Best way to spend $4k for technical college Phantom

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Hi all,
I teach at a technical college and we were budgeted $4k to spend on drones and related equipment. Our subject area is architecture/construction related and the thought is to familiarize students with the technology and eventually use them for building documentation and inspection + reality capture with Autodesk Recap Pro (which we get for free as educators.)

Here are my thoughts and I would appreciate your comments and suggestions.

3 stage student drone flight training. Students would have to pass one stage to be allowed to fly the next.
Stage One- 3-5 "disposable" trainers <$100. Make/model?
Stage Two- DJI Phantom 3 standard.
Stage Three- DJI Phantom 4 pro.

We own an ipad to use with controller.
I am very intrigued with Avegant Glyph (which we could use for other things besides FPV with drone) so would include that with HDMI output module.

If the money is not spent in a month or so it goes away never to return, so would like your feedback on what accessories/related equipment would be the best use of the taxpayer's money.
Extra batteries/multi battery charger? Extra prop guards, props, other spare parts?

Best carrying case for Phantom 3/4?
Best place to buy from?

Regards,
Root Hog
 
i would go with a few refurbished p3s direct from dji. dont see a need for trainers other than the p3s. then a p4p with a couple of spare batteries ,props etc . jmo
 
3 stage student drone flight training. Students would have to pass one stage to be allowed to fly the next.
Stage One- 3-5 "disposable" trainers <$100. Make/model?
Any trainer drones are going to be a lot harder to fly than a Phantom.
The technology in the Phantom is what makes it easier.
 
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Hi all,
I teach at a technical college and we were budgeted $4k to spend on drones and related equipment. Our subject area is architecture/construction related and the thought is to familiarize students with the technology and eventually use them for building documentation and inspection + reality capture with Autodesk Recap Pro (which we get for free as educators.)

Here are my thoughts and I would appreciate your comments and suggestions.

3 stage student drone flight training. Students would have to pass one stage to be allowed to fly the next.
Stage One- 3-5 "disposable" trainers <$100. Make/model?
Stage Two- DJI Phantom 3 standard.
Stage Three- DJI Phantom 4 pro.

We own an ipad to use with controller.
I am very intrigued with Avegant Glyph (which we could use for other things besides FPV with drone) so would include that with HDMI output module.

If the money is not spent in a month or so it goes away never to return, so would like your feedback on what accessories/related equipment would be the best use of the taxpayer's money.
Extra batteries/multi battery charger? Extra prop guards, props, other spare parts?

Best carrying case for Phantom 3/4?
Best place to buy from?

Regards,
Root Hog
HI any phantom good easy..safe...steady...cheapskate drones go awall and hard to control...:)
 
Hi all,
I teach at a technical college and we were budgeted $4k to spend on drones and related equipment. Our subject area is architecture/construction related and the thought is to familiarize students with the technology and eventually use them for building documentation and inspection + reality capture with Autodesk Recap Pro (which we get for free as educators.)

Here are my thoughts and I would appreciate your comments and suggestions.

3 stage student drone flight training. Students would have to pass one stage to be allowed to fly the next.
Stage One- 3-5 "disposable" trainers <$100. Make/model?
Stage Two- DJI Phantom 3 standard.
Stage Three- DJI Phantom 4 pro.

We own an ipad to use with controller.
I am very intrigued with Avegant Glyph (which we could use for other things besides FPV with drone) so would include that with HDMI output module.

If the money is not spent in a month or so it goes away never to return, so would like your feedback on what accessories/related equipment would be the best use of the taxpayer's money.
Extra batteries/multi battery charger? Extra prop guards, props, other spare parts?

Best carrying case for Phantom 3/4?
Best place to buy from?

Regards,
Root Hog
The only reason I can see to buy a "trainer" drone is to make the students appreciate how easy it is to fly a Phantom. With a non GPS stabilized UAV its a full time job controlling the AC, there is little time left for using a camera especially in difficult conditions. You would have to ask yourself whether the purpose of the exercise is to learn to fly a UAV (which isn't for everyone, especially the less coordinated!!) or utilize an aerial camera platform.

Buy 2 refurb P3 with several spare batteries, several sets of props and a charging hub and a P4P+ with 1 or 2 spare batteries. The Phantoms come with a reasonable case for transport protection. Use the P3 for training and keep the P4 for students that have shown responsibility with some skill and experience, there will be some that should never lay their hands on the P4. Please store your batteries at about 50% charge for maximum life.
 
Thanks for all the good feedback. I like the logic of learning to fly on the refurbished P3's.
regards,
Root Hog
 

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