DJI S800 Evo

[NorthWaterStar]

Hey Guys,

I know this is a forum for the DJI Phantom as i own one, but i think its a great place to ask this Question. While we are still learning how to fly in Attitude mode and GPS mode of the phantom, we have been reading so many flyaways, disorientation issues, RTH not enabling stuff like that with the Phantom. I wanted to ask few Questions

1. How does the S800 Evo Fly. Is it the same course lock home lock stuff in the Phantom or the S800 Evo is much easier to fly
2. I have had friends who fly advance rotors and they have said that its much easier to fly their 6 or 8 Blade rotors than the Phantom
3. Having own a Phantom and still learning, i am quite terrified losing it. I do have FPV ( the Screen in front of my Futaba, it shows black and white video output, is that right or can i switch to color too, but is it wiser to get the Fat Shark Goggles because wearing them means you can see the nose at all time and one won't get disorientated at any point of time than looking at FPV screen or visual flying. What is the recommendation.
4. As I am traveling to Singapore, I thought of getting the Wookong M Autopilot system. Is that good for the Phantom too or meant for better aerial crafts like the S800 Evo.
5. Nothing guarantees a craft flying away and losing thousands of dollars, but all users of the S800 Evo, do any of you experience this kind of stuff like the Phantom does?

Thanks

 

[rilot]

What functions you get with the S800 will depend on what flight controller you use with it. If you choose to build it with the Naza, it will be the same as the Phantom. If you build it with the Wookong or A2 it will be similar to the Phantom but with more functions.

I wouldn't bother buying a Wookong for the Phantom.

 

[NorthWaterStar]

Thanks!

Anyone using Fat Shark goggles ever lost their phantom in flight? IS using fat shark goggles and keeping IOC off gives you a great chance not to get disorientated ?

 

[WReimer]

I use Fatshark goggles on one of my Phantoms, and a 7 in. monitor on the other.

In general terms, and assuming your Phantom is operating properly, you have full charge on your battery, good props, good flying conditions, etc. etc. FPV is far superior to conventional flying in terms of maintaining orientation. Of the two systems, goggles are more flexible in that you can fly them in lighting conditions that would make the monitor impossible to see. The downside of goggles are that you are pretty much out of touch with your immediate surroundings, and they can cause vertigo for some people.

While FPV flying is great fun, I think you need to approach it as a second way to fly your Phantom, not the ONLY way to fly it. If you don't learn to fly it from the ground, with control input based on you seeing the quad and it's orientation in the sky and reacting accordingly, sooner or later (probably sooner) you WILL crash your aircraft, and you will likely damage it. FPV flying is in many ways like trying to walk around looking through the endf of a drinking straw; you only get a VERY limited view of your overall surroundings.

Even if you were able to see the full width of the GoPro field of view of, say 135 degrees...that's 135 out of 360. your normal vision plus peripheral vision is close to 180 degrees. In reality, FPV may give you 35 or 40 degrees of view. It will take no time at all for that unseen tree at say 45 degrees from centre to reach out, grab your Phantom and throw it forcefully onto the ground.

Overcome your fear, learn to fly it conventionally first, then get into FPV. You'll be a lot more comfortable in the long run, and lets face it, this is supposed to be FUN, not stress inducing. If you can't overcome the fear of losing the quad to something you or something/someone else caused, maybe it isn't the right hobby...

 

[NorthWaterStar]

Well said

 

[OI Photography]

The S800 is a great platform with a lot of lift capacity and expandability, but it's quite a step up from the phantom, and as rilot mentioned the flight performance you get will largely depend on which Flight Controller you use.

Although I'm sure there's an S800/EVO in my future, for now I'm moving to an intermediate platform, the FW550. Much cheaper than the S800, and with the right upgrades can be nearly as capable. I'm planning on using a Wookong-M with it due to a number of the improvements it offers over the NAZA, but if you decide to do the same just know that you'll need to get the v2 IMU for it to reach its full potential. A Wookong upgraded with that will give you pretty much the same flight performance as their flagship A2 Flight Controller, just not all the extra bells-n-whistles.