I am just curious as to how many people have not had ANY problems with their quadcopters, whatsoever? The only RC experience that I have had prior has been on the ground. I never thought I would have considered flying RC until I saw footage on youtube that was acquired by individuals that owned quadcopters. It was at that point that I HAD to own one. Since the time of my purchase it would seem that I have had to become a semi expert on solar activity, satellite obit and meteorology in order to fly my new obsession. I have only flown my Vision + 3 times and each time I have experienced extreme endorphin release. My hands shake prior, during and after I fly. Every second that I am in the air I attempt to quantify any and all problems that may occur so that I will be prepared for them if they occur. I have spent countless hours reading forums and post, watching videos and basically memorizing the instructions that were provided with the Phantom. I seem to possess a huge "fear" that something is or will happen when I am flying. Is this a natural as to what you are experiencing? Or am I taking this a little too far? Is there anyone out there who has had their Phantoms for any length of time that has not had a problem? Just wondering?
No problems with quadcopter?
- Thread starter magicmethods
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Welcome Magic. No it is normal to have those feelings. As you fly more, you will experience more easiness & not a fear at all. I was just like you at first & everything was great until I enabled RTH when my battery hit 30%. I get a message that it is getting to the low threshold. I start to bring it in & a foot from landing, it takes off & I have no control. I thought it was a flyaway until I read the screen
I had that fear all over you were speaking of. I have since un checked the box for RTH with low battery. Just enjoy the bird & you will notice that feeling of fear will subside.
Marry Christmas & enjoy the bird.
I had that fear all over you were speaking of. I have since un checked the box for RTH with low battery. Just enjoy the bird & you will notice that feeling of fear will subside. Marry Christmas & enjoy the bird.
Larry, I had the exact same thing happen to me on my first flight! I went home and immediately unchecked that box too! I thought wow, there goes $1300.... Magic, I too was like you the first time I flew my helicopter about 6 years ago. I got over all fear after I crashed it and rebuilt it about 50 times! Don't worry about crashing, it happens to everyone. Even the best planned flight can lead to a crash, so just try and enjoy it and don't worry about the inevitable.....
Lol Chrome, I came home & did the exact thing Magic, If it is less than a month old, contact Square Trade. You can purchase a warranty for it for 3 years that covers everything.
Magic, If it is less than a month old, contact Square Trade. You can purchase a warranty for it for 3 years that covers everything.Thanks everyone for replying! Larry, you mentioned that square trade offers a warranty for the Phantom. I did purchase mine on amazon about a week ago but I am unable to determine which one of there warranties covers the Phantom. Do you have the warranty? If so, which one?
I think sometimes one gets a skewed reference as many only post in forums only if there are issues and don't post if they don't have issues.
I have had zero problems so far, though like others, I have had a few "anxious" moments. A couple times I lost sight of the phantom and was worried if Home Lock would bring it back into sight (S2 in Naza mode which I strongly recommend is your friend), which it did just fine.
The last time the battery reached low level and I did not want it to go home on it's own because of some obstacles in the straight line path to home, so as I was bring it back to me, I met it halfway. Just as I was about to grab it, ( I hand catch sometimes) it zoomed back into the air and started home. I was able to regain control and bring it back down, but it made me nervous for a bit.
I would recommend Naza mode over the Phantom mode for all flying as you have more control options available for unexpected circumstances and the added features can also be fun to fly in.
I will say one thing. When I first got the phantom I only had time for a quick calibration and a 5 minute test flight after charging the battery. The test flight went just fine and the Phantom was super stable and easy to fly around. I had also ordered a Nano QX as it seemed everyone said "learn to fly the Nano first so you don't crash the expensive Phantom and you can practice inside when the weather is bad". I came the next day. Well, the Nano is about impossible to fly. If I had received the Nano first and tried to fly it, I probably would have never unboxed the Phantom and did that quick test flight. I probably would have just sent the Phantom back. thinking it was similar in difficulty to the Nano and beyond my capabilities to learn to fly. Because of the way things worked out I absolutely love the Phantom and try to fly it as much as I can. The Nano just sits in it's box unused.
I have had zero problems so far, though like others, I have had a few "anxious" moments. A couple times I lost sight of the phantom and was worried if Home Lock would bring it back into sight (S2 in Naza mode which I strongly recommend is your friend), which it did just fine.
The last time the battery reached low level and I did not want it to go home on it's own because of some obstacles in the straight line path to home, so as I was bring it back to me, I met it halfway. Just as I was about to grab it, ( I hand catch sometimes) it zoomed back into the air and started home. I was able to regain control and bring it back down, but it made me nervous for a bit.
I would recommend Naza mode over the Phantom mode for all flying as you have more control options available for unexpected circumstances and the added features can also be fun to fly in.
I will say one thing. When I first got the phantom I only had time for a quick calibration and a 5 minute test flight after charging the battery. The test flight went just fine and the Phantom was super stable and easy to fly around. I had also ordered a Nano QX as it seemed everyone said "learn to fly the Nano first so you don't crash the expensive Phantom and you can practice inside when the weather is bad". I came the next day. Well, the Nano is about impossible to fly. If I had received the Nano first and tried to fly it, I probably would have never unboxed the Phantom and did that quick test flight. I probably would have just sent the Phantom back. thinking it was similar in difficulty to the Nano and beyond my capabilities to learn to fly. Because of the way things worked out I absolutely love the Phantom and try to fly it as much as I can. The Nano just sits in it's box unused.
I too purchased a smaller quadcopter before I bought the Phantom. I bought the Hubsan X4 and at first I couldn't fly it to save my life. I thought for a minute that it was going to be impossible for me to fly the Phantom and was not about to take a chance. But I realized that other people were more than capable at flying the Hubsan and figured I just needed a little more practice...which turned out to be the case. I love flying the Hubsan (mainly indoors since you really have to compensate for the wind) I now have total control over the Hubsan and thought the Phantom would basically be about the same difficulty to fly but it is not. The Phantom is EXTREMELY easy to fly. Almost to the point that it seems that it is too easy to fly. I know that might sound strange but that is how I feel. It is basically effortless but I still seem to have major anxiety before each flight. Which is probably because of all the issues that I read about people having, so I am probably a little over cautious and guess Im going to remain so just for the sake of my DNA. Nevertheless, I will continue with my new found hobby as it is extremely exhilarating. Here is a video that I just uploaded of my third flight. http://youtu.be/z286gSq36KI
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I had one weird landing (drone just decided to visit the top of a small mountain for no reason - solved by a local mountain climber). I've had one WiFi transmitter overheat and melt down (factory defect - not covered by DJI cause they suck at life - replaced by me). I've had one self inflicted total camera destruction (crashed into a tree, repaired by Hunch). I've had tilted camera crazy dance syndrome (caused by a crash, repaired by me). I've had a destroyed gimbal as a result of some misadventure with a bottle of loctite and a gimbal protector (also repaired by Hunch).
And that's just since April.
So ya... I've really gotten off nearly scott free compared to most people.
Flying these things means problems. Lots and lots and lots of problem. But the good outweighs the bad. It's a remarkable (if a bit expensive) hobby.
And that's just since April.
So ya... I've really gotten off nearly scott free compared to most people.
Flying these things means problems. Lots and lots and lots of problem. But the good outweighs the bad. It's a remarkable (if a bit expensive) hobby.
Call SQ. I think it is under Mis. But if you tell them what you have they have it listed as a DJI quadcopter or something along that line. Call 1-877-927-7268magicmethods said:
Let me know if you need anything else
My DIY hex has crashed more times than I like to think. Bent arms, bent motor housings, lots of props including one that separated at 100 ft altitude. But I also learned a lot building and repairing it. Since I just wanted a camera platform and not an experimental aircraft. When I bought the Phantom I also bought two extra sets of props - which I will probably never need. The out of the box stability is remarkable.
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Very true. This also gives many people a false sense of security. It's not a good idea to just open the box and fly. People should really read and understand the manual completely first.SteveMann said:
@magicmethods To be honest I can fly the Nano a little, but it is all but uncontrollable and not fun at all to fly. Weighing only 18 grams, heat rising from the floor registers or someone walking across the room even affects it.
@rbhamilton I think you need a tank.
Something besides the manual everyone should read is THE Ultimate Guide for all Phantom Vision and Vision+ owners by Fantomas
https://www.dropbox.com/s/mv8d1hohc3mce ... e.pdf?dl=0 which I found in the Stickies at the top of the forum. Very well written and very very helpful.
@rbhamilton I think you need a tank.
Something besides the manual everyone should read is THE Ultimate Guide for all Phantom Vision and Vision+ owners by Fantomas
https://www.dropbox.com/s/mv8d1hohc3mce ... e.pdf?dl=0 which I found in the Stickies at the top of the forum. Very well written and very very helpful.
I also have a nano and I love flying that thing indoors. I find it to be very stable for what it is, a $40 quadcopter. I think it is great practice because it teaches you to be light on the sticks, which is what is ultimately required to be a good RC flier..... Plus you can beat the sh!t out of it and it just keeps going. I have about 100 flights on mine, no damage, still runs like it was just out of the box.
I haven't had a single problem or mishap with my Phantom 2 Vision +, but in the 40 years I've been flying R/C, I've probably crashed and destroyed 15 airplanes. If it flies, and it depends on remotely controlled electronics, then it will eventually crash. These quad copters are more sophisticated and complicated than any R/C vehicle I've ever flown or driven.
The nano is pretty difficult to fly. Like heaaps harder then the phantom. It can take a good beating as well... All though.. When I finally got used to flying it and could keep it nice and level and do turns after a few days practicing it crashed and doesn't fly properly anymore. Now it just does backflips and doesn't take off..
It was good fun flying it though and quite satisfying when you get the hang of it.. making tiny adjustments etc etc.
Is that what manual mode on the phantom is like ??
Have had the Phantom like 3-4 months and done around 140 flights... had a few issues, but all were intermittent etc.. Battery issues which I think due to firmware and possibly dirty terminals.. seem to have gone now... Loss of R/C input which happened once.. I put that down to radio interference... few other minor issues and a few user issues which were my fault :] At the moment its all working nicely though.. no issues.
It was good fun flying it though and quite satisfying when you get the hang of it.. making tiny adjustments etc etc.
Is that what manual mode on the phantom is like ??
Have had the Phantom like 3-4 months and done around 140 flights... had a few issues, but all were intermittent etc.. Battery issues which I think due to firmware and possibly dirty terminals.. seem to have gone now... Loss of R/C input which happened once.. I put that down to radio interference... few other minor issues and a few user issues which were my fault :] At the moment its all working nicely though.. no issues.
i can honesty say i've never had an issue, a few little dinks in props as its fell over on landing etc but no Phantom issues at all. I too still have the nerves twitch everytime i take to the air, but have confidence in the machine. The last time i was out i had a play in atti mode, which went surprisingly well until i went to switch back to gps but flicked the switch the wrong way & activated the failsafe rth, resulting in my panicking as it unexpectedly shot up into the air instead of hovering
No problems here either except the camera going blank once. I don't know how many people actively post on these forums but I suspect it is a very small percentage of the number of phantoms that have actually been sold. So I suspect that most people don't have any problems but only seek advice if they either have problems or are very cautious individuals like myself and want to ensure that I know what to do in case something does happen.
All of my problems have been due to my own idiocy.
Usually I'm trying to capture something really cool and I take stupid risks that I know I shouldn't be taking.
For example, In my most recent crash I was trying to follow my kids on their bikes down a quarter mile stretch of abandoned road between a beautiful row of plain trees. I actually made it 90% of the way there... but failed to notice a tiny little branch that suddenly "reached out" and grabbed my Vision, throwing it to the ground. The resulting crash destroyed my gimbal. I knew the whole time that I was pushing it... but I was just to greedy to capture footage of the kids.
I wish I had adopted the original posters attitude when I started. It likely would have held me back from trying all the dumb things I've done.
Usually I'm trying to capture something really cool and I take stupid risks that I know I shouldn't be taking.
For example, In my most recent crash I was trying to follow my kids on their bikes down a quarter mile stretch of abandoned road between a beautiful row of plain trees. I actually made it 90% of the way there... but failed to notice a tiny little branch that suddenly "reached out" and grabbed my Vision, throwing it to the ground. The resulting crash destroyed my gimbal. I knew the whole time that I was pushing it... but I was just to greedy to capture footage of the kids.
I wish I had adopted the original posters attitude when I started. It likely would have held me back from trying all the dumb things I've done.
