New DJI Professional for Christmas

[Brianziggy64]

Hi All,

I am new to the forum and new to the hobby. I've been looking at the quad copters for well over a year now and finally told the wife that's what I wanted Santa to bring me this year. Lol So since I've been great, well good, ok ok maybe pretty good this year, I'm getting one this Christmas! So...... I'm excited and nervous at the same time as these forums can scare us newbies regarding some of the horror stories I've read. But, nonetheless, I decided to go for it and I will just take it super slow and take my time learning and always fly with a newly 100% charged battery and stay low for a while till my comfort level and my learning and experience increases over time. So, my questions to all of you experienced quad pilots is: Now that I will have this quad copter soon, what other accessories do you suggest are needed and why? I don't have a hard shell case yet but my BD is in Jan so that's #1 on my list to get. But what other things will I need to enjoy the hobby? What accessories should I stay away from (brand etc)? My purpose is to learn to take great videos from the sky. Thanks in advance for your advice on my question and other advice given on the forum!!!!
Great website!!!!

 

[Donw35]

I would get a small quadcopter to play with in the house (Sky Thunder by Syma) easy to fly and will with learning to fly a Quad without GPS, That is a skill you do not want to find out you don't have with a $1500 Quadcopter.

Other stuff I got for mine is the sun shade for the controller, extra battery lens cap.

Find a place out doors with lots of room and resist the temptation to fly in a house or confined space.

 

[Jeff48920]

The best accessory you can use is your eyes. Read everything you can get your hands on, then read again.
There are a huge number of threads on cases but I have two favorites. 1. For hiking, biking and local travel, the DJI hardshell backpack can't be beat. 2. For airline checked baggage, I have the Tradecraft case (although there are many cases just as good since they all use the same mil spec case from a third party (Seahorse).
Since you are getting this in winter, and even though you are in Georgia, you need to be especially aware of prop icing possibilities.
Welcome to the forum and I hope you have clear skies and safe landings.

 

[phantom13flyer]

Welcome to the club. You are going to have a blast. The accessories needed depends on what your needs are. What do you planning on wanting to do? I would recommend some extra batteries for sure. Some nd filters for the really sunny days. If you are wanting to increases your range or if there are lots of obstacles around where youbwill be flying , then I would recommend a windsurfer or even an antenna modification . I have the zero gravity harness which is amazing. A good backpack or case is good if you plan on going anywhere . Of course a few SD cards. A sunshade is a must. I have 2 , the pad hat and the aerial drone accessories 3d printed sunshade. They both have there pros and cons. That's a few things to start with. Good luck and safe flying .

 

[msinger]

Welcome to Phantom Pilots!

what other accessories do you suggest are needed and why?

Check out my must-have list at PhantomHelp.com. And, for other accessories, you'll find a great list there. I spend a lot of time researching and testing accessories to find the best available.

 

[Sinisalo]

have a look here: (DJI Phantom 3 Accessories) I personally have a Gimbal Guard, 1ft lightning cable, Polar Pro Filters, Gimbal Clamp Stabilizer, I have this one which works great but won't fit with the polar pro filter on so I would recommend you get both that one and this one. Also I ordered an ipad sun shade but my iphone 6 plus was brighter without a shade than my ipad mini 2 was with a shade. I guess I might need one come summer next year but I personally think a sun shade could be on your list after you get your case. This memory card has worked great for me so far, even with 4k video. Also you will need a lanyard to hold your controller around your neck.

You won't be able to use the box it comes in after you put on your gimbal guard until you modify the box a little. My 3-D printed gimbal clamp works great for easy storage after the box is modified The plastic piece that DJI uses to hold the gimbal during shipping is not a long term solution (On some it falls out easily and on other Phantoms it feels like it will break the gimbal trying to get it out..

Also I found an app called "Altitude" in the App Store (apple), it works great for determining altitude differences between different points just by touching a point on the map. This is useful info because you Phantom will display it's altitude based off of where you take off. If you are flying up a slow incline then you might be in danger of crashing into tall things without noticing. Or if you fly down a large hill and it levels off at the bottom and you want to know what 400' above ground at that point is so you can adjust your altitude based off that information instead of what the DJI Go app says (you might even end up in the negative altitude based on the DJI Go app in an instance like that)
The Hover app is also great for determining wind speed and direction, temperature, and kp index.

Make sure you always remove the gimbal clamp before you power on your Quadcopter. Also when you first open the box there is a plastic piece holding the gimbal AND there is a little foam piece up close to the aircraft body holding the gimbal that you need to carefully remove. Sign up for an account at healthydrones.com and search this forum on the method to get your flight log off your phone or tablet. Analyse each flight on Healthydrones.com, I found out the battery that came with my P3P had issues with cell 1 because it was reporting major discrepancies on every flight so you might be able to prevent a battery error that causes your quad to drop out of the sky. Also you said you are going to fly low at first which I would recommend against, when you are low you have obstacles in the way but when you are high you can practice a little more. Also don't push your battery to the limit, use the simulator a few times before first flight, and be sure your phone/tablet is fully charged and all other apps are closed.

Edit- I just saw PhantomHelp already linked to his accessories list already, i guess it took me over 20 minutes to type this up lol

Here is a pic of the Altitude App, also some pics of how I modified my box to use until I can decide on a case. I use velcro to keep it closed because the two tab inserts do not feel secure enough to carry after you cut the tape.

 

[rhoffart]

Welcome to the hobby ... start off slow and follow the directions. Your going to love it. Find an open field and keep it close. Trees love swatting Phantoms out of the sky. Have fun!

 

[Wilfros]

The only advise I would add to this list would be to fly alone the first 5 or 10 flights. This thing can be complicated at first, trying to find the right button on the monitor etc. etc. so the last thing you need is to have a well meaning friend yelling "Do this" or "Do that". Go out by yourself and enjoy the experience and the learning. There is lots of time after this to have friends join you.

Have Fun!!!

 

[JoBe]

Welcome to the club. You are going to have a blast. The accessories needed depends on what your needs are. What do you planning on wanting to do? I would recommend some extra batteries for sure. Some nd filters for the really sunny days. If you are wanting to increases your range or if there are lots of obstacles around where youbwill be flying , then I would recommend a windsurfer or even an antenna modification . I have the zero gravity harness which is amazing. A good backpack or case is good if you plan on going anywhere . Of course a few SD cards. A sunshade is a must. I have 2 , the pad hat and the aerial drone accessories 3d printed sunshade. They both have there pros and cons. That's a few things to start with. Good luck and safe flying .

What is a zero gravity harness? Is that like a steady cam?

 

[JoBe]

Hi All,

I am new to the forum and new to the hobby. I've been looking at the quad copters for well over a year now and finally told the wife that's what I wanted Santa to bring me this year. Lol So since I've been great, well good, ok ok maybe pretty good this year, I'm getting one this Christmas! So...... I'm excited and nervous at the same time as these forums can scare us newbies regarding some of the horror stories I've read. But, nonetheless, I decided to go for it and I will just take it super slow and take my time learning and always fly with a newly 100% charged battery and stay low for a while till my comfort level and my learning and experience increases over time. So, my questions to all of you experienced quad pilots is: Now that I will have this quad copter soon, what other accessories do you suggest are needed and why? I don't have a hard shell case yet but my BD is in Jan so that's #1 on my list to get. But what other things will I need to enjoy the hobby? What accessories should I stay away from (brand etc)? My purpose is to learn to take great videos from the sky. Thanks in advance for your advice on my question and other advice given on the forum!!!!
Great website!!!!

I'm also new. It is becoming less scary. What video monitor are you planning to use?

 

[Dirby]

set your rth altitude to 100 meeters so you won't get caught in any trees if you loose signal and your phantom go into rth mode.

 

[phantom13flyer]

What is a zero gravity harness? Is that like a steady cam?

It's basically a really fancy lanyard to hold your controller around your neck. It holds the controller steady without using your hands. The controller also feels really light when you are wearing it. I would post a link but for some reason my phone doesn't do it right. Just goggle zero gravity controller harness.

 

[Brianziggy64]

Thanks for all the responses!!! My accessories list is growing!!!

 

[Meta4]

Thanks for all the responses!!! My accessories list is growing!!!

I'd suggest you go easy on extras till you get a feeling for what you like and what will help you most.
Extra batteries are the most useful extra for everyone though.
Take your time, read and understand the manual and do your early flying in an open area, well away from trees, buildings etc.
The P3 is easier than you imagine but still lots to learn. You'll have a blast