First Freak Out

Unless you are extremely gifted, chances are the first time you tried to fly your new drone didn't go flawlessly. In theory it is simple but each drone is different, just like cars. That said, while you get the feel of a new drone it is very likely you may crash or catch a gust of wind that takes your drone out of sight. If this happens you could damage the drone or worse yet, lose it for good.

Our first drone was a mini as I've mentioned before. We were able to try it out indoors a few times before taking our tiny little thing outside to really try it out. Boy was that a different experience! Immediately the wind showed us how just a slight breeze has quite an effect on the control. Just on the first few attempts outdoors, we had to retrieve the mini from a few palm trees, a rooftop and a VERY close call on a major highway! Fortunately, they seem to be more durable than you expect.

The first time the DX-4 dropped out of sight induced a lot more panic. It was considerably more expensive to just lose and we hadn't even gotten to use the VR Goggles with it yet at that point. To make matters worse it was nighttime so it was harder to spot a black drone in the grass or parking lot. See, the mini we were used to flying was very basic. The DX-4 has more controls, speeds, etc. Justin and I (like most couples) have very different approaches to situations like these. Since he watched the wind pull it away, he knew where to physically look for it but I looked as quickly as i could for technological assistance. I searched finding a lost drone and found quite a few options. I quickly downloaded an app for finding drones and was able to pinpoint our DX-4 literally simultaneously as Justin was walking up to it. If he had not been lucky in his search, that app would have been the only way for us to find in those conditions. Some models, usually higher end, have built in return functions and/or GPS location but if you are just starting out it is more likely you have a cheaper model that does not have those helpful features. 

After a few scares we figured it would be best to at least make sure our phone number was on the drone in case it dropped where we couldn't get it back easily. It also saved us from ourselves as we have seen MANY postings from beginners who lost their brand new drone on the first flight! I know it goes against nature for many people to ACTUALLY read the directions to something before tearing into something but in this case- please read and research before you get yourself in a mess. Besides losing money, some larger drones require permits and registrations for legal purposes. They might look like toys but owning/using drones requires responsibility as well. 

Like many of you, we are learning as we go. That is why we started this blog. We hope to share information with others so we can all continue to enjoy the drone community.