Central TX Geezer

[TXBennett]

I'm about as new as an Autel X pilot gets. I've bought one, but I haven't even unboxed it yet.

I'm being kind of "serious" about getting into drones. To me, they seem a lot like firearms. They can be tons of fun, but you need to be a responsible user so you don't end up turning a good day into a really bad one. So I'm checking into sites like this to get as much information as I can, practicing with a U818A, studying for the Part 107 exam, and watching how-to-drone videos on YouTube until my eyes glaze over.

I'm mainly interested in hobby photography and videography, but I also want to see if a flying camera can help manage a small (about 10 acres) property. I'm trying to do some gardening, orchardry, and prairie restoration, and maybe aerial surveillance can help plan and monitor things. I'm keeping my options open to log some cash-hours (i.e. fly for money) but that's down the road a ways.

I'm concerned that there seems to be a lot of antagonism toward drones, again like firearms, and personally I accept the responsibility to not do anything to give policy makers or the public a reason to be hating on droners.

And that's about it. Hello, droners!

 

[brian bwin]

I'm pretty concerned about safety/responsibility too and did similar preparation things you did to make sure once I got in the air with the X-Star I wasn't a danger to myself, others, or property. Glad to see others taking it seriously as well!

Here is a photomerge I took this weekend of a 7 acre farm that is just getting started in Pennsylvania. We plan to use aerial photography to document the condition of the property over time as well as the effects of any overspray from herbicide/pesticide treatments on the neighboring field. Definitely seems like a good use of the technology.

 

[TXBennett]

That's exactly the sort of thing I'm thinking about. Overspray isn't an issue for me since I'm not in a farming area, but it seems like that would be more obvious from the air. Very useful thing to monitor.

Another thing I'm looking at is maybe improving the drainage here. We've had some extreme rainfall the last couple of years, and water was flowing places I didn't expect. I hope an aerial perspective will help me better plan for ditches and diversions.

 

[Dragonflyerthom]

Well tx those are all great aspirations. One of the things that you will notice with your new drone is the ease with which you can fly it.
I would like to make one recommendation for you and that would be to go to your local Walmart and purchase yourself a small inexpensive practice drone. If you learn how to fly it and I know you're going to crash it you will be better or should I say a much better drone pilot.
I would just say go out fly and enjoy yourself.

 

[TXBennett]

When I first started, I wanted to get a Karma drone. One thing I wanted to check was if it was really as easy for a beginner to fly as they claimed. When that product bit the dust, I bought that U818A I mentioned for practice.

After flying it for a while, I have to say that your advice makes good sense. I've gone from clumsy to comfortable with the controls, and I'm working toward smooth. And I think I learned a valuable lesson about drones that goes beyond piloting skills.

It's not a question of which drone you're going to buy. It's a question of which one you're going to buy first, because there's always the next one on the shopping list.

 

[Dragonflyerthom]

That is true and it seems as if one is not enough and two is better and three is great

 

[LuvMyTJ]

Hello,
It is a pleasure to welcome you to the AutelXPilots forum.
I hope that you will be able to use the forum to further your safety knowledge and for the exchange of innovative ideas and as a resource for
current developments in Autel quadcopter’s. Read the manual a few times and watch lots of Youtube videos on the subject to give yourself a good start.
Enjoy!