Ok - first flight today - yikes!

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Well, the P2V+ arrived at 6:30pm yesterday. Charged all the batteries, set up FPV/camera ops with my Samsung Galaxy 10.1 2014 tablet (found a dynamite holder for it to attach to the remote). Updated to 3/06 firmware, all else was up-to-date. Did a stick and advanced IMU calibration; guaranteed perfectly level surface on my kitchen table, checked with a level, yeah, I'm THAT **** :)

Guess all I need do now is compass calibration and GPS home lock at the field ... massage the throttle 'til lift off! Any final tips, suggestions, or encouragements welcome!! :geek:

Hoping to decend to a SOFT mother earth at the end of the flight!!
 
cmhorka said:
massage the throttle 'til lift off! Any final tips, suggestions, or encouragements welcome!! :geek:

One tip you'll find all over the forums... blast that throttle for lift off... much safer to get it away from the ground quickly... let it "hop" up in the air and you'll know when to let go :ugeek:

Taking off gently is a bummer if the Phantom drifts just a bit and bumps a foot on the ground and tips over and chews up some props before ever getting any air time :?
 
What is the name of your Samsung tablet holder? Is it Brackton Universal Tablet headrest mount?, I am curious as I am purchasing a PV+ in the near future and I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab2 10 inch tablet.Good luck flying, would like to know how it went.
 
DBS said:
cmhorka said:
massage the throttle 'til lift off! Any final tips, suggestions, or encouragements welcome!! :geek:

One tip you'll find all over the forums... blast that throttle for lift off... much safer to get it away from the ground quickly... let it "hop" up in the air and you'll know when to let go :ugeek:

Taking off gently is a bummer if the Phantom drifts just a bit and bumps a foot on the ground and tips over and chews up some props before ever getting any air time :?

giving it full throttle for a second is the best advice ever, I know it sounds crazy! But it doesn't really shoot off like a rocket, it's not that fast really. Catch landing is also the best way to get her back too. My first flight was fine, however a small amount of wind made me take a few min to land. I thought the ground was pretty level too, but it was just a grassy field, so not quite as level as I would have liked. The take off and landing are the two that normally don't end well, unless you fly it into a tree or a giant buddha
 
TomWolves said:
What is the name of your Samsung tablet holder? Is it Brackton Universal Tablet headrest mount?, I am curious as I am purchasing a PV+ in the near future and I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab2 10 inch tablet.Good luck flying, would like to know how it went.

Yes, that's the one - a bit tight up against the base of the antennae, but shouldn't be a problem. 10" of screen will be welcome on these old eyes!
 
Cmhorka, do you have a sun shade for the tablet? If so what are you using? My eyes need the 10" tablet too!
 
OK - here are the results of today's first flight!
Went to a park about a mile from home, baseball diamonds, lacrosse, etc. VERY few folks there and nobody near me except my wife (she's a bit geeky herself, fortunately)
Got all ready, tablet very difficult to see, will probably be in the market for a sunshade. But, cranked the brightness all the way and it was passable.
Did the gps dance, flawless - acquired 7 satellites in less than a minute! Ready for take-off! Almost no wind today, 73 degrees, sunny.

Took the advice of several members here and gave it full throttle just 'til it got to about 20 ft, then backed off, hovered rock-solid! Took it up a bit to practice making a large square. Pivoted the fuselage 90 degrees and tried some more maneuvers. Practiced up/down, sideways flight, back/forward, reversed the bird so it was looking at me and got a feel for that control position, all the while taking flights off to nowhere to play a bit with the camera.

First landing was nice and soft, but the grass area was a bit uneven and the Phantom tipped and grass stained two props. I got it shut down very quickly so, no damage. Flew some more and hand-caught the second landing to avoid another tip. Changed batteries and did it all over again, hand-caught the landing.

One thing I thought of as I was packing up to leave. I had forgotten to wipe the lens that got some dew on it so, not sure how the remaining video will look. Oh well, that's what today was supposed to be, and was, a learning experience.

Ok, I'm hooked ... and the wife enjoyed the ride too, while taking video. Don't know how good that will be as the sun was washing out the camera live-view screen - we'll see. The craft controls VERY easily! I slightly regret buying the Hubsan to practice with, as I find the Phantom MUCH easier to control with its great FC system.

I'll post some pics and video once I figure how to, for anyone who may have an interest.
 
Ok - here a picture of the handcart carrying the gear - Hard case for the Phantom, tablet and Phantom instruction manual in a tablet case on top, and the tablet holder to attach to the remote control.
 

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There must be a restriction on video size (or some other factor preventing my upload). I am unable to attach the video from my wife's camera, maybe I'm just doing it wrong?!?! ... :eek:

I'll go try to get the footage from the Phantom
 
I don't think anyone would argue that the bigger the screen the better.
I'm still using my Samsung S3 worth home made sunshade. I have a tablet but it's way to reflective. My next purchase will be the Moverio glasses or similar.
 
Are you trying to upload the video from the phone that has been transferred directly from the phantom? It would be a very large file. Best to convert in a video editor, upload to YouTube and post the link.
 
Sweeeet! Glad to hear the first flight went so well. Your confidence in the rig will grow with each successive flight. Congrats!
 

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