so i picked up a DJI Mini 2 SE last week because my brother in law kept talking about how fun it was and i finally caved. ive watched maybe a dozen youtube videos and i feel like i know less now than before i started watching them. everyone seems to assume you already know stuff.

my main thing is i dont even know where to start practicing. like do i just go outside and fly it around my yard? the yard isnt huge but its not tiny either. also i keep reading about altitude limits and restricted airspace and now im scared to even turn it on outside. is it really that complicated to just fly the thing casually? i registered it with the FAA already because someone said you have to but that was about as far as i got

also one more thing, the gimbal or whatever its called keeps doing this thing where it tilts slightly when i first take off and then corrects itself, is that normal or did i mess something up already

the gimbal thing is totally normal, it does a little calibration wiggle on startup, dont worry about that one at all. as for where to practice i'd honestly just say yes, go fly in your yard. tall trees nearby can mess with the GPS signal a little but the Mini 2 SE is pretty forgiving and will hold its position pretty well once it gets a lock. just don't fly directly over your neighbor's cars on the first day haha

the airspace stuff feels overwhelming but for most suburban or rural areas you're probably fine. download the B4UFLY app or just use the DJI Fly app itself because it'll tell you right in the app if you're in restricted space before you even arm the motors. the FAA registration was the right call, you're already ahead of a lot of people who just rip it out of the box and send it. start low and slow, seriously, like 20 feet up and just hover for a while until it feels boring. that's actually good advice someone gave me when i was starting out

im also pretty new (got my mavic mini about 4 months ago) and honestly the best thing i did was just find an empty parking lot on a weekend morning and practice there. way less stuff to crash into than a yard with fences and trees and whatever. and if you do bump something at low speed on a parking lot its probably fine vs clipping a branch