Flying safely, understanding how your drone works, and knowing your limits are essential requirements for taking photos or aerial videos.
–Before flying, practice the DJI applications!
Get used to the controls and pay close attention to the way the drone is in front of you. If the camera is facing you, it will move to the right when you expect it to move to the left. As such, it is a good idea to fly with the camera facing away from you.
–Read the user manual twice!
–At first, don’t fly over 30-40 meters and get used to the controls.
Don’t mess with the camera and don’t think about photos. The most important thing when you start is learning how to control your drone.
– Practice using the Return Home feature.
Review the section of the manual on how it works and see how to apply it firsthand. Keep in mind that you will need the GPS signal before taking off for the function to work and check for a green H on the map.
–Set Home Altitude over 100m in DJI application to make sure your drone doesn’t hit trees or buildings on the way home.
It is also recommended to set a maximum distance and an altitude lower than the maximum value allowed for both. You may be tempted to push your drone to the limit of its range, but this can be unnecessarily risky. Keep your drone within sight to avoid potential collisions.
–Watch out for power lines, tree branches, and wires during flight.
The obstacle avoidance sensors can’t detect thin objects, so you’ll need to avoid them yourself. Especially during your first flights, it’s a good idea to be accompanied by a friend who can keep an eye on the drone so you can focus on your smartphone screen. Two pairs of eyes are always better than one!
–When you take off, use the automatic take-off function and then let the drone hover at 1m at for about 30 seconds.
This helps the battery warm-up, and if the battery has issues, you’ll notice them while you’re hovering. Plus it’s better to crash 1 m above the ground than from 100 m.
In winter when outside temperatures fall below 10° Celsius, turn the rotors on and let the battery warm-up until its temperature reaches over 25° C. You can check the battery’s temperature in the DJI application.
–Don’t fly backward or try to avoid it as much as possible.
Even with backward-facing obstacle sensors, they won’t avoid things objects like tree branches and wires.
Don’t rely on the obstacle sensors. Although they can be a life-saver in some situations, they won’t work in low light and they don’t detect everything.
–Don’t fly in areas with strong interference (like near large metal objects) and do not take off under high-voltage power lines.
–Avoid flying when it’s windy.
Any small drone is unstable in the wind, and DJI drones don’t take wind speed into account when calculating the time it takes to return home. So if you’re far away, you may not be able to make it back to the home point in time if winds are strong.
–Don’t fly near large groups of birds and do your best to avoid disturbing them.
Certain bird species are disturbed by drones. Some even try to defend their territory by attacking drones.
–Make sure your landing spot is free of obstructions.
Just like in commercial aviation, takeoffs and landings are the most risk-prone stages of flight. Keep in mind where the wind is blowing and be aware your drone may drift a bit in that direction. And if think you need to land on a puddle of water, don’t! Hand catching is possible, though it is a bit risky for new pilots.
So, those are the basic tips.
This is by no means everything you need to know to become a master drone pilot, but it’s a pretty good start.
Since 2006, DJI has helped teachers unlock each student’s creative potential. And today we do it in more ways than ever. Not only with powerful products but also with our online drone course platform where students will have magical learning experiences.
If you buy a drone at our store, you will have the DJI online educational course for free.
Now, get out there and start flying safely!
