My Phantom 3 Advanced arrived today.... finally.

[MrMcfly]

I probably need not say that this week waiting for my Quadcopter has
been almost as long as the last week waiting for my new car....
I'm not the least bit surprised it showed up on a rainy windy miserable day,
about 2 hours before dark, so there will be no test flights today.

.... It is finally here, after a long ride from California. I purchased mine from Sure RC, which is an
authorized dealer. I got a nice bundle, including an extra battery, prop guards, headlight and light strip,
lens cover, gimbal brace, an extra 64GB micro SD card, USB Card Reader, SD Card Reader, short USB cord,
a controller lanyard, and probably some other stuff too. I'm kind of focused on updating firmware, so the the
other swag can wait.

I did receive the newer motor version, which was a pleasant surprise. I've charged one battery, and completed
the firmware update. Confirmed with the 'update successful' .txt file. Life is good so far. My controller arrived
basically dead... so the firmware update for the controller is pending a full charge. Having the USB/SD card
reader should make the process go as easy as the Quadcopter update (knocking on wood right now!)

I'm going to install the snap-on prop protector brackets, and read though the paper work a 5th time, to make
the charging time go a bit faster.

Weather forecast for tomorrow is windy and overcast... I'm hoping I can get on the field early for some
test flying before the win kicks up too much. (25 knots expected)

I'll probably lose it, and launch it in the living room....

 

[TrynFlyn]

Congratulations, you're going to have a blast. Hopefully you've already downloaded the manual and read it completely a couple of times.

You cannot update the RC firmware via USB. It's updated thru the GO app.

Happy flying.

 

[FASTFJR]

I probably need not say that this week waiting for my Quadcopter has
been almost as long as the last week waiting for my new car....
I'm not the least bit surprised it showed up on a rainy windy miserable day,
about 2 hours before dark, so there will be no test flights today.

.... It is finally here, after a long ride from California. I purchased mine from Sure RC, which is an
authorized dealer. I got a nice bundle, including an extra battery, prop guards, headlight and light strip,
lens cover, gimbal brace, an extra 64GB micro SD card, USB Card Reader, SD Card Reader, short USB cord,
a controller lanyard, and probably some other stuff too. I'm kind of focused on updating firmware, so the the
other swag can wait.

I did receive the newer motor version, which was a pleasant surprise. I've charged one battery, and completed
the firmware update. Confirmed with the 'update successful' .txt file. Life is good so far. My controller arrived
basically dead... so the firmware update for the controller is pending a full charge. Having the USB/SD card
reader should make the process go as easy as the Quadcopter update (knocking on wood right now!)

I'm going to install the snap-on prop protector brackets, and read though the paper work a 5th time, to make
the charging time go a bit faster.

Weather forecast for tomorrow is windy and overcast... I'm hoping I can get on the field early for some
test flying before the win kicks up too much. (25 knots expected)

I'll probably lose it, and launch it in the living room....

You got an Advanced???? Thats really too bad, you should have got a Pro........


Only kidding, have a great time with it

 

[MrMcfly]

Congratulations, you're going to have a blast. Hopefully you've already downloaded the manual and read it completely a couple of times.

You cannot update the RC firmware via USB. It's updated thru the GO app.

Happy flying.

Thanks! The controller is still charging.... I won't try the USB, I'll go to the APP instead.
I was just reading the firmware update sheet supplied with the Phantom 3, and it links me
to a youtube video.... guess I should watch that too.

 

[bobmyers]

Thanks! The controller is still charging.... I won't try the USB, I'll go to the APP instead.
I was just reading the firmware update sheet supplied with the Phantom 3, and it links me
to a youtube video.... guess I should watch that too.

Watch and read a lot--- there is a lot to learn -- easy to fly-- but don't let that give you a false sense of security. Follow all the recommendations and use a checklist. Cheers and welcome

 

[FotoGeek]

Congrats!

 

[alokbhargava]

Congrats buddy. All the best, Enjoy.

 

[ChuckRogers]

Congrats! I am 43 and have to say my P3A has been the most rewarding hobby purchase I've made. It gets me out of the house exploring new areas to fly. I've already gotten a co-worker to buy one in one day of talking about it and showing the videos to him. You'll love it.

 

[rstrachan]

Yeah, I flew mine in the house the 1st hour after getting it. I've since been banned from even turning it on unless the props are not attached.

 

[MrMcfly]

UPDATE: Got the controller update figured out. Controller updated.
Everything connected, but had to know if the GPS reception was working.
I couldn't help myself... I took it out into the front yard and tested out its
abilities in brisk winds. Amazing machine. Above 60' and she could barely
stay overhead, so I quickly dropped it back down to 25' and played for about
10 minutes. Not much in the way of photo ops, but still got the "first flight syndrome"
out of the way.

Neighbor came out, and was dumbfounded... I think he's taken the bait.
I pretty sure I'll have a flying buddy soon enough.

Thank You everyone for all the well wishes, I will take everyone's recommendations seriously.

Yeah, I flew mine in the house the 1st hour after getting it. I've since been banned from even turning it on unless the props are not attached.

I spun it up in the living room, and I got the, "You'd better NOT!" before I got off the ground. Oh well.... (The Christmas tree is up)
Men will never grow up.... at least not this one!

 

[aka1ceman]

.....lol I flew my in my church after 3 days of rain. (Luckily i have access durimg the week while its empty) but I feel you.

 

[MrMcfly]

You can't stop me now... Used my landing pad (w/adjustable legs) to plumb level the Phantom 3, then....
...I performed:

An IMU calibration
A Gimbal calibration
and a Controller calibration.

I've created a checklist, and printed it, even ran through it twice to make sure I wasn't missing anything.
Tweaked my 'homemade' sun visor.

Tomorrow AM I calibrate the Compass before flight, and I'll be good to go.

 

[MrMcfly]

Got out for my first 'real' flight(s) today. I was a bit skeptical flying in 17-25 mph winds, and it only took a second or two
above 230 feet to realize it would be a low altitude check flight. I wouldn't recommend auto-land in this kind of wind, it
almost tipped over. Both flights did pretty much go without incident. Occasionally a rippin' gust would jerk the Phantom
in one direction, but it was correctable with control input.

I did record video of the flights, but the combination of whipping wind, first time out, and no spare cash to fix it kept me
focused on just flying. so I didn't choreograph any video footage... It will be fun to see what it looks like though.
Tomorrow is supposed to be even windier, so I think this weekend's flying is about done. Hopefully this windy weather
will subside soon.