First Flight - Banking instead of taking off

[Pilot_Oz]

I don't think all the official DJI manuals and videos should be saying "slowly rise the left stick to take off". Man it was easy after you guys told me to just give it some!

 

[gingerbloke]

OK, so I'm a *****

Some see GPS as a 'safety net', others (me!) might see it as something that can/will override your inputs. I like GPS when I'm wanting the quad to stay in the same place for photos and the RTH feature is a very-nice-to-have.

 

[gunslinger]

I learned that the hard way too. Lost a few props, but hopefully didn't damage any motors... though this was over a year ago, so I think I'm good... WOT is definitely the way to go. Get it up to fifteen feet or so... and then test all flight controls, to make sure it's responding as designed...

-slinger

 

[Pilot_Oz]

Any recommended settings for Phantom limits?

 

[jumanoc]

Any recommended settings for Phantom limits?

I suggest for beginers no more than 200 mts away and 50 mts high. That will ensure you're on LOS everytime (Line Of Sight)

 

[Meta4]

Some see GPS as a 'safety net', others (me!) might see it as something that can/will override your inputs.

That sort of fear is exaggerated and not based on fact.

 

[gingerbloke]

Do you not think that most phantom flyaways are down to a GPS 'brainfart'? When you watch videos of flyaways, the phantom doesn't randomly jog about in the sky, it goes in a straight line off to some other place - I can't see that this is anything other than a GPS driven behaviour, it is actively flying somewhere it thinks it needs to be.

That sort of fear is exaggerated and not based on fact.

 

[Meta4]

Do you not think that most phantom flyaways are down to a GPS 'brainfart'?

Most flyaways are due to user error and misunderstanding of how the Phantom works and what it is doing.
GPS is a mystery to many and comes in handy as an "explanation" for anything they do not understand.

 

[gingerbloke]

This might be true if it were only 'noobs' that lost phantoms

I think we'll just have to agree to disagree - I would personally never rely on GPS, it's just a nice-to-have as far as I'm concerned, and a bonus whenever it does work properly.

Most flyaways are due to user error and misunderstanding of how the Phantom works and what it is doing.
GPS is a mystery to many and comes in handy as an "explanation" for anything they do not understand.

 

[JerEl]

I'm now keen to find out how high or far I can fly straight out of the box (range). Is there anything in the DJI Assistant I need to look at or change other than the calibration recommended above? I obviously don't want to go flying extreme distances, but I'm keen to go a bit further than the 20m radius I did today. Back to the manual I go...

It will go further than you can see it. They advertise 1000 meters and it's a speck at that distance if you can see it at all. As far as high can you go, you shouldn't go over 400' (in the U.S.) because 500' and up belongs to piloted airplanes and drones with FAA air traffic controller's guidance.

You can set the max height and distance in the assistant software. Also the automatic return to home height is defaulted at 20 meters but that's above the ground at the take off location so if you live in hilly terrain it may not clear trees, etc. All the height settings are in reference to the ground elevation at takeoff not at sea level. Get Google Earth and look down at the bottom right while you move your mouse and you can see the elevation of surrounding land.