Drone Flying Tips - 5 Skills Beginner Pilots Should Master

Learn to fly a drone with the Syma X5C: amzn.to/3VNTnCl
Teaching a friend to fly a quadcopter? Looking to improve your piloting skills yourself? Does you kid always ask to fly your drone and then immediately crash it? If any of those are true, then this is the video for you. In it, I teach Nick Mardi, actor and host of The Latest Late Show, who has never flown any RC before, how to fly a Syma X5C using 5 skills that every pilot should know.
00:00 - Introduction
00:22 - Who is Nick Mardi?
01:02 - Five basics every drone pilot should know
01:35 - Best beginner drones to learn drone flying
02:24 - How to take off and land (skill 1)
05:01 - How to hover a drone in place (skill 2)
07:25 - How to fly your drone forward, backward, right, left (skill 3)
09:01 - Mastering yaw with your drone (skill 4)
09:42 - The "cheat mode" on toy drones AKA headless mode
10:25 - How to fly your drone in a circle (skill 5)
12:00 - Recap of the 5 drone skills beginner pilots should know
If you are a great pilot and don't need improvement, then skip this video. But if you are a beginner to intermediate pilot, these 5 maneuvers, if practiced regularly, will definitely improve your drone flying skills!
Check out Kelly's Podcast: dirtnapcity.bu...
Want a great beginner quadcopter at a very low price? Check out the Syma X5C, it's the same one we flew in this video. If you buy it from Amazon at this link, you will get a great price and support our channel!
amzn.to/2AWMFlv
If you want to check out the cool t-shirts we are wearing, check out our store on Spreadshirt.
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[@ecbadboy101]

One of the most important tips. Always know where the front of your drone is. Some people will even change the color of the front propellers to help keep track.

[@Jack101S]

my syma 5xsw has a headless mode (I have never used it) where is uses the position of the controller to change where the front is

[@nancyxiang7184]

I have a mini drone, and it has a white light on the front and a red and blue light on the left side. Also, it has red props in the front, and blackprops in the back. It seems made for beginners, which is good, because I'm a beginner.

[@thraxexotics3406]

Can you believe your comment help me make 30 day worth of progress in 30 minutes I did exactly what you said and I have way more control of my drone

[@rhysspokemon6075]

I have green LEDs indicating thenfront

[@wormhandler]

2 minutes into this and Im still waiting to start..... Jesus.... Droning on and on and on

[@valerie3121]

Pun intended?

[@spoonclaymore]

I like the five steps to show someone now to fly a drone. It seems like many people are just scared to touch the control after they see it fly. This is a good way to build some skills, some confidence and keep your drone out of harm's way until they are ready to advance to the next step.

[@DroneManMurphy]

Well it’s so weird to watch this old video and how drowns have really changed since then! 😊

[@24ecko]

Thank you! I just bought a used cheap Latrax Alias to learn how to fly and found this video really helpful!

[@Abdusshakur215]

Thanks!!! I’ve done my best flying after watching this video..

[@readysetdrone]

Awesome! I'm very glad to hear that.

[@jbennett3578]

Good info for a drone noob like me. I bought a U818A Kolibri to learn on, and the first thing I did was practice taking off and landing, over and over again. Still working on mastering step 3. For me it's more like, "Forward, good. Now backward. Not that far backward! Forward again! Why is it going left? Go right, go right dammit! Stop! Sit! Stay! Arrghhh!" Luckily I have a field full of tall, soft grass to practice my uncontrolled ground contact maneuvers.

[@liammoat5543]

J Bennett try trimming your drone if you have trim options so it doesn't drift off in different directions

[@jbennett3578]

Dankerater I've had problems setting the trim on this one. Sometimes it seems to work. Sometimes not so much.

[@WolfLover94]

Haha, hilarious comment. Lol 😂

[@vinceking7878]

J Bennett I think trim can be awkward, I think it can be partly down to the controller. I believe that you should re calibrate the Gryos before every flight on a level surface, Wait until lights stop flashing, then trim. Depends on drone model, only just started.

[@jbennett3578]

I don't think this one has gyros. I've thought of trimming it in the garage, to take the wind out of the equation. (There's always wind around here.) In any case, I finally bought an Autel X-Star Premium. That's a whole different experience, and a lot of fun.

[@nor4277]

When I was about to give up on drones,I found a drone that I could fly very easy,a FY 603 Smart egg with altitude hold ,it would Hoover on it own ,then I could slowly stir around ,and it gave me the coincidence ,to fly ,I now have GPS drones and a new optical.flow drone , a Tkkj L603.as soon as I get cooler weather I will fly it .I think for beginners,use these things to help you.

[@nicvrensburg]

Great tips...starting to fly my new DJI Quadcopter next week and will keep your tips in mind. luckily I've been flying RC for quite a while now and hope it will help....

[@popsco2000]

Just got my first one, your tip about ground effects really helped, ty

[@scottgibson6735]

I learned with the Syma X5c.I had two hands then,so it was just a matter of practice.Next step was a blade 180qx.from there,I went to Yuneec,and Autel. A test is a dji Spark.It,like the yuneec,and the Autel ,essentially flies itself.I would recommend,the Syma,with the caveat,that it has a really crappy camera,where the others have pretty decent cameras.Thanksnfor the video

[@AllenFreemanMediaGuru]

Thanks. I’m just starting out and can use all the help I can get.

[@audreyoliver5038]

Excellent learning video for us beginners. Thanks million man.

[@PROCESSOR302]

My first drone was an X5C and it lasted almost 3 years, its a great drone for learners. My more recent drones have headless mode so learning to fly heads in (point 5) does not seem necessary these days.

[@peterzingler6221]

Ah the x5c the good old teacher ;) Like a car without ESP servo Abs Airbags and so in;D

[@stevenchase147]

I enjoy that the instructor is clearly an actual pilot of manned airplanes as well

[@seminolerick6845]

Am a newbie...not done 1st flight yet. This WILL help.... THANKS !

[@wingmanalive]

The Syma X5SW is my drone and an AWESOME one for the $$. I paid $40 for it and of course bought extra batteries, props and parts for it for a total of around $100. It comes with a camera which I don't use because I don't have a smart phone but don't care. It has 6 gyros so it hovers like a champ. I've been playing with it in my gameroom and have gotten very good with the controls. It comes with a 500mahr battery but it's not bad. Just a simple $20 upgrade and you get (6) 750mhr batteries with charger so you have endless fun. easy to fly? My god yes. Because of the gyros I can pick up a GI Joe guy off a table with ease. Now the trick is to put it into headless mode for beginners. Just follow the directions. It's a great toy!

[@kramnikpaulbenitez529]

This video brings back many memories with my first drone years ago it looks like this drone but a different brand and some of you might be watching this because your confused on the controls. When I got my first drone flying I crashed a lot but it's okay because the drone is not for professionals all we need to do is Never Give Up and Practice More. And we all know that a professional was once a begginer.

[@DroneMinds]

Great video guys! I'm glad that there's lots of help for beginners

[@AryaDegaTube]

Very nice video guys! I've been looking for this basic quad pilot training. Thank you!

[@mollymaxton4046]

Thank you, sir for doing these videos. Thanks to your instruction, I was able to take my Syma X5C-1 out on my first drone flight today. It may not have been pretty, but it was fun!

[@readysetdrone]

Nice - just keep flying!

[@alfiez3602]

That second timer was so fast

[@nirojenlaventhirarajan3650]

you can just x by 2 then u get 30 and when u get 30 on the clock, divide by 2 and u get 15 sec stoopid

[@slowsloth8550]

I bought the Syma x5SW today and looking for a tutorial videos, your video is helpful thank you very much. I will watch it again once my drone arrives to improve my skills.

[@readysetdrone]

Right on!

[@ReelTimeCapt]

Very good intro and thx! My 12 yr old son is interested in these and this looks like a good starter.

[@roseredfire48]

I just got the X5C for Christmas and have that exact controller. Mine is the blue one. Glad I found this cause I've never flown drones.

[@RICKHALBUR]

Congrats Kelly on this 1M views on this video. This is the one that got me hooked and never went back

[@EdwinvandenAkker]

Awesome shirt... _"Drone star state"_

[@federicomosqueira7297]

Is a copy of the Chile's flag...

[@mtbsomi]

From 6:39 to 7:04 the quadcopter was in the air for 49 seconds. That's the Syma power! Nice and funny video though, thanks :)

[@DavidShin]

The background music is too loud

[@bossonair1313]

David, you gotta check this out - you will love it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3SsaGd-YrOop6s 😍🔥

[@iangolsby8471]

My dad ordered us a Syma X5C (I'm not sure whether it's the -1 the Amazon page is unclear) and I'm so excited to start flying it! Thanks for this it'll help a lot as I start flying

[@Flightkitten]

I got my drone unused at a tag sale for $5 and this really helped me learn!

[@readysetdrone]

That's great! Thanks for watching!

[@wolfpack4694]

Great video to show it takes practice and perseverance.

[@sudhanshugordey9584]

The white drone is Syma I too bought the same two years ago.

[@jeffkidwill5151]

thank you this helped me out alot

[@drones101gaming4]

watching this brings back memories of my first drone but it wasn't that hard. its like I had a natural gift for it.

[@joepeach997]

Great vid! Thank you.

[@robertschip4676]

Great..i am a fan of Herman Brood !! greetzz from Holland !!

[@sheldonwhite4960]

LoL I have that one right now and I'm just starting to learn all over again but it is extremely fun I just picked one up from winners just a few minutes ago I'm going to have some fun in my classroom learning and watching the video right now

[@THETOPGLOCK]

I have that same one I bought on eBay for $50 it's definitely a trick to fly to say the least. But I think I'm ready for the phantom.....(wife may disagree)$$

[@Tallguysrc]

Coming from the RC world I agree with most of what you are saying. I teach people how to hover tail in (this is also part of the learning to use the throttle to hold a hover) just the way I teach it. then once they can hover tail in I teach them how to fly straight away and straight back like you do and then left and right, I then teach them how to do the same with the nose in so they understand left is right and forward is backwards and so on. once they master this 99% of the orientation problems are gone as they know that just turning a 1/4 turn in any direction puts them in a place they can control! Great video again thanks for sharing.. and great choice of the first drone used to train I use a JJRC HSC5 for all my new pilots

[@readysetdrone]

Right on! You know, I have never done the exercise of hover "nose in" - that makes sense and should be part of the basics. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment!

[@Adam-Freemer]

Ahh the days before all the gyros, on helis, nose in inverted hehe

[@RoomAtTheTopStudio]

Day two for me today and I realized that right is left and away is towards me. I thought I did something wrong to the controls but I just worked with it and I didn't crash at all today. I'm kinda chuffed with myself. Roll on day 3 tomorrow

[@old-rcplane-phart]

The terrifying part, anyone who's never flew b4, think it's as easy to transition from a drone to a rc helicopter. (It's not even close). I see this all the time.

[@MrKamran]

Great video

[@Martin1519]

I remember when I was 1st practicing hovering

[@AdrianSnell]

MY GOD - HOW FAST WAS THAT CLOCK RUNNING???

[@Richiesrant]

Thanks for making this video. It's a great tutorial for beginners!

[@Tom_Swiss]

"Ground effect" creates overpressure, not a vacuum. Imagine a pillow of air underneath the drone, which makes it wobbly to control.

[@readysetdrone]

Thanks Tom. That makes perfect sense. My point was that when you hover close to the ground, it is harder to control the bird. Thanks for educating me on the physics of it. Happy flying!

[@RogerWittekind]

Pretty funny video. Now I can see problems beginners will have like the problems I had when first started riding motorbikes. Don't go too slow because you will wobble.

[@bossonair1313]

​@@RogerWittekind This is how I crashed mine in first flight: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3SsaGd-YrOop6s 🔥

[@darciebenson9588]

Thanks i just got this drone and this was so helpful thank

[@johnwedrall9224]

thank you and happy holidays to you and your family 😎

[@benjaminschubach3676]

This was very helpful, my first vid on the subject, i use drones to film aerial footage of downhill biking

[@readysetdrone]

That's great. Thanks for the comment!

[@soldier001us]

Es que que q we ave al

[@gpierre90]

Interesting thing that I found is that there are RC helicopters that performs almost the same function and that was how i learned. I now have a mavic 2 and I love it.

[@RobertAlexanderRM]

The first problem you describe is very true although a better to describe it is propwash, not ground effect which refers to an strong increase in lift when flying at low distance over ground.

[@mssippijim]

After all these years, SYMA X5c is possibly the best toy grade drone ever.

[@pmh1nic]

Hardest thing to overcome in my opinion is the opposite control when the drone is facing you and coming toward you. You have to overcome the instinct of pushing the stick in the direction you want the drone to move. I'm slowly learning to overcome that instinct but it's difficult to counter especially in an emergency situation.

[@SamHaugen]

Have you overcome the instinct now?

[@KnaSa-bt6kz]

Have you heard of headless mode

[@LumisonicTechnologyReviews]

Great tips! The Latest Late Show is great!

[@popwall4297]

my first drone was cheap and didn't have GPS I kept crashing it and eventually throw it away then my wife bought me a phantom 3 for Christmas didn't want it but after I flew it fell in love with drone flying GPS makes all the difference in the world whether you enjoyed it or not

[@edgybob1]

Thanks for taking time to make a video to help those of us that are beginning. I am in my mid 60's and I am trying to learn flying the quadcopter so that I can do it with my grandsons.

[@n4sonxxx522]

Aww,your grand kids is so lucky to have you as their grandpa

[@tonyhicks2503]

3 minutes in and I'm thinking to myself "Sorry, I can't take this terrible repetitive too-loud music for another ten minutes." a drone was barely off the ground when I gave up. Just a tip for future videos: the music should complement the video not distract from it.

[@dariushampton4167]

You could call the right toggle a yoke btw...it controls pitch, yaw, and roll in standard planes

[@user87345]

Drones are so fun

[@celtics2008champs1]

Should show the controller when flying it.......

[@DadRandom]

J Doe helps

[@karenspratt6122]

Agree

[@djcichlid7746]

Not really a good instructor. He tells the student to fly a circle, but he couldnt fly one lol

[@djkillaflexx8368]

flying DJI you dont have to worry about any of that he showed the student.

[@giftgambo6983]

J Doe bih

[@byronhowe6753]

thanks this video was really helpful ..

[@ryancasey4038]

I'm watching this as I'm charging the battery for my new drone, it's all assembled and ready to fly once it's done charging. Great video, very informative. I plan to practice some of the maneuvers you showed him as I get to learn my drone.

[@glyshorts9107]

How do you u like your drone?

[@glyshorts9107]

And what did u buy? Thanks for the help!

[@raffyfranciscojr.9442]

Nice tip mate! 2 thumbs up:)

[@yoursavageteen7356]

THANKS SO MUCH!!!!!!!!! i suck at flying XD

[@VeganBrianAnimalActivist]

great lesson

[@snipazx8522]

i read the description saying "Does you kid always ask to fly your drone and then immediately crash it'? i thought no its the opposite

[@sachintehlyani6541]

Great video, now I just need a drone

[@readysetdrone]

For sure!

[@johannpatrick5057]

I just bought a new drone this lesson will help me thanks

[@bobsturgis4674]

Good video,better after you turned the music off.My suggestion,and i am just a beginner is to by a mini inside home drone to learn to fly.Sometimes cheaper and you can fly anytime you want.Happy Flying.:}

[@yukonjeffimagery]

Great video ! I am learning my drone ,and crashing a lot, this helps. Thanks !

[@declanleesteere2460]

yukonjeffimagery tip, I just started flying my drone at Christmas and I haven't crashed once because you just don't go crazy with it and just take it easy

[@yukonjeffimagery]

I am in Alaska and I have to fly in the house because its stormy a lot.

[@ritchiequinones6080]

yukonjeffimagery My dad bought me a drone for Christmas i mastered in like 2 weeks then my dad always ask to fly my drone next thing you know.. crashes and drone breaks

[@jamesprakash4607]

Nice communication

[@RightAway87]

Lone star drone reminds me of my old military training haha. Good vid.

[@seanmetters7670]

WHAT MILITARY WAS THAT!!!! SUICIDE BOMBER HAHAHAHAHAHHA

[@juanignaciopetrocelli3785]

Nice video for beginners. Thanks!

[@nickmardi]

Had a lot of fun! Thanks again!!

[@RyanW35]

Are you planning on getting one of your own drones

[@nickmardi]

After this, definitely!

[@floberardinucci1435]

Best drones for photographs

[@robertimmanuel577]

Fake

[@hydrojunky]

I practice theses on a regular there a must good video.

[@crostfam]

You can practice this with your Tello too. To use ATTI mode with Tello, cover the VPS with tape. Advanced users only. Thanks RSD!!!!!

[@bigred8022]

Xcrost vps

[@thisolddog2259]

my first drone was a dx4 by sharper image. i taught myself with it and what was nice is that it had altitude hold. it gave me time to think about my next maneuver so it was easy to learn on. I've been flying now for about 2 years and can't count how many I've crashed or lost because i lost orientation or got to ballsy! I'm a good pilot now and don't really like alt. hold quads any more but for me it was a great way to learn.

[@stephenmorrow7987]

First drone I bought was a week ago I bought a DJI Mini 2. First flight I crashed cause I got too cocky

[@thisolddog2259]

@@stephenmorrow7987 that's how you become a great pilot!

[@stephenmorrow7987]

@@thisolddog2259 I tried a similar move today and didn't crash. I've been flying pretty much every day after work for 2-3 hours. It's honestly brought back my love for photography

[@thisolddog2259]

@@stephenmorrow7987 that's awesome, I haven't flown for awhile so I need to get back out there. I don't know about you but when I'm flying all the worries of the world go away!

[@stephenmorrow7987]

@@thisolddog2259 Oh yeah. Give me my drone and some Zach Bryan on a Bluetooth speaker or my earbuds and it's always a good time! Wish I had gotten into this hobby earlier

[@AKIYIAKELLY]

Enjoyed

[@DansVlog]

Thanks guys. I am new to Drone flying and I chose a $100 non GPS style drone for the exact reason you stated... if I can fly this drone proficiently without GPS assistance I assume the DJI or Parrot Drones will be really fun and hopefully easier

[@readysetdrone]

You are correct! Happy flying!

[@bradyjackson3809]

Always start with the bare bones. So you can appreciate the features on a nicer quad and be a better pilot in general.

[@erincusack5916]

Dan may I suggest looking at a typhoon h. By the way I still have the gravely mower, love it

[@DadRandom]

Dan's Vlog we all kinda start the same way, less complex to gps drones.

[@garydeandeery]

Yep Iv started have plans to offer video shots of people’s cars so doing all the paper work and building a small company

[@helloworld6209]

the dead cat thing is actually the funniest part of this vid XD

[@007REAPER007]

"If you can fly these..." sounds like, If you can drive stick you can drive automatic :P

[@readysetdrone]

Very good analogy!

[@Candystripedshredder]

Agreed! When I got my first drone, I hadn't noticed it was in Acro Mode the whole time! Learning to fly in Acro was an absolute nightmare, but I'm definitely a better pilot because of it. I don't think you appreciate flying with FPV, GPS, RTH, etc if you haven't learned the basics on a simpler machine.

[@trollface1994]

If you can fly these..." sounds like, If you can drive stick you can drive a 747 :

[@LeWooloo]

Candystripedshredder Seeing this Video in 2018 and cannot imagine how much harder it must be with these kind drones compared to a Mavic Pro these days. ^^ Kinda nostalgic footage tho! :D Greetings from the future.

[@RoomAtTheTopStudio]

@@LeWooloo I just bought my first drone the X5UW to learn how to fly with first. This is learning to drive stick for me. Once I can drive then I'll get a Mavic Pro and appreciate it more so this is actually a very good comparison

[@krompierbrothers6574]

I like your phantom 4 and your blue x5c. You also explained the universal drone controls really well! great video ill have to check out your others can't wait to subscribe

[@Funnyshortstuff]

A $49 dollar drone can save your $1000 drone from ending up a $1000 crash.

[@kingofdrones5589]

true

[@curtpyro1518]

Bigdroneguy right

[@docstrange27]

Tallguysd Not really. 1000 drone gps you have to be really careless to crash it.

[@OregonDARRYL]

MJX Bugs 3 is $48 on Ebay from U.S. sellers! Has a Go=Pro camera mount, too Oh.. and it's freaking brushless! Wait,,, there's more. It has alarms for low battery in the quad, AND low signal. so, it's worry free. I still can't believe I got one for that price....

[@bowlsallbroken]

Yep. Even a micro will fly Mode 2 just like a standard hi-dollar photo quad and help you build up substantial skill. After flying micros I was delighted by how much less squirrely and wind-affe ted a large/heavy quad is to control.

[@RICKHALBUR]

Thanks Kelly this is mine first drone video that I started to watch and then i was hooked you made a Drone monster. I was asked today, witch drone would be best to learn on and I sent this video. Great video Kelly

[@blueharley2]

Altho I agree everyone should learn with a cheap drone with manual controls, Headless & GPS are simply the evolution of the machine, not cheating. It's not till you fly FPV that you dramatically change the sport.

[@babychopob9184]

Hello, fellow drone pilots.

[@shyryTsr2k]

Howdy 👌

[@greysky65]

Hello Jesse 🙌🏻

[@ccanimations8789]

I never knew cats flew drones?

[@bossonair1313]

Hey fellow drone pilot, you gotta check this out - you will love it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3SsaGd-YrOop6s 🔥

[@Joe-gf7co]

I hope you can have dual screen where on one side you show the movement of your hand and the other screen the drone movement. That would be awesome for beginners.

[@readysetdrone]

Good idea. I will try something like that in a later video. Thanks for watching!

[@terryandteresa]

Great video as usual.

[@jjphone8723]

I love flying drones

[@pudrowilson3354]

nice day it looks like

[@SHAHRULAZ]

Cool gadget

[@goriverman]

Thank you great video. I have the syma 5c and I'm using it to learn on before I get something more expensive. Loved your video and I hope you do more of these. I have to master this one before I graduate to something better.. Having fun with it and it's almost bomb proof. I put a better antenna on it to keep it from flying away out of range. lmao

[@readysetdrone]

+goriverman Thanks for watching!

[@gioacosta7]

Wow he's like a pro now!

[@robinmackridge7381]

Ok ill stay tuned.def a subscriber

[@edyblues9952]

wow...nice...

[@johnwedrall9224]

cool informative video,thanks man ! I'm subscribing to your channel.

[@readysetdrone]

Thanks! I appreciate the comment!

[@capitolbeverage9803]

John Wedrall

[@bellaorge]

Good video. Have a pilot license, flown fixed wing R/C for 50 years-just can't get the hang of quad flying. Must be a right-left brain thing. Or maybe I'm just old.

[@AbandonedExplorationUrbex1979]

I'm new to the whole drone thing. I've never flew a drone. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on my first drone so I bought a Sharper Image dx3. When it comes most drones I don't think it's fair that a drone has to be charged for 3-4 hours but only has maybe 20 minutes of flying time. With that being said since I only paid $40 for my dx3 I'll deal with the short flying time.

[@BIGDRONEFLYER77RC]

just wanted to visit this video again. It was one of my favorites for learning how to fly a syma x5c. cheers if you get this Kelly.👍👍