Anxiety while flying the bird

[Hamid]

The few first flights were cool experiences, no stress no anxiousness!
After a near crash and a few drift-aways now it takes a lot of efforts to force myself to go and fly the drone! and I don't dare to send the air craft so far or over water or.. etc,
It is now just too stressful and therefore cannot enjoy it any more! is there anyone experienced the same and passed over it? How?

 

[Jeplane]

Practice.
Baby steps.
Then more practice.
And a little further. A little higher.
...And you guessed it, more practice. Like 10 minutes a day? just a battery duration....

And enjoy yourself!

In the end, it's just a toy...

 

[Voltaic]

I'm fairly new to drones (got a Karma in early February, just got a Spark three weeks back) and here's the one thing I've learned - at some point, your drone is going to crash and / or fly away without your control and it's either a total loss or at the least a costly repair. It's just the nature of these things.

I get the anxiety though as I'll never fly my Karma again. I'm actually waiting on a replacement from GoPro and once I get it, I'll be selling it. I crashed it all the way back on March 10th (it's a long story but never buy a Karma lol)

I've had one really scary disconnect with my Spark where I was flying over water and thought it had gone into the lake. The screen went black and I was disconnected. Turns out it lost line of sight to the controller, there was a water fountain between the controller and the drone, but it ascended to a safe altitude and then flew right back to my home point.

I think you can take precautions (calibrate the compass before every flight, make sure you have a good GPS connection prior to take off) but things can and will happen beyond your control.

 

[AeroMirage]

Think about the first time you drove a car. Took a little while to get used to it, didn't it?
Practice, practice, then practice some more.

 

[shegeek72]

I'm a new pilot and am experiencing the same thing. I got too cavalier with my Spark (thinking obstacle avoidance would prevent crashes, ha!) and hit a tree requiring it being sent to DJI for repair. Then I lost control of my P3A (I DID get warnings about signal interference and poor signal quality), it starting flying away and fortunately RTH brought her back home! I'm now much more cautious. As someone else said, taking baby steps, practicing circles, etc and heeding warnings! Flying in the air is a whole new ballgame since you have 3 dimensions and 6 axes to control. Think how many hours an aircraft pilot has to have before he gets his license!

 

[willardsSpark]

Yep. I lost a P4P about 4 weeks after getting it. Replaced it right away, but Im scared to fly it much. The Spark is so cheap by comparison, I have not anxiety flying it.

 

[bath1968]

How to agree [emoji106], all great advice [emoji3][emoji108]
Remember, practice, practice and more practice!! [emoji3]

 

[Jeff K]

Being new to flying drones, I'm always over-anxious when I'm flying my Spark - I really can't afford to replace it if I lose it or break it - but I find the adrenaline rush you get when you actually manage to complete the mission and bring it back in one piece is worth every second of anxiety. I'm hoping I never get to the point where I take it for granted and it becomes boring.

 

[MannyCAM2001]

The rewards have to equal the risks or surpass them. The world will become mundane, even at 400 feet. But when the right subject matter presents itself or the perfect solitary spot is there, trust me, your anxiety will quickly pass. Shooting a neighborhood is never going to be like shooting a World War ll battleship. The point is shooting something extraordinary, which inspires you to overcome anything.
Like that first highschool date. Anxiety was soaring but WOW was it worth every minute of it.
Its all relative.
Everyone shares the anxiety, regardless of what you’re flying.
I spend most of my time learning to control it at a low altitude. Landing with perfect control, scrutinizing every movement. So that whatever I do under these contolled conditions will be more like muscle-memory when its up and further away. Observing at full pitch, how long it takes to stop, both in regular and sport mode. Basically learning every behavior under a controlled environment. This endeavor will promote confidence.
Works for me.

 

[Paco572]

The few first flights were cool experiences, no stress no anxiousness!
After a near crash and a few drift-aways now it takes a lot of efforts to force myself to go and fly the drone! and I don't dare to send the air craft so far or over water or.. etc,
It is now just too stressful and therefore cannot enjoy it any more! is there anyone experienced the same and passed over it? How?

There's a poll at DJI General forum on whether the spark should be recalled, Head there and cast a vote.

 

[Geoff]

I'm fairly new to drones (got a Karma in early February, just got a Spark three weeks back) and here's the one thing I've learned - at some point, your drone is going to crash and / or fly away without your control and it's either a total loss or at the least a costly repair. It's just the nature of these things.

I get the anxiety though as I'll never fly my Karma again. I'm actually waiting on a replacement from GoPro and once I get it, I'll be selling it. I crashed it all the way back on March 10th (it's a long story but never buy a Karma lol)

I've had one really scary disconnect with my Spark where I was flying over water and thought it had gone into the lake. The screen went black and I was disconnected. Turns out it lost line of sight to the controller, there was a water fountain between the controller and the drone, but it ascended to a safe altitude and then flew right back to my home point.

I think you can take precautions (calibrate the compass before every flight, make sure you have a good GPS connection prior to take off) but things can and will happen beyond your control.

Is it really necessary to calibrate the compass every time you fly, particularly in same area if there is not a warning notice? I assume the software in the Spark would let you know should imu or compass needed calibration. After 2 months, love the experience of flying even with the heart wrenching memories of the time I thought is was a gonner. Got a bit too far away, kinda out of sight, & RTN worked pretty good-once I heard it took over manual control & it landed with 13.5 minutes of battery usage, far below my preset warning. My hands were shaking on the controller & I'm sure the heart rate was up as well, over confidence in operation of an airplane or drone is not a good thing.

 

[Jeplane]

Because of my job, I have flown the Spark in Mexico, 24 hrs later in South Dakota, hours later in California, etc...

Never did a calibration of any kind. Worked great!

I always check the RMU, compass check, interference before the flight. No issues.

 

[jmbsmt63]

As above, I live in and have been all over the state of AZ, have flown briefly in NV, UT, and CA. I recently visited and flew extensively in NC. I have calibrated the compass and IMU only once when first setting the Spark up! I am very careful about making sure I get a proper heading reading ( nose of Spark actually pointing in the direction indicated by the "arrow" on map) and location on the map before any flights. I have only encountered "compass warnings" if trying to take off from a metal table or a concrete slab or under a bridge. Although it is probably a good, safe idea to calibrate the compass after a long distance move, as suggested in the manual, I have found it not necessary.

 

[Nope 2.0]

Just take baby steps and the fact that you’ll probably be able to get back to where you were.I had the same issue if it is in the center with mine it’s like that with anything that expensive and not capable couldn’t kind of like a new phone but just take baby steps take your time and it’s OK to be nervous all f just take baby steps and the fact that you’ll probably be able to get back to where you were my dad had the same issue if it is in the center with mine it’s like that with anything that expensive and that capable can kind of like a new phone.but just take baby steps take your time and it’s OK to be nervous while flying.

 

[Fightersquadron]

Well, this is not exactly on point, but after flying my Spark for two months, I brought it to the Bahamas and have gotten some fabulous footage. Except for the first couple of days after I first got my Spark, I’ve experienced no anxiety. When I arrived here two weeks ago I went to the flats for my first over water (very shallow, maybe 2 inches) and the flight was awesome. Since then I’ve flown over water every day. I even flew from my island over to Eleuthera, at least a half mile away. YESTERDAY MY SPARK FELL OUT OF THE SKY AND PLOPPED INTO THE BAY!!! I was filming my wife and puppy dog swimming off shore and it crashed right in front of them. She immediately picked it up but it was a gonner! I bought the protection package so let’s see how that works. I just can’t figure out what happened. I did everything right. I flew with an excellent signal and otg cord, calibrated the compass...everything. What a disappointment! I never thought it would happen to me. I’m afraid I will be anxious for a long time because of this!

 

[RENOV8R]

I've had this butt-cheek clenching condition ever since my $3000 Tarot fell out of the sky and was destroyed. Don't imagine it'll ever go away unless I win the lottery and have absolutely no worries about cost whatsoever. But regardless of what I'm flying on any given day, I have a little Eachine E58 that I run a couple batteries through first to get me relaxed and in a more confident state of mind. Kind of like hitting a bucket of balls on the driving range before playing a round of golf

 

[Hddeuce03]

Besides just getting more practice to feel comfortable, getting insurance really helps too. I have drone insurance through State Farm for $60/year and it will cover a $700 replacement if necessary, no questions asked.

 

[Giovanni]

I came across something about drone insurance. I own a spark and mavic air. I live one hour from Philadelphia. State farm insured my mavic air for $30/year. No deductible. Covers repairs, theft, flyaway. Sent receipt, paid, and had my policy same day. Within one hour. Wow, why did I pay for dji after care lol!! They insure any drone. No home insurance required.

 

[tmgrood]

The few first flights were cool experiences, no stress no anxiousness!
After a near crash and a few drift-aways now it takes a lot of efforts to force myself to go and fly the drone! and I don't dare to send the air craft so far or over water or.. etc,
It is now just too stressful and therefore cannot enjoy it any more! is there anyone experienced the same and passed over it? How?

I think having a little anxiety can make you a better pilot. More aware of your surroundings and your stick movements.
Its much better than thinking nothing will go wrong and take off.

 

[Geoff]

Because of my job, I have flown the Spark in Mexico, 24 hrs later in South Dakota, hours later in California, etc...

Never did a calibration of any kind. Worked great!

I always check the RMU, compass check, interference before the flight. No issues.

What is your profession that you travel to so many places-aviation related?