so i picked up a DJI Mini 2 SE last week because my brother in law wouldnt stop talking about how fun it was and now im just kind of staring at it wondering where to even start. i watched some youtube videos but they all seem to assume you already know stuff. like whats the deal with the different flight modes, should i even be using sport mode right away or is that gonna end me. also do i need to register it somewhere or can i just fly it in my backyard. i live kind of suburban area, not super close to an airport i think. anyway any advice would be helpful, feel like im missing something obvious

dont touch sport mode yet seriously. i made that mistake with my first drone and put it into a tree within about 45 seconds. stick to cine mode or even just normal for the first few weeks until you get a feel for how it responds. the Mini 2 SE is pretty forgiving but sport mode disables a lot of the obstacle stuff and it moves way faster than you expect.

and yeah you need to register with the FAA if youre in the US, its like 5 bucks and takes ten minutes on the droneZone website. anything over 250g needs it. your backyard should be fine to practice in as long as youre not near a flight path, you can check on the B4UFLY app which is actually pretty useful for beginners.

I was in the exact same spot about 8 months ago, also Mini 2 SE actually. Honestly the thing that helped me most was just flying in a big open field and doing nothing but hovering for like the first couple sessions. sounds boring but you really start to understand how it drifts and how the controls feel without panicking about crashing. the RTH function is your best friend early on too, just hit that button if anything feels wrong and let it come home.