P3 Standard - Initial Impression

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With the current sale pricing & release of the SDK, I decided to add a P3 Standard to the fleet. Being a fan of long-range autonomous missions I figure the Standard will be a little easier on the wallet should things go awry. Not to mention the extra 2 minutes of flight time might mean the difference between making it back or falling a mile & a half short on a long mission. I cracked open the box tonight to check her out & perform her initial setup.

The aircraft build quality is nice with everything fitting nice & tight. The motors look identical to the "A" model motors on my Advanced & Pro, though I haven't opened the shell to check them internally. The camera is thicker than those on the Advanced & Pro, & seeing the Micro-SD slot in the top of the camera seems a bit odd. I had a bit of trouble removing the Micro-SD (a SanDisk Ultra 8GB) & had to use my fingernail to withdraw it after releasing the lock. Must be something with that card because the 32GB replacement installs & ejects easily. Altogether I'm happy with the aircraft.

The RC immediately begs for a couple of improvements. The plastic phone holder shaft is super flimsy & will be replaced with an Inspire mount. Also not real keen on the cheesy gray plastic camera wheel. Both the holder shaft & camera wheel were metal on the Vision+ controllers. I suppose this isn't something one can complain about at $499.

Everything powered up & connected fine when registering the aircraft to my DJI account. I was, however, totally annoyed that it would not allow me to start the motors until I updated the firmware! I could power up the aircraft & controller and all was well. As soon as I connected my phone "Update REQUIRED" appeared in red upon entering the app & again when entering camera view, with the rear lights changing to solid red indicating an "error" condition until I updated. Not very happy with being forced to update before having an opportunity to test the original firmware.

More tomorrow after I take her out for a shakedown flight & get a feel for her range.
 
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Sweet. This is why I got it as well. For the price you can't go wrong. Keep us posted.


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Hi..I purchased my P3s just over 2 months ago and I am happy with its performance, I agree that phone holder is very flimsy
thinking of buying Phantom 2 Vision phone holder (aluminium rod). Happy flying!
 
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With the current sale pricing & release of the SDK, I decided to add a P3 Standard to my fleet.

I wanted another battery so bought the Standard, got the extra battery I wanted plus a cheap backup quad, no brainer really. Agree totally about the quality of the control unit and like you have already ordered a more substantial device holder.
 
HEY DB
monker thumbup.gif

And go ahead and put the inspire holder on it.
That plastic holder is a joke huh ;)
Kinda limp. lol
 
I bought the p2 vision cell phone bracket and a 3D printed iPad mini holder works so much better. I love my p3s


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app
 
Took the new P3 Standard out for a shakedown flight this evening. It was after dark so nothing long range just testing flight performance & basic functions. I have to say I am impressed with her performance. Flew perfectly, very agile & responsive to the controls, hover & altitude hold were both excellent. RTH & IOC working fine. FPV & control were flawless out to 1000' (just a shakedown flight, range testing will be at Ft. Armistead). Flew for 22 minutes with battery @ 20% upon landing. Definitely has longer flight time than my Advanced, likely due to her reduced weight (1216g vs 1280g).

With a battery running $150 & a free $75 AMA card thrown in from Best Buy (been an AMA member for many years but mine expires in March). This means I got the P3 Standard, RC, 2 sets of props, & another charger for $275. Not a bad deal & quite pleased thus far. The P3 Standard is basically an upgraded version of the Vision+ for only $499. Amazing. :cool:

(My neighbor & his buddy were heading to Best Buy when I told them the price)
 
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Took the new Standard out early this morning for her maiden flight @ Ft. Armistead Park. Weather was calm with virtually no wind. I have to say the Standard has a unique sound unlike any of my other Phantoms. She is sort of "whiney" & I actually hovered close for a bit & looked her over to make sure everything was right. She achieved satellite lock quickly & performed well flying out to over 5000'. I tested several IOC features, return to home, and finally did an ATTI altitude test. Happy to report at max stick she maintains altitude in ATTI mode! Was fortunate to catch the "Carnival Pride" on her way in to port.

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Nice video, did not notice any jelly. Quick question for you thought, you mentioned ATTI in one of your posts. What is ATTI? Oh yeah, do I need to be concerned with balancing props, I simply replace them when they get damaged, never balanced them before...... Thanks...
 
ATTI is attitude mode. It's the A position on your S1 switch. Phantom maintains altitude but not horizontal position. Useful for achieving higher speeds & good to practice should you lose GPS lock.

I've never made a big issue of balancing Phantom props but doing so makes it run more efficient + reduces airframe stress. My camera did have a slight oscillation & she sounds different than any Phantom I've ever heard so I will check them. She did not sound this way in her shakedown flight but I was using the props from my Advanced for that flight.


Nice video, did not notice any jelly. Quick question for you thought, you mentioned ATTI in one of your posts. What is ATTI? Oh yeah, do I need to be concerned with balancing props, I simply replace them when they get damaged, never balanced them before...... Thanks...
 
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Looks great...love the text, very stylish![emoji2]
 
Hi all, would you consider the phantom 3 standard, a improvement over a phantom 2 vision plus? I have a phantom 2 vision plus that im rebuilding and want to know before just swapping over to a phantom 3..
 
I wouldn't get rid of your Vision+ if she is serviceable but I'd say the Standard is definitely an improvement. Camera, propulsion system, controller with built-in Wi-Fi module, battery, flight weight, price of replacing the camera....all are substantial improvements over the Vision+. Boggles my mind the improvements & prices we've seen in the P3-series in the 22 months since the V+ was released. Could you have imagined a V+ for $499 or an Advanced for only $799? I paid $1359 for Vision+ with a spare battery! Even at $1259 the capabilities of the Pro are amazing.

Hi all, would you consider the phantom 3 standard, a improvement over a phantom 2 vision plus? I have a phantom 2 vision plus that im rebuilding and want to know before just swapping over to a phantom 3..
 
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