The one tip you would share with a novice?

[Les Hall]

Getting a P3S next week.

I'm sure there must be some little tips or tricks that y'all learned when you started flying. Maybe you did something by mistake that had unintended results.

Hopefully there might be some warnings that you can give a neophyte and help them not destroy their new toy on day one.

Thanks

 

[msinger]

Here are my words of wisdom:

- Download the Phantom manual (read it until you understand it).
- Check out the getting started tips here.
- After updating the firmware from the DJI GO app, do steps #47 and #48 here.
- Check out the tips at PhantomHelp.com.
- Double-check the RTH altitude in the DJI GO app before each flight.
- Don't use the auto takeoff and auto landing features in the DJI GO app (learn to do this manually).
- Take off at full throttle (don't ease your Phantom into the air).
- Fly in a wide open area with no obstacles until you get the hang of the controls.
- When landing, descend straight down very slowly until you make contact with the ground.
- Turn off the motors by holding the left stick down for 3 seconds (do not do a CSC).
- Turn off your Phantom before you turn off the remote controller (your remote controller should always be on when your Phantom is on).

I've got countless more, but you'll be in pretty good shape if you do the above.

 

[Guillermo Barreiro]

That's easy man, order a cheap syma x5c, play with it, crash it, learn how to fly a drone, is actually harder to fly a phantom 3 in manual.

After that, read the manual, fly low, and slow, I'm am open space, I have the Phantom for like a week or so and still don't have the nerve to go to high or to far, with my syma x5c and x8c I can fly until the drone lost conecction

 

[LuvMyTJ]

It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Phantom Pilots forum Les Hall. I hope that you will take advantage of the benefits that come with membership and that you will be able to use the forum for the exchange of innovative ideas and as a resource for current developments in Phantom quadcopter’s.

Learn about all the aircrafts functions and how to safely operate it. It is a complex machine that you should fully understand before heading out. Start slow and easy in a wide open area with no obstacles or overhead wires. Enjoy your new Phantom when it arrives.

*Here is a link the manual if you don't already have it - https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/phantom_3_standard/en/Phantom_3_Standard_User_Manual__V1.4.pdf

 

[Scott H]

Great advice on here…definitely get a "trainer". PhantomHelp.com is terrific. I flew a UDI U818A which has a virtually bullet-proof prop guard/frame. Get a handful of batteries for whatever trainer you get and fly it every chance you can & have fun with it. You gotta laugh at yourself because its not "if" you wreck but "when", right? Fly a 20' by 20' square at a couple feet high (s-l-o-w-l-y) stopping & turning at every corner; then do it the other way. When you're able to do that well, try figure 8's one way (at 5'); then the other way; then backwards. Then try not to crash at all; after a while my trainer became slightly unbalanced (from bangin' around the house) so I made it my goal to try to make it hover in the same place without "losing it" while adjusting the trim. You'll read stories on here about crashes - a lot that stem from battery issues. Always use a fresh battery, every time; plug 'em up as soon as they cool down! Just like your cell phone, charge (all) your batteries for the next day. The U818A didn't really handle wind well so - by the time my P3 came I had immense respect for the machine and was glad I made all the mistakes on the trainer. Respect everything under 80' (trees, power lines, etc.) when you get the P3; know and respect your limits - you're a pilot first, then you can master the camera. The hobby/industry is exploding so keep abreast of all the changes on here. Most of all: be safe.

 

[Ross]

And always be aware of where your home point is set to. That's where it will return to when you hit problems. If it's still where you flew last week, that may not be helpful!

 

[Noodle]

That's easy man, order a cheap syma x5c, play with it, crash it, learn how to fly a drone, is actually harder to fly a phantom 3 in manual.

+1. That's the first tip I give to any novice, ask them if they have any prior experience flying a quad first. If the answer is no, then don't buy a Phantom, instead buy a cheapie like Syma X5C which is a good learner quad because you WILL crash. If the answer is yes, then they should need no advice from me, just read the manual and watch some DJI tutorials and go fly.

 

[mikep2323]

Here is a guide that someone put together for phantom 3. Tons of info. I read it a few times already. Some of it isn't for the standard but still tons of info. You might need a Dropbox account to view it but you might be able to download it.

Dropbox - DJI Phantom P3 Summary Guide.pdf

 

[Les Hall]

Thanks y'all for the info and tips. I appreciate it.

 

[Shademan]

One more for the road, Les...

After you have spent some time behind the controls of the practice bird and learned the art of gracefully crashing something with a lower price tag, and you have made the investment purchase of a Phantom, please make sure you spend some time in the "Beginner Mode" for the first couple of flights. These first several flights with some simple restrictions were very helpful and a little less stressful.

Enjoy the flight time!

 

[aka1ceman]

One more for the road, Les...

After you have spent some time behind the controls of the practice bird and learned the art of gracefully crashing something with a lower price tag, and you have made the investment purchase of a Phantom, please make sure you spend some time in the "Beginner Mode" for the first couple of flights. These first several flights with some simple restrictions were very helpful and a little less stressful.

Enjoy the flight time!

Yes this beginner mode is cool. Imagine an invisible fence to keep it in. I think it's 100ft up, 100ft out. Stand in a field away from everything and practice.