Starter before the P3?

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Hello all. I'm really excited about buying a P3 but before I invest in that I'm interested in buying a starter that I can learn to fly and take photo/video with.

I've looked at lots of posts, however the drone market is so dynamic I'm looking for the most recent suggestions.

Also if you have a good source for both the starter and P3 I would appreciate that as well.

Thanks in advance for the help!!
 
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I recommend the little Hubsan X4. These have been around for a few years. I still fly my original X4.

Get extra props and batteries and spend two weeks flying the X4 everywhere !

I really do not recommend the camera version as you will get reduced flight times and performance.

Lots of YouTube vids on the X4 as well.

Here's a link for the X4 from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Hubsan-H107L-...p/B00IZC6C8E/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8http://www.amazon.com/Hubsan-H107L-Channel-2-4GHz-Quadcopter/dp/B00IZC6C8E/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=

I like coptershop.com as a West Coast DJI dealer...no BS and fast shipping. If you're East Coast try B & H Photo.

:harry
 
I use a Syma X5c-1 for piddling about. Has a basic camera, but the real benefit in using it is to learn CONTROL. No GPS on board, so you have to learn to accommodate for wind with the quad's nose pointing in any direction. It's lightweight, and while I have never crashed it personally, two of my relatives have, one into a tree. The thing still flies perfectly...for a cheap quad in the $50 range, it's built like a tank. Just be sure to get some extra batteries as flight time is only around six minutes.
 
I started with a P1 and did lots of DIY mods. Videos had to be stabilized to take out jitters, but I was pretty happy with it for a while. P3 is a huge step up in quality and convenience, for sure.
 
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I too did the X5C. Just practice a lot of orientation (flying with the nose pointed at you or any other direction than away from you) and that will help you in a panic situation with the Phantom. And it just makes you that much of a better flyer.
 
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PHANTOM 3 mate I have never flown before and this thing is as easy to control (and failsafe) makes it a good investment for a beginner I have been flying for a few weeks and I love it ,its nowhere near as difficult to fly as my copter
 
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I would say just go straight for the Phantom 3. It is so easy to fly and very forgiving. I was brought up on RC models but raw beginners manage just fine.
The Phantom is so impressive you only realise it's capabilities when you have flown and crashed many other kinds of aircraft. The way it just sits there in gusting 30mph winds is incredible.
The best tips I can give - don't rush things and don't panic.
 
I would say just go straight for the Phantom 3. It is so easy to fly and very forgiving. I was brought up on RC models but raw beginners manage just fine.
The Phantom is so impressive you only realise it's capabilities when you have flown and crashed many other kinds of aircraft. The way it just sits there in gusting 30mph winds is incredible.
The best tips I can give - don't rush things and don't panic.


I want to buy it today. However, I just want to hear from the experts on the best way to do this.
 
The P3 flies by itself yes, but you have still to learn what to do with the sticks... Never had a Husban, I did some time on Aero-sim RC and it was pretty helpful. You can use the Simulator that comes with the P3 as well.
 
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I started with the Hubsan and a spare parts kit and flew the snot out of it. It is excellent practice because it is so much harder to control than the P3. From my first flight with the P3P I did fine because I'd learned smooth and gentle inputs with the hubsan, and got used to orienting myself to the copter. I recommend it. Much cheaper to crash.
 
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After having all of the phantom models there is I think the best one to learn on would be the p3. It flys its self and is wicked easy to fly. You basically just tell it were to go and aim it. Your left stick controls up and down and yawing. (turning what way the nose faces) and the right stick controls going forward or back ward and side to side. Tho the camera setting and the app might take some getting used to. But it might be just as easy to learn it all from scratch then to try and lean how to use it and have to forget any thing from other models of the phantoms and there aps.

One thing were they really excel is taking off and landing Even if you don't use the auto take off and auto land. Its not like all the others were if you dont take off with enough throttle you can crash and also when landing on the other ones if you don't land gentle enough you can tip and crash. I have yet to have any landing or takeoff mishaps with my p3 yet.. Tho maybe its just cause I have so much flight time under my belt with all the others.
 
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After having all of the phantom models there is I think the best one to learn on would be the p3. It flys its self and is wicked easy to fly.
Exactly .. the P3 is easier to fly than any "trainer quad".
And that causes some people to come unstuck because they can get too adventurous before they have enough experience.
It takes about 5 minutes to learn to fly the Phantom but it takes a lot of experience to become proficient and have a good understanding of what could go wrong and strategies to make sure they don't go wrong.
 
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PHANTOM 3 mate I have never flown before and this thing is as easy to control (and failsafe) makes it a good investment for a beginner I have been flying for a few weeks and I love it ,its nowhere near as difficult to fly as my copter

What happens when the "smart " fail safe tech stops working and they have no clue how to fly without it. I bought a $80 andromeda omni (I think that's the name ) and really learn to fly. All manual control and get really good with that. Then if something ever happens you know how to control it. Not to mention if you decide to park it in a tree you're out $80-100 instead of 1k.
 
The other thing about flying a less capable quad like a Hubsan is you have to learn to think ahead of the bird.

No matter how stable the P3P is, sooner or later you will maneuver it into a tight space, and then have to maneuver it out. Small highly sensitive quads like the hubsan lets you do that without breaking a $1500 bird.

The little quads teach you to pay attention to obstacles and think ahead to avoid. If you haven't flown anything before, flying something like a hubsan isn't bad for you and helps you get settled on the sticks, helps you think ahead of the bird and helps you think about all the things around you that they are liable to run into and avoid them.

It lets you make mistakes with a $60.00 bird, not at $1300.00.
 

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