9 Tips BEFORE Your First DRONE Flight
Hey there, I am going to give you 9 tips before your first flight with a DJI drone, though many of these tips will apply to any drone .
Tip #1: Batteries and Firmware
Make sure that your batteries are charged, along with your device. Make sure your firmware is updated for everything as well. To check your battery level, you can just press once on the top button, and you will see a bunch of dots. There should be four different dots, or four different little lights that light up. If all four of those light up, you know you are at a 100 percent. You could also check it on your controller by pressing the power button once, and you see those little dots go on. Now to make sure our firmware is updated, we are going to go into the DJI Fly app (or the DJI GO 4 app). For the DJI Fly app, you click on the upper righthand corner on those three little dots. Then go over to the About section. Then where it says Aircraft Firmware and RC Firmware, you can press Check For Updates. You have to have a Wi-Fi connection. So make sure you check your firmware and make sure your batteries are updated when you are at home before you come on site. You can also click in the upper lefthand corner of the app, and go to the main home screen. Then you can look there and it will tell you if your firmware is updated. Remember, you need to make sure the firmware is updated for the controller, each battery, the drone, and your device, and all of those items are fully charged before doing your firmware updates.
Tip #2: Open Space
My next tip is to make sure you are in an open area. This could be a parking lot, park, or space with few objects or people. As a bonus tip, fly early in the morning. I found that is the best time to fly because most people usually do not wake up early. I like flying without a lot of people because sometimes they come and ask me questions or distract me from my shoot. If it is your first time flying, this might cause a little anxiety. So it is good to fly in an area where there is no one around. You also have to watch out for obstacles, such as trees and telephone wires. So it is a good idea to have plenty of space to fly your drone, and also so you can land it on a flat surface.
Tip #3: Shade
My next tip is to find a shaded area. You want to find an area where you can see your screen. If you cannot see your screen and if you are in an area where there is no shade or trees, then you are going to have to get a screen hood. You could build your own hood with cardboard
Tip #4: Bigger Screen
My next tip is to use an iPad and a tablet holder. Having a tablet holder and an iPad allows you to have more screen real estate. I really like an iPad because I use it to display my photography and video portfolios as well, along with using various apps. You could use other types of tablets as well. Just make sure you have a longer cable so it will fit all the way into the back of your controller.
Tip #5: Gimbal Cover
Always take off the gimbal cover BEFORE you turn on your drone. You never want to turn on your drone and have your gimbal cover on because your drone does an auto calibration and your gimbal will move around. If you have your gimbal cover on, it will damage the gimbal’s motors as it is trying to do an auto calibration since the gimbal cover would be holding them in place. So always make sure you have the gimbal cover off when you turn on your drone. Then when you turn off your drone, put on your gimbal cover. Whenever your drone is not in use, you want your gimbal cover on so it maintains the integrity of the gimbal, keeps it in a good position straight forward and will help your drone last a lot longer.
Tip #6: Flat Surface
Always have a flat surface when you take off. You can use a landing pad or use a piece of cardboard. However, I will show you a little secret that I do. I take my backpack and flip it upside down and on the back it is flat. I push push aside the straps, put my drone on, and then when I take off, I have a flat surface. I also land on this spot. You do not need something crazy but just make sure that you have a flat surface with no rocks, grass, or other obstacles near your drone when you take off or when you land.
Tip #7: Drone Position
My next tip is to position your drone away from you before you take off. This way you can orient yourself correctly when flying. It is a lot easier because if the drone is facing towards you, then everything is backwards on your controller. So always take off with your drone forward, the gimbal or camera facing away from you so when you fly it, you can move it left, right, forward, and backward. Taking off and landing is a lot easier, especially for your first flight. It is also a safety precaution because you do not want the drone to ever come towards you and hurt you. So it is always good to have the drone facing away from you at takeoff.
Tip #8: Format Memory Card
My next tip is to go into the app (DJI Fly app or DJI GO 4 app), and format your memory card. It is best if you format, or completely erase the information on the memory card, inside the app. (Note: Make sure to back up all your photos and videos on an external hard drive before you erase anything on your memory card.) In the DJI Fly app, press the three dots in the upper righthand corner. Then press Camera. Then scroll down to where it says Format. Click on SD Card and Internal storage. Always format your memory card in the app before you fly. I suggest you do this at home before you get to the location because at the location that is one more thing you have to think about.
Tip #9: RTH Height
For my last tip, you want to change the Return-to-Home Height, or RTH Height. In the DJI Fly app, click on the three dots in the upper righthand corner. Then click on Control. You are going to see either Metric or Imperial. Since I am in the United States, I am going to click Imperial. If you want Metric in meters or kilometers, you can choose that.
Then you have to adjust the RTH Height. So go to Safety. First adjust your Max Altitude. The legal limit is 400 feet. Make sure you set this height above the tallest building or obstacle near you. Then adjust your Max Distance. If it is your first flight, you can set your Max Distance to about a 1,000 feet away. You can change the Max Distance later when you feel more confident in your flying. However, your RTH Height should be based on the tallest obstacles around you.
DJI Drone Pro
This was Part 1. For Part 2, and more helpful tips before your first flight, you can learn more about my DJI Drone Pro course here. In that course, I teach you everything from setting up your drone to pre-flight to all the settings and different features you will need for photography and video. I also include advanced settings and features for professional flying and many things that are not mentioned on my website or YouTube channel. It is all condensed into a course that is all killer and no filler, so you do not waste your time searching on YouTube or online for all the answers to your drone questions. To get a taste of what that course is like, you can watch my free 30-minute training video, where I show you my top 7 secrets for flying DJI drones, and answer a lot of important questions.
Fly like a pro!
~ Brett