New member from Newcastle Upon Tyne

Introductions
1

Looking to buy my first drone (a DJI Mavic Mini) sometime soon and to start enjoying this amazing hobby.

Any recommendations or tips for someone new to the hobby would be welcome and very much appreciated.

2

Welcome Steve to GADC :smiley:

The Mini 2 is a great drone. Spend some time reading the drone code and watching a few videos on how to get the best from it.

Grab a few apps such as UAV forecast to see what the weather might hold, especially for wind.

Also get familiar with where you can and can’t fly. The Mini 2 being under 250g is less restricted than bigger drones.

Lots of answers on this forum as well. But ask if you need any help.

Have fun! :joy:

3

Hi @SteveWood and welcome to Grey Arrows :wave:t2:

Have you seen our members map? (Click the burger-menu in the top right) You may find some pilots living near you. Feel free to add yourself to the members map too :+1:t2:

We’re a well established club with many knowledgeable members so it’s very likely that any issues you come across will have been discussed here before. Our discussion forum has very powerful search features which should help you find what you need but if you get stuck you can post a new question in the #questions-and-answers category.

Looking for recommendations of places to fly? Check out our interactive map on Drone Scene - be sure to log in to gain access to the full suite of features and map layers:

And please feel free to add locations of your own too.

Please also take a moment to look at the Membership Levels section on our FAQ as we’re quite different to other clubs and you’ll be eligible for some rather exclusive club discounts as your membership level increases :blush:

Welcome once again!

4

Hi Steve, welcome to the group, as dronegeek said, there’s plenty of videos on YouTube on how to make the most of this little drone. Also Google for drone registration, you only need the operators ID to keep you on the right side of the drone police. This is £9/Yr but its well worth taking the flyers ID test aswell at the same time. This is mostly common sense, it’s free and it lasts 5yrs. For your first flights, find an open field, practice using the controls in cinemode as its slower, and remember, if you feel your losing control, let go of the sticks and it will hover until your ready. MOST OF ALL…HAVE FUN and enjoy it👍🏻

5

Hi Steve
I am a drone user from Whitley Bay. Watch out for Newcastle City Council. They have a blanket ban on taking off from their land, it doesn’t stop you flying but just be careful about where you take off from. I would be happy to show you a few places in the area.
Barry

6

Thanks @BoroDrone - I’ve already been watching a few instructional YouTube videos and also passed the test yesterday to get my Flyers ID. A good start :slight_smile:

7

Thanks for the heads up @BarryH - I’ll keep an eye out for the council. Shame they should be so restrictive, but I imagine it’s a difficult one for them to police, unless you are taking off next to actual council building or sites.

8

Welcome to GADC Steve, best advice starting out, find a wide open space away from trees and practice basic manoeuvres. Get used to how your drone responds to your controls :+1: