Beginners Nervousness...should i fly?

[Fancatfor]

Basically slightly intoxicated with dreams when yours truly bought a Phantom 4 pro online in Australia, of course this entrancing ,beckoning, newest thing of things ,in the world of technology had been on my radar for a while , but the next day credit card shock , was as you may empathise with , engulfed me with a wave of nervous trepidation.
My first concern was receiving this $3000 AUD drone with accessories at all.
And believe me Australia has a courier company that will fulfil all your worst nightmares, however I ordered through a Sydney company called Rise Above Drones , who ensured the cowboys didn't thwart the delivery of the Phantom 4 pro.
Now approximately three weeks later the drone is still sitting on the spare bed in the spare bedroom.
I have viewed quite a few you tube vids, read up on this forum, used the simulator within the DJi go app, but cannot get the DJi insurance in Oz, so to be truthful absolutely terrified of taking it out , in case it lands upside down, or just goes away never to return.
I have already destroyed a practice drone that cost $100 , , obviously not wanting to destroy the Phantom 4 pro in similar fashion.
Respectfully asking for advice , should a learner risk in relative terms drive a Ferrari through the suburbs with no insurance? If not how do you learn using the Ferrari?
If you learn using a Kia , does that really give you the skills , for your first Ferrari ride?
Seriously Iam in freeze mode, but find that emotion somehow enthralling?
On reflection, think Iam not the only one ?

 

[DocDiggler]

Think positiv just fly short distance open field bit by bit
If you crash just buy another one life is to short not to have fun even if i crash 3 i would keep buying those p4s its mostly human errors anyway just be conservative and dont get overconfident TAKE your Time


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[rosco123]

My opinion is....Check and double check that your settings are all good. take it somewhere there are no buildings, trees etc (football ground).
Set the distance limits to 30mtrs hight, & 30mtrs radius.
Make sure the beginner mode is on.
Place the P4P down on something flat, hard and non metallic. You need room for the camera to swing to calibrate itself.
Turn on your controller first, connect to the DJI GO 4 app, turn on the P4P and wait.
Wait till ALL of the parameters are good and the home point is recorded.
Use the 'Auto take off' function and let it just lift off. You will be amazed at how stable it is instantly.
Now just gently give it some throttle and take it up a little.
Use the other controls very gently one at a time to get used to what each one does.
Then gently lower it down to the ground and pull the throttle stick all the way down after it has landed to kill the motors.
Do this a couple of times and gain some confidence. then next minute....
Bingo....Ferrari driver.

 

[stubblefield]

I have a P3S, but I am sure that the P4 has the same auto fly feature. Turn everything on, connect with the GO app, let it warm up and hit the auto launch icon. It will rise to just above 3m and sit there for you to look at. Slowly move the sticks and watch what it does. They are really easy to fly. Have fun with it.

 

[John Locke]

Anyone that asks me what to buy for aerial videos I always say buy DJI, but buy only the craft that cost the amount of money you feel comfortable throwing away. That way if you crash from inexperience, the lesson hasn't cost you dearly, in relation to what you can afford.

If you're that up tight about flying the craft you should have started with a P3S, the least expensive phantom. It uses a very similar GO app. It's wise to master a VW stick shift before you buy your first Ferrari.

 

[With The Birds]

Find a nice open area on a clear calm day and get into it. Try to avoid spectators,your best mates will almost crap themselves laughing if you crash and will egg you in to do things outside your comfort zone. Your missus will be bored. Take your dog if you have one, dogs are better company than most people.

Just make sure you understand how RTH operates and triple check your settings. Unlike the $100 trainer you had with this AC if you loose your nerve or orientation just let go of the sticks and it will happily hover while you decide what to do next.

Have fun1

 

[Meta4]

I think you should pack it in and give up.
I need a 2nd one for backup and will happily give you $1K to save you any more worries with it.

Respectfully asking for advice , should a learner risk in relative terms drive a Ferrari through the suburbs with no insurance? If not how do you learn using the Ferrari?
If you learn using a Kia , does that really give you the skills , for your first Ferrari ride?
Seriously Iam in freeze mode, but find that emotion somehow enthralling?

But seriously, you won't believe how much easier it is to fly than you are imagining.
The Phantom is easier to fly than any cheap "trainer drone" because of all the great tech that's packed into it.
Take your hands off the sticks and it's like a pause button.

Here's my usual advice for timid new flyers:
Don't be put off by scary stories.
When you get it airborne you'll find that it's much easier to fly than you imagine.
It takes about 5 minutes to learn - but a lot of practice and experience to become proficient.
Don't let the simplicity make you get too adventurous too early.
There are many things that can go wrong and you need to understand what they are and how to make sure they don't happen to you.

Do your early flights in a large open area, well away from trees, buildings and obstacles.
Be afraid, very afraid of trees, buildings etc. They are involved in most incidents.

Read up on return to home procedures, practise using RTH and cancelling it so you understand how it works and how you can resume control in an RTH situation.

 

[aaronrivera]

Always fly in open areas. Almost had a crash taking off near a wall. Dnt fly in windy days otherwise when gps system goes wrong ur drone will fly with the wind. I hope thy fix some issues wid the gps in this drone model


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[shockwave199]

If you're not prepared to lose the money, you chose the wrong hobby. Send it back and consider model trains or something. You did make a great choice and you gave yourself the best odds of not crashing- the P4P is a heck of a drone. I think if you went out to a wide open place and just lifted off and kept beginner mode on, you'd absolutely love it. But it takes time and lots of flying to gain confidence in your bird and yourself. If you're too worried, just check out of the notion and return it. Fear is not fun. Respect for flying can keep you being a good pilot, but fear will keep your phantom on the bed. The choice is yours.

 

[KiwiBird]

I flew my Phantom for the first time today. Like everyone else says, they are really easy to get the hang of. Way, way easier than cheaper drones.

That's not to say you won't crash it one day - chances are we all will. But would you rather have the odd repair bill, or just let $3k sit in the spare room doing nothing?

Find a nice big sports ground and go for it. Sounds like you have already done the research, time to put it in to practice.

Can't let a little old Kiwi guy show up the Ocker now can you? ;-)


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[Snowwolf]

I found buying a very cheap £30 indoor drone great for practicing, they have no gps and all flying is with constant stick movements, one day you WILL need to fly in ATTI mode, I can tell you if I hadn't done that atti flying training I would have lost my p4p last week

 

[Hendo]

Don't over think it. They ARE easy to fly and there is a flight mode to suit everyone. As mentioned above, start out with plenty of space on a calm day. Take your time. First flight - auto takeoff, hover and then land. You won't actually have to use any control input. It won't take long before you are confidently zooming around.

We all know that these things cost lots of money, but you are buying some very clever technology. DJI don't want you to crash it so they have spent a lot of time putting great technology into it to prevent you from crashing it.

For someone with no actual flight experience with a Phantom, the worst thing you can do is read too many negative forum posts. Focus on positive outcomes and you will be fine.

Go for it mate!

 

[Chesapeake]

Anyone that asks me what to buy for aerial videos I always say buy DJI, but buy only the craft that cost the amount of money you feel comfortable throwing away. That way if you crash from inexperience, the lesson hasn't cost you dearly, in relation to what you can afford.

If you're that up tight about flying the craft you should have started with a P3S, the least expensive phantom. It uses a very similar GO app. It's wise to master a VW stick shift before you buy your first Ferrari.

Now there's a good point when you're paranoid ( heightened awareness) You can wreck 4-5 p3s before you're out $1500-$2k. No matter how much disposable money you have, .After loosing 4-5 you should either be totally disgusted or have it figured out. Throw it in the car, drive to the "Out Back" and " slowly give it whirl. BTW can you just replace the Copter ?

 

[tompoes]

As the OP i am completely new to the Drone world. Bought the P4P four days ago and took 3 days to learn the setting and use the flight simulator. Had my first flight in the beginner mode yesterday and was surprised how smooth this went. Just make sure you start in an open area and that have a thorough knowledge of the controls and settings.

 

[Fancatfor]

Thanks to all the helpful people who have given really helpful and friendly advice, it has given me a clear plan for first flight, will post a few pics of the ph4 pro in a field soon.
Cheers


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[azgeek]

Thanks to all the helpful people who have given really helpful and friendly advice, it has given me a clear plan for first flight, will post a few pics of the ph4 pro in a field soon.

Good luck. Flying in beginners mode for the first few flights is definitely recommended and a real confidence booster. Resist any urge to test the limits of the system until you are comfortable with your skills.

 

[RobertK]

Hi Fancatfor, just sent you a private message mate.


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[Fancatfor]

Cheers thanks


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[Dirby]

just go ahead and fly it.
go to ,a big open field and do all the connecting and start up and fly it.
you will be amazed at how easy it is to fly.

 

[mmpsteve]

Sir, I was in the same boat, never having flown anything, and reading all the bad things that can happen. All the advice above is great. I did all the research I could, then went to the local school football field and took off and landed a couple times, then it was up, up and away to 400 feet; I just had to know what it was like, and what it looked like from up there. What a rush!! Just do it. You won't regret it. As big a thrill, is looking at your pics and video for the 1st time on your computer or TV. You have that for forever. I'm going to try to show the first picture; it's not the best (auto settings), but I'll keep it forever. Best regards from Indiana, USA.

DJI_0029

• mmpsteve
• Jan 11, 2017