amrflyingdude said:
Hello everyone,
I'm about to order my P2V and wanted to check in to see if you could pass along any advice for newbies? I have some experience in quadcopters, specifically with the AR Drone 2.0
Pretty scary what I have read regarding fly aways and such. Do you recommend a GPS tracking device? if so do you have a specific device you can recommend? Should I buy a case?
Anything helps at this point!
I came from flying the Parrot AR Drone 2.0 and I must say the Phantom 2 Vision has been a MUCH better flying experience. SO Much easier to control and SO much more reliable to fly.. I swear I have spent more time repairing my AR Drones than flying them, and thus far I've been on over half a dozen long range or high altitude flights with the Vision and have not had a single glitch or crash thus far (knock on wood).
Though given the "fly away" concerns, which I honestly believe to be the exception than the rule, to be on the "safe" side it may be a good idea using a cellular capable GPS tracker. Though the cell tracking services can be a bit pricey.
Make sure before you fly for the first time to make sure firmware on the Phantom and Controller are up to date. And you properly calibrate the compass in an open field clear of wires or other metals before your first flight. This wont need to be done again unless you relocate to a different part of the globe.
next precaution to take would be in the event of a flyaway keep the Wifi range extender pointing directly towards the Phantom for best possible signal so it maintains a GPS track of where it is so you can easily find it. You may also want to consider doing an antenna mod on the WiFi repeater to better than double the range.
And last tip, make sure you have your name and phone number printed somewhere on the Phantom. I used a regular label maker for mine, it looks perfect on the Phantom 2 Vision and I have it stuck on the bottom of the body just below where the battery plugs in.
Best of luck whatever you decide and happy flying.