New drone pilot

[shutter13]

I am getting the spark for Christmas, I’ve never even played with remote control aircraft before. I am a photography enthusiast with lots of still photography equipment, I had never even considered a drone until my boss brought it up.

At any rate I do believe in researching before d-day, but I also know I am going to have to fly it as soon as I get it.

I got the spark fly more package in a Black Friday deal and I purchased the charging hub w/battery (not the portable one, although I can see that purchase in the future) and an extra battery. So 4 batteries in total. I purchased a 32gb micro sd card, and will keep my eyes open for deals on good fast cards in larger sizes.

So I have been reading through posts here, and am looking for any other suggested reading for a beginner, video tutorials that are particularly informative are welcomed as well.

I look forward to any information you can give me. Let me benefit from your experience

 

[msinger]

Welcome to Spark Pilots!

am looking for any other suggested reading for a beginner, video tutorials that are particularly informative are welcomed as well

Here are some items you might find useful:

• Spark Manual & Release Notes (the manual does not come in the box)
• DJI GO Manual
• Firmware Update Instructions
• Tips for Avoiding Common Pilot Mistakes
• Tips for Avoiding a Crash
• Worldwide Drone Regulations
• Spark-Help.com (lots of Spark tips & accessories)

 

[AeroMirage]

Welcome aboard!!
Your life is about to change, perhaps drastically, as mine has.
I have been an avid photographer all of my life and flew my first drone about 3 years ago. That did it!!! I was bitten by the bug!!
I have had several drones since then and currently have a fleet of 3. Inspire 2, Mavic Platinum and a Spark.
Be forewarned!!! There is no cure for this addiction!!!

 

[Sparkbart]

Welcome!

Alot of ground to cover. With so many years of drone flying under my belt I learned alot over the years. I'm still learning all the time.

My beginner suggestions;

• Create a preflight checklist and follow it EVERY TIME
• Read and Watch all the DJI produced info available
• Watch independent Youtube videos on the Spark
• TAKE YOUR TIME - Do not rush to get it in the air
• NEVER Ignore "Warnings" and "Errors" - Understand what they mean and how they may affect your flight
• Learn ALL the features of your Remote and the DJI Go app BEFORE flying. Make it so you aren't "hunting" for buttons on functions

One other thing I'd suggest, and this is personal preference, is to buy a cheap sub-100 dollar drone and learn to fly without GPS. At some point, your Spark may go into ATTI mode, and knowing how to fly without GPS is a very good thing. You'll read quite a few threads/posts on here and on other DJI sites about people losing GPS and not being able to "control" their drone and crashing or losing their drone. In all the flights with my Spark I've only had it go into ATTI mode a couple times when I was close to the ground where there was some magnetic interference.

Now do you need to do my above suggestion? No. I've got a couple co-workers who bought a Mavic and a Spark who were both first time flyers and have had ZERO issues and are quite happy.

Good Luck!

I am getting the spark for Christmas, I’ve never even played with remote control aircraft before. I am a photography enthusiast with lots of still photography equipment, I had never even considered a drone until my boss brought it up.

At any rate I do believe in researching before d-day, but I also know I am going to have to fly it as soon as I get it.

I got the spark fly more package in a Black Friday deal and I purchased the charging hub w/battery (not the portable one, although I can see that purchase in the future) and an extra battery. So 4 batteries in total. I purchased a 32gb micro sd card, and will keep my eyes open for deals on good fast cards in larger sizes.

So I have been reading through posts here, and am looking for any other suggested reading for a beginner, video tutorials that are particularly informative are welcomed as well.

I look forward to any information you can give me. Let me benefit from your experience

 

[iponeverything]

It's very easy to lose sight of the spark. When I fly if it is more than 100 meters out, I can't find it anymore. I try to always pick out a landmark so that if sparky was to go into ATTI and I can't see it to fly it, hopefully then I'll be able to quickly pan around find the landmark and fly toward it before the wind carries it out of range.

Plus -- for me RTH (it won't work in ATTI anyway) is a last resort and a failsafe, I've tested it several times - but don't use it normally. At this point I don't have any desire to do any long range flying - so I always use the map or practice the landmark technique to get it back home when my battery hits 30%.