Bought Phantom 3, how do I fly?

[fly_it]

And don't run your phantom battery below 30%... And many people recommend only taking it down to 50% the first 10 flights. I don't know if you've read that much yet or not...

 

[Dirby]

 

[JetFalcon]

That's a good idea for the first flight. Keep it close and don't try that flight over people and buildings to the local school that you mentioned. Just get a feel for it, let it hover, fly some patterns.

Let us know how it goes

Well, I finished my first flight and it went well. I got up to 200 feet and let it roam around. It kind of fell into the grass a few times from taking off at a bad angle, but at least there are no scratches. But at least no major crash or hitting anyone or falling 100 feet from the sky. I was super scared but the drone is very easy to handle. It's almost like having a video game camera that free roams the sky, once it was up in the air, it was a breeze to control.

Kids at the park were interested in it, some kid stood right below it.

I got some video / photo of my flight, I dunno how to upload it or view it. But it went well, at least learned the basic controls.

Will eventually want to fly it out further and let it explore my surroundings. But how do you know if the drone will have signal for the remote & video?

But the video did cut out at one point, but went back on. Anyone know how to trouble shoot that?

 

[RVD98072]

You should do the compass calibration. I think it's a good first flight...just take her up and back down and move around a little bit here and there...not too crazy.

As for video, just take it from the memory card with a card reader and upload it to youtube.

 

[JetFalcon]

Well, I dunno how to get videos up here in less than 2 minutes, maybe someone can tell me how?

But I found out my flight footage was saved to the DJI app. Which is nice for instant sharing. If anyone wants to check my mini 15 second movie of my first flight, just look under the #jetfalcon hashtag on insta. It's not heavily used so it should be on the most recent for a while.

 

[discv]

Kids at the park were interested in it, some kid stood right below it. Quote.

Not really recommended for a newbie first flight.

 

[Ti22]

Good job on your maiden and yes, kids and dogs seem to gravitate towards these things so be extra careful and mindful of those situations.

I’ve had a great deal of fun with this cheapo and it flies nicely indoors and small spaces outdoors too. Especially handy for backyards and friends & family who might wanna try their hand piloting a UAS/drone. Yes, it has pre-programmed (cheating) flipping capability - impress the ladies!

Top Selling FY326 Q7 2.4G 6-Axis Gyro 4-CH UFO RC Quadcopter +Headless mode KE8R

Yeah, brushed, geared motors, cheap, cheap but under $30 shipped and a nice size.

 

[RVD98072]

if you go to any public park during the day, it's hard not to draw a crowd. i drew a crowd yesterday and i was only at the park for about 15 minutes (a quick 9 minute flight). the other day when i was there, a homeless looking guy in a wheelchair yelled at me from around 50 yards away yelling "what is that? where do you buy that? how much was it?" etc.

i get asked these questions a lot because i tend to have a lot of gadgets...folding bikes, electric bikes, folding electric bikes, "hoverboard", etc. and my answer is pretty much always the same "a few hundred bucks" "amazon.com", etc.

 

[JetFalcon]

if you go to any public park during the day, it's hard not to draw a crowd. i drew a crowd yesterday and i was only at the park for about 15 minutes (a quick 9 minute flight). the other day when i was there, a homeless looking guy in a wheelchair yelled at me from around 50 yards away yelling "what is that? where do you buy that? how much was it?" etc.

i get asked these questions a lot because i tend to have a lot of gadgets...folding bikes, electric bikes, folding electric bikes, "hoverboard", etc. and my answer is pretty much always the same "a few hundred bucks" "amazon.com", etc.

LoL, I also have a hoverboard. There was a mom at the park who was describing my drone to her 3 yr old son, saying that this thing is gonna fly and stuff. Made me nervous this mom was giving high expectations like I've flown this thing before, when I never flown it and was trying to figure everything out. But thankfully I did the simulator and watched youtube tutorials so that helped me out immensely so nothing went wrong. The worst that happened was the thing tipped over and the propellers hit the dirt during my first take off.

I have an limited edition orange M3, and both my hoverboard & drone get more attention than my sports car.

The only car I've driven that gets that same attention is a Lamborghini Huracan. I rented one for a 20 min ride in LA and everyone at the cross walks going to Staples Center noticed the car. Almost the same kind of reaction when you ride a hoverboard or fly a drone, that "what is that" kinda reaction.

 

[barefootbeachcombing]

Well, I dunno how to get videos up here in less than 2 minutes, maybe someone can tell me how?

But I found out my flight footage was saved to the DJI app. Which is nice for instant sharing. If anyone wants to check my mini 15 second movie of my first flight, just look under the #jetfalcon hashtag on insta. It's not heavily used so it should be on the most recent for a while.

Don't use the video from your tablet/phone. It is low resolution.

Download the video from the micro SD card to a computer to edit it.

Then you probably will get better results by using YouTube or Vimeo rather than Instagram.

Then you can post the links to those videos here (or elsewhere) if you wish to share them.

 

[JetFalcon]

Don't use the video from your tablet/phone. It is low resolution.

Download the video from the micro SD card to a computer to edit it.

Then you probably will get better results by using YouTube or Vimeo rather than Instagram.

Then you can post the links to those videos here (or elsewhere) if you wish to share them.

I took out the Micro SD card to put into my computer. But for some reason my video came out laggy and stuttering, just kind of froze and showed a new frame every 10 seconds. But on my iPhone through the DJI app, the video came out fine. It still plays even after the drone is off, so not sure how it gets to the app if it's not in my photo library.

 

[barefootbeachcombing]

What kind of processor and how much RAM is on your computer?
What software are you using to view the video on your computer?

To your last question, the low resolution video is recorded and stored on your your iPhone.

 

[Phantomfreak]

This is what I'd recommend. It's practically indestructible. I have one myself to train friends that are interested in learning, and to gauge their ability to comprehend reverse orientation navigation. If you can't fly this little drone indoors without running into things, you shouldn't be flying an expensive $700 drone anywhere, IMHO.

Nice I love the blade inductrix, its actually the most fun indoors of all my copters. My favorite of the mini drones though overall is the Hubsan X4, model H107L or the H108.. In expert mode, those things are little hot rods (fast, lots of pitch, fast yaw) but in beginner mode docile and controllable. I mainly learned orientation on those, and the Blade Nano and the Inductrix.

 

[Phantomfreak]

That's a good idea for the first flight. Keep it close and don't try that flight over people and buildings to the local school that you mentioned. Just get a feel for it, let it hover, fly some patterns.

Let us know how it goes

Good advice. Also I think hovering a toy quadcopter in front of you facing away is the best way to practice, and the first thing a new pilot should get comfortable with.. Then yaw it around so its facing you, and learn reverse orientation, not so easy but absolutely necessary to know with these things.. Good luck to the OP

 

[JetFalcon]

What kind of processor and how much RAM is on your computer?
What software are you using to view the video on your computer?

To your last question, the low resolution video is recorded and stored on your your iPhone.

LoL, I think i3 and I dunno how much RAM. The IT guy at my office knew my computer was bottom of the line and knew I just bought it because it was cheap, he saw it person when installing Microsoft Office programs.

It's a Dell all in one. It's a $500-600 computer I got for $300 on black friday last year at Microsoft Store. Are Black Friday computers not able to process video well? I thought this was a simple computer function that didn't need a bunch of technical questions.

I'm not making special effects for a Hollywood movie.

 

[Othan1]

LoL, I think i3 and I dunno how much RAM. The IT guy at my office knew my computer was bottom of the line and knew I just bought it because it was cheap, he saw it person when installing Microsoft Office programs.

It's a Dell all in one. It's a $500-600 computer I got for $300 on black friday last year at Microsoft Store. Are Black Friday computers not able to process video well? I thought this was a simple computer function that didn't need a bunch of technical questions.

I'm not making special effects for a Hollywood movie.

I no longer fear you might end up on TV in a negative capacity. I think you're doing terrific and taking nice steps and reading and participating in the boards. I apologize for pre-judging you.

That being said, you will need a beefier computer to do basically any kind of video editing/playback. You may just need a new video card if you're using the built-in card on the board. And memory helps.

 

[gklugie]

Baby steps first.

Do not rely on the video screen..... fly the model...with your eyes.

Just hover 20 feet high for a while (first 5 flights) ..... slowly go back, forth, circle around.

Fly in an open soccer field or similar.

 

[Suspended Moments]

Ok, well I'm charging the controller, battery, and phone so it's ready to go tomorrow possibly. I guess a full charge is the first step to success.

I've tried the flight simulator which had a map of my area. I pretend to fly it to a nearby school which is within a mile away. I am just wondering if what I see in the simulator is what it can really do in real life. All it gives me is a pretend field, but when it's for real and it's in automated mode say to return home, will it detect tall things like trees, power lines, buildings?

Plus is this thing smart enough to know where not to fly, especially airports? Like if I take it to LAX and do the automated mode, will it know not to enter or will it just fly there anyways like nothing? I have like old military bases in my area that have no planes but have fences, are drones allowed to fly there? It would really suck if it ran outta battery in a place that's fenced off, so how you be sure that doesn't happen?

Tons of questions but I have to fly this thing eventually. Where should I first try this thing, like how big of a park should I go to? And what if something shitty happens like my phone dying, can the drone operate without the app? Let me know of bad situations now before I get into them.

IF you "take it to LAX" ? that's a NO.... and there is no obstacle avoidance in the system... with RTH, it will ascend to the altitude you set and bee-line straight towards the takeoff point/location.. if there is something in that line then it may smack into it. Also, you seem to want it to land on it's own... make sure you have a wide open space for that with no power lines above the location... 16 foot diameter clear landing zone based on my experience. You are also in a densely populated area with lots of potential interference... I'm going to suggest that being new, you should NOT fly there... RTH may not be as accurate as you think...

 

[Curt]

So just picked up DJI Phantom 3 Standard at Target for $700 with the price drop. And they got a free drone backpack deal going on until Jan 2 so now would be a good time to get one. And I hustled on Craigslist for gift cards and saved another $100. Gift card lady had a $700 gift card and it was the perfect amount to buy the drone, plus a random $69 left over one which I used towards the tax.

But it's still in the box now but I wanna wait until day time to fly it. What should I do first, do I need to put it together, and do I need the app? Should I take it of the box tonight to set it up and fly tomorrow? Do I need to charge it? Or can I unbox at the park when I'm ready to fly it? I am a total noob and I don't want to crash this thing, but I heard the expensive DJI drones are easier to fly than the Toys R Us ones.

Plus how do I mount an iPad or iPhone on the controller? In unboxing videos, it just looks like a claw clamp, I have no idea how that is gonna hold a phone / tablet. Is a phone holder a seperate accessory?

Please help a noob out and tell me how to have a successful first day. Will take it to an open area first. I will eventually want to try fly it in different areas. My friend has a house in Hollywood Hills and was hoping the drone is smart enough to navigate a hilly area and be able to land itself back on a small patio. Would get some awesome shots of the houses there, just hope nobody hates on my drone and shoots it down.

First things first go to the dji website and make sure you have the most recent firmware installed. From time to time check this website and do the updates. Find an open field with no trees or obstacles to get in your way and void of onlookers. Stay in the beginner mode learning to go up down, forward and backward and sideways. Study your controller and understand the Return to Home function because you will use it more then you think. Once you get comfortable with the Phantom and the controller then the fun starts. Learn to look for irregularities in your flight and what causes them. This is my third DJI drone my first was the Phantom 2 vision plus I sold that my next and now is the Inside 1 and also the Phanton 3 professional. I had my bumps and crashes on the Phanton 2 vision plus. Practice practice practice.

 

[4kskyguy]

MOST OF ALL - PUT IT IN BEGINNER MODE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!