Hi all.
I bought a DJI Mini 2 for my son to learn & possibly make a career out of. But if you’ve ever suggested a path for your kids you’ll know the enthusiasm they have.
The thing is, I’m jealous of his inherent inbred skills. With a couple of decades of playing on Xbox/PS FP view war games, he’s a absolute natural with the drone. Any challenge I throw at him he aces it.
I just know it’s not going to be that easy for me. I’ve only ever played PC games (mouse & keyboard) and I’m completely lost with a game controller.
So I’d welcome any advice.
My initial thoughts:
Start using a game controller, or the drone equivalent. e.g. ‘DJI Smart Controller’ or Similar on a PC based Simulator. But then the questions start to pile up.
With the ‘DJI Smart Controller’ work with my Mini 2, so I can transfer my skills?
If not, what are my options for Sim/Controller?
Would using an Xbox controller on a FP PC game or Drone Sim help?
What’s a good (preferably free) Sim, to get me started?
Or should I skip the virtual stuff and just put in flying hours from the get go?
Has anyone had experience with any of these approaches, any thoughts?
As @PingSpike says, don’t over think it, get out there and put some steady hours in. It will soon become natural. Like you, I’m a mouse and keyboard PC gamer and still can’t get on with controllers for games. However with the drone, especially the DJI ones, if it starts going a bit wrong just let go of the sticks and let it stop itself. I used to just keep reminding myself “left Joystick axial movement (turn left and right, go up and down), right joystick actual movement (forward and back, strafe left and right)”.
And welcome to GADC.
Many thanks for the reply.
I’m on the southcoast, near Fareham.
I get what you’re saying about the Mini 2, but I’ll be using it to develop my stick skills in order to pilot larger drones, with the aim of picking up commercial work later on.
Cheers, Del.
Thanks for the encouragement.
I’ll fit in some real life hands on but the idea of sitting at home practicing without any worries of what the drone is doing is also appealing. Simply thumb training
Cheers, Del.
I’m in a little place called Hayling Island, 4 miles east of and 40 years behind Portsmouth. There are several decent places to fly, both for views and with a view to training. I’m a bit stuck for transport until I get an ok from the quacks in the spring but can meet you most places on Hayling.
Take a look at Drone Scene, most of the markers on Hayling and close by are mine, showing the variety of places to have fun
I’m in Bournemouth and always flying around the south coast. Let me know the next time you’re out and I will see if I’m around. You have come to the best forum and everyone here is happy to help and gives great (Honest) advice. I have only started flying in November with no experience, I spent time talking on here and asking for advice and sharing my failures. I’m also looking to add a commercial service to my media business to increase revenue. In three months I have just gone for it and now I’m hooked. Today a client asked me for a video of the past three month of my flying and I got the Job. I’ve just uploaded it to YouTube and the link is below. Just go for it and ask questions, even if they seem a little silly. Good Luck
Thanks for the info. I spent 14yrs living on the island, so know it well
Got to be a great place for flying and stunning views.
Give me a month or two to get up and running and I’ll take you up on a visit.
Cheers, Del.
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!
Looking for Public Liability Insurance? Then look no further, we offer £5,000,000 worth of cover to our Insured Members! Details of our insurance can be found at:
Wondering whether you can fly a particular model of drone under particular circumstances? Check out Good 2 Go where you’ll soon find the answer
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
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 & Answers category.
Our Associates are able to enjoy a lot of great services for free but our Members are eligible for a whole lot more! You can find all the details about our Membership Benefits on our FAQ
And finally, if you are new to drones and wondering what it’s all about, have a look at Resources for a beginner.
I agree with the suggestion of getting real practice. But a couple of other ideas:
I started with a £15 indoor drone because the controls are the same. Just flew it around my lounge.
For FPV practice I played the FPV Freerider app:
I had to adjust the settings to slow it down.
Have fun.
Good Luck
