart, it seemed rather durable. This was very informative.I am looking forward to getting my first drone soon. thanks
I cut my arm doing a reaching catch when my drone "lost it" inside my house in the hall and it was either damage the wall and drone or get cut so I got cut.
Bastille Mine involved besides the wall, a CAT. As she saw it coming in at her towards her corner where I had to air grab it, I went in for the grab and she bolted.
Having had a few of the cheaper entry level drones, I had become very discouraged because of having to adjust the trim settings constantly to achieve a stable hover. I've decided to get a GPS drone. I was a little hesitant about putting a $200.00 "toy" in the air but these do look so much easier to fly and control. I purchased an SJRC F-11 Pro. Thank you so much for taking the time to help others in this sport and hobby.
Very good list. For the bigger drones (Phantom, Typhoon, etc), I'd add "not having a set pre-flight checklist", "no compass calibration", and "lack of radio check".
All of these are very useful information. I think many flyers, especially beginners, make the mistake of flying without checking the conditions on apps like UAV forecast or Weather by Tomorrow and end up losing or crashing their drones.
Great video I am new to the hobby and guilty of turning it on with a false level. Do I need to worry about these batteries catching on fire during recharging?
As long as your batteries are well ventilated (not covered up or inside something), you should not have to worry about them catching fire. Thanks for watching!
#1) Level surfaces are not necessary, my 2 drones will initialize fine on a non-level surface... the key is to not touch the drone while its initializing
Yes. Even cheap Hubsan don't require level on power on. If my 107 can know and wait until I set it down and you have a pricier drone that doesn't......
That might be true on the older quadcopters or copters that don't auto level but it's not necessary on the newer stuff with auto level. That's built in. And it's done precisely because people were crashing them all the time.
I just got a Cloud Rider Drone with camera and I was making the first two mistakes you discussed. I found it so much easier to fly when I kept the front facing away from me- so pushing yaw left was actually left. Then you can build confidence and eventually learn to spin it around. Thanks for the great tips! Happy flying!
number 8 beginners fly in a to small area, which makes it much harder to learn,,, best first go to an open area where there will be less obstacles and you can learn more easily
I agree with most of what you said, but I totally disagree on hand catching any sUAS. 99.99% of all the procedures and regulations for these devices is all about safety first. It is not ever safe to hand catch, and in some cases it can be bad for the UAS. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for the comment. I agree that some quads are not great to catch, but I maintain that the Phantom, because of the way its landing gear is set up and because you can hover it in one place with GPS is easy to catch and low risk if you are careful and you know what you are doing. You really can't land in a wakesurfing boat, so catching is the best option. I appreciate what you said about safety though and 100% agree. Thanks for watching!
Good tips - with the smaller drones the leds start flashing when battery is low - bring it home then. I agree it is easy to get too high and out of control. I have lost 2 that way 😱- it was at night!
as a note, that's 3.3v per cell. So if your flying a 3 cell pack, thats 9.9v. Personally, I stop at 3.5v per cell. NEVER EVER EVER go below 3v per cell. If you do, discharge the battery using a lightbulb with the battery pack buried in sand. Never throw a LiPo in the trash with any form of charge. LiPo's can be very dangerous if you do not respect them. I've seen enough fires caused by LiPo's in my lifetime. If a LiPo opens, it will burn, period, it doesn't need spark of flame, just oxygen.
your wasting perfectly good cells doing that. most high current devices like quadcopters and drills will cut power at 3.00V because risk of current leakage, however actual safe limit for moth lithium battery is 2.80V and min voltage for self life to recover from is 2.20V... if your cell is at 2.60V and you haven't damaged it or run it very hard that low down you should be ok to trickle charge it back up very slowly like .250 mW and set cut off power at 4.2V per cell. i personally have recovered what was claimed to been trashed lipo cells that whereas low as 1.84V per cell.. trickle charged them slowly at 0.150mW up till 4.2V per cell then did a discharge test to 3.0V at 1.0amps.. found it still had 85% original capacity! apparently the guy that ran them that far down said they been heavily used probably recharged 100x and that last time he accidentally left the system turned on and it leaked current until it was that low..that battery i dont use anymore but i did for a while use it in my traxxas RC car, originally his drone battery..
you have a ton of time left.. no need to chicken out with DJi's batteries.. in my experience you can run them right down and recharge them after they cool off again and still good.. i typically recommend landing it with 15% -20% remaining, that way not out when battery is critical, but if you know your drone and surroundings, then its typically fine to run it right down to 10% or less... everytime im exploring a new location i use my rule of 20%. i dont want my drone being out when battery is critical in a new location.. if i can see it, 15%.. but i cannot imagine at 50% landing it..and then swapping packs..
Thanks for the video. Just got a Drocon Cyclone X708 for Christmas and it's my first Drone. I want to watch and learn as much as I can before ever trying to fly it.
I'm a rookie, got myself a syma x8hg. Wanted a phantom since they first came out, but to expensive. I have experienced some of the first 3 or 4 you mentioned. Glad I found this video before I made the other mistakes.
Didn't know about #1... Thanks for the Heads-Up... ✔ Actually, the other day, I was flying my P4 and it was acting a bit erratically. I probably turned it on at an angle as you mentioned... 😞
You didn't know about it because it's not true. When out flying, unless you carry a board, shims and a spirit level it will be impossible to start on a level surface. The important thing is the initial IMU calibration is done on a level surface. That and leaving the aircraft still when it boots up.
Omg you just cleared up something simple that I could never figure out. When flying in my house as soon as I take off my drone would fly off sideways all over the floor. Well I now see the problem was I turned it on while holding it before laying it on level ground. Works fine now. THANKS!!
Let me start off by explaining a few things. With my job we are out in the mountains and hills treating invasive plants. Some of these hills are very steep and sometime simply to large to spend all day getting to the top to see if there are any plants. So I've been think about using a drone to widen my "mapping" area without having to hike it. With that said I bought a swiftstream z-9 to learn how to fly them. I've been flying RC planes for about 6 years. I know the z-9 is not capable of doing what I need. what drone will be able to help or what one do you recommend. I was thinking about the DJI Mavic because it can fit in my hiking backpack. Please help me.
Wayne Juntunen yeah. A DJI Mavic would definitely do the job. But its pricy. I would recommend a DJI Pantom 3 Standard or an Advanced. It is big but is far cheaper. If you do have do have that much spare money then sure, go for the Mavic.
Ready Set Drone Thank you so very much. 999$ is a lot but the company is paying for it and I believe our budget would be around 1500$ max. Cheaper the better but I just wanted to get an educated opinion on what I should do. I liked how the Mavic can fold up, but to save 500$ I'll just carry the drone in my hand. As far as reliability are they both fairly the same?
Wayne, I'm looking for a drone for invasive plant detection in difficult terrain too. Overhead obstacle avoidance seems to be a feature rarely found in drones so far. Near trees it would be really useful. Regards.
Mistake 8: Not reading a manual before operating. I know, I am don't like to read manuals myself, but I found out the expensive way, that reading BEFORE tehfirst flight can save you money :)
Thank you! My first flight with my Typhoon H was only intended to practice navigating and hovering low in my driveway. I was thrilled that I could blow the leaves away, clearing the surface! I had not realized that the auto-return switch would FIRST take the craft 65+ feet in the air before landing, crashing it into the oak tree canopy above! The repair took nearly 4 weeks and cost well over $600.00!
Because, ever since there has been spoken language, people have been shortening ways to say things. It's about efficiency. "Propeller" has 3 syllables. "Props" has 1 syllable. So, if something is in context, the shortened version is fine. When talking about aircraft, prop is known to be propeller. When talking about making a play or movie, prop would be an accessory to help the scene. So, as long as your IQ is over 65 and you understand context, shortening words is perfectly fine. You're welcome!
If you prefer to say propeller please say propeller. And don't get upset if someone calls you Ash, as long as we know who or what is being addressed everything should be fine. It's all about communicating. Peace.
Practice is all it takes, you are correct... I am not new to flying, but have never had drones before (only flew RC gliders and fixed-wing planes). I have bought a Darkstorm X8AMG, but for the learning period before I fly it, bought some cheap little Happycow UFO-style indoor quads which don't mind the abuse of hitting ceilings or walls and don't have a fixed level altitude control, so you have to adjust it all the time. I tested the "pillow effect" (air piling up underneath the drone) when trying to land/take off in a frying pan (of course cold...) for fun in the kitchen, well, all I can say is that multiplies the effect for sure! :)
Remembering in hindsight, of the days I started flying, I think I'm guilty of doing all of those listed in your list... Plus several more unlisted ones, such as flying over a large body of water while still learning how to fly. That time, I flew my new Phantom 3 around this neat lake near my home. I was still learning, wasn't too familiar with her flying characteristics, plus still figuring out which is which... The outcome was obvious... Too cocky, too close to the surface too fast, one "Oh shit moment" later and splash...! She became a Phantom submarine... I'll sure pay attention to these (avoidable) mistakes and encourage others to do the same... Great video as always, RSD...!
Im guilty for flying too high, my drone lost signal for a bit, lost orientation and it was drifting near a pine tree. I never had my heart raced so fast with this thing. i dont think im ever gonna do that again
I don't know man... On the one side you're advising your audience on 7 common mistakes to avoid but then you mention the option to catch 4 angry meat grinders from the air using one of the two required hands to safely navigate said angry meat grinder. You might as well forward them to Enrique Iglesias.
Fair...but I've caught my phantom many times and never had any issues. It's really the only way to land if you are shooting water skiing on a boat or on rough terrain. But you are right, it's not a great move for beginners. Thanks for watching!
Great vid. Ran across this on some rabbit hole on YT. I watched this, and it was very informative. No bells, whistles. Just brass tax. Nicely done. I have my first drone charging now and will attempt my first flight tomorrow. Thx again.
+1 Ready Set Drone - Thank you for these fantastic tips. And #5 is GOLD!!! I lost my small, but powerful and fast, new XK X252--flying too high--after only a few flights, because I became too overconfident. Folks, please don't let it happen to you. Now then, luckily for me, I was able to find it using the FPV screen (no GPS on X252). I quickly began scouring the rural (edge of town) area on foot, hoping to get close enough (within FPV video range) that I'd see the camera image on my FPV screen before the batteries ran down. Amazingly, I finally did start getting some intermittent images and was finally able to get close to its still-hidden position. By the end of the search I was within 10 meters and had a perfect FPV camera image, but I still couldn't see it in the high grass of the adjacent field. I had even given short blasts of the throttle hoping to hear it, but never did. I could see the front props spinning from the FPV, but never heard them. With the help of a very nice local Thai man, who climbed a barb-wire fence, traipsed through the high grass, and found it for me, the story had a happy ending. I'll just say that finding the tiny drone was a freakin' miracle and I'll be extremely careful in the future. The nightmare happened sooooo fast! From takeoff to OMG IT'S LOST took exactly 2 minutes per the recorded video. In that short time, according to Google Earth, it had magically covered 400 meters---into the wind, no less! Folks, when things go wrong... they go wrong FAST!!!! Don't be stupid like I was... PLEASE heed this one!
Thank you for the video, I am a very new pilot, so far only one crash , I let my drone get away from me. I am having a tough time hoovering, I just watched the other video of you teaching, I am going to try what you said, I did learn a major mistake, I have been facing the drone at me instead of away.
Good list! I made all these mistakes, you are right. One other thing to be aware of is the wind on high altitude. I lost two quads for that, one was a 250 race quad. There is more wind up there and the quad can behave different than close to you, so always have to right altitude in order to have always a good control. Not take useless risks and be balanced. The temptation to fly fast and high is big!
Yeah I figured with the amount of subscribers compared to the others that you knew what you were doing and must have been one of the first or at least the most successful. But youtube is all about originality and there can be only one REAL drone guy, you :).
I'm a beginner and just bought a mini drone to fly inside. Your video is perfect for me because I will be buying an outdoor drone soon. I learned valuable info from your video!
To lose altitude quickly move forward (or any other direction) as you descend with very little throttle. Then when low enough stop the directional travel, boost the throttle a bit, and bring it down slowly the rest of the way. The directional travel drives a couple of motor a bit faster and stops it dropping like a stone, it just drops very similar to a stone. Scary, but it works for me with my DJI F550.
NONE of this is common sense for someone who has no RC experience of any kind. If it were there wouldn't be so many 'attaboy' and 'thank you' comments. They design these devices to be as foolproof as possible, and write the instructions as clear and complete as possible, but then some new fool comes along... and they redesign or rewrite whatever it was that caused a problem. All Joe Consumer knows is to plug in the battery, charge, fly. That's all they should need. But get into battery discharge % and ground effects or whatever and these are all things they've never heard before and have no knowledge.
First mistake: Calling Quads or multi rotor---- DRONES. They are not drones for the last time Geeeez ! My first Quad was flown using 4 32cc nitro motors and 5 gyros and 4 governors . And it worked back in 1996.
Yeah - I know some people are not big fans of that word. But if you want your videos to be found online, it is a very popular search term. Thanks for watching!
If your a military operator with a weaponized drone then yes but of your not... ya you get the point it's an rc, model, multiroter, quad, hex,Y ext... drone ... ya & they wonder why there such a big stink over people enjoying a hobby lets start calling other joys the worst thing we can & see how fast people take up arms over that bs. Selfies hummm vanity anyone!
DRONE:, n. 3. a remote-controlled, pilotless aircraft or missile. Res.: Google Dictionary. Quads, Hexes, winged, jet-pack, etc. If they are RC, pilotless aircraft, they are 'DRONES'. Potato, potahto. Who really cares? But it is NOT a 'mistake' to call them drones, because they are!
I know nothing about drones. Therefore I really appreciate the free lessons and advice. Thank you. I have been working on a little chopper for a while . I cant take it outside its too small. BUt My best girl gave me a promark vr for christmas.I have no idea what possessed her to do that. I love RC cars. I loved going with my uncle Bill (RIP) when i was a kid. He had RC planes and UC planes. I have seen alot. I have several RC cars. Nothing fancy. But my first experience with this was almost a disaster. I gained respect before i lost it. So I saw your videos and Im am less frustrated. It isnt a car.LOL I will try some of the beginner lessons from your other vids . My drone has auto take off and auto land abilities. You explained what headless means but I will take your challenge to get better before I cheat with it. Thanks again. It is very nice of you to help this almost 60 kid.
My first mistakes: * Trying to land on paper box instead of wet concrete (it can drift a bit and flip over the edge) * Flying in wind above water (obviously downward looking sensors are confused and barometer is affected by wind, so it fails to keep altitude ... hopefully noticed it in time).
I made most of those mistakes and were lucky to realize that those were not smart ideas, going to far, going to high, battery life without paying the price. I didn't want to go expensive so I got the X6 Tarantula and it is fun and moddable. I especially think that the battery neglect can become costly if we're not watching that %20 level. Those were good tips, I think before flying there should be a crash course provided or a short video or safety instructions of avoidance that prepares a noobie like myself.
I'm glad I haven't attempted to go out and fly my new drone yet (because it's been raining too much). I'm going to watch your videos first. Probably twice (at least)!
56 y/o Noob here....first of all, I should have looked at this video first, LOL. first time flying my new beginner drone my wife got me for Dad's Day, and I took it up way way to high too fast and it begin to slowly drift away, so I started to hit the down throttle but it was too late to do anything so I hit the land button, got it back after almost a minute with no damage so now I'm reading and watching all the video's first....thanks again for the vid and pointers here....
Missed a chance to talk about VRS when flying too high. For anyone reading, don't drop your drone too quickly straight down. It enters its own turbulence and can start to spiral and drop out of the sky. If it happens, go full throttle forward to get out of it. To avoid it, drop slower and add some forward motion as you go.
great videos for beginners!. I have been flying about 8 weeks. Of that time two weeks were spent waiting for spare parts to arrive ( from CHINA!) I have a basic craft with no GPS ( Force 1 F100 Ghost, same thing as a Bugs 3), so I am flying manually all the time. I practiced in my large back yard for a week, back and forth, side to side, up down lake-off and landing ( poorly!) tried to keep it below the roof. One windy day it got blown over the fence and crashed into my 80 yo neighbor's house. Of course he was outside working ON A LADDER when the drone wizzed by and smacked his house. Thank God I didn't hit him. I have learned 3 things from my mistakes: 1. The power weakens quickly when the batteries are on their last 15%. My controller doesn't have a meter, but it does beep a warning when the batteries are almost out. on good conditions I have about a minute to bring it back. But if I am upwind of the drone, it has to work extra hard to get back and the battery may not last. I can tell when the battery is almost dead- it gets really difficult to keep it steady when landing. 2. When it goes out of range, it shuts off and falls...I flew on a windy day out in a park. The manual says I have a 500 meter range, so about 1/4 mile. I went too far and the beast fell from about 200 feet through a huge pecan tree that broke off one of the arms holding a motor. That led to... 3. I have learned to completely disassemble all components and transfer them to a new airframe. I already had lots of electronic PCB assembly experience, so that was not hard, but learning the proper way to wire the motors to the ESCs and waterproof and insulate the connections was interesting. I am 66, my son's friend flies drones, and he has built 7 or 8 over the past 5 years. I suppose I will be doing that very soon.
The following mistakes have cost me thousands of dollars when building my own quads: 1. Make sure the cable going from your radio to your flight controller is well secured. If you try to make your own Y cable...make sure you did a good job. 2. Make sure you have failsafes set up. For example, if you transmitter dies, your quad should return to launch. 3. If you are going to be doing any assisted flying modes or straight up autonomous flying, make sure the compass and accelerometer are well calibrated. 4. Make sure you have run 'compassmot' so that there isn't a lot of electromagnetic interference between your motors/ESC's/etc, and your compass. 5. If you are flying distance, be VERY VERY VERY careful to pay attention to wind. If you are flying a long distance away WITH the wind, be aware that the trip back can easily take 200-300% more battery than the trip out took. 6. NEVER fly beyond line of sight. It is very easy to get 'too comfortable' with the camera view. I cannot tell you how many times I have crashed because I was a bit too comfortable losing sight of my drone and depending on video. If you ever have problems with your transmitter, you can easily regret it. You also lose a lot of situational awareness. 7. Almost every quad out there is using 2.4Ghz for radio control. Be aware that this frequency is very easily blocked by buildings, trees, etc. If you put a building between yourself and your drone, two things will happen. First, the quad will lose radio contact. Second, when it tries to 'return to home', it will fly the shortest path between itself and you, a straight line....which just so happens to have a building in it since you were dumb enough to put a building between yourself and your quad, so it will DEFINITELY be crashing in to the building.
My first mistakes;
1: Flying outside with too much wind. (crashed and broken)
2: Asking myself how high it will go and then doing it. (lost in the wind)
3: Leaving lipo's charged ready for use. (they died)
4: Taking off the propguards for longer flight times. (much damage on my wall-art)
5: Showing off without experience. (lost and crashed and broken)
6: Let a friend try it even before I had enough knowledge myself. (crashed and broken)
7: Not having spare parts on the shelf. (hurry up China!)
Wow that's poor luck^^
audiogek . you sound like an expert. I am right there with you.
flying into the wind would have saved me money.
#7, Hilarious!!
how much money do you have to buy new drones? Jezzus.
"Practice flying in circles" thank you for that one. This is my first day and that's going to be a big help.
Same
You mentioned at the end about other rookie mistakes. Well, my biggest mistake was that I did not view your video first! I was guilty of 6 out of 7. Thanks for your information, it will make me a better ground pilot.
+Clark Eugene Glad to hear it! Thanks for watching and happy new year!
can´t agree more... first and dangerous mistake: start flying a drone without seeing instructions....
Clark Eugene Check out these Drones: www.skyhighadvantage.com
Does this work with a quadrone
The PJ masks
A mistake I made when learning was reducing throttle from high altitude to let the craft go straight down. Its very unstable and sometimes can not come to a stop and hits the ground hard. Its much smoother to go forward while descending.
Yeah, descending straight down quickly will put it in vortex ring state.
a few more 1. dont fly a large drone indoors. 2.gps is your friend but learn to fly without it. 3. balance your props, check them before each flight.
Great points. I really should have included "pre-flight check" in the list. Thanks for watching!
Dude your intro scared the shit outta me
What do you mean by balance the props?
CloudJamie look up dji Phantom prop balancing.
Ready Set Drone another tip: in sharpie, write your name and contact info on the body and a note saying there is a 50$ reward for it. I’ve done this, and gotten it back when I was flying in another state.
Buy a DJI or other expencive drone without any experience of flying drones. they may be easy to fly but once something goes wrong. you need skills to recover from it. and if you have no experience you are going to crash.
buy a cheap toy drone and practics then step it up a notch. ect ect.
Yup, thats what im doing... Im just gonna buy a syma x8w and change the camera (im a beginner)
I recommend the Traxxas Aton, it's fairly cheap @ $319 - VERY powerful, but it has 3 modes, film (Easy, practically flies iteself) - Sport (Fun/Fast) and Expert (Full manual control) - GREAT to learn on, start on Film until you're comfortable, then move to sport, then after a long time move to expert... there's an OH SHIT button called the Airbrake that'll stop it where it is in the air, in sport/expert mode. - It's almost 2 pounds and WILL do 50mph+ - don't get careless or you can seriously injure or even kill someone, or do some heavy property damage.
+'96 VR-4 Spyder you are completely missing the point. you need to crawl before you walk. get a $20 syma 5x.or skrc q16 which you can learn to fly on and crash many times without it braking. then when you have more experience go spend $300 or more on a drone have all that features.
It's what I teach all my friends to fly on, film mode is very forgiving, it's been crashed 20+ times and I've only had to replace a couple props, there's a large private park near where I live where I have permission to fly (I gave the owners some aerial footage of their house in exchange) - the only thing they're gonna hurt is the drone.
I DO see your point, but the Aton is so forgiving it makes for a great beginner drone. (IMO)
i uderstand all that but the price is not forgiving at all. and for that price you can get away with a lot better beginner quard. What im trying to say is. why sepend sub $300 on a beginner drone when you dont know how to fly or even know if the hobby are fro you or not. maby the drone you talk about is a better 2nd drone. once you have made up your mind. i mean i much rather trow $20 away then $300. ofcause if people know someone who have the quard in question and they are letting them fly it. sure go for it,
Number one thing to do when you get a drone: write your name and contact data on it!
Your data is of no concern if it comes down on my property.
Always remember, Karma can be a bitch!
I agree. I have a DJI Phantom 3 4k and I always avoid flying over property just in case. Just out of interest though, if I included a polite apology with my contact details and offered a reasonable cash reward say $50 on a $500 drone, would you be inclined to return it to me or keep it knowing that you could sell it second hand but without the controller. I'm aiming for the right incentive if I ever lose contact and the drone lands in a random location.
That's brilliant! "a polite apology"
With the right attitude and the willingness to accept responsibility even when you damage somebody's property anonymously is a lost virtue, e.g. leaving a note on a parked car you hit.
On my wish list, a password protected flight control system making reward -vs- resale an option.
***** Yes, you would be acting like an responsible pilot.
This was an excellent presentation. Good communication skills [as though you had some media experience]. Good tips. I learned a few things and I've been flying four years. Thanks for thinking of others and for taking the time to post this.
I'm just starting out with drones, so this is EXCELLENT advice! I'll keep watching for more videos and tips. Thanks so much!!!
I started with the Phantom 3 standard. I just wanted something to fly around, but then I got into the camera aspect. And these guys saying the Phantom isn't tough or that a beginner can't save it. BS ! I saved mine after taking it too high with a low battery. And my son crashed it into the power lines. It then hit the PAVEMENT hard enough to eject the battery. (Those batteries are a little bit hard to pull out too) One prop was broke. Replaced all props just to give it some TLC, and it fired up and took to the sky again. They're tough and I coaxed mine out of a tree from 50 yards with a low battery, with less than a month experience, and with the craft flying TOWARDS me, so people shouldn't assume that they know so much about how tough something is for sure.
As an absolute beginner, these tips are a "life savior"!
#2 - this is the best tip ever! Saved me the confusion about directions and I was able to actually fly my Drone.
Speaking of it, I followed your tip for Syma and I am really happy with my purchase to help me learn how to fly those things.
Thanks! I appreciate the feedback!
EXCELLENT advice for us that just got their first drone!
Thank you!!
I plan to use it for security work. The site where I'm at has cameras all right. Even signs that says the property is under 24 hour surveillance. Trouble is, most cameras on site are blurry, and others are facing in directions I don't think is conducive to security. The site's camera system doesn't even record images. I'd need a drone with GPS so that it can hover in place while I work the camera, capturing images.
Also, with suspicious activity, a guard may have to confront, either by design or accident. A drone can eliminate that and track a suspect at a distance.
And as the building I serve is old and somewhat dilapidated it could serve the client in inspecting hard to reach places.
An aspect of security I've thought right away is that, if a suspicious person spots the drone, you should never fly directly back to your position. It'll just point them towards you. Break line of sight while going another direction, then return home. Otherwise you could find a stranger attempting to rob you of it. Homeless/druggies/delinquents aren't always the most rational or forgiving, even if they're trespassing.
More fun, means I'd stay awake, flying the damned thing.
Cold out? Having to put on boots, sweater, heavy jacket, walk a circuit in the cold, when you're sitting in a nice warm kiosk it's easy to get lazy.
It's faster than an old fart on two legs. :-P
Yep, these are all excuses for me buying into one of these on a security guard's salary.
Just think of how many Jurassic Park security guards would still be alive today if they only had used drones.
Thanks for this. I have a cheap drone I'm learning on, as well as teaching my daughter. so the tips help.
when I take off my potensic f181dh drone I push the throttle up all the way and that really works since I can adjust the sensibility
Does it have different flight rates? Maybe try turning that up?
Ready Set Drone lol srry for not replying faster. Anyway It isn’t really a professional drone so noI think. Also the drone I talked about is now broken so yea
Great video - thanks for the tips and, as an aviation safety professional - very glad to hear you reference that. Stay away from those airports, approach and departure paths folks.
Thanks! I am with you - stay away from airports...safe flying to you!
motorv8N
Great video with important info to avoid beginner drone pilot mistakes.
just watched this. i was taking off on a uneven surface and was wondering why it was drifting and not balanced. i tried it today on a even surface and it corrected it. thanks
Awesome. That's a common mistake. Glad you were able to get it fixed and flying straight!
Thanks! Easy-to-follow tips that will save you a lot of money.
Also, just short enough to get you through it all.
Yes, most of the crashes i've got due to the desorientation and panicking! And i have had attempts to slowly lift it up in the air, which created the effect you've mentioned. Thank you very much.
This is wonderful! I'm a complete noob and this explains a LOT
Very funny dude but it was great info
Micro Four Nerds agee
Check my new MAVIC video czcams.com/video/wXLZrkAIqd8/video.html
Thanks for the tips. Just start flying today!
Bebop 2, a good quad for rookies like me!
Thanks again! 😉
Just started flying a drone I understand RC cars real well drones a different story, I think I found a new hobby I like I have a hunderd dollar drone now and I am going to practice in then by a little bit better one, Safety guards on rotors are a good idea when you start!!
I recall this tip when I flew rc helies, practice hovering your heli nose on. This in time will help you grow accustomed to mirroring your controller input. This is easier said than done but you can practice hovering nose on with your drone.
Great set of videos and advice. I started with a $50 Sky Viper using the auto launch and hover until I got comfortable with the controls and moved to manual mode.
Tim K So did I
I did the same as well Mastered the flight of the sky viper even bought a second one was and still is a great toy..moved up to the xk 251 and I fucken lost lost it in the 3rd flight it was like a jack rabbit and my skyvipers we're like Vwbugs . I was not ready for such power
Should i install a parachute on a UAV?
I think if you are flying a $5,000+ copter with a RED or high end DSLR attached to it, then a parachute makes sense. But for smaller, lighter, cheaper quadcopters, I don't think it's worth the hassle or expense. Thanks for watching!
+Ready Set Drone Thank you.
Ready Set Drone how about if you have a DJI Phantom 3 Standard, would it be good to add a parachute?
Don't mess with the DJI Phantom's. You'll just make it worse.
Are you implying that they're bad already?
As a relatively new drone pilot, I love your tip at about 2:05 about flying in circles to train yourself on the left/right confusion thing. I took that one step further and decided to fly figure eights in a big field. I tried flying them at various speeds, altitudes, and wind conditions.
Then I took it to the next level and worked on flying the same figure eight pattern, but all the while keeping the camera trained on me - even as I walked around. I'm getting better at this next level one but still need more practice.
Nice!
I just got a drone today and gave it it's maiden voyage. Believe it or not I made about 4 of these mistakes. The biggest one is the orientation mistake. Getting this corrected saved other mistakes, which it did for me. Great video!
Great info for beginners. One thing I don't see and is rare.Drones flying together. I figure all drone flyers have one thing in common above color religion or what ever is the love of flying drone's. Its also an reason for other drone flyers to get to know each other and share there experience they had. More group drone flying be a hoot. At my home I have family come over and atleast 3 drones are flying together is so much fun. I figure more group flying videos is need on you tube. great video's enjoyed them very much.
Great point! Thanks.
I am new to drone flying and this video explained exactly what I have done multiple times. I am learning to pay attention better but I should have listen to this earlier as it was very informative Thanks
Awesome! Thanks for watching!
Ready Set Drone lol can u help me😀😀
Good info and video. What I did right away was to tape some bright orange ribbon on the back landing legs so that I could more easily the which way the nose was pointing. Kept the ribbon short enough so that it would not interfere with the props.
That is a great suggestion!
@@readysetdrone
My Spark is Lava Red. If I can't figure out it's orientation, all I have to do is an "up elevator", which makes it rear up like a horse on it's rear legs - if I see the color red, then I know it's facing me.
I watched a rookie fly one a few days ago. He crashed it into a tree three times and over the top of a house once. I have to admit , for coming from Walmart, it seemed rather durable. This was very informative.I am looking forward to getting my first drone soon. thanks
Landing w/ low power fly it like a heli. Stop in the air after a flare, then sit it down. U need good skills to do so, but it is the best way to land.
Hand catch the copter as a beginner. Got it.
Actually got several tiny cuts on my fingers and a nail partially chipped trying catching my bebop 2 on that very day
I cut my arm doing a reaching catch when my drone "lost it" inside my house in the hall and it was either damage the wall and drone or get cut so I got cut.
me too inside the house to save the dog
Bastille Mine involved besides the wall, a CAT. As she saw it coming in at her towards her corner where I had to air grab it, I went in for the grab and she bolted.
they bite
thanks i will practice these tips and improve this second i suck at piloting the drone
Having had a few of the cheaper entry level drones, I had become very discouraged because of having to adjust the trim settings constantly to achieve a stable hover. I've decided to get a GPS drone. I was a little hesitant about putting a $200.00 "toy" in the air but these do look so much easier to fly and control. I purchased an SJRC F-11 Pro. Thank you so much for taking the time to help others in this sport and hobby.
one more mistake is flying out of line of sight. Regulations state you have to keep it in line of sight.
Then what good is the tablet. It relays height and distance flown away. I cannot keep it in sight if I am flying a mile away.
Well not every country has the same laws, but if you are in the US or Australia thems the breaks.
the biggest mistake is showing off
+Fuck boi phil Indeed!
Yup! Heard that! Plus got dark, orientation & wind all played a role.
yep
Lol
ItzReaper lol i wonder how it happened
Very good list. For the bigger drones (Phantom, Typhoon, etc), I'd add "not having a set pre-flight checklist", "no compass calibration", and "lack of radio check".
Those are great suggestions. Thanks for commenting and thanks for watching!
All of these are very useful information. I think many flyers, especially beginners, make the mistake of flying without checking the conditions on apps like UAV forecast or Weather by Tomorrow and end up losing or crashing their drones.
Great video I am new to the hobby and guilty of turning it on with a false level. Do I need to worry about these batteries catching on fire during recharging?
As long as your batteries are well ventilated (not covered up or inside something), you should not have to worry about them catching fire. Thanks for watching!
Lip battery are dangerous and must be watched while charging if it swells up don't use them
#1) Level surfaces are not necessary, my 2 drones will initialize fine on a non-level surface... the key is to not touch the drone while its initializing
actually on my toy drones it is necessary
Yes. Even cheap Hubsan don't require level on power on. If my 107 can know and wait until I set it down and you have a pricier drone that doesn't......
That might be true on the older quadcopters or copters that don't auto level but it's not necessary on the newer stuff with auto level. That's built in. And it's done precisely because people were crashing them all the time.
I just got a Cloud Rider Drone with camera and I was making the first two mistakes you discussed. I found it so much easier to fly when I kept the front facing away from me- so pushing yaw left was actually left. Then you can build confidence and eventually learn to spin it around. Thanks for the great tips! Happy flying!
Great well explained and very helpful...thanks
number 8 beginners fly in a to small area, which makes it much harder to learn,,, best first go to an open area where there will be less obstacles and you can learn more easily
Dan-de-man n can u English?
I agree with most of what you said, but I totally disagree on hand catching any sUAS. 99.99% of all the procedures and regulations for these devices is all about safety first. It is not ever safe to hand catch, and in some cases it can be bad for the UAS. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for the comment. I agree that some quads are not great to catch, but I maintain that the Phantom, because of the way its landing gear is set up and because you can hover it in one place with GPS is easy to catch and low risk if you are careful and you know what you are doing. You really can't land in a wakesurfing boat, so catching is the best option. I appreciate what you said about safety though and 100% agree. Thanks for watching!
I believe the spark is designed that if you catch it and turn it upside down it turns the drone off automatically.
Good tips - with the smaller drones the leds start flashing when battery is low - bring it home then.
I agree it is easy to get too high and out of control. I have lost 2 that way 😱- it was at night!
Wow. Drones have really improved over the last 4 years. I got the ruko f11 pro and I'm loving it.
I always bring my Phantom down when the battery gets between 50-40%
You could fly longer, if each cell don't go below 3.3v you are fine.
as a note, that's 3.3v per cell. So if your flying a 3 cell pack, thats 9.9v. Personally, I stop at 3.5v per cell. NEVER EVER EVER go below 3v per cell. If you do, discharge the battery using a lightbulb with the battery pack buried in sand. Never throw a LiPo in the trash with any form of charge. LiPo's can be very dangerous if you do not respect them. I've seen enough fires caused by LiPo's in my lifetime. If a LiPo opens, it will burn, period, it doesn't need spark of flame, just oxygen.
your wasting perfectly good cells doing that. most high current devices like quadcopters and drills will cut power at 3.00V because risk of current leakage, however actual safe limit for moth lithium battery is 2.80V and min voltage for self life to recover from is 2.20V... if your cell is at 2.60V and you haven't damaged it or run it very hard that low down you should be ok to trickle charge it back up very slowly like .250 mW and set cut off power at 4.2V per cell. i personally have recovered what was claimed to been trashed lipo cells that whereas low as 1.84V per cell.. trickle charged them slowly at 0.150mW up till 4.2V per cell then did a discharge test to 3.0V at 1.0amps.. found it still had 85% original capacity! apparently the guy that ran them that far down said they been heavily used probably recharged 100x and that last time he accidentally left the system turned on and it leaked current until it was that low..that battery i dont use anymore but i did for a while use it in my traxxas RC car, originally his drone battery..
you have a ton of time left.. no need to chicken out with DJi's batteries.. in my experience you can run them right down and recharge them after they cool off again and still good.. i typically recommend landing it with 15% -20% remaining, that way not out when battery is critical, but if you know your drone and surroundings, then its typically fine to run it right down to 10% or less... everytime im exploring a new location i use my rule of 20%. i dont want my drone being out when battery is critical in a new location.. if i can see it, 15%.. but i cannot imagine at 50% landing it..and then swapping packs..
meehhhe Of You 10%, are you dumb? You do that enough and you'll take a couple years off the life of that battery.
1:35 ... Does the accelerometer reset when we take out the battery?
PTC man maybe yes, i think it restarts over and over
Thanks for the video. Just got a Drocon Cyclone X708 for Christmas and it's my first Drone. I want to watch and learn as much as I can before ever trying to fly it.
I'm a rookie, got myself a syma x8hg. Wanted a phantom since they first came out, but to expensive. I have experienced some of the first 3 or 4 you mentioned. Glad I found this video before I made the other mistakes.
Amazing video man!
Didn't know about #1... Thanks for the Heads-Up... ✔ Actually, the other day, I was flying my P4 and it was acting a bit erratically. I probably turned it on at an angle as you mentioned... 😞
You didn't know about it because it's not true. When out flying, unless you carry a board, shims and a spirit level it will be impossible to start on a level surface. The important thing is the initial IMU calibration is done on a level surface. That and leaving the aircraft still when it boots up.
Omg you just cleared up something simple that I could never figure out. When flying in my house as soon as I take off my drone would fly off sideways all over the floor. Well I now see the problem was I turned it on while holding it before laying it on level ground. Works fine now. THANKS!!
thanks very useful. I'm getting an fpv drone for Christmas and this helps alot
Let me start off by explaining a few things. With my job we are out in the mountains and hills treating invasive plants. Some of these hills are very steep and sometime simply to large to spend all day getting to the top to see if there are any plants. So I've been think about using a drone to widen my "mapping" area without having to hike it. With that said I bought a swiftstream z-9 to learn how to fly them. I've been flying RC planes for about 6 years. I know the z-9 is not capable of doing what I need. what drone will be able to help or what one do you recommend. I was thinking about the DJI Mavic because it can fit in my hiking backpack. Please help me.
Wayne Juntunen yeah. A DJI Mavic would definitely do the job. But its pricy. I would recommend a DJI Pantom 3 Standard or an Advanced. It is big but is far cheaper. If you do have do have that much spare money then sure, go for the Mavic.
+Wayne Juntunen Totally agree with the comment below. If you can afford $999, then Mavic all the way! If $500 is a better budget, then go Phantom 3!
Ready Set Drone Thank you so very much. 999$ is a lot but the company is paying for it and I believe our budget would be around 1500$ max. Cheaper the better but I just wanted to get an educated opinion on what I should do. I liked how the Mavic can fold up, but to save 500$ I'll just carry the drone in my hand. As far as reliability are they both fairly the same?
Wayne, I'm looking for a drone for invasive plant detection in difficult terrain too.
Overhead obstacle avoidance seems to be a feature rarely found in drones so far. Near trees it would be really useful. Regards.
Mistake 8: Not reading a manual before operating.
I know, I am don't like to read manuals myself, but I found out the expensive way, that reading BEFORE tehfirst flight can save you money :)
I always read the manual of most products
This video is very awesome for a remember for all drone pilots. . . Beginner or advanced flyers.
Thank you! My first flight with my Typhoon H was only intended to practice navigating and hovering low in my driveway. I was thrilled that I could blow the leaves away, clearing the surface! I had not realized that the auto-return switch would FIRST take the craft 65+ feet in the air before landing, crashing it into the oak tree canopy above! The repair took nearly 4 weeks and cost well over $600.00!
Re: mistake #2 - Just imagine that you're on that aircraft in the pilot's seat, and you'll steer it correctly.
I don't see what is so difficult about saying propeller.
The word props is better.
props *
Because, ever since there has been spoken language, people have been shortening ways to say things. It's about efficiency. "Propeller" has 3 syllables. "Props" has 1 syllable.
So, if something is in context, the shortened version is fine. When talking about aircraft, prop is known to be propeller. When talking about making a play or movie, prop would be an accessory to help the scene.
So, as long as your IQ is over 65 and you understand context, shortening words is perfectly fine.
You're welcome!
If you prefer to say propeller please say propeller.
And don't get upset if someone calls you Ash, as long as we know who or what is being addressed everything should be fine. It's all about communicating.
Peace.
Practice is all it takes, you are correct... I am not new to flying, but have never had drones before (only flew RC gliders and fixed-wing planes). I have bought a Darkstorm X8AMG, but for the learning period before I fly it, bought some cheap little Happycow UFO-style indoor quads which don't mind the abuse of hitting ceilings or walls and don't have a fixed level altitude control, so you have to adjust it all the time. I tested the "pillow effect" (air piling up underneath the drone) when trying to land/take off in a frying pan (of course cold...) for fun in the kitchen, well, all I can say is that multiplies the effect for sure! :)
Remembering in hindsight, of the days I started flying, I think I'm guilty of doing all of those listed in your list... Plus several more unlisted ones, such as flying over a large body of water while still learning how to fly.
That time, I flew my new Phantom 3 around this neat lake near my home. I was still learning, wasn't too familiar with her flying characteristics, plus still figuring out which is which... The outcome was obvious... Too cocky, too close to the surface too fast, one "Oh shit moment" later and splash...! She became a Phantom submarine...
I'll sure pay attention to these (avoidable) mistakes and encourage others to do the same... Great video as always, RSD...!
Im guilty for flying too high, my drone lost signal for a bit, lost orientation and it was drifting near a pine tree. I never had my heart raced so fast with this thing. i dont think im ever gonna do that again
What kind of drone if I may ask.... I dont think the Phantoms will loose signal with the height a pine tree.
It was a cheapo UDI 818A HD
Awesome Drone & Reasonable Price?
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I don't know man... On the one side you're advising your audience on 7 common mistakes to avoid but then you mention the option to catch 4 angry meat grinders from the air using one of the two required hands to safely navigate said angry meat grinder.
You might as well forward them to Enrique Iglesias.
Fair...but I've caught my phantom many times and never had any issues. It's really the only way to land if you are shooting water skiing on a boat or on rough terrain. But you are right, it's not a great move for beginners. Thanks for watching!
Great vid. Ran across this on some rabbit hole on YT. I watched this, and it was very informative. No bells, whistles. Just brass tax. Nicely done. I have my first drone charging now and will attempt my first flight tomorrow. Thx again.
+1 Ready Set Drone - Thank you for these fantastic tips. And #5 is GOLD!!! I lost my small, but powerful and fast, new XK X252--flying too high--after only a few flights, because I became too overconfident. Folks, please don't let it happen to you.
Now then, luckily for me, I was able to find it using the FPV screen (no GPS on X252). I quickly began scouring the rural (edge of town) area on foot, hoping to get close enough (within FPV video range) that I'd see the camera image on my FPV screen before the batteries ran down. Amazingly, I finally did start getting some intermittent images and was finally able to get close to its still-hidden position. By the end of the search I was within 10 meters and had a perfect FPV camera image, but I still couldn't see it in the high grass of the adjacent field. I had even given short blasts of the throttle hoping to hear it, but never did. I could see the front props spinning from the FPV, but never heard them. With the help of a very nice local Thai man, who climbed a barb-wire fence, traipsed through the high grass, and found it for me, the story had a happy ending.
I'll just say that finding the tiny drone was a freakin' miracle and I'll be extremely careful in the future. The nightmare happened sooooo fast! From takeoff to OMG IT'S LOST took exactly 2 minutes per the recorded video. In that short time, according to Google Earth, it had magically covered 400 meters---into the wind, no less! Folks, when things go wrong... they go wrong FAST!!!! Don't be stupid like I was... PLEASE heed this one!
Thanks Jimbo! Great story. Happy and safe flying!
Flying high gets you high - its a rush!
i have a dji marvic pro drone
8th mistake: trying to edit your video on a mac.
Hunter Robertson most youtubers do
Thank you for the video, I am a very new pilot, so far only one crash , I let my drone get away from me. I am having a tough time hoovering, I just watched the other video of you teaching, I am going to try what you said, I did learn a major mistake, I have been facing the drone at me instead of away.
Thanks just brought a Drone and love it .
It's called common sense simple flying 101
You forgot one. Don't take cocaine when flying
Just before or after, but not during! ;-)
Gaming With Al-tonz it's hard to fly the drone outside while being inside peeking through the blinds!
Ah yes, rookie mistake.
Unless you're a passenger, not the crew.
Good list! I made all these mistakes, you are right. One other thing to be aware of is the wind on high altitude. I lost two quads for that, one was a 250 race quad. There is more wind up there and the quad can behave different than close to you, so always have to right altitude in order to have always a good control. Not take useless risks and be balanced. The temptation to fly fast and high is big!
Right on! Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!
Subscribed.
Thanks for the tips. I am getting ready to present at an elementary STEM festival and now, hopefully, will not make these rookie mistakes.
The biggest mistake people make is buying a drone and then starting another youtube drone video channel when there are already a lot.
Agreed. That's why I started in 2014. Thanks for watching!
Yeah I figured with the amount of subscribers compared to the others that you knew what you were doing and must have been one of the first or at least the most successful. But youtube is all about originality and there can be only one REAL drone guy, you :).
@ George Scott, with that kind of thinking, you should be in politics.
Come on George, when is too many drone channels ever enough?
George Scott Same with minecraft
This was posted on my 18. Birthday! :D
#noonecares
DVSM i do care:3 happy bday! im turning 18 in almost half a year
DVSM Happy Birthday!
mariordz99 thanks :)
DVSM very late happy birthday xD
Happy 19th birthday in a month😂
I'm a beginner and just bought a mini drone to fly inside. Your video is perfect for me because I will be buying an outdoor drone soon. I learned valuable info from your video!
Glad to hear it!
To lose altitude quickly move forward (or any other direction) as you descend with very little throttle. Then when low enough stop the directional travel, boost the throttle a bit, and bring it down slowly the rest of the way. The directional travel drives a couple of motor a bit faster and stops it dropping like a stone, it just drops very similar to a stone. Scary, but it works for me with my DJI F550.
ALL of this is just common sense
NONE of this is common sense for someone who has no RC experience of any kind. If it were there wouldn't be so many 'attaboy' and 'thank you' comments.
They design these devices to be as foolproof as possible, and write the instructions as clear and complete as possible, but then some new fool comes along... and they redesign or rewrite whatever it was that caused a problem.
All Joe Consumer knows is to plug in the battery, charge, fly. That's all they should need. But get into battery discharge % and ground effects or whatever and these are all things they've never heard before and have no knowledge.
First mistake: Calling Quads or multi rotor---- DRONES. They are not drones for the last time Geeeez ! My first Quad was flown using 4 32cc nitro motors and 5 gyros and 4 governors . And it worked back in 1996.
Yeah - I know some people are not big fans of that word. But if you want your videos to be found online, it is a very popular search term. Thanks for watching!
+ ready set Drone
Good point, gotta give You that one. And PS- good vid.
Drones sounds better than quadcopter. Everybody knows what they are so it doesn't really matter. It's just an aesthetic.
If your a military operator with a weaponized drone then yes but of your not... ya you get the point it's an rc, model, multiroter, quad, hex,Y ext... drone ... ya & they wonder why there such a big stink over people enjoying a hobby lets start calling other joys the worst thing we can & see how fast people take up arms over that bs. Selfies hummm vanity anyone!
DRONE:, n. 3. a remote-controlled, pilotless aircraft or missile. Res.: Google Dictionary. Quads, Hexes, winged, jet-pack, etc. If they are RC, pilotless aircraft, they are 'DRONES'. Potato, potahto. Who really cares? But it is NOT a 'mistake' to call them drones, because they are!
We just unboxed and are charging our DX-5, thankful for the pointers before we fired it up!
I know nothing about drones. Therefore I really appreciate the free lessons and advice. Thank you. I have been working on a little chopper for a while . I cant take it outside its too small. BUt My best girl gave me a promark vr for christmas.I have no idea what possessed her to do that. I love RC cars. I loved going with my uncle Bill (RIP) when i was a kid. He had RC planes and UC planes. I have seen alot. I have several RC cars. Nothing fancy. But my first experience with this was almost a disaster. I gained respect before i lost it. So I saw your videos and Im am less frustrated. It isnt a car.LOL I will try some of the beginner lessons from your other vids . My drone has auto take off and auto land abilities. You explained what headless means but I will take your challenge to get better before I cheat with it. Thanks again. It is very nice of you to help this almost 60 kid.
Excellent v - - -this guy knows his stuff, and no crappy music playing besides! Thank You for a great tutorial.
Thanks!
Might be worth updating these tips now. The newer drones avoid a lot of these problems.
As a newbie, this video was just starting out. going to make a "drone tips" playlist and add this to the playlist.
Thanks, it would have been nice to see this video last week when I forgot to start on level ground and went engine first against a wall
Very helpful. First crash was what number 3 told me not to do.
My first mistakes:
* Trying to land on paper box instead of wet concrete (it can drift a bit and flip over the edge)
* Flying in wind above water (obviously downward looking sensors are confused and barometer is affected by wind, so it fails to keep altitude ... hopefully noticed it in time).
Yep, I've been doing all of the above.Thanks....
my drone goes wildly out of control when taking off, the bubble theory makes sense...thanks
I made most of those mistakes and were lucky to realize that those were not smart ideas, going to far, going to high, battery life without paying the price. I didn't want to go expensive so I got the X6 Tarantula and it is fun and moddable. I especially think that the battery neglect can become costly if we're not watching that %20 level. Those were good tips, I think before flying there should be a crash course provided or a short video or safety instructions of avoidance that prepares a noobie like myself.
I'm glad I haven't attempted to go out and fly my new drone yet (because it's been raining too much). I'm going to watch your videos first. Probably twice (at least)!
Smart to understand the basics before you try to fly. But don't wait too long! You will learn a lot by doing!
56 y/o Noob here....first of all, I should have looked at this video first, LOL. first time flying my new beginner drone my wife got me for Dad's Day, and I took it up way way to high too fast and it begin to slowly drift away, so I started to hit the down throttle but it was too late to do anything so I hit the land button, got it back after almost a minute with no damage so now I'm reading and watching all the video's first....thanks again for the vid and pointers here....
Amazing man ..perfect absolutely awesome tips
Missed a chance to talk about VRS when flying too high. For anyone reading, don't drop your drone too quickly straight down. It enters its own turbulence and can start to spiral and drop out of the sky. If it happens, go full throttle forward to get out of it. To avoid it, drop slower and add some forward motion as you go.
great videos for beginners!. I have been flying about 8 weeks. Of that time two weeks were spent waiting for spare parts to arrive ( from CHINA!) I have a basic craft with no GPS ( Force 1 F100 Ghost, same thing as a Bugs 3), so I am flying manually all the time. I practiced in my large back yard for a week, back and forth, side to side, up down lake-off and landing ( poorly!) tried to keep it below the roof. One windy day it got blown over the fence and crashed into my 80 yo neighbor's house. Of course he was outside working ON A LADDER when the drone wizzed by and smacked his house. Thank God I didn't hit him.
I have learned 3 things from my mistakes:
1. The power weakens quickly when the batteries are on their last 15%. My controller doesn't have a meter, but it does beep a warning when the batteries are almost out. on good conditions I have about a minute to bring it back. But if I am upwind of the drone, it has to work extra hard to get back and the battery may not last. I can tell when the battery is almost dead- it gets really difficult to keep it steady when landing.
2. When it goes out of range, it shuts off and falls...I flew on a windy day out in a park. The manual says I have a 500 meter range, so about 1/4 mile. I went too far and the beast fell from about 200 feet through a huge pecan tree that broke off one of the arms holding a motor. That led to...
3. I have learned to completely disassemble all components and transfer them to a new airframe. I already had lots of electronic PCB assembly experience, so that was not hard, but learning the proper way to wire the motors to the ESCs and waterproof and insulate the connections was interesting. I am 66, my son's friend flies drones, and he has built 7 or 8 over the past 5 years. I suppose I will be doing that very soon.
The following mistakes have cost me thousands of dollars when building my own quads:
1. Make sure the cable going from your radio to your flight controller is well secured. If you try to make your own Y cable...make sure you did a good job.
2. Make sure you have failsafes set up. For example, if you transmitter dies, your quad should return to launch.
3. If you are going to be doing any assisted flying modes or straight up autonomous flying, make sure the compass and accelerometer are well calibrated.
4. Make sure you have run 'compassmot' so that there isn't a lot of electromagnetic interference between your motors/ESC's/etc, and your compass.
5. If you are flying distance, be VERY VERY VERY careful to pay attention to wind. If you are flying a long distance away WITH the wind, be aware that the trip back can easily take 200-300% more battery than the trip out took.
6. NEVER fly beyond line of sight. It is very easy to get 'too comfortable' with the camera view. I cannot tell you how many times I have crashed because I was a bit too comfortable losing sight of my drone and depending on video. If you ever have problems with your transmitter, you can easily regret it. You also lose a lot of situational awareness.
7. Almost every quad out there is using 2.4Ghz for radio control. Be aware that this frequency is very easily blocked by buildings, trees, etc. If you put a building between yourself and your drone, two things will happen. First, the quad will lose radio contact. Second, when it tries to 'return to home', it will fly the shortest path between itself and you, a straight line....which just so happens to have a building in it since you were dumb enough to put a building between yourself and your quad, so it will DEFINITELY be crashing in to the building.
I've been flying drones for a year, your information is very important and helpful, thank you.
Franko flyer