Commercial work with a Phantom 4

Keith Harris · Feb 1, 2017

Hi all

I am trying to talk my business partner into buying a P4P instead of getting a custom-made drone for our new business. He is concerned with losing a rotor or motor in flight and therefore wants to get a custom-made hex. He thinks this is more favourable to the CAA.

Please could I get some opinions from existing pilots in the business as to what drone they started out with and whether they have lost any drones due to rotor and motor malfunction? Is he worrying about something that might not happen?

Thanks

Meta4 · Feb 1, 2017

Keith Harris said:
I am trying to talk my business partner into buying a P4P instead of getting a custom-made drone for our new business. He is concerned with losing a rotor or motor in flight and therefore wants to get a custom-made hex. He thinks this is more favourable to the CAA.
Please could I get some opinions from existing pilots in the business as to what drone they started out with and whether they have lost any drones due to rotor and motor malfunction? Is he worrying about something that might not happen?

Sounds like he doesn't have much experience.
The anxiety about 4 vs 6 props is common in newbies but loss of a motor or prop is very, very rare.
Turn it around and make him show that there's a real (rather than perceived) problem running 4 motors.
Having 6 doesn't automatically make you safe in the event of a problem anyway and having more just makes more things that could possibly go wrong.
The CAA are more practical and don't have a problem with quadcopters.
Your cost is going to be a lot less with an off the shelf machine and if you are in business you really need to think about doubling your cost and having a backup drone anyway.

Keith Harris · Feb 1, 2017

We are in negotiations with a company and they are saying we can do anything you want and put any camera you want on it

my mate seems to think a hex will suit all our needs no matter what job it is We are doing

Alec200 · Feb 1, 2017

Maximum take off weight is also a big consideration. Once you move into the 7-20kg you are significantly more restricted where you can fly. CAA licensing and associated insurance will also be significantly increased in the 7-20kg.
Drones are much more likely to fall out the sky or experience a "flyaway" due to pilot error rather than prop/ESC/motor failure.
Take a look at what can be achieved with a P4P. They are massively capable and portable and cost little compared to a custom hex with presumably a decent SLR. The P4P is very user friendly, providing you read the manual, and suitable for inexperienced pilots.
If you require, in the near future, absolute top end video/stills then spend the extra money. But, before you fly an expensive hex, have some tuition.
My progression was:
micro quads
cheap 50cm quad
Phantom 2
Inspire 1
Phantom 4
P4P

I've never had a quad costing more than £20 that dropped out the air/flew away. Never even chipped a prop.
I'm starting out a small aerial photography business and the P4P suits exactly my needs currently.

As an example of what can be produced with the P4P, although there are far better productions out there, here's my latest production:

As a comparison here's what I produced with the P4, which isn't too shabby for what is now less than £1000 worth of quad:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

ianwood · Feb 1, 2017

Your custom drone will cost way more and be much more complicated to operate. Ask me how I know.

If you want a professional hex that will carry just about anything, you buy an Alta. About $15,000 fully configured.

CanadaGoose · Feb 1, 2017

The P4P camera is very apt for commercial work. It also takes outstanding video. It's small, unobtrusive and packed full of technology that will blow a custom made hex out of the water for the price it is. I have been doing commercial work for three years now using Phantoms and have NEVER had a motor failure.

JimHarris · Feb 1, 2017

I would get the Inspire 2 over the P4P. The ability to raise the gear and pan the camera is awesome. Having the camera operated by someone else while you pilot is super useful too. That is going to also be much cheaper than a hex.

Meta4 · Feb 1, 2017

Keith Harris said:
Please could I get some opinions from existing pilots in the business as to what drone they started out with and whether they have lost any drones due to rotor and motor malfunction? Is he worrying about something that might not happen?

It sounds like both of you are coming at this without a great deal of experience and depending on uninformed ideas and the opinions of others.
You really need to have some first hand experience before you just accept ideas from people you don't know and who don't know exactly what you want or need.
The simplest and cheapest way would be to get a Phantom and start from there.
It's cheap and simple and surprisingly capable.
Once you get a better understanding of what you can do and what you want to be able to do, you'd be in a better position to tell whether the Phantom is all you need or if you need to dive into the financial deep end.

Keith Harris · Feb 2, 2017

I have been lukewarm to the idea of a custom-made hex since he mentioned it and have been trying to push the P4P as a good starting point. His argument is that rotors and motors could fail and he doesn't want to lose the drone.

the guy building ss the hex is saying "he can build anything into a drone and it will take him a day to complete. " what he is also saying is that we would need to buy a Phantom 4 pro/inspire to take the camera gimbal off of it to get the nice shots. Either that or we have to get a DSLR camera.

Admittedly I wasn't too keen on using a Phantom style drone in the beginning as they look like a toy but I have done more research I now love them. His argument is you are not the pilot and I know what I'm doing. The only thing is I've got to pay for the licence he is neading.

Meta4 · Feb 2, 2017

Keith Harris said:
His argument is that rotors and motors could fail and he doesn't want to lose the drone

You hear that argument frequently.
But incidents where a motor failed in a quadcopter are extremely rare.
These days they are very reliable.

Keith Harris said:
Admittedly I wasn't too keen on using a Phantom style drone in the beginning as they look like a toy but I have done more research I now love them..

Looks can be deceiving and it's much more about results than what your drone looks like.
The latest Phantom is a seriously capable machine these shots were all taken with the P4 pro.
Shipping 2017 - Above & Beyond Photography
You'd have a hard time doing those with an expensive heavylift drone and SLR but if you could and were prepared to risk the equipment, the results wouldn't be much better.

Pachakuti · Feb 2, 2017

Hello Keith;
I've been using Phantom for comemrcial use since P2;
First thing you need to convince your boss is that using any type of UAV requiers cash. Repairing, replacing parts and batterys and so on. It's not just "bought once - using for ages". You will also need corporate tablet to run apps like DJI GO or Litchi or w/e you need.
Commercial use also requiers decent training and safety to follow;
Run a journal of your flights with weather conditions and flight time.
Constant supporting with cash is crucial here. All drones/UAV drop with time, its just a matter of luck and quality.
I have to say, that latest P4P is way better than most of commercial custom built drones, since it provides 6km distance (with FCC) and waypoints.
Next, get along with software and prepare your boss to spend some cash on it. Video Editing, Mapping and so on - those softwares are pretty expensive
Again, Phantom is very friendly user-oriented. Its hard to break one. Follow rules and manuals and it will serve you well.
Regards

Keith Harris · Feb 2, 2017

Thanks for all your responses. I have just talked my mate into testing the all the drones when he goes and takes his to day CAA licensing course.

We are aware of the costs involved and as the editor I have already got a an Adobe subscription.

Pachakuti · Feb 2, 2017

There's bunch of freeware soft for video and photo editing (handbrake, GIMP, etc.) which you can use for ANY purpose.
Yes, license and importand, even if local loaws doesnt require it, I feel much more comfortable having one

ianwood · Feb 2, 2017

Keith Harris said:
I have been lukewarm to the idea of a custom-made hex since he mentioned it and have been trying to push the P4P as a good starting point. His argument is that rotors and motors could fail and he doesn't want to lose the drone.

the guy building ss the hex is saying "he can build anything into a drone and it will take him a day to complete. " what he is also saying is that we would need to buy a Phantom 4 pro/inspire to take the camera gimbal off of it to get the nice shots. Either that or we have to get a DSLR camera.

Admittedly I wasn't too keen on using a Phantom style drone in the beginning as they look like a toy but I have done more research I now love them. His argument is you are not the pilot and I know what I'm doing. The only thing is I've got to pay for the licence he is neading.

Sounds like the guy building the hex is blowing some smoke. And don't worry about what they look like. You use the right tool for the job. I've flown many Inspires on set and sometimes get curious looks from crew who are clearly expecting a heavy-lift system. When they see it in operation and see the results, everyone is more than happy.

Maybe you can tell us a little about what you're trying to do and we can give you some better advice.