Beginner Drone Pilots Latest Topicshttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/forum/213-beginner-drone-pilots/Beginner Drone Pilots Latest Topicsenhow long does it actually take to get good at thishttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/4198-how-long-does-it-actually-take-to-get-good-at-this/been flying for maybe 3 weeks now, i have a cheap-ish drone, not a dji just some budget thing i got to learn on before spending real money. im getting better i think but idk how to tell honestly. like i can hover okay and fly in a straight line but any time i try to do anything more interesting it goes sideways. is there a point where it just kind of clicks or is it always this frustrating. also my friend said i should get a simulator but that seems weird to me, flying a fake drone on a computer doesnt seem like it would help with the real thing

]]>4198Fri, 14 Aug 2026 01:03:12 +0000just got my first drone and have no idea what im doinghttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/4197-just-got-my-first-drone-and-have-no-idea-what-im-doing/so i finally pulled the trigger and bought a drone, its the mini 3 or whatever the dji one is called, anyway i took it out yesterday in my backyard and nearly flew it into my neighbors fence like immediately. i dont really know if i should be practicing something specific or just flying around until i get a feel for it. also do i need to register it somewhere or is that only for bigger ones? i live in the US if that matters. just feeling kind of overwhelmed tbh, theres so many settings and i dont even know what half of them do

]]>4197Fri, 14 Aug 2026 01:02:38 +0000how long does it actually take to get good at flyinghttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/4162-how-long-does-it-actually-take-to-get-good-at-flying/been flying my little beginner drone for about a month and i still feel like im fumbling around. not crashing or anything but i watch videos of people doing smooth cinematic shots and i feel like im nowhere close to that. is there like a timeframe people usually talk about where it starts clicking or is this just one of those things that takes forever

i fly in a big open field near my house maybe twice a week, usually for like 20-30 minutes before the battery dies. i feel like im getting a tiny bit better but its hard to tell honestly. should i be doing specific drills or just keep flying around

]]>4162Thu, 13 Aug 2026 15:02:58 +0000just got my first drone and have no idea what im doinghttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/4161-just-got-my-first-drone-and-have-no-idea-what-im-doing/so i bought a DJI mini 3 like two weeks ago and i honestly have no idea where to even start. ive watched a bunch of youtube videos but they all seem to assume you already know stuff. like whats the difference between attitude mode and the normal mode it comes in? and do i really need to register it or is that only for heavier drones

also every time i take off it just kind of drifts a little to the left and i dont know if thats a calibration thing or if thats just normal and i have to correct for it manually. my main goal is just to fly around my backyard and maybe get some decent footage of my dog running around, nothing crazy

sorry if this is a dumb question i just dont really know where to start

]]>4161Thu, 13 Aug 2026 15:02:29 +0000how long does it actually take to get decent at thishttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/4088-how-long-does-it-actually-take-to-get-decent-at-this/so ive been at it for about a month now, flying my drone maybe 2 or 3 times a week when the weather cooperates. i feel like im still pretty shaky and my footage looks like someone handed a camera to a nervous dog. people keep posting these smooth cinematic shots and i genuinely dont understand how they do it, like is that all just post processing or are they actually flying that smoothly in real time.

i guess my question is how long until things start to click? or is some people just never gonna get smooth with it no matter how much they practice

]]>4088Wed, 12 Aug 2026 01:01:13 +0000just got my first drone, have no idea what im doinghttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/4087-just-got-my-first-drone-have-no-idea-what-im-doing/okay so i bought a DJI Mini 2 like three days ago because my buddy kept saying i should get into this hobby and honestly i kind of panicked and just ordered one without doing much research. flew it for maybe 10 minutes in my backyard yesterday and nearly took out my fence twice. the controls feel super weird to me, like i keep overcorrecting and then overcorrecting the overcorrection if that makes sense.

is there some way i'm supposed to be practicing or do most people just kind of figure it out by crashing a bunch? also i turned on some stabilization thing in the app but i dont really know what it did. should i just leave everything on default for now?

]]>4087Wed, 12 Aug 2026 01:00:43 +0000keeps drifting when i let go of the sticks??https://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/3986-keeps-drifting-when-i-let-go-of-the-sticks/so this has been bugging me for a while now and i cant figure out if im doing something wrong or if the drone is broken. when i hover and take my hands off the sticks it doesnt just stay in one spot, it kind of slowly drifts in one direction. not a lot but enough to be annoying. i calibrated the compass i think, i watched a video about it. its a fairly cheap drone, not a dji, got it from amazon for around 80 bucks. is this just a cheap drone thing or is there something i should adjust. wind wasnt that bad when i was flying it either

]]>3986Mon, 10 Aug 2026 01:01:00 +0000just got my first drone and honestly have no idea what im doinghttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/3985-just-got-my-first-drone-and-honestly-have-no-idea-what-im-doing/ok so i picked up a mini 3 pro like two weeks ago and ive been too scared to actually fly it outside yet. ive done a few laps around my living room which i know is dumb but i just dont want to crash it on the first real flight. its not cheap and i really dont know where to start. do i just go to a park and figure it out? do i need to register it first? i feel like everyone else already knows all this stuff and i missed some orientation or something. any advice appreciated, even just like where to start would help

]]>3985Mon, 10 Aug 2026 01:00:34 +0000which drone should i get first, there are too many options and im overwhelmedhttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/3878-which-drone-should-i-get-first-there-are-too-many-options-and-im-overwhelmed/so ive been wanting to get into drones for a while now. my budget is somewhere around 300 maybe 400 if something is really worth it. ive been looking at a bunch of different ones and i keep going back and forth. i was looking at the holy stone ones on amazon because theyre cheap but then i read somewhere that theyre kind of junk and i should just save up for a real one. but then other people say to start cheap because youll crash it anyway. im not really sure what i want to do with it exactly, just fly around, maybe take some videos of like hikes and stuff. do i get something cheap to learn on or just go straight to something decent

]]>3878Sat, 08 Aug 2026 01:01:24 +0000just got my first drone and have no idea what im doinghttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/3877-just-got-my-first-drone-and-have-no-idea-what-im-doing/ok so i bought a DJI Mini 2 SE like two weeks ago and ive been too scared to fly it outside yet. i did the simulator thing in the app a few times but it feels nothing like what i imagine the real thing will be like. my main question is just... where do you even start. like do i just go to a park and hope for the best or is there some kind of process people go through when theyre learning. i dont want to crash it on the first flight obviously but i also cant afford to just let it sit in the box forever waiting until i feel ready because i feel like that day is never coming

also i registered it with the FAA already so thats done at least. do i need to do anything else before i fly or am i good

]]>3877Sat, 08 Aug 2026 01:00:53 +0000do i really need to register before flying or can i just go out and practicehttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/3860-do-i-really-need-to-register-before-flying-or-can-i-just-go-out-and-practice/so i bought a small drone, its under 250g, and someone told me i dont have to register it but then i read something online that said i still need to pass a test or something. genuinely confused about what the actual rules are. im in the US if that matters.

i just want to fly in my neighborhood or maybe a local park, nothing crazy, no commercial stuff. feels like theres a lot of conflicting info out there and i cant tell whats current vs outdated. do people actually get stopped by anyone for this kind of thing or is it mostly just theoretical rules that nobody enforces

]]>3860Fri, 07 Aug 2026 19:01:19 +0000just got my first drone, no idea what im doinghttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/3859-just-got-my-first-drone-no-idea-what-im-doing/ok so i picked up a DJI Mini 2 SE last week because i kept seeing cool aerial shots on instagram and figured why not. ive never flown anything like this before, not even RC cars really. i did the tutorial in the app and flew around my backyard a few times but honestly i feel like im going to crash it every single time i lift off.

my main question is like... is there a specific order i should be learning things? i dont know if i should just keep flying in my yard or go somewhere more open. also the return to home thing, does that actually work reliably or is it one of those features that sounds better than it is. i turned it on once and it came back and landed about 3 feet from where it took off which seemed fine but idk if thats normal

also how long did it take people here to feel comfortable. im hovering ok but the moment i try to do anything more than go straight i get nervous

]]>3859Fri, 07 Aug 2026 19:00:54 +0000keeps drifting when i let go of the sticks?? is this normalhttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/3824-keeps-drifting-when-i-let-go-of-the-sticks-is-this-normal/so ive been flying for about three weeks now, got a cheap holy stone thing to learn on before i spend real money. everything was going fine but lately when i let go of the sticks it doesnt just hover, it kind of slowly drifts in whatever direction it was going. thought maybe wind but it does it inside too. did i break something or is this just how these work

]]>3824Fri, 07 Aug 2026 01:01:28 +0000just got my first drone, no idea where to even starthttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/3823-just-got-my-first-drone-no-idea-where-to-even-start/ok so i bought a DJI mini 4 pro like two weeks ago and its been sitting in the box because honestly im kind of scared to fly it. ive watched maybe 20 hours of youtube videos and now i feel like i know less than when i started because everyone contradicts each other. some people say you have to register it right away some people say under 250g you dont need to, some say fly in beginner mode forever some say turn it off after one day. i dont even know what questions to ask at this point

i live in a suburb outside of columbus ohio if that matters. is there like a logical order to do things when you just got a drone? or do i just go outside and start pressing buttons

]]>3823Fri, 07 Aug 2026 01:00:42 +0000is it worth buying a cheap drone first or just go straight to a real onehttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/3650-is-it-worth-buying-a-cheap-drone-first-or-just-go-straight-to-a-real-one/my brother keeps telling me to buy one of those $30 amazon drones to learn on before spending real money but honestly they look like toys and i dont know if flying one of those would even teach you anything useful. i was looking at the DJI mini 2 SE since its on sale and seems like a decent starting point but its still like $250 which is a lot if i end up crashing it in the first week. has anyone here actually started on a cheap toy drone and then moved up, did it help at all or just waste time

]]>3650Mon, 03 Aug 2026 19:01:12 +0000just got my first drone and honestly have no idea what im doinghttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/3649-just-got-my-first-drone-and-honestly-have-no-idea-what-im-doing/so i picked up a drone last weekend, its the mini 3 (not pro just the regular one) and ive been flying it in my backyard for a few days now. i feel like im getting the hang of hovering and basic movement but i have a question thats been bugging me ? do you actually get better just by flying around randomly or is there like a specific way people practice? i keep seeing stuff about figure 8s and nose-in hovering and i tried nose-in for like 10 minutes and nearly clipped my fence twice. also how long did it take you guys to feel actually comfortable and not panicking every time it drifts a little. im in sport mode by default i think, does that matter

]]>3649Mon, 03 Aug 2026 19:00:42 +0000how long does it actually take to get decent at flyinghttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/3508-how-long-does-it-actually-take-to-get-decent-at-flying/so ive been flying my little whoop around the backyard for maybe two weeks now and im still kinda bad at it. i can hover fine and do slow forward flight but anytime i try to do anything that involves yawing while moving i just get completely disoriented. is this normal or am i just slow to pick it up. i feel like some people on here talk about flying like its easy but it really isnt, at least not for me. im not sure if i need to practice more of the same stuff or try different exercises or what

]]>3508Sat, 01 Aug 2026 01:01:16 +0000just got my first drone and have no idea what im doinghttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/3507-just-got-my-first-drone-and-have-no-idea-what-im-doing/ok so i bought a DJI Mini 2 last week because my brother said it was good for beginners and i honestly dont even know where to start. ive watched like 4 youtube videos but they all assume you already know stuff. like what does RTH actually do in a real situation, does it just fly straight up and come back or does it avoid stuff on the way? also should i be doing my first flights indoors or outside because i keep hearing conflicting things. i dont want to crash it on day one lol. any advice would be really appreciated, even just the basics would help

]]>3507Sat, 01 Aug 2026 01:00:41 +0000drone keeps drifting when i let go of the sticks ? is this normal or am i doing something wronghttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/3382-drone-keeps-drifting-when-i-let-go-of-the-sticks-is-this-normal-or-am-i-doing-something-wrong/so ive been flying for maybe 3 weeks now and something that keeps bugging me is that when i let go of the sticks the drone doesnt just stop where it is, it kind of drifts a little before it settles. sometimes more than a little. i calibrated the IMU already because someone told me to but its still doing it. not sure if this is a wind thing or a me thing or what. its not crashing or anything just feels off

flying a Hubsan i think, its the cheaper one. outdoor flying mostly in a park near my house

]]>3382Wed, 29 Jul 2026 19:01:12 +0000just got my first drone and have no idea what im doinghttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/3381-just-got-my-first-drone-and-have-no-idea-what-im-doing/ok so i bought a DJI Mini 2 last week and i've been kind of just staring at it because i dont want to break it on the first flight. i watched like 4 hours of youtube videos and now i feel MORE confused than before. everyone says different things about where to fly and how to calibrate and honestly i dont even know if i need to register it or not. im in the US if that matters.

also is there a way to practice without actually flying it outside? someone mentioned a simulator but i didnt really understand what that was about. just looking for like... the basics i guess. what should i actually do first

]]>3381Wed, 29 Jul 2026 19:00:43 +0000keeps drifting when i let go of the sticks, is this normal or did i do something wronghttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/3244-keeps-drifting-when-i-let-go-of-the-sticks-is-this-normal-or-did-i-do-something-wrong/so ive had my drone for about two weeks now and every time i hover and let the sticks go it slowly drifts to one side, usually to the left and a little forward. i've seen videos where people let go and it just stays perfectly still. mine doesn't do that. not sure if its a calibration thing or if there's wind i'm not noticing or what. i'm flying a holy stone HS720 if that matters. googled it but got a bunch of results that didnt really answer my question

]]>3244Mon, 27 Jul 2026 01:01:28 +0000just got my first drone and honestly have no idea where to starthttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/3243-just-got-my-first-drone-and-honestly-have-no-idea-where-to-start/ok so my brother got me a DJI mini 3 for my birthday and i've been staring at it in the box for like 3 days because im scared to mess it up. i flew it once in my backyard but it just kind of hovered and i didn't really do anything with it because i got nervous. is there like a standard way people learn this stuff or do you just... figure it out as you go? also do i need to register it somewhere i've seen some stuff about the FAA but i'm not sure if that applies to me since i'm just flying for fun in my yard

]]>3243Mon, 27 Jul 2026 01:00:38 +0000drone keeps drifting even when i let go of the sticks??https://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/3156-drone-keeps-drifting-even-when-i-let-go-of-the-sticks/so i got a cheap starter drone from amazon, not gonna say which one but its one of those under $100 ones. anyway when i hover it just slowly drifts off to the side or forward and i have to keep correcting it. is this normal for cheap drones or am i doing something wrong. i calibrated it i think, there was something in the app about compass calibration and i did that

also im flying indoors which maybe is the issue? idk it just wont stay put and its really annoying when im trying to practice

]]>3156Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:01:27 +0000just bought my first drone, no idea where to even start lolhttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/3155-just-bought-my-first-drone-no-idea-where-to-even-start-lol/ok so i finally pulled the trigger and got a mini 3 pro after like 6 months of research. it arrived yesterday and ive been staring at it because im honestly scared to break it. like i know i should just fly it but my backyard is pretty small and theres trees everywhere and i dont want to crash it on day one.

my main question i guess is... do i need to do anything before the first flight? i updated the firmware and charged the batteries. is there like a checklist or something people follow? also do i really need to register it with the faa or is that only for bigger drones. its under 250g so i wasnt sure

sorry if this is a dumb question, ive been watching youtube videos for weeks but everyone seems to assume you already know stuff

]]>3155Sat, 25 Jul 2026 15:00:40 +0000do i really need to register before my first flight or can i just go flyhttps://www.dronetalkhub.com/forums/topic/3086-do-i-really-need-to-register-before-my-first-flight-or-can-i-just-go-fly/this is probably a dumb question but i ordered a Holy Stone drone (the HS720 i think) and it arrives tomorrow and i want to fly it this weekend. i keep seeing stuff about FAA registration and airspace apps and honestly its all a bit confusing. my drone is under 250g i think? or maybe not, i cant remember now. i live in a suburb in Ohio if that matters.

like do i actually need to do all that stuff before i even take it up for the first time or is that more for people doing it professionally. i just want to fly around my neighborhood a bit

]]>3086Fri, 24 Jul 2026 01:03:12 +0000