so i picked up a DJI Mini 2 last week because my brother has one and makes it look super easy. i got it home, charged everything up, and honestly the first flight was kind of a disaster. it kept drifting and i panicked and hit the return to home button and it almost clipped a tree on the way back. nothing broke but my heart was going pretty fast lol

anyway i guess my question is like... is there a proper way to learn this? should i be practicing somewhere specific or doing certain maneuvers first? i watched some youtube videos but they all seem to be made by people who already know what theyre doing and skip past the really basic stuff. also do i need to take any kind of test or register anything before i fly more

yeah the registration thing is real, at least in the US you need to register with the FAA if the drone weighs over 250g. the mini 2 is right at 249g so you might technically be fine but honestly worth double checking because rules change and i dont want you getting a fine on your first week. just google FAA drone registration and its pretty straightforward, takes like 5 minutes.

as for learning, find a big open field with zero obstacles and just hover. seriously just hover and get a feel for how it responds to small stick inputs. the drift you noticed is probably just the wind or maybe your home point wasnt set on solid ground. trim settings matter too but dont mess with those yet. just fly slow and boring for a while, its not exciting but its how you stop panicking when something unexpected happens.

omg i went through the exact same thing a few months ago, the rth almost giving you a heart attack is basically a rite of passage i think. what helped me was using the simulator in the DJI fly app before going outside, i think it uses your actual controller and everything so it feels pretty real without the consequences. i spent like two evenings just doing that before i trusted myself outside again