How many flight hour make an experienced drone pilot?

[Up Sonder]

Hi all, just trying to pick your brains a little bit.

What do you think is the average number of flight hours at which you would consider someone an experienced drone pilot? How many flight hours would make someone an expert?

 

[Deleted member 62848]

Hi all, just trying to pick your brains a little bit.

What do you think is the average number of flight hours at which you would consider someone an experienced drone pilot? How many flight hours would make someone an expert?

I like others been flying long time,,,growth of value on app is over 660.322,....not a expert but doing OK..I can't even think hour many hours ..how to work that out

 

[tevek]

I like others been flying long time,,,growth of value on app is over 660.322,....not a expert but doing OK..I can't even think hour many hours ..how to work that out

I've got similar numbers to you in terms of growth value, underneath and to the left is the total flight time, mine says 25.5 hours and I'm learning everyday.

 

[andy_k]

years not hours

 

[Richard R]

Just like driving a car or an other activity that has some learning curve to it, depends on the person. Professionalism is as much (maybe more) a matter of your state of mind as stick time. The more you fly, the more you increase your skills (or at least you should) and you gain experience with dealing with various situations like loosing GPS and dropping into atti mode. But some pilots come into this activity with a professional attitude about safety and responsibility while others never seem to develop one.

 

[Loz]

I've got similar numbers to you in terms of growth value, underneath and to the left is the total flight time, mine says 25.5 hours and I'm learning everyday.

Interesting, my growth value is much lower but more flight hours - perhaps I'm a slow learner [emoji33]. Likewise consider myself beyond beginner but lots to learn and try to learn every flight.

What do you think Up Sonder?

 

[tevek]

Interesting, my growth value is much lower but more flight hours - perhaps I'm a slow learner [emoji33]. Likewise consider myself beyond beginner but lots to learn and try to learn every flight.

What do you think Up Sonder?
View attachment 81114

Interesting, maybe a lot of my flights are distance efforts. No idea, but 'Dorothy Drone' gets a lot of lovin' each time she comes back. Wife thinks I have a problem...

 

[Loz]

That is interesting, the app appears to weight pilot experience (assuming that's what growth value means) based on distance flown over hours & QTY flights flown.
Ps my wife likewise [emoji6]

 

[DreamToFly]

It's probably not simply down to hours.

I'd imagine it's down to different experiences in different environments and conditions.

You could spend 600 hours flying smoothly around a field and that's as far as your experience would go.

600 hours flying across a many great environments and areas is what would count most, I'd imagine

 

[Loz]

True, one could also argue that learning to say drive a car in a long straight line is easy, through stop start busy traffic in a city, very different - but shorter distance. I don't intend to argue, just understand the app note in context of OP question.

 

[Vichian-Bruno]

According to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy the answer is 42

sorry, but could not resist to place this comment

 

[BigAl07]

25 hours tinkering around your back yard in GPS mode and 25 hours flying in various areas, conditions, and flight modes do not equal. I'd say once you can fly the aircraft in nonGPS mode safely and accurately (able to fly in confined areas, in varying winds etc then you're "Experienced".


I don't think you can apply any # of hours or # of flights unless you have an outside source to "Evaluate" your true performance level. That's why we need "Flight Evaluations" by a trained examiner for Civil/Commercial ops IMHO.

 

[jwmcgrath]

There are as many ways to answer the OP's question as there ways to interpret "experience."

So my answer to questions like this is always "1".

As soon as you've flown it once, you've experienced it, and have the experience of it. Not as experienced as others maybe, but more experienced that someone who hasn't.

You'll know when you're "experienced."

 

[Sprocky]

Kamikaze pilots had to have enough experience to take-off...

 

[macoman]

I have 28 flights and still learning... You need years of experience to be classified as an expert pilot.

 

[Deleted member 62848]

I like others been flying long time,,,growth of value on app is over 660.322,....not a expert but doing OK..I can't even think hour many hours ..how to work that out

total flight time for my 3 phantoms is 68 hours and 19 minets

 

[Loz]

Ian that's some flying! (However FYI your picture and words don't match - I fly two Phantoms & the app shows combined hours or hours on each bird depending on selection, So assuming this pic is on one bird?)

 

[Deleted member 62848]

Ian that's some flying! (However FYI your picture and words don't match - I fly two Phantoms & the app shows combined hours or hours on each bird depending on selection, So assuming this pic is on one bird?)

Yip just one,,I snyc all my flights and they end up all over the place...go p34k and p3s aswell..Um 68hours all up.....must be at least 2 years fixing then,,

 

[Sdemaio]

Flying a phantom is different than flying other, non-stabilized aircraft. If you're truly passionate about flying and aren't just trying to increase photography capabilities, a mini quad and atti mode will bring you more skill than you could imagine - and it's very transferable. I'd say an hour of actual flying (non stabilized) is worth 20 of a p4. Skills come suddenly, then plateau and get sharpened - at least that's how it's happened for me. I started scratch building foam airplanes and now race and fly long range quality planes. I also fly mini quads, tricopters and about a year ago bought a p4, to gain camera stabilization and ease of use. Flying it is a piece of cake, and no doubt years of learning to actually fly (I mean that in the least offensive way) has no doubt helped that 100%. There's just no substitute for gaining the full skill. I can do some pretty sick stuff with my phantom, and could on day 2 (after learning capabilities) as a result. Something as simple as a hubsan x4 (which is stabilized) can give you a really inexpensive way to learn and get your crashes out of the way without hitting the bank too hard. Simulators too.

 

[Loz]

atti mode will bring you more skill than you could imagine - and it's very transferable..

Excellent point, fully agree, indeed its something I try do regularly - ie do one battery flight at least in ATTI mode (I have a number of batteries). I particularly try to ATTI mode "circuits & bumps" when there is a slight to medium breeze - it's not easy & constantly changing (due to wind direction & speed). It would be good for the app to say count hours flown in ATTI mode too [emoji6].