Getting Started with a Dji Drone

I read the fucking manual.

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Note: rather than buying DJI refresh, look into insurance with State Farm. It's $60/year and covers everything, including total loss and theft.

Completed: 
	•	Every booklet that came with the Mavic Air 
	⁃	Mavic Air in the Box
	⁃	Mavic Air battery guidelines
	⁃	Mavic Air safety guidelines 
	⁃	Mavic Air quickstart guide 
	•	All videos in the video academy
	⁃	Product tutorials
	⁃	Safety tutorials
	⁃	App tutorials
	•	Flight tutorials:
	⁃	Beginner guide
	⁃	Advanced
	⁃	Intermediate
	•	Flight simulator: 
	⁃	Done. Played with it for 40 minutes until felt very comfortable with controls.
	•	All other videos: https://www.dji.com/mavic-air/info#video
	⁃	Done, not particularly enlightening though.
	•	Read through the specs
	⁃	Done, a couple good things.
	•	User manual:
	⁃	Done, just a few good things. Really long, but mostly covered already.
	•	TODO: change name of device
	•	TODO: change wireless password
	•	TODO: fly the drone
	•	TODO: read the landing page: https://www.dji.com/mavic-air
	•	TODO: review the no-fly information
	•	TODO: review the specs page in the user manual maybe?
	•	TOOD: review the entire document here and organize.



Interesting notes:
	•	In the landing feet, there are antennas, there are also antennas in the sides of the drone.
	•	The compass is mounted to the tail of the aircraft.
	•	The GPS antennas are in the back, near the vent.
	•	The controller has enhanced Wi-Fi tech, which is how it communicates with the drone (2.49 miles).
	•	You get 1080p video stream at close range, 720p at far range.
	•	Max speed is 42.5 mph in sport mode. 
	•	Arms can be folded and unfolded 5000 times.
	•	The device is just under 1 pound. 
	•	It ascends and descends twice as fast in sport mode (4 m/s).
	•	It moves forward more than twice as fast in sport mode.
	•	15 degree tilt in non-sport (17.9mph max), 35 degree in sport.
	•	Hovering accuracy (plus or minus): 
	⁃	Vertical: 0.1m with VPS, 0.5m with GPS. 
	⁃	Horizontal: 0.1m with VPS, 1.5m with GPS.
	•	Forward and backward VPS field of view is 50 degrees horizontal, +-19 vertical (so just as good at backward as forward).
	•	Video latency is: 170 - 240 ms
	•	Effective Pixels: 12 MP
	•	Technical terms: 
	⁃	Aircraft’s orientation (yaw), forward/ backward movement (pitch), altitude (throttle), and left/right movement (roll)


General:
	•	Turn on drone and controller same way. Tap button once, then tap and hold.
	•	Operating temp is 32 degrees to 104 degrees.
	•	Use beginner mode until mastery. 
	•	Cache the map data before each flight by connecting to internet. 


Propeller related: 
	•	Do not use chipped or broken propellers. 
	•	It apparently is recommended to replace them every 3 months.
	•	To remove propellor, push down and twist in opposite direction of lock arrow. 
	•	Some motors are marked (those have the marked propellors). 
	•	ESC in the app means "electronic speed control" and refers to the motors, basically.

iOS App: 
	•	This is what records the data about the aircraft.
	•	Data that is shared with them in the app: speed, altitude, battery life, gimbal and camera info, and operations (probably what you press on controller). 
	•	Cellular data is required to use the DJI app apparently. 
	•	ALWAYS USE THE MOST UP TO DATE FIRMWARE. OTHERWISE YOU MAY BE LIABLE. 
	•	During firmware updates, don't leave the DJI app.
	•	When not logged into the app, the height is limited to 30m and distance is limited to 50m (probably to prevent lack of liability or something).
	•	"Display radar chart" in the app shows the distance from objects for collision detection (basically if you're like 2m from something it'll show a bunch of segments on the video to indicate you're close)
	•	The DJI Assistant 2 app allows you to pull flight telemetry, aircraft status, and other parameters that have been automatically saved to the aircrafts internal recorder (which it does automatically). 
	•	You've got the GPS signal strength, the Forward and Backward systems status, Wifi, battery level, etc.

Aircraft Status Indicator (light on back):
	•	Blinking green slowly (best mode, means P-mode with GPS)
	•	Blinking green periodically (P-mode with VPS)
	•	Slow yellow blinking (No GPS or VPS)
	•	Blinking yellow quickly means remote controller signal lost.
	•	Red blinking indicates low battery
	•	Solid red means critical error
	•	Alternating yellow and red means compass calibration is needed

Front LEDs:
	•	Glow solid red to indicate front of the aircraft.


IMU (inertial measurement unit):
	•	This is what reports the drone's angular velocity, "attitude" (it's orientation in space), using data from an accelerometer, gyroscope, thermometer, and barometer. 
	•	Calibration should be done if, with no commands, the aircraft is tilting at an angle.
	•	Should calibrate while drone is cooled down.
	•	Barometer measures changes in height. If you are getting altitude drops, then try calibrating the IMU.
	•	https://forum.dji.com/thread-75438-1-1.html


Battery related: 
	•	Controller is 2.5 hours (in other places it says 3 hours).
	•	Battery is 21 minutes of fly time.
	•	Battery charges in 53 minutes.
	•	Controller charges in 2.5 hours.
	•	Press the battery button once to check charge.
	•	Warnings:
	⁃	Battery can't be exposed to any water. 
	⁃	Never remove the battery while aircraft is turned on. 
	⁃	If battery comes into contact with water, take it out immediately and put it in a dry place. Never use that battery again.
	⁃	Do not fly when battery is lower than 1%.
	⁃	Don't charge battery right after flight (wait for it to cool down to room temperature).
	⁃	Before transporting battery via plane, need to discharge it to 0%. 
	⁃	Turn off the battery before charging.
	•	Important to maintain health: 
	⁃	Discharge battery to 40-65% when not going to be used for 10+ days (it'll do this automatically, though). You can set how many days before discharge. If you press the power button during this 10 day countdown, the 10 day countdown will be reset.
	⁃	Remove battery from aircraft when stored for long period. 
	⁃	Fully charge and discharge at least every 3 months to keep the battery healthy.
	•	At the top of the screen, there's an indicator of where the drone is now in its battery life, where the return to home point is, etc. The green section is fine battery, yellow is battery low, and red is battery critical.
	•	Battery errors you could see: 
	⁃	Overcurrent in discharge: this means that the battery is being discharged faster than it's built to be discharged, so you need to fly less aggressively. 
	⁃	Over temperature in discharge: the battery temperature is too high. 
	⁃	Low temperature in discharge: the battery temperature is too low. Land immediately. 
	⁃	Cell damaged: the battery is damaged. Stop using this battery. 
	•	Do not remove the battery while it is on.
	•	Turn off the battery before charging it.
	•	The battery stops charging when it is fully charged, stops charging if excessive current is detected, stops discharging to prevent excessive discharge, cuts power supply if a short circuit is detected. 
	•	The battery will switch itself off after 20 minutes of inactivity to save power.
	•	To prevent over discharging, it'll enter hibernation mode after 6 hours of inactivity if battery level is less than 10% (this requires special steps to wake it).
	•	Before carrying on an airplane, they must be discharged to 30% or lower.
	•	In low temperature environments, max draw appears to be reduced, which means wind speed resistance is reduced. 
	•	In cold environments, insert battery and turn on aircraft for 1 to 2 minutes to warm battery up before takeoff.
	•	Battery LEDs blinking during charging means protection is kicking in. Could mean overcharge, temperature too high/low, etc.
	•	The drone will not take off unless the battery is mounted correctly.


Controller related: 
	•	The pause button should cause you to hover in mid-air, it is basically an emergency break.
	•	The wheel is called the gimbal dial. 
	•	To put the phone in the controller (much easier without case), just line up the port with the cable, then once it's lined up, squeeze both sides of the controller. That prevents anything from popping out, and it works pretty well. 
	•	The long part go the antennas should be facing the drone. So, if it's right above you, you want the antennas flat. If it's far in front of you, you want it at a 45 degree angle (unless you're holding the controller flat, in which case you want a 90 degree angle). 
	•	If the status LED on the remote controller is solid red and the aircraft status indicator is blinking yellow, then the remote controller and aircraft is not linked.
	⁃	To link, go to DJI app and get to the remote controller settings (tap hamburger in top right), then tap linking remote controller. The controller will start beeping. 
	⁃	Then tap and hold the activity button on the Mavic for 3 seconds, until it beeps.
	⁃	Then they'll link together. 
	⁃	The status LED on the controller should go solid green. 
	•	Do not store the controller for long periods with <10% battery charge (could cause over discharge, which will damage the battery).
	•	For long periods, keep the battery at 40-60% battery when storing for long periods.
	•	It seems like transmission distance is highest when at altitude of 400ft (maximum allowed).
	•	Fully charge and discharge the battery once every 3 months. 
	•	Customizable button: probably will want to set it to the toggle map/live view.


Phone Controller:
	•	To switch to Wi-Fi control mode (instead of controller mode):
	⁃	Power on the aircraft
	⁃	Press and hold the function button (back of aircraft) for four seconds until a double beep. 
	•	Connect to the Mavic Air's Wifi network
	•	Distance is 262 feet (80m) at altitude of 164 feet (50m). 
	•	5GHz is better for less interference (just like routers), you can set this and you may want to. But the remote is far better for minimizing interference.
	•	You'll need to do the linking procedure to go back to the remote control.
	•	To reset SSID and password, hold the function button for 6 seconds (until 3 beeps). You can also do it in the app.


SD Card: 
	•	Don’t remove the SD card while powered on. 

Gimbal/camera: 
	•	Can actually change it so that the gimbal can look up 17 degrees. By default it can only look as high as level (0 degrees). 
	•	Can shoot burst photos. 
	•	Can shoot interval shots. 
	•	Can shoot 4K in 30fps.
	•	Can shoot 2.7k in 60fps
	•	Can shoot 1080p in 120fps
	•	Photos are 4056x3040.
	•	Can generate 32 megapixel sphere panorama photos
	•	8GB: 4k video is 36 minutes (same with 1080p at 60fps). 2.7k is 48 minutes. 1080p is 52 minutes. 720 is 84 minutes.
	•	Cannot focus on something closer than 1 meter.
	•	Don’t touch the gimbal after it has been powered on.
	•	Gimbal modes: FPV (first person mode) or follow. Basically the same, except FPV doesn't keep the camera level with the ground. So if you wanted to make it seem like you were a fighter pilot, you could use FPV. 
	•	SD Card: 
	⁃	A UHS-1 microSD card is required due to the fast read and write speeds required for high-resolution video data.
	⁃	Don't remove it from the aircraft while it's turned on.
	•	Gimbal:
	⁃	You can tap and hold your finger on the screen, then drag up and down to control the gimbal (that's one way). 
	⁃	The little blue ticker on the right indicates the tilt of the gimbal currently (note: dragging left or right will control the aircraft's orientation).
	⁃	If the gimbal gets wet, it may temporarily fail, but it will recover fully when it dries.
	•	On-screen it shows:
	⁃	White balance (probably on auto)
	⁃	EV is exposure compensation (what would be adjusted in snowy areas, for example)
	⁃	ISO sensitivity (international standards organization) is basically how sensitive the digital sensor is to light. You crank this up, it'll be more sensitive to light (resulting in a brighter image in low light), but it also means you're more subject to digital noise and you'll get a smaller range of colors. 
	⁃	Shutter speed: how long to keep the shutter open (to let more light in), this is critical for low light (you want to leave it open for longer). Issue is you'll get blurring if the drone is swaying around during the photo. Seems like most people say this is the most important aspect (more important than ISO and aperture size).
	⁃	This is really good to play around with: https://bellisario.psu.edu/photo/shutter_speed.html
	⁃	Shutter speed range: 8 to 1/8000 s
	⁃	How to use filters, play around with shutter speed, ISO: 
	⁃	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbCBaXRithI
	⁃	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DrciNpwY4Y
	⁃	Your shutter speed should be 1/2x your frame rate. So 1/60 if you're shooting in 30fps, apparently. 
	•	Photo taking advice: 
	⁃	Rule of thirds. Imagine two horizontal and two vertical lines through your image. Where those lines intersect (the 4 points), one of those should be the focal point of your image. i.e. the main thing you're taking a picture of.
	⁃	The sky should be in top 1/3rd, the ground should be in bottom 1/3rd. 
	⁃	You can use the gridlines in the app to take the photo.
	⁃	Divide elements with a diagonal line (along the diagonal of the rectangle) to get a different effect (more energy). 
	⁃	Front-lighting: when you're pointing the camera in the same direction the light is coming from. Results in little shadow. 
	⁃	Back-lighting: when you're pointing the camera toward the direction of the light. Results in high contrast.
	⁃	Side-lighting: when the light is coming from the side. Brings out texture and gives color contrast.
	⁃	If it's cloudy or a dull day, you can capture in RAW or use AEB (automatic exposure bracketing), which is basically HDR, but you do the combining yourself. 
	•	Snowy day photos:
	⁃	If you find thin fog or water droplets inside the camera case, put the aircraft in the carrying case to make it adapt to the temperature slowly. 
	⁃	It is recommended to clean your aircraft and gimbal with tissues.
	⁃	Adjust the exposure value (EV) up a few notches when taking snow shots.
	⁃	The camera won't adjust to the white snow automatically, making it look off-white (likely blue). Should adjust the white balance manually. 

Compass/GPS: 
	•	Land immediately if you SEE THE AIRCRAFT DRIFTING. This indicates a compass issue. 
	•	It's recommended to calibrate the compass if the last flying position is more than 31 miles from the last flight location, hasn't been flown in 30 days, or if you get a compass warning.
	•	Don’t calibrate the compass near any EM radiation. 
	•	Lots of things, such as tall buildings, can obstruct the GPS signal. 
	•	Turn off the WiFi of your phone when using, to minimize interference. 
	•	If GPS is weak, height is restricted to 16 feet (if downward VPS is activated) or 98 feet (if downward VPS is inactivated). 
	⁃	The status indicator will blink yellow.

Beginner mode: 
	•	Must have a strong GPS signal for beginner mode to work.
	•	Flight altitude, distance, and speed are limited in Beginner mode

Propeller guards: 
	•	Should use when indoors, beginner mode, as well as outside when there's no wind.
	•	To assemble:
	⁃	Pair up the guards (should be LF and LR, for left front and left rear), then 
	⁃	There is a notch for the landing gear to pass through, so there’s asymmetry. 
	•	After installing, hover the drone for 6 seconds until the app recognizes that they are on. Then start flying. 



Important physical features: 
	•	In the back near the vents, you pop open a panel and there's a USB-C port and a Micro SD card slot.
	•	The light on the back also is a button (function button).




Flight modes: 
	•	P-mode (positioning).
	⁃	This works best when GPS signal is strong. It will use GPS and Vision System to stabilize, navigate between obstacles, and track moving objects. TapFly and ActiveTrack are enabled in this mode.
	•	S-mode (sport)
	⁃	Things are adjusted to enhance maneuverability, and maximum flight speed is increased. The camera shots won't be very good in sport mode.
	⁃	The forward and backward VPS is disabled in sport, so it can't detect obstacles in front or behind.
	⁃	Intelligent flight modes aren't available.
	⁃	Minimum breaking distances is 30m (100 feet) in sport mode, which is huge.
	⁃	Disabled when flying without controller.
	⁃	Don't shoot video in sport (probably won't break anything, but it's not the best).
	•	A-Mode (altitude mode) or "ATTI" mode:
	⁃	Will kick in automatically when Vision system is unavailable and either (GPS signal is weak OR compass has interference). 
	⁃	Be very careful: drone may drift horizontally when subject to wind in this mode.
	⁃	It'll be easily "affected by its surroundings".
	⁃	The vision system and advanced features are disabled. It cannot position or auto-break in this mode. 
	⁃	Land as soon as possible. 
	⁃	Upshot: Do not fly in places with weak GPS. 
	•	Opti-Mode
	⁃	This kicks in when only using vision system (forward and downward) to stabilize position (kicks in when GPS is unavailable, which means it's mostly in this mode while inside).
	⁃	It'll rely on the barometer to detect altitude adjustments.
	⁃	This is the best mode to fly in when you are indoors (better than ATTI mode).

Return to home: 
	•	Will not work when GPS is insufficient during take off. 
	•	Aircraft status indicator will blink green quickly when home point is recorded (this will happen before takeoff), should wait until it's recorded to take off.
	•	Press and hold the RTH button on the controller to RTH. Press again to cancel.
	•	Obstacles might get in the way, so be prepared to guide the drone passed obstacles. The drone will try to avoid obstacles, but if the lighting conditions are low then its obstacle avoidance will be disabled. 
	⁃	If it detects an obstacle, it'll slow down. Then it'll ascend until it can't see the obstacle anymore. Then it'll continue at the new altitude. 
	•	The two buttons in the app: one sets the homepoint to where the drone currently is, the other sets the homepoint to where you currently are. The homepoint by default should be where the drone took off from.
	•	Three types: 
	⁃	Smart RTH
	⁃	Triggered when you say so. 
	⁃	Low battery RTH
	⁃	Triggered after 10 second countdown once battery hits a certain level.
	⁃	Failsafe RTH
	⁃	Triggered when connection is lost to controller for more than 3 seconds (or phone without controller for 20 seconds).
	⁃	If the home point was recorded and the compass is working: the forward VPS recorded the flight route while it flew, so it can retrace it steps backward. 
	⁃	It'll go to RTH altitude and start to retrace its original flight route home.
	⁃	If it reestablishes connection within 60 seconds, it'll hover for 10 seconds and await commands.
	⁃	If it doesn't reestablish connection after 60 seconds, apparently it flies home in a straight line.
	•	Note: if the device is within 5m and return to home is activated, it will land where it is. Be careful about this.
	•	Note: if the device is between 5m and 20m from the home point, it'll fly to home point at current altitude (IT WILL NOT ASCEND TO RTH ALTITUDE). 
	•	Note: if it's farther than 20m it'll ascend to the pre-set RTH altitude and then fly to the home point.
	•	Note: do not touch the controller during RTH, unless it has hit a proper altitude. After 20m height, touching the sticks will cause it to stop ascending to RTH altitude.
	•	Note: you can control the speed and altitude of RTH, but its direction and orientation are controlled automatically. 


Errors that occur during flight:
	•	Image transmission interrupted.
	⁃	With drone hovering, try adjusting the position of the antennas. 
	⁃	Then try exiting and reentering the app. 
	•	Signal lost and drone is flying away from you. 
	⁃	Do not panic. Depending on your settings it will: 
	⁃	It'll automatically return home after 3 seconds of being disconnected. Be sure to set a Failsafe RTH altitude that's good.
	⁃	Land safely after 3 seconds of being disconnected. 
	⁃	Hover indefinitely until the battery dies and it will land. 
	•	Drone is unstable in the air while hovering. 
	⁃	Could be because of low GPS signal or EM interference with compass. 
	⁃	Just land the drone.
	•	Compass interference notice
	⁃	Switch to A-mode (potentially)
	⁃	Or, better, just return home. 
	⁃	Then calibrate the compass after landing (somewhere without interference). 
	•	Low battery while in RTH mode
	⁃	Do not rashly cancel the RTH. Just let it continue. 
	⁃	Land once the drone is in sight. 


Vision System:
	•	Please see "Sensor Detection Fields" image for the sensor angles.
	•	You may want to re-calibrate these if you crash. 
	•	The main use for the VPS is in indoor environments when GPS is unavailable.
	•	The downward VPS works best from 0.5m to 8m, so be wary that the flight mode may switch at the 8m mark due to the VPS failing.
	⁃	Will probably stop working after 100feet (30m) or sooner (needs to be over a surface with a clear pattern of variation). 
	•	This is what is used to prevent horizontal drifting.
	•	These are the smaller circles on the bottom, back, and front of the aircraft (these are the cameras), and there are also two little infrared sensors at the very bottom (the larger circles, I believe).
	•	You can see if downward VPS is in use if the icon next to the height is an arrow with a beam underneath it. If it is, then you are using downward VPS for stabilization, if it's an H, then you're not.
	•	Surfaces below it that affect its ability to function: 
	⁃	Reflective surfaces (water, snow)
	⁃	Monochrome surfaces (any pure color)
	⁃	Moving objects
	⁃	Drastic flashes of light
	⁃	Surfaces that strongly reflect or absorb infrared (e.g. certain mirror)
	⁃	Identical repeating patterns (e.g. tile)
	⁃	Very small features (that aren't discernible)
	•	Flying too fast will affect it (over 30 feet per second)
	•	You can calibrate the system using your computer. Basically it shows an image on your computer, and you hold your drone up to it.
	•	It cannot stop you from hitting something if you approach it at more than 22mph. 
	•	Not entirely sure what this means:
	⁃	Detection range is 0.5m to 8m. 
	⁃	Hovering range of 0.5m to 30m. 
	•	It is not recommended to fly within 2 meters above water. When above water, the VPS will turn off automatically and only GPS and barometer are used for positioning.
	•	When does obstacle avoidance not work:
	⁃	Flying toward small objects (width less than 0.2m (half a foot) or its size is less than 0.25 square meters). 
	⁃	Flying toward a strong light, like the sun.
	⁃	Flying toward thin objects, like leaves and branches.



Critical Low Battery Warning:
	•	This is activated when the current battery level can only support the drone long enough to descent from current altitude. 
	•	If this activates and the aircraft is descending automatically, you can push the throttle up to maintain altitude and navigate to a better place to land.
	•	This cannot be cancelled.


Intelligent Flight Modes: 
	•	If you push the sticks or press pause, the flight mode will continue afterward.
	⁃	YOU NEED TO PRESS THE STOP BUTTON ON PHONE TO STOP IT. 
	•	Active Track 
	⁃	This is what allows you to track a moving object automatically.
	⁃	Ensure there are no obstacles behind it when it is traveling backward or horizontally. 
	⁃	Be careful when: 
	⁃	The moving object is not on a level plane. 
	⁃	The moving object blends in.
	⁃	It looks like you can fly around while in ActiveTrack, and ActiveTrack keeps the device and camera oriented at the subject, so you can get some cool shots.
	•	SmartCapture
	⁃	This is you controlling the drone with hand gestures. 
	⁃	It will fly at eye level when it's within 3 meters from you (this can be changed if it's farther from you).
	⁃	The forward and backward vision systems are disabled in this mode. Be careful.
	⁃	They recommend using the propeller guards in this mode.
	⁃	To use SmartCapture:
	⁃	Tap it in the app, or double tap the function button on the back of the drone (the drone will beep and the front lights will be yellow).
	⁃	Stand about 6-10 feet away from the drone and hold up your hand (it'll take off).
	⁃	Once it sees your hand, the lights will blink green.
	⁃	If you hold both hands up and spread them, it'll fly away from you. Bring them back together, it'll come closer.
	⁃	Lower your hand, and it'll follow you (front lights will be solid green). You can adjust it's position with your palm (to be in front, behind, etc).
	⁃	Trace mode sort of follows behind you and is more distant. 
	⁃	Profile mode stays close and kind of keeps a sideview of you.
	⁃	To take a selfie photo, make a peace symbol with one hand. The LEDs will countdown and flash.
	⁃	You can take a group selfie (which involves multiple photos at various positions), by having multiple people make the peace symbol. 
	⁃	Make a frame gesture with your hands to start recording video (and to also stop recording).
	⁃	You'll know it's recording if the front LEDs have turned off.
	⁃	To land, face your hand down, and it'll descend and then land.
	⁃	Be careful because SmartCapture needs to be manually executed, so it could respond to hand commands if you haven't exited it.
	•	Quickshot
	⁃	These are all of the photo modes, like Boomerang, Helix, Circle, etc. Where you point at a target and then have it do the mode.
	⁃	Don't use Quickshot when you're close to buildings or have a low GPS signal.
	⁃	Note: these are all shot in 30fps, and asteroid images are captured at 1080p (can't be adjusted).
	⁃	Seems like the sensors are still turned on for this?
	•	Tripod mode:
	⁃	This greatly reduces control sensitivity, allowing you to be slow and steady with your shots. This is good if you need to get really close to something.
	⁃	Good if you want to go through a tight space.
	⁃	Max flight speed is just 2.2 mph. 
	⁃	Also good for slow cinematic camera movements (like pans).
	•	Cinematic mode:
	⁃	The breaking of the aircraft is extended. Basically, it'll take a long time to stop, and slow very gradually before stopping. Very cinematic.
	⁃	Also decreases sensitivity to yaw control (turning), making cinematic shots easier.
	⁃	If you need to stop suddenly in this mode, use the pause button.
	•	TapFly:
	⁃	Forward, backward, free, and coordinate. 
	⁃	In all cases, provided lighting conditions, it'll avoid obstacles.
	⁃	Forward goes toward a target, backward goes away from target, free will fly toward target and you can use the controller to change the orientation of the drone/camera.
	⁃	Coordinate just goes to a location on the map at current altitude and hovers in place.
	•	Point of interest:
	⁃	Select a point of interest and it'll fly around the object with certain settings, like circle radius, altitude, speed, etc.
	⁃	Probably be careful here because there are no side sensors, you could hit something.
	•	APAS (Advanced Pilot Assistance Systems)
	⁃	By default, the drone will stop if it thinks you're about to hit an obstacle. 
	⁃	With APAS on, it'll guide you around the obstacle automatically with no user input.
	⁃	Note that APAS is disabled automatically during flight modes (so the flight modes probably result in the drone stopping, rather than going around).



Take-off: 
	•	Can use the auto take-off(app buttons)
	•	Or, preferred, use the controller: 
	⁃	Tilt both sticks inward, which will start the motors (you can also do it outward and down). Never tilt them up to start.
	⁃	Then tilt left stick up to take off. 

Landing: 
	•	Can use the auto landing (app button)
	•	Or simply left stick down (slowly) until you touch the ground. 
	•	Hold left stick down to stop the motors. 
	•	First stop the motor, then turn off the aircraft, then turn off the remote control. 
	•	Precision landing: 
	⁃	In order for precision landing, the home point must be recorded when taking off and it must take off vertically (10 meters). 
	⁃	It'll take off, fly 30 meters above ground, and then basically take a photo. Then when the aircraft is within 20 meters from the Home Point, it'll scan the terrain for a match with the photo it took, and then land with high precision. Update: it looks like this is actually just 7 meters for the Mavic Air. Just needs to go up 7 meters vertically.
	⁃	You can increase the landing speed with the throttle stick.
	⁃	You can pull up on the throttle or adjust the position at any point which will stop the precision landing.
	•	With landing protection, it'll scan the ground to make sure it's suitable for landing (and it'll land gently). 


Wind:
	•	In the app, you can tap the mini-map on the bottom left and get the "attitude" indicator, which basically shows the tilt of the aircraft. 
	•	If there's high wind, you'll see that the drone is basically leaning into the wind a bit to fly in that direction to stay in the same position. 
	•	In strong winds, the drone's battery drains faster and it may have more trouble getting home.
	•	Weather forecast winds are for ground level, the wind will be higher at higher altitudes. 

Flying: 
	•	Fly below 400 feet (although, you can set the max altitude to 1640ft, 500m).
	•	Avoid people, cars, high voltage lines, etc. 
	•	Take extra caution when flying indoors, the stabilization features may not work as well. 
	•	Don’t fly closely to reflective surfaces, like water or snow (affects sensors). 
	•	Do not fly near EM radiation, like power lines and base stations may affect the compass of the drone. 
	•	Do not fly in rain, snow, fog, or wind greater than 22 mph. 
	•	It will have difficulty detecting fine objects (like power lines and tree branches) and transparent objects (like glass).
	•	Look at flysafe.dji.com/no-fly
	•	Look at knowbeforeyoufly.org
	•	Look at https://www.dji.com/flysafe/geo-map
	•	When entering a no fly zone, the aircraft will automatically descend to the specified altitude and will not be able to take off inside the innermost part of the zone.


No-Fly Zones: 
	•	You can fly in these zones, you just have to accept a warning basically. 
	•	You can even get into really restricted zones if you submit documentation. 


Pre-flight check list: 
	1.	Remove gimbal protector (BEFORE powering on).
	2.	Unfold rear arms
	3.	Unfold front arms
	4.	Unfold landing gears
	5.	Check battery is firmly in place
	6.	Check propellers to make sure they are not broken and SECURE
	7.	Check each motor
	8.	Power on aircraft
	9.	Check battery charge of the device, controller, and iPhone
	10.	Decide whether you want to put on the prop guards
	11.	Ensure the camera and VPS are clean.
	12.	Check for any warnings in the app
	13.	Confirm Aircraft Status in app is "Ready to Go"
	14.	Make sure the GPS single is 3 or greater. 
	15.	Check the battery temperature (tap the battery icon).
	16.	Check that the HD video feed is good (the bars should not be red).
	17.	Calibrate the compass (optional). 
	18.	SET THE RETURN TO HOME ALTITUDE. 
	19.	Put phone in DO NOT DISTURB before flight. 
	20.	Turn off WIFI.
	21.	Start the motors and wait for the app to say "the home point has been updated"
	22.	Probably a good idea to go up, hover for 30 seconds to make sure everything's good, then go back down. Then start flight after that.


Flight checklist: 
	•	Make sure wind is not too hard (branches shouldn't be swaying a lot). 
	•	It should not be raining, snow, or fog. 
	•	Not a lot of birds around or crowds or signal interference (like cell towers). 


Post-flight check list: 
	1.	Put the gimbal protector back on.
	2.	Fold down the landing gears. 
	3.	Fold the front arms. 
	4.	Fold the back arms.