Sometime, one actually has to jump in...

[DaGunn]

How do you know that? It's easy enough to enable in the app.

I don't have VPS enabled and left stick down works, so that rules out VPS in landing. It was explained in a long thread on the DJI forum. I don't have a link for you, sorry.

Edit: With the left stick down and no change in air pressure, the bird knows it has landed. Enables hand catching your bird.

 

[JohnK]

I don't have VPS enabled and left stick down works, so that rules out VPS in landing. It was explained in a long thread on the DJI forum. I don't have a link for you, sorry.

Edit: With the left stick down and no change in air pressure, the bird knows it has landed. Enables hand catching your bird.

I guess I missed the point somewhere. I have VPS enabled and I both land and hand-catch without any problems at all. I guess that means it's not really an important issue!!

.

 

[DaGunn]

I guess I missed the point somewhere. I have VPS enabled and I both land and hand-catch without any problems at all. I guess that means it's not really an important issue!!

My post was made to correct the OP's statement that VPS sensors played a role in landing and the use of holding the left stick down to turn off rotors. My post to you was to inform you how I know this not to be correct. This is important, only if one wants to know what turning a feature on/off effects.

 

[PhantomFilters]

Already ordered these:

http://phantomfilters.bigcartel.com...lters-for-dji-phantom-3-professional-advanced

They come from Denmark, so no Customs involved on these ones...

Thanks, yes no issues with customs.

 

[acherman]

Best tip I have - don't upgrade firmware. Assuming yours arrives with 1.1.9, leave it there. There are numerous reports of newer firmware causing more problems than it fixed.

Also, do a cold IMU calibration before your first flight. It can get knocked about while shipping, so the few minutes it takes is worth it. Then gimbal calibration immediately after (make sure you remove the small white piece of foam holding the back of the gimbal - some have missed it).

While waiting for it to arrive, watch a lot of review videos on YouTube. Familiarize yourself with the pilot app. Once you open the box, you will feel like you know most things about it already. Makes the nerves slightly less. Haha

 

[JohnK]

I can testify to the white foam thing - I didn't see it and then nearly freaked out when I saw how shaky my vid was ... and then I removed the plug. Never saw it, and there was no mention of it in the instructions (I am guilty of assuming that the main plastic clip was the only gimbal support).

 

[Ken Pascoe]

I think one of the best things I did was go out and spend $75 on a small but reasonably advanced 6-axis drone. The kids and I spent a couple of months flying it here and there, inside the house and out. I chalked up quite a lot of "stick" time until I can whiz the thing around the house and garden without having to think too hard about which way it's facing.

I've had the P3P over a week now, 60 flights and about 8 hours. The image below is from an attempted "flyaway" which I suspect was due to a compass alignment, despite the fact that I consider myself to be a very careful flyer with this expensive and large/dangerous toy-of-sorts. One thing I learned was to stabilise it airborne and test how much control I have before taking things further. I'm convinced my ability to recover the P3P in this instance - where a combination of stick inputs was required to maintain straight and level flight, let alone turn it around and get it back - came from the practice I did bumping my small cheap drone into walls, floors chairs, curtains, trees - you name it!

Ken

 

[Bambola]

I bought a cheap syma x5c to play with before my P3 and would recommend it highly it is much harder to fly and almost indestructible - I still use it now for crashing about the house, great fun but don't let it put you off the phantom which is much easier to fly.

 

[PhantomKhan]

Guys,

I just cancelled my order.

I am still very grateful for your inputs but, over the last 48 hours, I kept reading bad-ending stories that, together with the increasing perception of DJI as a very poor customer-oriented company, made me step back.

1800 EUR for the bundle I ordered is still too much money for the seemingly incidence of mishaps and/or lack of support.

Thank you for your inputs and I hope to hear from you in the future, when things improve on both counts.

Meanwhile enjoy your QCs

PK

 

[acherman]

That's funny. [emoji23]

 

[happydays]

Guys,

I just cancelled my order.

I am still very grateful for your inputs but, over the last 48 hours, I kept reading bad-ending stories that, together with the increasing perception of DJI as a very poor customer-oriented company, made me step back.

1800 EUR for the bundle I ordered is still too much money for the seemingly incidence of mishaps and/or lack of support.

Thank you for your inputs and I hope to hear from you in the future, when things improve on both counts.

Meanwhile enjoy your QCs

PK

Well, you'll never know the amount of enjoyment you're going to be missing.

 

[PhantomKhan]

True, I am sure....hence my continuous enthusiasm, even if only from the sidelines.

...but, at the moment, from reading about the P3, one gets the feeling that there only two types of owners: The ones that already know tragedy and the ones that will experience it in the future, be it on account of operator error or on account of system failure.

This main perception is further negatively compounded by another, secondary one: In case the mishap happens on account of the later reason, it seems that DJI is extremely keen on trying to avoid responsibility.

I've ended up with the feeling that one might as well pack the 1400 EUR on a tight, multi-rubber-banded stack, go to the beach and throw it in the air.

It will certainly be much less of an enjoyment but one also has a much better chance to return home with the money.



PK

 

[John Locke]

True, I am sure....hence my continuous enthusiasm, even if only from the sidelines.

...but, at the moment, from reading about the P3, one gets the feeling that there only two types of owners: The ones that already know tragedy and the ones that will experience it in the future, be it on account of operator error or on account of system failure.

This main perception is further negatively compounded by another, secondary one: In case the mishap happens on account of the later reason, it seems that DJI is extremely keen on trying to avoid responsibility.

I've ended up with the feeling that one might as well pack the 1400 EUR on a tight, multi-rubber-banded stack, go to the beach and throw it in the air.

It will certainly be much less of an enjoyment but one also has a much better chance to return home with the money.



PK

It's good to bow out if uncomfortable. It's a lot of money. Get a small quad and practice. That will tell you if you possess the hand eye coordination skill set to fly a Phantom. You'll know when you're ready, and some people are never ready. Reminds me of Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry, "A man has got to know his limits".

When you're flying around the house with a nano quad like it's second nature, that's when it's time. And if DJI freaks you out from lack of service, look at the Yuneec Q500+. It's very docile and reliable, no fly always, super support. The Q isn't as fast as the P3, and the video link won't go as far, but it's a very good flycam. It's has a great gimbal-camera combination. The 4K version is available too, but I find the 1080p version is just fine.

 

[PhantomKhan]

Excellent pointers, John...much appreciated.

As for "if you possess the hand eye coordination skill set to fly a Phantom", being an airline captain and ex-fighter pilot who actually also rode a Martin Baker during an ejection, if anything, I might be overqualified

FK

 

[John Locke]

Excellent pointers, John...much appreciated.

As for "if you possess the hand eye coordination skill set to fly a Phantom", being an airline captain and ex-fighter pilot who actually also rode a Martin Baker during an ejection, if anything, I might be overqualified

FK

Nice qualifications, shouldn't be a problem, however reverse reactions when flying at yourself LOS can take time to master unless you're already an RC pilot of airplanes. It won't talk long to learn with your background if you haven't flown RC yet. The small drone is a great confidence builder and reaction trainer.

What's a Martin Baker?

 

[PhantomKhan]

An ejection seat. I had the "privilege" of using one of these:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin-Baker_Mk.6

PK

 

[PhantomFilters]

An ejection seat. I had the "privilege" of using one of these:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin-Baker_Mk.6

PK

Holy smoke, hope you made it without any serious injuries.

 

[PhantomKhan]

Holy smoke, hope you made it without any serious injuries.

Fortunately, yes...There was a scare about a broken vertebra but it turned out it was OK...a ride to remember though...

Your filter set arrived yesterday. I will keep them as a remembrance from "the time it was not, yet"

Although I can't obviously vouch on their performance, I must let everybody here know and commend you about/on the packaging and extremely quick shipping.

Well done

FK

 

[bschaub]

Learn to fly cheap quads. Do figure 8s with your P3. Then fly a circle around a chair or such with the camera facing the chair. Put lots of flights in where you have good control and no obstacles. I have 2 years in with my P2 GPro. No issues. P3 on order. I also love flying 300 series DIY quads FPV or free flight 3D.

 

[Garrie]

Go slow, and always go gentle. Dont be like me, crashed my phantom on the 2nd day, broke the gimbal, and had to buy the USD$539 replacement gimbal and camera