I may be 63 years old but I always like a new gadget and for a while now I have been keen to try a drone - mainly to get some great shots for my wife’s new Allotment YouTube channel and also possibly a cricket related channel for my local club?
I had a very limited budget, but lots of research led me to the DJI Mini2 SE and today was my first time out.
I’m a complete novice and found it quite nerve racking, but to be fair, the setup was relatively straightforward and I soon found myself with no excuse but to press that takeoff button! I tentatively took to the air more than a bit worried that the Mini 2 would suddenly disappear off on its own, or I would inadvertently fly into those trees that in reality were about 200 metres away!
Slowly but surely I got more confident, but I will need quite a few more flights before I relax and get fully familiar with the controls and the best techniques for smooth flying and camera control. The strangest thing for me was that I have a problem with heights, where looking down from high places is not a problem, but looking up at high places is! It was quite disconcerting looking up to the sky to track the drone - which I did for the entire flight because I wasn’t confident enough to take my eye of it and navigate more by looking at the screen. What is normal practice?
Anyway, there were no major mishaps, I practiced a few takeoffs and landings and did some small circuits of the allotment, but never more than 100m away or more than 30m high - baby steps!
I have to say, what a fantastic machine! The quality of the video is brilliant and for a complete novice, the ability to maintain a rock steady output was something of a minor miracle given my initial jerky control. I couldn’t be more happy with the Mini2 SE and I am really looking forward to my next outing and slowly but surely stretching my drone flying capabilities. I will be scouting around for a few suitable and interesting sites to explore in and around the Wirral if anyone has any suggestions?
Hi @dc1960ccfc and welcome to Grey Arrows 
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Welcome once again!
In reality, everyone flys by looking at the screen for the entire flight 
Welcome David, you’ll love the mini2 it’s a great little bit of kit and far more capable than its size suggests
I don’ think anyone can answer that as we’re all different. BUT if following the CAA rules, you have to have (unaided) visual line of sight at all times, and also know the orientation of the drone, without use of the screen. Which kind of defeats the purpose of using a drone for photography or video doesn’t it? How are you meant to compose a shot or video without looking at the screen? Personaly, I keep VLOS to fly out to the subject, make a mental note of any features near the drone, then use the screen to compose and take the shots. Depending on distance and background it can be tricky to pick the drone out of the surroundings. If I can’t find it, and depending what height I’m at, I fly straight up and can usually spot it. Using Strobon Cree LED’s is a massive help, I have one on either side at the rear, different colours so I know orientation too. Plus I put a bright orange vinyl wrap on my mini2 which helps a lot.
It’s mainly just about putting the flight time in, as that increases, so will your confidence and your ability to know where the bird is
Hello David and a warm welcome to Grey Arrows…
There is a Group North-West - under the burger menu in groups - that is fairly active with meet-ups, perhaps that would be a good place to come and have a chat, do some flying and gain in confidence?
Good luck with the drone and may I wish you cler skies and light winds 
Hi David @dc1960ccfc and welcome to GADC 
Your description took me right back to how I felt for the first few flights.
I distinctly remember trying to rapidly adjust the various settings while the drone was in flight …. trying to keep an eye on the drone (hovering a few feet off the ground) while adjusting the ISO, shutter speed etc. hardly daring to look away from the buzzing drone a few feet away.
Needless to say, you gradually get to trust yourself and your drone, and it all becomes far less stressful.
Welcome, and enjoy your hobby, and your time here
Welcome to the group 
The mini 2 SE is great for the money and a slow, controlled start is the way to go, unless you have deep pockets!
One of the first things I did was to familiarise myself with the ‘Return to Home’ and emergency propeller stop features. Knowing how they work helped my confidence no end. Good luck!