What were you like when you first flew?

[Oso]

I remember being so excited and anxious for the batteries to charge - especially the RC which as we know takes forever. Then being so ultra meticulous with doing an IMU calibration and going outside for my first compass calibration. I spent so much time checking and rechecking my settings so my battery was already getting too low. At that time, P3 batteries were scarce so many of us had only one and were freaking out when we realized that they had to cool off so much before recharging. Still, the epic sight of the P3 just hovering in place as I walked all around it for the first time is unforgettable.

One more thing is that I recall being so surprised that my iPad Mini 2 became an instant mirror when I walked outside. I thought I had researched everything about the P3 only to find out the first time I used it that screen glare is truly bad on some devices. I soon replaced the Mini 2 with an Air 2, but for a brief time at the start that screen glare was a pain the butt.

 

[Oso]

i was only afraid to go far but more than anything i was in awe of the ridiculous awesomeness of the tech and wanted to show everyone. now i try to hide so nobody thinks i'm a stalker.

The public's irrational hatred of drones has certainly tempered my excitement and enjoyment of flying. I also find myself trying to find more secluded and/or remote locations to launch so that I don't have to deal as much with the people who try to tell me drones are illegal or ask me if I am recording kids or something else as silly.

 

[Cui Bono?]

Can you remember back to your first few flights....were you so cautious you didn't go anywhere and hardly moved a thing, were you all fingers and thumbs (and sweating with nerves), or were your joysticks a blur as you intended to master some ninja moves of the skies....just thought it would be fund and interesting to hear

terrfied...

 

[Cui Bono?]

Can you remember back to your first few flights....were you so cautious you didn't go anywhere and hardly moved a thing, were you all fingers and thumbs (and sweating with nerves), or were your joysticks a blur as you intended to master some ninja moves of the skies....just thought it would be fund and interesting to hear

I'm glad to read i'm not the only one to whom the thought of sending nearly 400 quid of plastic sky high was terrifying. When I prepped for takeoff, my palms started sweating and I had written down all the advice given by this site and notes from countless hours of watching YT videos. It took me ages to find a flying field where I wouldn't be pestered by dog walkers, ramblers, and other outdoorsy types. I didn't want anyone else to see the fear in my face, or make light of any mistakes I made. Plus I didn't want to give any unsuspecting kid a buzz-cut.

It's taken me three hours of knee-knocking flights to finally gain confidence. Little by little I'm going higher and further, but I've learned that over confidence can be fatal. There's nothing wrong with taking as many baby steps as you feel necessary. In the end, I hope to end up a cautiously optomistic flyer and one day be able to offer advice to novices like myself.

 

[African wildlife]

Our first flight was takeoff, ascend to approximately 1m, hover, then land. I’ll never forget it. Sweaty palms and cautious excitement.

Now? It varies. Sometimes, I manage a flight without any excessive concern - albeit with the appreciation that caution is required. At other times, my palms are seriously sweating and there’s huge relief on landing. And that’s with my brilliant wife watching everything like a hawk, co-directing operations and double-checking everything, even if I physically have the remote controller in hand. But, for us, it’s work - not a hobby - and we don’t fail, so the pressure is always on.

 

[dgd3]

Can you remember back to your first few flights....were you so cautious you didn't go anywhere and hardly moved a thing, were you all fingers and thumbs (and sweating with nerves), or were your joysticks a blur as you intended to master some ninja moves of the skies....just thought it would be fund and interesting to hear

Read everything I could. Set up and double checked and triple checked all the controls, tried everything in the house (without the props on) etc. Made a few flights near me that I could see everything worked. Bought some prop guards and then set out to see how far away I could send my P2V+ v3. Did 1 km out then figured I should press RTH. Lost video and telemetry for a short while but it came back. The video after showed a near fatal crash. A 94-year-old lady came to the park specifically because she'd seen the drone flying. I let her try the controls and she liked it a lot. She wanted to see the roof of her house so I flew over to her place and she was thrilled.

 

[Harleydude]

My first RC flight experience was with a Baron 50 gasser helicopter. I was too young and too anxious and had no freakin' idea what I was doing or how to properly tune the motor or the radio. Through some patient guidance and help I managed to get the bird off the ground and get in a few good flights before retiring from aerial RC.

Fast forward to roughly 2005 and I purchased a DragonFly quad copter. Quite the piece of crap by today's standards. I flew the thing a few times and had some less-than-stellar landings, but managed to NOT destroy the thing. I still have it, as a matter of fact. I couldn't figure out why it kept running out of battery. Doing the math, the POS had literally < 2 minutes of flight time. I had no idea, so it kept running out of battery.

Fast forward to roughly 2014, and I picked up a Phantom 1. I couldn't believe how easy it was to fly compared to the Baron 50 and that DragonFly. Unfortunately, my P1 showed up in a mislabled box, which touted "self-tightening propellers." I guess a few of the old-style motors (with all right-hand-thread prop mounts) had slipped into the new-style box, which boasted of "self-tightening propellers." Fortunately, after sending photos and the video to DJI, they warranted the bird and sent a gaggle of replacement parts free of charge. After replacing the NAZA FC, the thing actually flew!

This was my third DJI product flight ever a mere 4 years ago:

And here's the repair process (kind of boring)

It's amazing how much RC flight technology has changed in just 4 years.

 

[Melvoid]

Can you remember back to your first few flights....were you so cautious you didn't go anywhere and hardly moved a thing, were you all fingers and thumbs (and sweating with nerves), or were your joysticks a blur as you intended to master some ninja moves of the skies....just thought it would be fund and interesting to hear

Yup. Before it became a "feel" thing for me, it was scary. I remember hovering at 6 feet, flying around the front yard. Almost hitting the house. Once I realized that letting go of the controls would freeze it where it was, I got much better. All I saw was a big dollar sign flying into a tree, so I took it very easy. I suggest an open area like the local high school soccer field on a Sunday.

 

[mikehhfx]

Newbie forever I fear, P3A for just over a year, only about 5 hours fly time so far, most of my work so far is finding a spot that I want an aerial photo , up click and down. Always wanting to get out but timing never co-operates. I like to get into the back- woods areas and try for a cool photo. I've done some video, still learning how to make the video look better.
Also hoping Transport Canada get it's act together and finalizes rules and regs.
First flights at a local sports field, easy up and circle the field, amazed by the control available. But still worry about loosing the drone.

 

[Cui Bono?]

I'm glad to read i'm not the only one to whom the thought of sending nearly 400 quid of plastic sky high was terrifying. When I prepped for takeoff, my palms started sweating and I had written down all the advice given by this site and notes from countless hours of watching YT videos. It took me ages to find a flying field where I wouldn't be pestered by dog walkers, ramblers, and other outdoorsy types. I didn't want anyone else to see the fear in my face, or make light of any mistakes I made. Plus I didn't want to give any unsuspecting kid a buzz-cut.

It's taken me three hours of knee-knocking flights to finally gain confidence. Little by little I'm going higher and further, but I've learned that over confidence can be fatal. There's nothing wrong with taking as many baby steps as you feel necessary. In the end, I hope to end up a cautiously optomistic flyer and one day be able to offer advice to novices like myself.

1st flight worth watching. A snow-covered coastline, a **** snowflake landed on the lens, but for a first shot, I don't think it's too bad?

 

[JSKCKNIT]

Can you remember back to your first few flights....were you so cautious you didn't go anywhere and hardly moved a thing, were you all fingers and thumbs (and sweating with nerves), or were your joysticks a blur as you intended to master some ninja moves of the skies....just thought it would be fund and interesting to hear

I was super nervous! Was worried I'd crash and be out $$$! Especially the first time I tested the RTH and it zipped right up to 100' then flew back. Looking back on it, I should have read the manuals. I bought my P3S used and it didn't come with any manuals. I 'learned' to fly using YouTube, then downloaded the manuals and read them.

 

[Linuxglobal]

First flight on a P4, it was freshly purchased and I was during my University exam sessions.

Took the bird up as a test during perfect conditions, literally 60 feet up, hoover and spin, take some pics SUPER EXPOSED like milk white awful pics.

The landed, shaking the whole time... back to studying after lol.

Repeated the process a few times that week then went to fly over water at the cottage after exams 1-2 weeks later haha.

Still have the P4, its my dad's bird now. I fly the P4P and inspire 1.

 

[Rg155]

First flight on a blade chroma, calibrated it indoors and never calibrated again ended up resulting in a flyaway but they replaced it for me. With my first phantom flight I was only cautious for the first few minutes then I opened it up.

 

[Chameleon99]

It took me ages to find a flying field where I wouldn't be pestered by dog walkers, ramblers, and other outdoorsy types

...does this happen a lot to you, or are you just more comfortable/confident with it now that those situations don't bother you?

 

[Chameleon99]

Tis been great to hear everyone's stories.
For myself, it took me a few flights to realise that my thumbs were using muscle memory from being on the playstation .......
not such a problem you might think, but all I did on playstation was.racing/driving games, where basically you are full-on everything...
(throttle, steering/drifting, breaking hard...you name it, it was full-on 100% joystick to the extreme left/right forward back etc, and rapid changes in direction as fast as your thumbs can manage....
and trying to squeeze that bit more out of it by (*grits teeth*) FORCING this joystick, trying to squeeze it past its stop point, to get round that corner better, or quicker etc...and when you think afterwards, bloomin eck I could have snapped that poor thing!)...
well, translate that into a first few flights and it might have looked to an outsider like I was a gymnast in the sky, but what was really happening was panic, terror, what-the-heck moments, where-are-you-going, and get-back-here-you-useless-piece-of moments, and just downright stress and worry, then the realisation afterwards, when gasping for air, that I must have been holding or gulping my breath....
oh the joy of realising that muscle memory can be re-written

 

[Wilbur]

The public's irrational hatred of drones has certainly tempered my excitement and enjoyment of flying. I also find myself trying to find more secluded and/or remote locations to launch so that I don't have to deal as much with the people who try to tell me drones are illegal or ask me if I am recording kids or something else as silly.

I definitely agree. Although, most of my worry/paranoia with having to deal with being harassed by others is completely from seeing videos on Youtube. So far, no one I've encountered has been negative in the slightest. But I also try not to have many encounters with others to begin with.

As far as my first flight, I was a little nervous. Took my P3S up on beginner mode in an empty field. Flew around in my 100' bubble for about 5 minutes then brought it back. Second flight was in a park with some open space and trees, and I unleashed the beast!

 

[Richard LaFleche]

During my first flight on the P4 that I bought, (most expensive toy I have ever owned) I was extremely nervous for the first flight. But while I never flew often everything performed as it should. I have since sold my P4 and upgraded to the P4P. I have owned the P4P for 5 months now and have less less than 10 minutes of flight time on it. My life situation creates higher priorities at the moment. Do all of the firmware updates and set the DJI GO4 software to beginners mode and fly in an open area, free of trees and people and read the manual several times.

 

[Offroader]

I definitely agree. Although, most of my worry/paranoia with having to deal with being harassed by others is completely from seeing videos on Youtube. So far, no one I've encountered has been negative in the slightest. But I also try not to have many encounters with others to begin with.

I live about a 15 min drive from the desert outside Las Vegas. I go out there. Beautiful scenery, open spaces, almost nobody out there and I get to do some offroading. Fun on top of fun!