I Caught the Quadcopter Bug...Help me w/ the Next Step

[iflyskyhigh]

You did say $500-600 range but seems like wife has a lower range in mind. What price range is she agreeable to?

That is correct. That's "my" price range. Her's is more like $0. She doesn't think that's something we need to spend "any" money on right now. Kinda kidding. Kinda not. If the $569 on the Phantom 3 Pro at newegg.com is really that good of a deal and it might not come around again then I think I can win her over. But I'm not gonna start a war over it.

I just worry that the supply of P3 Pros and Advanced are getting slim, so if this really is the perfect drone at this particle moment I should probably jump on it. But like most things in life especially with technology that's probably not the case. I also know the P4's will come down in price as new technology comes out, but it's gonna be awhile before they drop into then $500-$600 range.

 

[iflyskyhigh]

She said yes! Took her and the kids to the park tonight to fly the Syma. BTW, of course my 8 year son can fly the Syma. These **** kids. They are so good at this crap. I guess all those video games paid off. Flew for like and hour and when she saw how much fun the kids were having she reluctantly agreed. So, the moral of the story is if it's something I want, NO way. Something fun to do with the kids, have at it. Lesson learned.

Okay, Phantom 3 Pro Refurbished form Newegg.com for $569, right?

So many accessory questions now. I'm move over the appropriate forum to ask those questions.

 

[Mark-P3S]

Congrats, I'm sure you'll enjoy it! I got a Syma drone for Christmas and had a lot of fun while it lasted. At least half of my flights ended in crashes or flip-overs. After about two weeks I had it stuck in a tree for about a week. Realized how much fun drones are, so while the Syma was in the tree I bought an open-box P3S for $333 at MicroCenter. They had a P3P open-box for about $600, but I didn't want to spend that much given my Syma experience. Anyway, the P3S is so much easier to fly! I can't even describe how much better it is.

 

[AlanTheBeast]

First off, these more advanced drones in many senses are much easier to fly than a real airplane since drones like the phantom are 100% of the time in autopilot. You're not "controlling the drone" - you're giving instructions to the autopilot. (Think of an autopilot on an airplane where you set altitude or rate of climb or couple to heading or nav... - you're managing, it's controlling. Even when you're maneuvering, the drone autopilot is just delivering that intent).

My first drone was the Mavic Pro. And at first you make mistakes (classic RC mistakes like turning the wrong way when it's coming towards you), but with practice you get better. Start it off in beginner mode. (Low speeds, range and height).

I would put emphasis on CHECKLISTS EVERY TIME. There are a few very critical things that assure a good flight. Missed they contribute to fly aways or loss of control.

When I read (esp. in the Mavics group) about incidents, it comes out in the end that in almost every case it's a noobie skipping steps or not understanding some fundamental. I'll send you my checklist if you like.

A P3A is probably a fine start - I have no opinion on it specifically. I'm waiting on a P4P at present as my Mavic is in for a camera repair.

Do buy the extra batteries - or at least one. There is nothing worse than a perfect place, perfect weather, perfect light, perfect experience and no W-s left to enjoy them.

I'd go the extra buck for the one that has been repaired at DJI. Make sure you see it fly for a battery cycle and out to at least 1 km or so before committing. Make sure you see the video of that flight afterwards. Trouble, but it's your money.

 

[bhartwell]

I went from a Syma X8W to a Phantom 4, it's a totally different experience. My Syma was fun, but hard to fly. I crashed it a bunch of times; but then it did flips, tended to dart off in odd directions all on its own and cost under $100, so it was really just a toy. Great for learning the basics of how to fly a copter, fun to play with, but useless for serious photography or video work.

The Phantom is really a high end camera with wings. It's not going to do flips (hopefully), and your generally not going to want to use it for stunts. If your looking for a stable, aerial video / photography platform that can do some pretty amazing visuals, the Phantom is the way to go. Unlike a Syma or similar brand, it's not a toy.

 

[iflyskyhigh]

First off, these more advanced drones in many senses are much easier to fly than a real airplane since drones like the phantom are 100% of the time in autopilot. You're not "controlling the drone" - you're giving instructions to the autopilot. (Think of an autopilot on an airplane where you set altitude or rate of climb or couple to heading or nav... - you're managing, it's controlling. Even when you're maneuvering, the drone autopilot is just delivering that intent).

My first drone was the Mavic Pro. And at first you make mistakes (classic RC mistakes like turning the wrong way when it's coming towards you), but with practice you get better. Start it off in beginner mode. (Low speeds, range and height).

I would put emphasis on CHECKLISTS EVERY TIME. There are a few very critical things that assure a good flight. Missed they contribute to fly aways or loss of control.

When I read (esp. in the Mavics group) about incidents, it comes out in the end that in almost every case it's a noobie skipping steps or not understanding some fundamental. I'll send you my checklist if you like.

A P3A is probably a fine start - I have no opinion on it specifically. I'm waiting on a P4P at present as my Mavic is in for a camera repair.

Do buy the extra batteries - or at least one. There is nothing worse than a perfect place, perfect weather, perfect light, perfect experience and no W-s left to enjoy them.

I'd go the extra buck for the one that has been repaired at DJI. Make sure you see it fly for a battery cycle and out to at least 1 km or so before committing. Make sure you see the video of that flight afterwards. Trouble, but it's your money.

I would like your checklist. Please and thank you. That would be great.

I ran around town today trying to get BestBuy and Target to price the $49.97 price for the P3 battery that GameStop had. I was able to get 7 batteries in total, but it took a lot of work.

So how many batteries does one really need? I don't think I need all 7. I figured I'd keep a couple based recommendations from others about what's a good number to have, and sell the rest. Make a couple bucks and help offset the cost of the P3P, batteries, and all the extra crap I'm sure I'll need.

 

[iflyskyhigh]

Phantom 3 Pro Refurbished ordered. I almost got cold feet. Not because of money. More like, "Do I really need this? What the h e double hockey sticks am I going to do with this thing?" I don't post to social media, I don't even have any social media accounts. I don't post on youtube. I don't VLOG. I love photography, flying, tech stuff, outdoors, guns, camping, and hunting. And I've had a blast flying the Smya, but that wears off right? I can find something to do with it right? I've always wanted to make a youtube channel. Maybe this will be the impetus for it. Thanks again for all your help. I do feel good about going the refurb route vs buying used.

 

[AlanTheBeast]

I would like your checklist. Please and thank you. That would be great.

I ran around town today trying to get BestBuy and Target to price the $49.97 price for the P3 battery that GameStop had. I was able to get 7 batteries in total, but it took a lot of work.

So how many batteries does one really need? I don't think I need all 7. I figured I'd keep a couple based recommendations from others about what's a good number to have, and sell the rest. Make a couple bucks and help offset the cost of the P3P, batteries, and all the extra crap I'm sure I'll need.

It's written for the Mavic Pro but should apply pretty well.

 

[iflyskyhigh]

It's written for the Mavic Pro but should apply pretty well.

Thanks

 

[MTH]

Hey Ifly,
Not sure when your P3P will be arriving, congrats, but if you would like to meet up most of Scottsdale isn't much further away for me than Dynamite Park. Not saying wait for your P3P. Just about any time is good, except Sundays and this coming Tuesday.