Official P4 Range Leaderboard

[phantom13flyer]

Yeah it was 27k+ one way . I'll try to find the video . Keith is one of the best , if not the best pilot our there .

 

[GadgetGuy]

This morning flight went well. 16,100 ft full signal landed with 32% so could've gone much further. I was flying in sport mode but kept the rpm's around 4800-5000 which yielded a horizontal speed of 20-24 Mph. Definitely going slow us the most efficient way to fly.

Might as well put in P mode with OAS turned on, and just fly full throttle, which will be 22 mph. Less babysitting necessary of the speed, to keep it at the sweet spot speed of 22 mph.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Yeah it was 27k+ one way . I'll try to find the video . Keith is one of the best , if not the best pilot our there .

Almost certain Keith has a birdside battery mod for his P4. No way anyone can get over 28 minutes at over 22 mph on a P4 without one. His forte is range and battery mods to support his records, not squeezing time out of the P4 stock battery.

[Edit: He does now, but he didn't for that flight! Shows what is possible with the P4 with just a transmitter mod!]

 

[phantom13flyer]

Almost certain Keith has a birdside battery mod for his P4. No way anyone can get over 28 minutes at over 22 mph on a P4 without one. His forte is range and battery mods to support his records, not squeezing time out of the P4 stock battery.

I can't remember the exact distance but he made a crazy flight before he sent his bird out to be modified for external lipos. I sent him a Facebook message and I asked him how far he went with his stock p4 battery. I'm still wanting for a response. I'm also pretty sure he posted a video of it. As soon as I hear from him I'll post it.

 

[xgaul]

Hit 12,400 feet today wasn't super comfortable going much further was concerned about battery


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[phantom13flyer]

Almost certain Keith has a birdside battery mod for his P4. No way anyone can get over 28 minutes at over 22 mph on a P4 without one. His forte is range and battery mods to support his records, not squeezing time out of the P4 stock battery.

Yeah I was wrong it wasn't 27k ft it was 30k ft with a STOCK p4 battery . Hoping to get a video of the flight. There is nobody better than Keith at maximizing the most out of these birds . I also know Keith and Big Chuck to be two very honest guys . The Phantom 4 definitely is better than the Phantom 3 under the right conditions. But p4 takes better piloting skills in order to get these kinds of results.

 

[phantom13flyer]

Here's the screen shot. STOCK P4 battery with an itelite antenna. 184 ft altitude as well. Keith is the best pilot for sure.

 

[phantom13flyer]

That GPS mode with all the sensors off and I believe cruising around 32-34 mph.

 

[phantom13flyer]

The debate is over the p4 kills the p3 when it comes to stock battery and distance with just a modified rc.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I can't remember the exact distance but he made a crazy flight before he sent his bird out to be modified for external lipos. I sent him a Facebook message and I asked him how far he went with his stock p4 battery. I'm still wanting for a response. I'm also pretty sure he posted a video of it. As soon as I hear from him I'll post it.

Cool! What was your final take on the Tony birdside video mod to your P3P?
Who is doing the P4 birdside battery mods for others, and how much?

 

[GadgetGuy]

Yeah I was wrong it wasn't 27k ft it was 30k ft with a STOCK p4 battery . Hoping to get a video of the flight. There is nobody better than Keith at maximizing the most out of these birds . I also know Keith and Big Chuck to be two very honest guys . The Phantom 4 definitely is better than the Phantom 3 under the right conditions. But p4 takes better piloting skills in order to get these kinds of results.

30k each way would be 60,000 feet or just under 11.34 miles at 22 mph is 31 minutes, so, running the P4 battery all the way down to 0%, it might just be possible! If anyone can do it, it's Keith! He gives us all hope! Maybe with carbon fiber props?

 

[GadgetGuy]

Here's the screen shot. STOCK P4 battery with an itelite antenna. 184 ft altitude as well. Keith is the best pilot for sure.

Thanks for that! His total flight time would have been right at 24 minutes, which the battery can do with OAS on in P-GPS. With it off, looks like, Keith found the sweet spot we are all looking for at 32-34 mph in P-GPS, while keeping the stock battery flight time at 24 minutes, with 6% left upon landing! Needs some altitude, to fight off the 10% Autoland, while getting it back home, from 10% to 6% battery remaining!

 

[GadgetGuy]

The debate is over the p4 kills the p3 when it comes to stock battery and distance with just a modified rc.

That has been my suspicion. Now we have confirmation!

 

[Ibmftw]

30k each way would be 60,000 feet or just under 11.34 miles at 22 mph is 31 minutes, so, running the P4 battery all the way down to 0%, it might just be possible! If anyone can do it, it's Keith! He gives us all hope! Maybe with carbon fiber props?

Not just to be argumentative but stock battery and 60k = NO CHANCE. I run a 42k today using Litchi to fly at a perfect 22mph in very little wind which successfully landed home at @ 13% PWR, I can't imagine any pilot is better than Litchi at flying in a straight line and maintaining velocity.

Unlike Keith, my testing (running the same Litchi mission 2x straight after each other) showed the phantom being around 4 or 5% more effecient at 22mph than at 32mph. However this is on GPS (P) MODE, in Litchi in which a faster velocity I imagine mounts to more equations and adjustments on board, compared to a manual flight in sport where it's completely possible 32mph maybe more efficient than 22mph.

Of coarse maintaining velocity does not HAVE to be the most effecient flight, using the weather to your advantage IS possible when power consumption and velocity are not perfectly equated and linear down to 0% PWR.

Also velocity and drag are not perfectly linear, I. E. twice the velocity does not mean twice the drag, once this is coupled with the above, manual control can have an advantage over autonomous flight, no doubt Keith understands these concepts and takes advantage of them, but 60k ft (11.36) miles or 5.68 miles per leg would take you 30 minutes at 22.6mph I just can't see that on the stock P4.

As a side note what's the consensus on PWR usage and modes I imagine GPS (P) mode is going to drain resources a fair bit faster than the others due to more processing and more adjustments.

 

[phantom13flyer]

Cool! What was your final take on the Tony birdside video mod to your P3P?
Who is doing the P4 birdside battery mods for others, and how much?

Long story short it ended up being a mess. I sold my p3 to Hani for parts and bought my p4. I hope others had better luck with it.

 

[phantom13flyer]

Not just to be argumentative but stock battery and 60k = NO CHANCE. I run a 42k today using Litchi to fly at a perfect 22mph in very little wind which successfully landed home at @ 13% PWR, I can't imagine any pilot is better than Litchi at flying in a straight line and maintaining velocity.

Unlike Keith, my testing (running the same Litchi mission 2x straight after each other) showed the phantom being around 4 or 5% more effecient at 22mph than at 32mph.

Of coarse maintaining velocity does not HAVE to be the most effecient flight, using the weather to your advantage IS possible when power usage and speed are not perfectly equated and linear down to 0% PWR.

Also velocity and drag are not perfectly linear as you increase speed. Once this is coupled with the above, manual control can have an advantage over autonomous flight but 60K on stock battery, no way.

Keith must fly in the most perfect place in the world too. He's one hell of a pilot. He is well known and certainly has no need to lie. Just because you or I can't do it doesn't mean that it didn't happen.

 

[phantom13flyer]

That has been my suspicion. Now we have confirmation!

Keith knows how to squeeze every little bit out of his birds. Freaking impressive . Hell I'd be going crazy if I could get just 25k with a stock battery lol.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Long story short it ended up being a mess. I sold my p3 to Hani for parts and bought my p4. I hope others had better luck with it.

Wow! Sorry for your troubles with it! It had such promise and hope. I guess I dodged the bullet when Tony talked me out of the birdside video mod, when I said it had to also accommodate my external batteries. He said they were mutually exclusive installs. However, once the amp was moved to inside the shell, there would be room for externals. The extra amp weight and power consumption would shorten battery life, too, limiting the long range benefit. Ideally, a W323 bird with new motors but the original video power outputs would be the best of both worlds. Supposedly, they exist, from the transition between the W323 and the W323A. I'd love to buy one from somone that has one that wants a P4 instead!

 

[phantom13flyer]

Wow! Sorry for your troubles with it! It had such promise and hope. I guess I dodged the bullet when Tony talked me out of the birdside video mod, when I said it had to also accommodate my external batteries. He said they were mutually exclusive installs. However, once the amp was moved to inside the shell, there would be room for externals. The extra amp weight and power consumption would shorten battery life, too, limiting the long range benefit. Ideally, a W323 bird with new motors but the original video power outputs would be the best of both worlds. Supposedly, they exist, from the transition between the W323 and the W323A. I'd love to buy one from somone that has one that wants a P4 instead!

Yes that's definitely the best of both worlds with that combination . I certainly learned my lesson , in the future I'll be waiting a couple months before trying out a new modification . I'll let some other guys be the first lol. In Tony's defense he did try to get it to work . There's a certain amount of risk that comes with these modifications especially when it's one that's so new. The p4 has a lot of potential . It just takes a lot more piloting skills to get the most out of the battery. Seems like with the p3 there's a little bit more wiggle room than the p4.


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[GadgetGuy]

Not just to be argumentative but stock battery and 60k = NO CHANCE. I run a 42k today using Litchi to fly at a perfect 22mph in very little wind which successfully landed home at @ 13% PWR, I can't imagine any pilot is better than Litchi at flying in a straight line and maintaining velocity.

Unlike Keith, my testing (running the same Litchi mission 2x straight after each other) showed the phantom being around 4 or 5% more effecient at 22mph than at 32mph. However this is on GPS (P) MODE, in Litchi in which a faster velocity I imagine mounts to more equations and adjustments on board, compared to a manual flight in sport where it's completely possible 32mph maybe more efficient than 22mph.

Of coarse maintaining velocity does not HAVE to be the most effecient flight, using the weather to your advantage IS possible when power consumption and velocity are not perfectly equated and linear down to 0% PWR.

Also velocity and drag are not perfectly linear, I. E. twice the velocity does not mean twice the drag, once this is coupled with the above, manual control can have an advantage over autonomous flight, no doubt Keith understands these concepts and takes advantage of them, but 60k ft (11.36) miles or 5.68 miles per leg would take you 30 minutes at 22.6mph I just can't see that on the stock P4.

As a side note what's the consensus on PWR usage and modes I imagine GPS (P) mode is going to drain resources a fair bit faster than the others due to more processing and more adjustments.

Keith might also have just been riding a tail wind in both directions, if the wind shifted at the perfect time. However, from the log, you can see that the 5.68 mile flight out was completed in just under 12 minutes, so 5.68 miles x 5 = 28.4 mph average and the total flight would have been completed in under 24 minutes with 6% remaining. I'm got 25 minutes on my first new P4 flight in P-GPS. 28.4 mph may, in fact, be the real sweet spot in P-GPS, with OAS off!