Hello

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Hi guy's, just thought I would introduce myself.

I am a total noob when it comes to flying of any sort, literally not done any! I have been in RC for probably 10 > 12 years but all ground stuff. 1/10 nitro and 1/5 two stroke petrol cars and boats.

I thought it was time for me to get off the ground so to speak and I will be picking up a Phantom FC40 tonight. It's not new but apparently has never been flown. The current owner is an enthusiast and has done all the build and set up but never flown it. He decided to sell it unflown.

I am a big believer in joining forum communities for all my hobbies as the wealth of knowledge, particularly for beginners is excellent.

So i guess I will be asking lots of questions going forward and hope that you guy's will be considerate and patient towards a newbie ;-)

Any first timer advice would be appreciated and also any standard upgrades that are common for these quads.

Many thanks,

Ste
 
Welcome ,
I also jumped into this hobby having not flown anything but a paper airplane.
I did a lot of research before deciding on the FC40. I like the option of being able to upgrade it the way I want to at an affordable price. My wife wanted to get me a Vision + ready to go, but that's too boaring for me. The first thing I did was crack it open to see what was inside. Well actually after a rescue from a tree and a few crashes... :eek:
After I learned to fly without crashing so much I added a Walkera 2d gimbal and a GOPRO clone SJ4000.

I now have a mini Osd with pmu ,and a 1.2 ghz Fpv . For me the on screen display is a must have.
Another good mod is the Mulitstar 4000mah battery upgrade. For extended flight time.

This morning I am starting a DJI F450 quad build.....

Wayne
 
Welcome to the forum! If you ever have any questions about flying tips and tricks, feel free to ask. I'm working on a new video series now, which is a *how to* for everything I can think of that might be useful for new pilots as well as advanced pilots, so if you're interested, my youtube channel is in my signature. As for upgrades/things you might need, I'd start with a battery upgrade (I'm using maddog 2700), or at least a few spares, P2 props, and a prop balancer. I wouldn't worry about prop guards as they tend to give people more problems than help.
 
Welcome! Join the party. Continue to read and watch all the videos that you can. Yes, the manual reads like stereo instructions. You are in NO hurry to fly your quad. Develop a preflight check list that you will go by. FOLLOW IT TO THE LETTER. There are sample check lists in this fourm. Don't try to show off for your friends or family until you have a "feel" for the controls. Just take your time and enjoy your quad. And keep flying.
 
I have been flying for about a year. Safety and common sense will keep you out of most problems. By the way, I swear by prop guards. Everyone has their own preference. But if I were you, I would at least start out with them. God bless and happy flying!
 
Howdy do Driver55,

Welcome to the party. So far it looks like you've got great advice. Read, watch videos, go about it slow. Mostly though, have fun. Prop guards are worth their weight in diamonds. ;) I've run into all kinds of stuff and unless it's high and fast, I just keep on going.

I noticed a strange thing in your post though. Someone built the FC40? I didn't think there was much to do when it arrived. A little assembly yes, but to call it a build leaves me a bit bewildered.

You may want to tether that bird the first time you fly it. I did and mine came directly from DJI.

Post video for us, even if it's in Off Topic. There's always a laugh to be found there.

Where you at?
 
Hey guys, sorry for the long pause!

Thanks for the welcomes and comments, most appreciated.

kitari, i will most certainly take a look at your videos. I did a lot of YouTube viewing before I even put a battery into the thing. Some of the vids are very informative.

IflyinWY, I have fitted prop guards. Makes me feel a bit safer in flight. When I referred to the build I was thinking of fitting the landing gear and securing the compass and antenna really. My home base is Cheshire, England.

So, I made the plunge and went for some test flying on Sunday. Glad to say I successfully got it off the ground and did a fair bit of flying to be honest both at my place of work and later in the dy at home. I think the fact that I have been in ground based RC for so many years has given me a slight advantage. I was absolutely amazed at how responsive it is and within about an hour seemed to have mastered it. Nothing fancy yet but I had a lot of fun, big smile on my face. Even got the interest of both my son's so that's got to be a good thing.
I can't seem to see how to attach video. Do I need to get to a certain amount of posts before I am allowed to post video?

All the best,
 
Cool, successful flights. Not much more could be asked. ;)

If the prop guards save you some grief, you may want to consider putting the string on too. It almost makes the bird bulletproof.

Yep, I think some time must pass, or number of posts must be achieved. Don't know for a fact though. You could Private Message a Moderator if you really want to post a vid right away.
 
Yeah, successful flights. Very happy with it to be honest.

It would seem that I may have to run up a number of posts before I can attach video. This is in line with most other forum rules so to be expected really. This also applies to PM's as well so I can't message any admins. Not a problem, i'l just have to get a bit more chatty ;-)

Question whilst i'm on, can anybody recommend a good lipo. Preferably 2700 mah or higher?

Bring on the weekend, more air time ;-)

Cheers,

Ste
 
Driver55 said:
Yeah, successful flights. Very happy with it to be honest.

It would seem that I may have to run up a number of posts before I can attach video. This is in line with most other forum rules so to be expected really. This also applies to PM's as well so I can't message any admins. Not a problem, i'l just have to get a bit more chatty ;-)

Question whilst i'm on, can anybody recommend a good lipo. Preferably 2700 mah or higher?

Bring on the weekend, more air time ;-)

Cheers,

Ste

Yup, I use the maddog 2700 LiPos on mine. I get about 3-5 extra minutes of flight time with them and they'll slide right in your battery compartment without needing any mods to make it fit.
 
kitari said:
Driver55 said:
Yeah, successful flights. Very happy with it to be honest.

It would seem that I may have to run up a number of posts before I can attach video. This is in line with most other forum rules so to be expected really. This also applies to PM's as well so I can't message any admins. Not a problem, i'l just have to get a bit more chatty ;-)

Question whilst i'm on, can anybody recommend a good lipo. Preferably 2700 mah or higher?

Bring on the weekend, more air time ;-)

Cheers,

Ste

Yup, I use the maddog 2700 LiPos on mine. I get about 3-5 extra minutes of flight time with them and they'll slide right in your battery compartment without needing any mods to make it fit.

Excellent, thanks.

eBay search coming up ;-)
 
kitari said:
Yup, I use the maddog 2700 LiPos on mine. I get about 3-5 extra minutes of flight time with them and they'll slide right in your battery compartment without needing any mods to make it fit.

Do you find they fit better if you put them in connector end first?

With a naked P1, I once got a 20 minutes flight using a Maddog 2700 and 9443 props. Mostly hovering but a little bit of easy flying. My Maddogs lasted about 7 months before puffing up like campfire marshmallows.

I saved them, wondering if I can use them for ground applications.
 
Got distracted by the 2700 battery post and forgot to say, "Welcome to the forum, Driver55!"
 
Clipper707 said:
kitari said:
Yup, I use the maddog 2700 LiPos on mine. I get about 3-5 extra minutes of flight time with them and they'll slide right in your battery compartment without needing any mods to make it fit.

Do you find they fit better if you put them in connector end first?

With a naked P1, I once got a 20 minutes flight using a Maddog 2700 and 9443 props. Mostly hovering but a little bit of easy flying. My Maddogs lasted about 7 months before puffing up like campfire marshmallows.

I saved them, wondering if I can use them for ground applications.

Yep, that's actually the only way I can get it to go in.
 
Driver55 wrote: "Question whilst i'm on, can anybody recommend a good lipo. Preferably 2700 mah or higher?"

Multistar 4000 3S 10C They cost $25 a few months ago.

Works good lasts a long time, so far. I think it's the largest battery that will fit in the battery compartment without major modifications. There's a bit of carving to do at the opening but once you've got it in, you're there. Some folks stuff the wires in first and get the door to close. I've removed the door and replaced it with a bit of 22 gauge wire.

Looking forward to your movies. Keep jabbering. :D
 
IflyinWY said:
Driver55 wrote: "Question whilst i'm on, can anybody recommend a good lipo. Preferably 2700 mah or higher?"

Multistar 4000 3S 10C They cost $25 a few months ago.

Works good lasts a long time, so far. I think it's the largest battery that will fit in the battery compartment without major modifications. There's a bit of carving to do at the opening but once you've got it in, you're there. Some folks stuff the wires in first and get the door to close. I've removed the door and replaced it with a bit of 22 gauge wire.

Looking forward to your movies. Keep jabbering. :D

What kind of flight times to you get with that thing?
 
I have been getting around 14 minutes after 40 flights and probably could get a little more time.
This is with the Multistar 4000, Walkera 2D gimbal, GoPro Hero 3+ black, and standard props.
Total weight of 1100g.
 

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Oh wow, that really is a big battery! Sounds like it gets great flight time though. I'd be running it with the stock FC40 camera so maybe I could squeeze out close to 20 minutes on that thing. Also looks like you have some tape around one of your connector wires. I highly recommend soldering it and securing it with heat shrink if you can. Tape just doesn't hold that great, and if it gets too lose, you could end up losing your phantom. My connector ends got lose after a while as well, so I just cut both wires at the end, and gave it a nice secure solder and I haven't had any issues with it since then.
 
Ok guy's, thanks for your help.

I have ordered one of these:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from= ... r&_sacat=0

and one of these:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from= ... K&_sacat=0

I already have a black magic and it seems to do the job well so one more of them. I went for the multistar as a comparison so we will see how that goes.

The Maddog is only available from the states and they want an additional £10 for delivery plus possible customs charges so I gave that one a miss.

Still struggling with uploading video, it gets to 3 or 4% and then crashes. Which is a bit frustrating as I'm really pleased with the video quality and my new flying skills and was hoping for some constructive comments / criticism from the pro's on here.

I will keep trying.

Cheers,

Ste
 

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