GIVEAWAY: Phantom 4 (winner = lalvar40)

I think that most of the people who bought the Phantom would already know the basics from reading the manual. The most important topics I would be interested in a phantom course are advanced camera techniques (orbit, panning, setting ISO aperture etc.), maintaining battery life and signal strength in flight, rules and regulations, how to maneuver around obstacles, smooth flight movements for filming (avoiding jitteriness when control for better video), and film editing. Thank you and I wish you the best of luck on your program!
 
Hi phantom help as been a great source for me being a newb
As for your giveaway I think a step by step video tutorial as well as a forum and links on each topic discussed would not only help the newbie pilot but also a great source of information for all others who enjoy this great hobby plus extra information and advice on camera settings, filters as well
Regards Steve fingers crossed "tommo4316"
U.K. Flyer


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nice idea

I'd personally like to see something along the lines of how to earn trust and gain confidence in flying your phantom, to be able to take the risk to get these amazing shoots we see from professionals. In particular...
- Flying over water
- Flying long distance
- Using the new feature of follow mode and low flying (following skater downhill on a road with trees on both sides. Confidence in your bird flying between the trees without worry)
-- Vertical Studio has something similar

I think if you can instill confidence in pilots, we'd see better (ok, well potentially better) photos and videos
 
If I were to be in the training program I would like to first of all have clear objectives and outcomes with what I am reading or listening to and split into 2 parts, the practical and theory in terms of presentation.

Theory
- To describe the pre-set flight in order (perhaps using a numbered lists) accompanied by visual images
Practical
- To successfully apply pre-set flight knowledge to takeoff/land (A video with subtitles)
Common errors (Videos/Written

The theory gives those people who like to read and understand the "why" before they use their phantom. It could be done using a variety of pictures to support the content.
The practical could be done with videos showing visual demonstrations and again suit those who prefer to see it being done. Along with perhaps tick lists to support the videos.
The common errors part can be composed of issues / warnings people may have outside the scope of the manual or real key areas to focus on such as cold weather flying, battery voltages, the weather

As regards to the content I would have the following:
- What is the phantom 3 and its common uses (there are people who may not know exactly how much and what you can do with it)
- Safety information (common legal issues the DO's and Dont's - this may not be what people expect and not for them etc)
- Videos of different types of flights/pictures (Gets people engaged even more, look at every promotion video)

- How to setup the P3 for the first time (unboxing/props/) and care for equipment
- Battery charging and care (First thing people will do / should do before they fly)
- Firmware updates
- Environment and weather safety - common check list before any flight
- The DJI Interface and simulator (Annotated diagram, what are people going to see for the first time)
- The Fail safe options (with videos showing what happens) including loss of signal
- Calibration of compass and IMU values
- Quick over view of the P/A/IOC modes (videos showing what happens)

How to fly the quad and best practice
- Stick modes and CSC avoidance
- Simple movements being shown including landing/takeoff

The simulator (gives people chance to practice some modes/options) and moving it in a safe environment

- The first flight (awareness of area, settings, a simple program to follow... take off 10M, land etc)
- Showing the pre flight being checked (GPS/IMU/Battery etc etc)
- Expectation from first flight

You could then expand onto the different modes
P Mode - Showing the settings for a longer flight (considering a different RTH value perhaps) and changing the distance/height restriction
A Mode - Showing the effect this has and how fail safe options work
IOC Modes - Showing examples of each mode again paying attention to surroundings
Map/Compass


Flight Recording
- DJI flight recording app
- Healthy drones (if needed)
- What to check/maintain through logs as number of flights increase

Camera Modes (Most people on first flights are interested in controlling the quad)
- Explain camera/video modes
- Show visuals of different types of effects

Video Editing
- Free editors / cheap editors
- Common video editing tips - colour correction / dealing with light and perhaps use of filters
- Best practice for pictures/filming depending on weather/height/wind

Tips section for different flight scenarios
- Long flights
- Using custom applications (if wanted)
- Cold weather flying
- Water flying
- High wind flying

What to do in an emergency- List of scenarios with best practice - What to look out for
- Take off with battery voltages (or lower voltage)
- Not acquiring GPS
- Compass calibration errors
- IMU values
- Flying when away from home
- Erratic behaviour
- Vortex state
- RTH cancelling

Further Support
- Links to forums
- Websites

Depending on the course length and requirements, you cannot depend on people to read the manual and retain everything fully so people want re-assurance they can complete their first flight as safe as possible. They can come away with a set of resources (video/written/lists) that can re-enforce or show visually what you want to show them and best practice.
For those who are more experienced they can come away with greater video editing tips / ideas for new flights and still take into consideration emergency scenarios in the event it may happen to them.
 
I would like to have it! I'm relatively new to the sport of UAV piloting. But I am in love with the testing, and tickering with it. I love seeing others excited by the whole UAV sport.... I get every app that comes out and test every app I can buy.

I think I'd be as good of a voice as anyone! I could put it to great use, have tons of fun, and try all the latest apps and gadgets!


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I would like to see different training modules that each cover specific topics so that people could select the ones they need to learn or brush up on. You could run a poll of potential topics every week and then make them in order of popularity/demand or in the order that makes sense to you. They could be delivered by video or website, or a mix of both.

Some topics could be:

Getting Started
Taking Off
Flying Around
Landing
Automated Flight (RTH, Smart RTH, Auto-land, Auto-takeoff, etc...)
Accessory Review
Phone/Tablet Review
Computer/Editor Review
Comparison of the different DJI Models
FAA Groundschool
Crash Avoidance
Lithium Polymer Batteries
Charging
Line of Sight and Visual Line of Sight
Intelligent Flight Modes
History of RC Aeromodeling
Commercial Operations
Repair
User Modifications
Crash Analysis
Dashware Tutorial
Filters for Photography
Filters for Videography
DJI Go Options
Third Party Apps
Photo/Video Course
Post Process Work Flow

I also think a segment on lessons learned could be very valuable. There is so much information out there, that is why I think some kind of polling might be a good idea to see which information is most desired.
 
Hello, I am a high school theatre and media teacher. I use the phantom in my film and media class. I asked my students your question and this is what they said.

1. Videos that focus on ways to make money with your phantom. My students see this as an opportunity (like mowing lawns in the summer). Right now we are volunteering with local real estate agents to film large lots and farms.

2. Film students would like to see examples where the phantom was used in making a film. How to us end filters and how to adjust settings.

3. Use of the phantom in coverage of news / sports safely and responsibly.

Thank you son much and good luck in your endeavors.


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Really cool that you are doing something like this. I think you should be informing people mostly of laws and regulations. The flight part comes naturally to a lot of people after messing with it long enough, but many people don't know how to fly legally and safely! Which is very important. Also editing video is something everyone needs to know how to do. People taking this training program are probably going to be beginners, and this doesn't mean they know how to use the video or make a video how they want it successfully. These are my suggestions and thank you!
 
I think you should start with the most common pilot mistakes. Then move onto Phantom control basics. You could even incorporate the DJI simulation to get people even more comfortable before flying.

After learning the bird and basics I think you can move on to day time shots. You can show bracketing, HDR, panorama, etc. I think it would also be beneficial to put some information in there about night shots. You can make all of these modules that people could either view at their own leisure or could 'unlock' upon completion of the previous module.

I think that talking about wind and environment would also be a good module. You could talk about how you can go into ATTI mode to see how the wind is blowing. You could also show the Hover and UAV Forecast apps here as well. It would be good to talk about fog, rain, etc.

I completely a free online photography class a long time ago that was extremely beneficial to me and I feel that Phantom pilits could also benefit in the same way not only for safety but for longeivity. I mean, who wants to buy a 1000+ dollar camera only to crash it into a tree?

I have tons of ideas about this and wouldn't mind collaborating with you if you wish. I feel like 90% of issues can be resolved by knowing what we have already figured out without having to crash to find out.

- Ronnie
 
I think the most important thing to teach someone getting into this hobby is safety. Safety in the transportation, storage, maintenance, operation, of the Phantom, obviously to keep other people and property safe but also to keep the Phantom safe from damage. Additionally how to find the applicable laws for the country you live in and the local area you are flying and the importance of abiding by those laws. Also what to do when approached by law enforcement or even just a curious bystander.

Safety should be the backbone that all other lessons are built upon. Once someone is confident that they can safely pilot a Phantom 3 or 4, they will be free to unleash their creativity.

I think a video series would be the easiest way to teach the lessons. I think just about all of the Phantom 3 pilots on these forums watched some youtube videos on the subject before purchasing. If you could also put together a manual that has all the information from the video series for those of us that would rather read than watch I think that would be great as well.

I think a Phantom training program is a great idea and you will surely be an awesome teacher. There is a lot of misinformation spread around the internet and I think a lot of it scares people away from the hobby. If I could have taken a training course from you before purchasing I think I definitely would have utilized that resource. Your 3-D printed CSC safety helped give me confidence when everyone was talking about unintentional CSC wrecks, I don't think I need it now but it was nice to have in the beginning and maybe I will still use it since the P4 has the sport mode which I think would make me more likely to do an unintentional CSC.
 
I would like to see all the firmware up dates come through the DJI go app instead of having to down load the firmware to a sd card and than install it into the phantom.
 
See a lot of people posting about the camera settings, would be nice but you would have to do separate for the P3S, as the tutorials I find online must be done with Pro/Adv cause I don't get all the options! Very frustrating!

Any course would have to have Safty/Regs/ETHICS - I know you can't teach common sense but the more we as a community do on controlling the less Big Brother will!

And #1 A course for our wives why the P4 is a need not a greed!
 
I know that it can be very challenging and time consuming to get the best shot.
A tutorial on how to deal with light and glare would be amazing!
Thanks for the chance to get the coolest drone on the block!
 
-Photo/video techniques applied to drones.
-Overview of professional usages of the drone.
 
I would love to see ALL the improvements that EVERYONE has posted before me! LOL.

Seriously though.

There are tons of tutorials out there, that cover EVERYTHING DJI related. I would think that covering the Go App and Litchi is a "waste" of time, as those have been covered a million times already. Same goes for "how to use the P3 and what are the best settings". The P4 is no different when it comes to 99% of the P3, and since the P3 has been around for a while, there is a ton of material out there. Sure, EVERYTHING can be improved and it certainly helps to compile things into one place.

However, from what I can tell, the biggest confusion comes with POST PRODUCTION.

- What to do with the MOV files?
- What to do with the images that were created using the HDR mode?
- What to do with the 5 images that come from the "other" mode. (The one that creates 3 or 5 images with different exposure?)
- How to edit the footage in Adobe or similar software. How to color grade and color correct it...

Have to run... Edit my post later.
 
I would like to see short videos starting on the basics. Some of the do's and don'ts. Maybe on how to setup the follow-me and so on. I would be willing to say there are a lot of flyers that are like me and only have time to run one or two batteries a week, maybe only once every few weeks. It would be nice to have short videos or cue cards to refresh our memories. While the batteries are charging. Than we could use one battery to refresh and another to do what we wanted with out using all our time trying too relearn everything.
 

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