Phantom Arrives Tomorrow !

[GfFlyer]

This is an intro post. Will surely be reaching out over the next weeks as I get my Quad up and running, and hopefully not too many down in pieces !

I have been flying RC for many years at this point. Planes have been my forte. I have done a bit of RC rotor wing flight starting back in the early 2000's when the lite-machines first electric RC copter came out. Lately have spent some time flying the smaller Blade copters. I can hover ok, but never advanced a lot more due to time and other constraints.

Have wanted a quad for quite awhile now and this morning took the plunge with a little mad money and ordered the FC40. Of course the wife won't know until the Fedex man makes a Saturday stop at the house ;-)

Anyways. I look forward to getting it running and having some fun participating in the forum

 

[Cajvol94]

All I can say is its VERY addicting! I fly 2-3 packs every evening. I also bring it with me to work(sales job [emoji106]) and try to fly it in all areas and get videos of the different landscaping thru East Tennessee. Anyhow did I say it's addicting! Have fun.

 

[lake_flyer]

Just keep it in GPS mode for the first 50 flights or so and you will be fine.

Tip for experienced RC pilots:

Don't try Atti mode unless you are really confident and know what to expect. And when you first start with Atti, make sure it's high in the air. Always switch back to GPS mode before you bring it in to land. In Atti mode, it will not stop, it just keeps following the trajectory you set it to. That was my lesson. It is not a plane that goes into a controlled glide path and gently bleeds off speed when you flare. It goes straight like a bullet and only stops when you give opposite thrust. In GPS mode it just stops and hovers when you let go off the controls.

Especially when you are an experienced RC pilot, the biggest risk is getting to confident to soon. That was the lesson I learned. They seem (and are) so easy to fly but after a while you forget that the electronics help an awful lot in GPS mode. In Atti mode it's up to you to stop or compensate any motion in any direction (except straight up and down), even though in Atti there's also a lot of auto levelling going on (to keep the quad in a stable trajectory!). The other day I was up high, there was some wind so I put it in Atti to get some smooth shots of the lake shore line. After a while I brought it down in a steep slope (from 800 feet) to avoid getting caught by the spoiled air from props (vortex) but I forgot that it still was in Atti mode. Some 80 feet from where I stood I just let go off the sticks expecting the quad to come to a gentle hovering. Wrong! It didn't stop at all and crashed to the side wall of my neighbours house. I flipped the switch to GPS straight away and gave full throttle and opposite pitch an instant before the crash and that saved it. Only a bend prop, no damage at all, pfff. Thanks to my RC experience I automatically did the right thing, no thinking, just acting in a split second. 80 feet/25meter with 30-40km/hr is not a lot of time to react.

These things can endure a lot!
I'm sure you will have a great experience. It is the ultimate thing and technology in RC I think (after >40years RC flying).

 

[EMCSQUAR]

First & foremost welcome aboard. Biggest word of advice download manual, software, drivers from DJI website. Learn compass calibration and IMU calibration, preferably advanced IMU calibration. After that skies the limit.

 

[GfFlyer]

is there a sticky or recommended post of good setup videos or other info ? I have watched a few unboxing videos so far.

I have downloaded the manuals already and am printing them out. Will be reading through them.

Any thoughts on flying setting it up as NAZA right away ? OR should I just start out in the out of the box setup and go from there.

 

[GfFlyer]

Had the first few flights yesterday afternoon. Maybe flights isn't the right word. Basically just got it up and hovered in GPS. Did a little fore and aft, left to right, pirouettes, etc. Was just in my front yard so I really did not have the room or the inclination to go for anything more advanced. Boy did I have a huge smile on my face ! The only mishap was setting down after the fist hover......This dummy didn't know how to shut the thing down ! It skidded forward a bit and flipped over on the street. No damage, but the next thing I did was read the manual a bit more to figure out how to shut down !

I tried to get the Naza assistant running, but it just crashes on my Macbook Pro.

 

[slothead]

Where did you get your FC40 and how long did it take them to get it to you?

 

[rivest266]

Got mine in about 4-5 days. It replaced my AR. Drone 2.0, which I got about $140.00 for it. Had 14 flights and two crashes. Worst damage: one prop.

 

[UrAwFuL]

Welcome to the Phantom club!

I came from an AR.Drone 2.0 as well, heavily moded with MiruMod. I really miss the styrofoam body though.

I love that feeling of a new toy coming in the mail. :lol:

 

[stony30]

I tried to get the Naza assistant running, but it just crashes on my Macbook Pro.[/quote] Did you look into your security setting? Also make sure to install the driver and not just the program like I was. Once I figured out my brain fart all was good to go !! :roll:

 

[npalen]

Try to get some sleep tonight.

 

[darwin-t]

This guy's video looks like it would be useful

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRKwsswoq6U&app=desktop

Be sure to do the compass dance before you fly it.

 

[GfFlyer]

Where did you get your FC40 and how long did it take them to get it to you?

Actually thanks to the wonder of Amazon Prime, I ordered it at noon on Friday and had it by noon on Saturday

Looks like the Amazon vendor was Kaozom. It shipped from Chattanooga, TN

 

[GfFlyer]

Got the camera installed on Sunday. Also used a PC laptop and ran Naza to enable the IOC modes. Took it over to a nearby park and ran a couple of batteries through while filming. Did a couple of long ascents and filmed out to the horizon. While my video skills currently have much to be desired I was impressed with the results and quality of the video.

 

[Charger22]

Recommend any one with a new FC 40 look into the Flytrex core2. Very cool bit of technology that adds a little fun to the flying experience.

 

[Musicman]

ENJOY!
I'm a new flyer (AR drone upgrade) myself with the DJI phantom, and i love it.

 

[chapsrlz]

Try to get some sleep tonight.

mine (p2) is expected to arrive in an hour, and yesterday i did everything except sleeping

 

[GfFlyer]

Have started doing the standard helicopter flight training exercises....Circles left and right proceeding to figure 8's. I have to say this is the best flying toy I have ever had, and I've had a bunch !

While the stock batteries seem to be ok, I did just order the multistar batteries form hobbyking. Will be nice to have a little more run time.

 

[Phantom Chi]

Can't sleep! :shock: