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Been reading threads on here for a couple of days now, my son who's 12 and really into videoing wants me to buy him a phantom 3 advanced. Not so sure with the amount of people who seem to loose them or damage them ..... Any thoughts and should I also buy extra props and prop guards


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Start him out with a smaller, less expensive toy. Let him get some stick time before you splurge on a Phantom. Money well spent. IMHO.
 
You will always see the most problems on these boards. You do not see a lot of posts from people that are doing well. So even if only 1% of users have problems and then post about it here, it will seem like a lot.

You get 1 set of extra props with the bird.

Prop guards are your choice, but I tend to not use them after initial trying them. Heavy damage comes from the user doing something dumb when they're at high altitudes and the drop to the sky, or they fly too low and hit trees at high speed. Prop guards do not protect damage from those cases very well. Flying with more care, away from obstacles, and go slow while learning help.

Probably the first accessory he will need will be another battery or 2. This is especially true if he takes it on road trips, spending a full day well away from home. Also, perhaps 12V DC car adaptor charger.

He might fill up the 16GB card it comes with. A 32GB Class 10 should do it, and he can carry the 16GB as a back up.

A backpack.

Does he have a nice tablet or smart phone that is on the DJI compatibility list?
 
He's got my Samsung s5 and I have an iPad mini so will probably use those . I had a parrot drone and that was always crashing and unstable but I think the phantom is in a different class


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He's had a couple of toy drones , parrot rolling spider and another type ..... All still in one piece and flys the parrot really well. He's also a bit geeky and knows the manual inside out and watches all the vids


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I agree with the comment about more unwarranted negative posts than positive posts here. But there are a lot of helpful folks, too.

If your son is technically adept, and understands digital photography and has a layman's basic understanding of drones and aeronautics, could be fun!

The camera is a lot like the upper-level GoPro camera with all its settings and choices.

And the drone is quite sophisticated for its price -- GPS, barometric altitude, magnetic compass, etc. On a good day outdoors, in GPS mode, it almost flies itself.

The main issue is safety -- for the flier and other people. It can move very fast, so keep it way above people's heads except when ascending and descending.

I've had my P3P for over a year and never had a bad experience with it.

Even with all the posts about firmware issues, I've always upgraded mine soon after each release, and it's been fine!
 
I would def start with the phantom 3 adv it is very stable and very easy to learn on. My brother in law has a cheaper drone and it's very difficult to fly not easy to learn on


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Not so sure with the amount of people who seem to loose them or damage them ..... Any thoughts and should I also buy extra props and prop guards
The P3 is remarkable for how nearly foolproof it is.
That doesn't stop people from failing to read and understand the manual and causing their own troubles.
Here's a piece that sheds some light on the popular misconception about Phantoms flying away: Fear of Flying 2016 - The Last Word on Drone Flyaways! - Drone Flyers

As for props and prop guards .... the Phantom comes with 2 pairs of spare props but additional props are cheap (make sure you only get props for the P3 - not any with metal threads)
Propguards? Searching here will give you plenty of opinions on them.
In general, if you think prop guards are the answer, flying in a different location is a better answer.
Flying close to trees and buildings is the number one cause of crashes.
 
I think the P3A for your kiddo is a great choice!!

You'll be with him all the time during flights (I assume) which will give you two awesome bonding time together and will teach him how to handle an expensive piece of gear that falls in line with what he's going for!

If you want him to also learn an unstable craft you can also use ATTI mode in a HUGE wide open field.

This is great tho! Best of luck to you two!
 
Go for it! It will something the two of you will enjoy for a long time. Be sure to supervise his flights and teach him to be a careful and responsible pilot. Aviation has been a common interest for myself and my Dad for many years and formed my best memories :)
 
I would start with a standard


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Not even, you should start with the P3 Advanced. Lightbridge sets you free. That WiFi comm in the Std is mediocre for range.

I was 13 when I flew RC gliders, slope soaring. They are much more difficult to fly than a Phantom 3. I think a sharp and responsible 12yr old can easily handle a Phantom, probably better some some of us old farts. Their hand eye coordination from gaming far exceeds most adults.
 
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I know a lot about old-school photography (film) and video (VHS/DV). But my now-17yrs-old son knows a LOT more than I about current digital photography/video.

We bought P3P a year ago. At first I planned to let just him fly the AC because he had experience in video games etc. I was afraid to break it. But now I have slowly developed enough skills and knowledge so IMHO it is me who knows the limitations and how to avoid them. On the other hand, he doesn't take so much chances as I do although it is me who still pays for the damage.

I didn't do this then (because I didn't know better), but I'd suggest you make him read the manual and glance phantompilots.com and then ask what he knows about:

RTH altitude, tallest objects in your neighborhood

Smart/Low battery/Critical low battery/Failsafe RTH, Radar display, Home Point

Battery voltage

GPS limitations

Flight modes (P-GPS/OPTI/ATTI, A, F)

Attaching/removing props

Compass, IMU calibration

ISO, frame rates, color profiles

FW updates

...then pick a safe spot to practice!
 
Keep in mind you must register YOUR name with FAA, not his, since he's not 13 yet. So you should familiarize him with the FAA regs and such.
 
I think you should let him buy it with his own money. He'll be more careful knowing it's his investment.


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Been reading threads on here for a couple of days now, my son who's 12 and really into videoing wants me to buy him a phantom 3 advanced. Not so sure with the amount of people who seem to loose them or damage them ..... Any thoughts and should I also buy extra props and prop guards


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app
If you're considering of buying the phantom I would suggest going with the professional. I purchased one off of Amazon backing beginning of January and haven't had any problems with it at all yet, knock on wood. But getting back to my point about buying phantom, you should look into buying a bundle deal on Amazon. I bought mine on Amazon from SSE, that's the seller name on Amazon, just look it up, last I checked that seller on Amazon is selling Phantom 3 pro for $1299 with 3 batteries, 3 port charging hub, 2 micro sd cards, hard shell case, 100 watt charger. I have and would only use OEM DJI props, there not that expensive for two pair of the ones with the gold stripes, about $22.99. There is one thing I forgot in that bundle package, they give you an extra two pair of props so you end up with two full sets of props and they are genuine OEM DJI props. Then there's all the ad on/safety aftermarket products. This forum is great I'm sure you can find a list of all the aftermarket Products on this form and which ones work the best, I personally purchased a aftermarket gimbal saver from Killer RC, a carbon fiber gimbal guard, A set of aluminum strong arms,just to name a few. Hope this helps u get a good deal and start flying..


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If you have a Microcenter near you, swing by. They had the P3A for $599 and the P3P for $699. Plus they had backpacks and things at big discounts too.
 

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