First flight anticipation...

[Charlieb]

Hi,

For the longest time I waited for the phantom to get as good as the vision plus. Last Thursday afternoon I got it! For 2 days prior I read all the documentation and saw all videos related to the drone. I was a theoretical expert! I got the P2V+ from Amazon (thank G_d), charged the battery, wifi repeater, updated the software, calibrated the control, etc. Got ready to fly it at a Texas size open field. Calibrated the drone, placed on the ground and then.... The drone DID NOT GET ENOUGH LIFT TO TAKE OFF!!!

I am so disappointed! Went back home to try to recalibrate the control, it said it was fine. Try it outside the house as it was getting a bit dark, same results. As I moved the left control stick up it did not throttle enough to get off the ground. I tried with the autopilot by just placing one waypoint about 10 feet away and 50 feet up, press go and up it went. It felt great! But it was a short fly! The remote control was damaged. I got so freaked out..

I went back inside the house, packed the P2V+ in its box, and inside the Amazon box, got a UPS return label from Amazon and returned it! I had to do it as I was going overseas with the drone. I am waiting for Amazon to credit my purchase so I can order a NEW ONE. I simply can't wait!

I've read all the stories about the poor customer service, and did not want to deal with it. I joined this forum shortly after dropping the box at the UPS store, and read all sort of explanations about the lack of lift. Some indicate the control had to be calibrated in mode 1 or 2, that it had to be switched for a new one, you name it... I am disapointed but hopeful that the next one will fly as it should.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

[TheloniousMac]

Hope the new one gives you lots of fun when it arrives.
I had a similar scary moment with mine and it took me a second to realise the battery was too low and the Phantom was purposefully preventing me from taking off.
Is it possibly yours just had a faulty battery?

 

[Brettly]

It does seem to sound like battery issues. I'm getting mine with spare battery so that might prove worthy. Few people on here have had faulty batteries?

 

[Catalina36]

It is a bummer your first flight was such a let down. Maybe your new Phantom will perform better. Knock on wood, mine has been a dream to fly right out of the box.

One more thing, I don't use the "D" word to describe mine to friends and neighbors. Tends to freak people out.

 

[4wd]

You can see the condition of the battery in assistant software.
New out of box it should just fly though, no obvious mistake was made.
- unless the location was close to a no-fly airport etc.

 

[Charlieb]

Thanks for your replies. It was not a battery issue. As I said, I took the time to fully charge the battery and the range extender properly. I did check the battery level before I took it out for the first flight. I am terribly disappointed it did not work with the control, but it certainly will not discourage me from getting a new unit.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

[twhphantom]

Charlie hang in there. Your preparation will pay off in spades when you get a working model. Agree on the "D" word it tends to FREAK people out due to the news media and the few utter idiots out there that don''t understand what "safe flying" is all about. Have fun can't wait to hear your update when the new unit arrives.

T.

 

[Dirty Bird]

Did you verify that the controller was in Mode 2?

 

[Charlieb]

Well... I couldn't resist a minute longer. I researched around dealers in the country where I live, called the guy and by 1:00 pm I had a PV2+ in my hands. It cost me $100 more than if I've gotten it from Amazon and had to ship it to Panama. All the preparation paid off. I went home and charged everything, upgraded the software and took it out for a test fly. It's everything I expected and then some more! It's great, fantastic! super easy to fly, a true joy. I'm super happy.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

[Brettly]

Well... I couldn't resist a minute longer. I researched around dealers in the country where I live, called the guy and by 1:00 pm I had a PV2+ in my hands. It cost me $100 more than if I've gotten it from Amazon and had to ship it to Panama. All the preparation paid off. I went home and charged everything, upgraded the software and took it out for a test fly. It's everything I expected and then some more! It's great, fantastic! super easy to fly, a true joy. I'm super happy.

Cheers,

Charlie

Congrats. Just got mine today and can't wait to get her up. Will do all the necessary updates/calibration tonight and be uber ready tomoz. Let's play!