Finally... I got it :)

PeteM · Nov 26, 2016

Taking advantage of the Black Friday I've found a good deal and I grabbed it.

Now... first of all... I have to watch all tutorials and read all the books... then I wanna practice a bit with the simulator...

Any other advices ?

Alex Baxter · Nov 26, 2016

Only what you just said, some people don't read the manuals and watch the videos, then come to grief. I'd suggest you get an Eachine H8 or similar to practice your Atti mode flying indoors when it's dark/wet/windy. Quadcopter FX simulator (play store or iStore) is better than the DJI simulator IMHO.
Happy flying, and stay safe.

Meta4 · Nov 26, 2016

PeteM said:
Any other advices ?

When you get it you'll find that it's much easier to fly than you imagined.
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.

But for learning, the critical thing is to practise in a large clear open area, well away from trees and buildings.
Flying close to obstacles is by far, the largest killer of Phantoms.
Obstacles are the number one enemy of quadcopters.

alokbhargava · Nov 26, 2016

My advice to you is go through the manuals and videos.

Charge batteries fully before starting.

Don't fly near houses or trees Find out totally open field. Most of the accidents happen with trees and buildings.

Last but not the least, have patience. Learn RTH and how to cancel RTH.

Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

MichiganPhantom4 · Nov 26, 2016

Very important to set your return to home parameters. Most first timers forget to set the height higher than the tallest obstacles and crash it when it does hit RTH.
Never get freaked out, stay calm.
Don't get too confident.
Don't turn off your obstacle sensors
Have fun and don't piss off neighbors.

Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

msinger · Nov 26, 2016

PeteM said:
Any other advices ?

Read the Phantom manual until you understand it well. And, check out the tips at PhantomHelp.com.

PeteM · Nov 26, 2016

I tried Quadcopter FX simulator... unfortunately I can not control the drone of the simulator via the remote control of the Phantom 4

How should I do?

No problem for the rest... I read everything, seen the video tutorials and tried the DJI simulator...

msinger · Nov 26, 2016

You should use the flight simulator built into DJI GO or the DJI Assistant 2 app.

Nisse Järnet · Nov 26, 2016

Be sure to practice flying towards you so you get used to the inverted left/right.

rge · Nov 26, 2016

In addition to everything mentioned, e.g., set your RTH altitude, make sure you are comfortable switching to manual mode (ATTI) if the bird starts flying erratically.

Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots

PeteM · Nov 27, 2016

I got few doubts about the landing.

Firts of all... its better to land it on the ground or recover it with your hand ?

And in the first case... it is better to do it manually or use the automatic landing ?

In the manual landing procedure its written to bring the drone near the ground and then lower the altitude stick for 3 seconds in order to turn off the engines... if I lower that stick for 3 seconds while flying in the air I turn off the engines at high altitude ?

msinger · Nov 27, 2016

PeteM said:
if I lower that stick for 3 seconds while flying in the air I turn off the engines at high altitude ?

No.

rge · Nov 27, 2016

The engines will only shut off if you hold the throttle down for 3 seconds and the altitude does not change, i.e., you caught it or it landed

PeteM · Nov 28, 2016

Clear.

So... whats the best way to land safely without the risk to stress the gear... autolanding, hand catching or normal manual landing ?

Loz · Nov 28, 2016

Truth is all have merits and you will I suspect receive differing view, particularly regarding hand catching which of course has injury risk. I would recommend learning normal manual landing first (auto landing there is no learning - just watch & take over manual if necessary). I hand catch to avoid tip over and or uneven landing spot and so that I can just in case. Good luck

Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots

msinger · Nov 28, 2016

PeteM said:
So... whats the best way to land safely without the risk to stress the gear... autolanding

With practice, you should be able to manually land without stressing the gear.

Pharm · Nov 28, 2016

Depends on the situation, which comes with experience. I never use auto takeoff or auto landing. I usually land on the ground. If I'm on a boat, I hand catch it.

rge · Nov 28, 2016

PeteM said:
Clear.

So... whats the best way to land safely without the risk to stress the gear... autolanding, hand catching or normal manual landing ?

Very Slowly!