New Member - Introduction and a few questions

[AsiaFlyer]

My 1st Post

Firstly, thanks too all of the community here in helping decide to go for the V+ over the P2/Gopro set up.
I'm originally from England but have lived in Asia for the past 10 years and now live on a beautiful Island in Thailand with some amazing scenery. I plan on using the V+ for commercial purposes (taking mainly stills of Villas, Beach Parties and Flyboard Competitions)

Note: I have never flown any RC aircraft before.

Living on an Island I have to order everything from Bangkok via a local Hobby Shop so when I am ordering my PV+ I want to try and get everything I think I will need all delivered at the same time.

My shopping list so far is:

Phantom V+
Extra Battery
2 Extra DJI Props
Prop Guards
Set of larger Landing Skids (Are these a good idea? I am worried about damaging the gimbal/camera, rollovers)

Your advise would be greatly appreciated and I am looking forward to being a part of your community and posting some photos and videos from beautiful Thailand.

 

[Double-D]

Welcome to the forum.
I agree with Geert, you'll need more than 2 batteries for work purposes. The last thing you want is the pressure of battery time, you'll eat them up quick by the time you line up and make additional runs for your shots. I have 3 but will be getting another. Oh and I'm sure you'll be shooting plenty of video.
Ditch the prop guards, I bought some but never use them plus there's is a large community of users blaming them for VRS.
Don't worry about the longer landing gear either as your bird will only be on them for a few mins before take off and hand catching is really a great safe way to land.

Advice wise just read the manual numerous times, look through the forums and take it slow to start, get familiar with it and take it slow.

You live in a beautiful part of the world and look forward to seeing your work.

 

[AsiaFlyer]

Hi,

Welcome to our forum.
I am not a "Prop Guard" fan at all. Some of us feel more save using these but you actually don't need them.
If you are going to use your Phantom for commercial purposes then 1 extra battery is poor I think.
I use my Phantom just for hobby, I have 4 batteries.

You are planning to buy your Phantom in Bangkok ?
What is the name of the shop ? I also bought mine in Bangkok, be careful. :|

Geert./.

Hi Geert

Thank's for the advice.

I am ordering from a hobby shop on Samui, I am not sure who their supplier is, if I order from abroad will I not charged import tax? Even a few things my sent me from the UK I had to pay tax on at the post office.

 

[cmhorka]

Welcome AsiaFlyer, from another newbie
Only have a couple of flights under my belt.
I'd only add that downloading the user manual and reading it cover to cover several times will help once your Phantom arrives. Checking into this forum frequently is most helpful too. There are many VERY knowledgeable and helpful folks here with great experience, willing to share with us newbies.

My wife lived in Thailand for several years as a child and still comments on its beauty. USA doesn't allow us to profit from our videos and pictures using the Phantom. You are fortunate to be able to use such an affordable tool in your work. I'm sure you'd agree, aerial photography makes your day a bunch of fun!

 

[AsiaFlyer]

I stay very often in Thailand too.
Usually I order from http://www.Helipal.com
Never had to pay any tax, they are located in Hong Kong and they have a good reputation.
My orders are delivered within 2 or 3 business days to Thailand , Lampang .

Geert./.

I checked out http://www.Helipal.com but they are a lot more expensive than ordering from my local hobby shop on Samui (7,800 baht/$240 more expensive with shipping) just for the V+.

I am going to an extra battery on your recommendation (so 3 in total), I am not going to get the prop guards but from doing (lots) of reading of the forum I am still tempted to get the wider/taller landing gear as they are only $12, I am really concerned about the ground clearance and damaging the gimbal if/when I have a crash, I will practice the catch landings asap.

I have been driving round the island looking for nice big open places to learn to fly and most of the spots I have found are quite sandy/dusty (not much grass here) so I am planning to use some heavy 2" foam to make a take off platform to keep the sand and dust away from the bird, good idea??

Sorry another question, what is the best way to judge the wind speed prior to flying?

 

[Fritz]

Welcome. If you get the taller legs you will have more trouble finding a case that fits. Instead maybe you should look into a gimbal guard.

 

[Jstic]

AsiaFlyer, I was in the same boat as you a month ago. I had never flown and RC aircraft before, but was really impressed by the V2+ and wanted it badly. Please don't make the same mistakes I made and others. Do yourself a favor, if you get the V2+ take some time and learn how to REMOVE THE CAMERA from it before flying your training flights. The camera is by far the most expensive part of the setup and costs $700 to replace. It is also very delicate and cannot absorb much impact without breaking.

Learn how to fly your V2+ in manual mode, keeping it close to you and learning the importance of the orientation of the craft in relation to the controls. Keep the battery facing you and the left-right and forward-back controls work. As soon as the aircraft gets rotated a small amount, those controls will no longer work the same way and this is VERY VERY important to understand and to be able to adjust to. If you use the training manual that comes with the kit, you will find this out. READ THE MANUAL AND DO EVERY STEP IN THE TRAINING TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO CONTROL YOUR CRAFT IN MANUAL MODE. From there it gets easier, as you can use GPS, return to home, and other failsafe methods if you get in trouble.

Once you have learned and have 10 flights or more under your belt, put the camera on. That's my advice. Others may disagree, but all the people who lost their cameras or gimbals in the first week will probably agree wholeheartedly.

 

[AsiaFlyer]

AsiaFlyer, I was in the same boat as you a month ago. I had never flown and RC aircraft before, but was really impressed by the V2+ and wanted it badly. Please don't make the same mistakes I made and others. Do yourself a favor, if you get the V2+ take some time and learn how to REMOVE THE CAMERA from it before flying your training flights. The camera is by far the most expensive part of the setup and costs $700 to replace. It is also very delicate and cannot absorb much impact without breaking.

Learn how to fly your V2+ in manual mode, keeping it close to you and learning the importance of the orientation of the craft in relation to the controls. Keep the battery facing you and the left-right and forward-back controls work. As soon as the aircraft gets rotated a small amount, those controls will no longer work the same way and this is VERY VERY important to understand and to be able to adjust to. If you use the training manual that comes with the kit, you will find this out. READ THE MANUAL AND DO EVERY STEP IN THE TRAINING TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO CONTROL YOUR CRAFT IN MANUAL MODE. From there it gets easier, as you can use GPS, return to home, and other failsafe methods if you get in trouble.

Once you have learned and have 10 flights or more under your belt, put the camera on. That's my advice. Others may disagree, but all the people who lost their cameras or gimbals in the first week will probably agree wholeheartedly.

Thank's Jstic, I have been contemplating removing the camera for the 1st for weeks, I know I will feel a lot more comfortable with it being removed, I will go and do some research to see how difficult it is to remove.

 

[Mako79]

AsiaFlyer, I was in the same boat as you a month ago. I had never flown and RC aircraft before, but was really impressed by the V2+ and wanted it badly. Please don't make the same mistakes I made and others. Do yourself a favor, if you get the V2+ take some time and learn how to REMOVE THE CAMERA from it before flying your training flights. The camera is by far the most expensive part of the setup and costs $700 to replace. It is also very delicate and cannot absorb much impact without breaking.

Learn how to fly your V2+ in manual mode, keeping it close to you and learning the importance of the orientation of the craft in relation to the controls. Keep the battery facing you and the left-right and forward-back controls work. As soon as the aircraft gets rotated a small amount, those controls will no longer work the same way and this is VERY VERY important to understand and to be able to adjust to. If you use the training manual that comes with the kit, you will find this out. READ THE MANUAL AND DO EVERY STEP IN THE TRAINING TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO CONTROL YOUR CRAFT IN MANUAL MODE. From there it gets easier, as you can use GPS, return to home, and other failsafe methods if you get in trouble.

Once you have learned and have 10 flights or more under your belt, put the camera on. That's my advice. Others may disagree, but all the people who lost their cameras or gimbals in the first week will probably agree wholeheartedly.

Thank's Jstic, I have been contemplating removing the camera for the 1st for weeks, I know I will feel a lot more comfortable with it being removed, I will go and do some research to see how difficult it is to remove.

Not hard.
3 grey cables from the control board. 1 needs to be unclipped.
Remove the 2 anti-drop pins (some say these can be reused)
remove the 4 x white jello ball like dampeners.

Install in reverse and optional to reinstall the anti drop pins.
I didn't reinstall mine - I replaced with a rubber band shock absorber. The sudden stop of the phantom causes whiplash and this can bend the gimbal arm, or cause the tilt re-alignment issue.
I prefer that the camera and gimbal unplugged itself and rolled around near the crash site.
I prefer to avoid the crash in the first place by not taking excessive risk - but whats the fun? "Why build a cruise ship and keep it in the harbour?".

Last note, when flying without the camera, you wont have telemetry of satellite stats. Make sure you get green rapid lights to assure home point is locked. Also, fly ATTI before you fly Manual. ATTI is essentially a taste of manual with the assist of altitude. The bird will continue with inertia and will be affected by wind etc. If you go manual, get some decent visual height and push up on the left stick as it will become a brick-lawnmower. You will get your knickers in a knot in a split second.

Stay safe.

 

[Jstic]

Mako79 makes a good point about flying ATTI first, then try manual. You don't want to have to worry about keeping altitude while learning how to do everything else. I should have posted that in my first post.

 

[Meta4]

I can't understand why some people advocate removing the camera to learn to fly.
I know it is out of fear of breaking the gimbal but it really is misguided advice.
And so is to suggest learning in anything but GPS mode.
The technology DJI have developed and put into the Phantom is fantastic and it all makes the bird easier to fly.
If you remove your camera you'll have no wifi, no FPV and no telemetry so you can't see how many satellites you have, how far away or what direction the Phantom is. You won't know what direction the bird is pointing, how fast it's travelling, how high it is or howmuch battery is left.
The gimbal and camera do a lot more than just take photos.

 

[Davekyn]

My first flight saw me with a lot of disorientation in the wind and when I brought it close in. I was under the impression that GPS will help it to stay in one spot when I let go of the controls. I have to say I relied heavily on letting the control stick go to allow myself to orientate via fpv. The letting go and hovering in one spot really made my first flight a success. Today or soon - I want to test the go home to be ore confidant flying further out. Would not disorientation whilst out of view require GPS for go home.

Or are you meaning to switch between the different modes - once more acquainted with drone? Whilst I don't know that much about it, I have to say the GPS seems the smart way for me atm - but I'm sure i'll see more your meaning with learning out of gps mode as the days pass.

 

[Flintstone]

I would not purchase the prop guards. They act like sails and catch the wind. They also contribute to the prop wash problem when you descend without any motion (forward/backward/side). I had them on my P2V but did not put them on my P2V+. If you decide to get them make sure you have some motion when you are descending don't just come straight down.

 

[Double-D]

Don't try ATTI until you have at least 20+ flights and you're comfortable with GPS. As for flying manual, it may be a great failsafe should there be a major malfunction but it's best left to the skilled pilots and I'd bet 90% of the pilots on here have never attempted it.