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

not a dumb question at all, everyone starts somewhere. the under 250g thing is a bit confusing because you technically dont need to register it for recreational flying but if you ever fly for any kind of compensation even like a gift card or whatever, different rules apply. just read the faa recreational guidelines once and youll be fine for backyard stuff.

for first flight honestly just find an open field, a park or soccer field or something with no people around. your backyard with trees is asking for trouble when youre still figuring out which stick does what. the mini 3 has pretty good obstacle avoidance but i wouldnt trust it completely when youre learning. do a few hover tests first, just get it up maybe 10 feet and practice keeping it still before you start moving around. takes like 20 minutes to feel less terrifying i promise

yeah what he said about the open field. also turn off all the intelligent flight modes for the first few sessions, like just fly it manually in normal mode. i made the mistake of messing with quickshots on day 2 and the thing flew behind some trees and i nearly had a heart attack. learn the sticks first, everything else can wait