Just bought a spark! Over excited, but scared to actually fly it. Please help

[Virtual1]

Thanks Dave
Hope you get chance tomorrow . It's been terrible weather lately. Cheers , Col

First snowstorm of the year is hitting Iowa right now. We're expecting 5-8" by tonight. But that means I get a soft landing anywhere, right?

 

[aviscomi]

First snowstorm of the year is hitting Iowa right now. We're expecting 5-8" by tonight. But that means I get a soft landing anywhere, right?

Good thinking...we get our storm tomorrow

 

[gadgetman]

You need the remote

 

[cdasso]

I have had my spark for a few weeks and I have the remote and agree with all of the statements that it is a much better flying experience.

That being said, I also really enjoy using my phone sometimes. I stick my spark in one of those little square cases with a couple of extra batteries and just throw it in my truck when I leave for the day. It's cool to just put it in the air and fly around or use active track to follow me or get a quick shot of something I come across. Since I always have my phone with me I don't have to drag around the controller and such.

Of course when I plan on flying or want to go further away or do more precision flying to get shots I use the remote since it is much easier to control and has a lot more range. Flying with the phone is a lot more difficult to get used to and I have found that the response to inputs is not and quick and especially the yaw is very sluggish. But I still do it quite a bit on spur of the moment stuff. For that reason I practice with it quite a bit.

I have to say I have an iPhone X so I cannot speak to the android issues but from what I have read I would not trust it to be the controller as many have reported issues with the app crashing and WiFi problems.

 

[Spark 317]

But that means I get a soft landing anywhere, right?

If your Spark is Alpine White, you may be SOL...Snow Out of Luck .

BTW, I'm jealous. Only 2-4" here in the Hoosier Heartland.

 

[Zookeeper]

First snowstorm of the year is hitting Iowa right now. We're expecting 5-8" by tonight. But that means I get a soft landing anywhere, right?

Wow I don't envy you having that amount of snow, that's more than Cornwall's had in the last decade. So a bit of wind and rain is not too bad after all..

 

[Virtual1]

Wow I don't envy you having that amount of snow, that's more than Cornwall's had in the last decade. So a bit of wind and rain is not too bad after all..

yeah it might be like looking for a white rabbit in the snow. But you can't just follow the jellybeans.

 

[Gshacienda]

Thank you all for the advice already. Obviously the remote is a must. That and propeller guards are going to be ordered today (thanks for the heads up on the sale). Good to know how important that is. Does the android still cause issues even once I have the remote? What's the OTG cable I keep reading about? I'm wicked excited to fly this thing but am glad I reached out for help before I broke the spark or lost it. Sad it's no good indoors. The dji videos showcasing the spark made it seem like it was easily flown indoors. Makes perfect sense that couldn't be.

It's not that it's no good indoors. You have to know your drone and the controls really well to fly in the house. I have flown down hallways and into rooms but VERY, VERY carefully. practicing outdoors for several weeks is a must, at least for me. But I find that indoors is"confining" and not a lot of fun. BTW, YouTube has a ton of Spark videos for first timers and what to look out for. Even videos on the care of the batteries. I still watch them even though I have three drones now, including the Mavic. I love them all. Have fun and fly safe. I have an app called UAV Forecast that will help you know when and what the weather is to fly. Here in So. Cal. the winds can be a negative, especially the Santa Anas. Another good app is AIRMAP. This app lets you know the no-fly zones in your area by a map.

 

[Alex Dyer]

I had my first scary experience today. My spark was flying along nicely and I normally come back to myself backwards at the moment (reversing) as it feels easier but I've noticed when it does RTH it comes back forwards. So, I decided to turn it 180 degrees and try it. I thought all was under control, even though left is right and right is left (LOL) but all of a sudden it started drifting off on it's own...

I panicked, regained my composure, panicked again and pressed RTH which worked perfectly. Boy was I pleased to get it back in reaching distance!!

 

[Ophidia Snaketongue]

I only used RTH on my first flight- I now pretty much always use manual control to bring it back. I find it gives me more confidence in controlling it. I'll keep RTH for emergencies, otherwise I like manual flight. I've had one minor flyaway where I was using activetrack and my Hoverbee just went 'Welp, I'm bored, bye!' and started to back away from its target. I pressed pause and then reduced its height before putting it back into normal mode.

I have a local park which is just a big flat field surrounded by trees- it's perfect for practising. It's a bit boring, but I can try out different modes and experiment, but be certain I'll only hit a tree if I get a flyaway. I've also tried a sort-of simulated flyaway by using tapgo or activetrack to send the Spark in a random direction, just to sharpen my muscle memory and give me better reflexes in the case of a real flyaway.

If you're scared of flying, a big boring field is a good starting place! Also, don't panic if you crash- Sparkie is built like a tank and can survive a lot of abuse.

 

[Anthony]

Get the remote my friend you won't regret it!!!![emoji452]remoteremote lol

 

[Sparky Ron]

I'm a first time drone owner, and honestly I haven't done as much research as I probably should have. Read about the spark and saw some videos and fell in love. Everything about it was right, especially the price. I haven't bought the remote yet so can only use android. I've tried to fly once inside and it didn't go super well. Any tips or info for a first time user? Does it not function as well indoors or without a remote? I'm worried it's going to fly into a wall or fly off outside. I've read the manual front to back and am still worried. Any help is appreciated.

Buy the remote

 

[ICU2]

Power on, let it sit on a flat surface, make sure homepoint is updated, and fly close until you get a remote. I've never used the gesture control and don't plan to. The worst thing you can do is go to a new spot power on and take off immediately before updating home point. Make sure you also have a good signal and no compass issues before taking off.

Compass useless indoors.

 

[Virtual1]

Compass useless indoors.

compass should work fairly well indoors, though nearby metal may throw it off a bit. GPS on the other hand, can be completely blocked inside a structure. Without GPS it will use a combination of other sensors (compass, accelerometer, pressure sensor, both cameras, and IR proximity, maybe more I am missing?) to stabilize itself.

 

[Woodbury.Reed]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. Got a remote coming tomorrow and can't wait. Wish we weren't getting a big blizzard. Got landing legs and propeller guards today too. Anyone have any idea if a gimble cover is worth it??

 

[Spark 317]

Anyone have any idea if a gimble cover is worth it?

Most definitely.

Well worth the money when handling the Spark in and out of the case.

 

[Virtual1]

Anyone have any idea if a gimble cover is worth it??

I chose instead to get a Sun Shade. It snaps on just like the gimbal cover, but just has "hoods" that extend to the sides and upward to block sun glare. But as a result it creates a fairly effective shield around the camera and will protect it unless you manage to hit something small that can get inside the area of the shield. AND you don't have to take it off to fly. The only issue is that if the gimbal is making extreme movements you sometimes will get a little bit of it in frame. But it doesn't happen often with me.

I'm sure I'd be an airhead too often and forget to take the gimbal cover off. You have to remove that before you fly or it can't move the camera. Here's what it looks like:

I wish someone would make a CLEAR full hood that offered more complete protection and didn't require removal to fly. Like the mavic has, that clear dome bubble. All the ones I've seen for the spark are smokey or cloudy. (tho they often appear pretty clear in pics) Anyway these are cheap, well under $10.

 

[Spark 317]

I'm sure I'd be an airhead too often and forget to take the gimbal cover off.

Yeah, I know what you mean, that's why I have a "Remove Before Flight" sticker on my cover.

And if that doesn't work, there's always the gimbal overload warning in the Go4 app.

 

[Dan H]

Similar here - first time having a "real" drone and just getting started. Huge thank you to everyone in the forum for all the help. Have been reading a ton, watching a LOT of YouTube videos, etc. Got it for Christmas and have been flying pretty low and mellow to get started. Using Google Pixel as my controller for now - but on the verge of buying a remote controller - thanks for the advice / shove over the ledge.

Sounding like with a remote controller, the only "issue" we run into is using WiFi to connect phone to remote controller, so still won't have internet connectivity on the phone (for real time maps, etc). From what I'm reading / learning, OTG support is discontinued for the time being in the latest versions of Go 4 app.

Thanks again for all the help. Following along...

 

[Grdian27]

You sound just like I did a couple of days ago. I finally took my spark out and flew around. As many have said it before, indoors not worth it. And the actual control makes a difference. I bought by spark and didn't even rip off the plastic wrap. I wasn't sure if I would keep it. I went on the forum and read some post and had some good advice. It's addicting can't wait to take it out again. This is a video from yesterday, a bit long but I like how the spark captures the image.