No Confidence

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Hi All. Had my Std for 2 months now with one major crash. Problem is I currently do not fly greater than 40 meters within eyesight.Too scared to fly beyond eyesight distance for fear of losing bird even though RTH feature. Will this fear pass or should I just bite the bullet and just go for it
 
I understand your fear, I've had a fly away aswell. Not with my P3, but with another (quantum nova) Quad. Worst feeling in the world, to watch your quad just fly away. I chased mine down in my car till it finialy crash landed. Cost me a GoPro camera, as it got dislodged on the way back to China. I still have fears of my phantom doing the same, but I'm working through it. I've flew 2700ft out, and 500ft up. just take it slow.
 
I feel the same way. For the first time I flew far enough away that I started to have trouble seeing it and I could feel the anxiety kicking in. I'm guessing with more flights confidence will build and that feeling will go away, or at least lessen to a manageable level :)
 
Confidence comes with practice. Practice, practice practice. You'll get bored of the mundane on your own time cycle. Everyone is different. Have fun!
 
Just fly within your own comfort zone. May be you will get more comfortable later and fly further than now, or may be you will still be only flying 40m range, so what? Just because other people fly out to 2km doesn't mean you have to do the same. Of course if every time you fly you get symptoms of palpitation, rapid breathing, shakes, dizziness all from your nerves, then may be you should find a different hobby.
 
Yes, remember, this is supposed to be a fun hobby. Unless you are a professional photographer. Take your time, trust the technology. And if it crashes, hey it's only money. As long as no people get hurt who cares? Hardware is repairable or replaceable. Or, as noodle said, you should try a different hobby.
 
Thanks Noodle. Just stopped my other hobby of sky diving to flying a Drone. Just nervous about spending another $590 on a new camera after 2 weeks of flying
 
Hi All. Had my Std for 2 months now with one major crash. Problem is I currently do not fly greater than 40 meters within eyesight.Too scared to fly beyond eyesight distance for fear of losing bird even though RTH feature. Will this fear pass or should I just bite the bullet and just go for it
Great to share this with us.

I have a similar feeling. I am about to buy a cheap drone to get more experience with flying.
Spare MR? | DJI Phantom Forum
For instance a Hubsan X4 mini drone. They are very cheap and you can even practise in-doors.

I don’t mind flying far off. Good sight is more important.
Actually when it is a little bit further and higher, you have more time to respond.
I have also been practising simple figures like loops and eights.
 
I had three panic moments my last time out, so I don't think it's unusual.

1. Was flying low over a lake when I spooked a ton of seagulls causing them to take flight. With all the white gulls circling, I lost sight of the P3S and was worried a seagull would knock it out if the sky. I was able to ascend and spot it again.

2. Stupidly flew it up and then behind a big line of trees and it was the first time I lost RC link. I was able to initiate RTH.

3. I was up around 400ft and still going up when I heard a small plane coming. I couldn't spot it right away, but started descending anyways. By the time I spotted it, I realized the plane was in line to smash my drone. I'm sure it wasn't as close as it looked to me on the ground, but it scared the crap out of me and I called it a day after that.
 
There is a little fear involved. But with the fear comes the thrill. I think that's why we climb towers in high school, scale sheer vertical face rock walls, etc.

Is the fear worth the thrill?

Yes. Yes, it is.
 
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Go to a big field set it on beginner set a max distance and it will help you
 
Practice is a must, but make it smart practice. Take each element of your quad's features and master each one. Using way points, course lock, home lock, etc. make sure you can use each one. Switch over to Atti mode occasionally during practice for a few minutes at a time. Imagine a crisis situation and walk through what you would do. Also, remember to breathe! Take deep full breaths. Our brains cause us to take shallow breaths during times of intense concentration, so intentionally breathing overrides the fight or flight instinct. Last, don't watch YouTube videos and think you have to be at a pro's level. Just do what you're comfortable with. Happy flying!
 
The first time I took mine to 50 meters altitude (164 ft), my hands started shaking and had a hard time keeping my control stick inputs gentle. But as you fly it more, you get more confident with the bird. I also keep an eye out on video and control signal levels. It also helps that Litchi can be set to speak out the current distance, altitude, and remaining battery capacity.

I'm now on my 3rd week of owning the P3S with a total of just 1 hour and 45 minutes of air time. So far, I've gone up 120m (393ft) altitude and 230m (755ft) distance.
 
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I understand your fear, I've had a fly away aswell. Not with my P3, but with another (quantum nova) Quad. Worst feeling in the world, to watch your quad just fly away. I chased mine down in my car till it finialy crash landed. Cost me a GoPro camera, as it got dislodged on the way back to China. I still have fears of my phantom doing the same, but I'm working through it. I've flew 2700ft out, and 500ft up. just take it slow.


Flying to China? You must have an amazing antenna mod?
 
I found being a bit **** about your pre-flight helps with that fear, my attitude is if I've done everything right then it's a warranty issue and DJI will step up and fix it.

Try going to a large open space with a clear view and gradually increase the distance with each flight.

Best of luck man.
 

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