New P3A Owner! Tips / Advice Welcome (Previously 3DR Solo Owner)

[sundeviljon]

Hi All!

Wanted to introduce myself, and get some quick tips/advice before flying!

Last Summer I purchased a Solo, to which I experienced a Fly Away, not once, not twice, but three times. Fortunately, 3DR replaced every machine I had - but at that point I decided that I was done with quadcopters...

Well... it didn't last too long. I ran into some guy with his P3P last week, who was showing me videos he made, and my jaw dropped... I just had to have one.

I love to fish, and often go out into the Canyons (100-120mi off the New Jersey coast) - and I would LOVE to bring a bird with me out there. I learned quickly that the Solo was not capable of this... Any advice for me with my P3A? Will I be able to get satellites that far off? You certainly are no where near getting cell phone service or the likes.

How do people get over their fear of losing their bird? The best and most amazing shots are ones over cliffs, water, etc.; but I am so terrified of my bird crashing there... Any recommendations for shaking this fear?

Also, I'm going to Mykonos and Santorini in 2 weeks - I'm curious to know, who travels with their drone? Can I get any tips on how to do so without any issues? I purchased the Lowepro backpack for it, but wasn't sure if airlines would give me issues.

As someone new to quads, would you guys recommend Litchi over DJI GO?

Do I need blade guards?

How important is a lens filter while flying, and do you have any recommendations?

Do most edit with Final Cut, or Premiere? Any differences other than preference?

Thanks! All tips and advice is welcome

 

[robinb]

As someone new to quads, would you guys recommend Litchi over DJI GO?

Do I need blade guards?

How important is a lens filter while flying, and do you have any recommendations?

Do most edit with Final Cut, or Premiere? Any differences other than preference?

Thanks! All tips and advice is welcome

Welcome to our madhouse

There are quite a few flight programs, Go will do updates and some of the calibrations most 3rd parts apps can't do so you should always have it there as a back up.

Which mission app you use is upto preference, have a look at fpv camera as well.

Blade guards no

a ND filter will help a lot, I live in a very sunny area and still manage to get away with ND4.

Imovie, FCP, premiere are all good, depends on your preference and budget.

tips, avoid the trees, lampposts and large metal objects.

most of all have fun.

 

[msinger]

Will I be able to get satellites that far off? You certainly are no where near getting cell phone service or the likes.

Satellites are in the sky, so the lack of cell phone service should not matter.

I purchased the Lowepro backpack for it, but wasn't sure if airlines would give me issues.

Check with your airline to ensure it meets the carry-on size restrictions.

As someone new to quads, would you guys recommend Litchi over DJI GO?

For flying waypoints? Yes. For everything else? No.

Do I need blade guards?

They are great for indoor flights. They don't work as well outdoors though. Just stay above the trees

How important is a lens filter while flying, and do you have any recommendations?

See this post for the reason to use lens filters. See this post for recommendations.

All tips and advice is welcome

Check out PhantomHelp.com for more helpful tips.

 

[flyboyQuad3]

Can I use crazy glue on my P3P shell? Screw anchor stripped.

 

[msinger]

Can I use crazy glue on my P3P shell? Screw anchor stripped.

Bondic will likely work better than super glue.

 

[Prairie Pyro]

I would give a UV bonding adhesive a try. I think Menards has a small kit with the bonding agent and UV light for $10. Maybe give hunch a PM as he tries to repair the birds.

 

[moswissa]

Welcome! Getting over your fear will make your overall experience of flying very pleasant. Just make sure you do a pre flight checklist, check your surroundings, make sure your GPS locked a good signal after a compass calibration, and ENSURE proper RTH height. Most importantly, always fly with a full battery and watch those voltages. There is plenty literature about this online.

There are times where I get fear and anxiety when flying at new locations, but I guess that is part of the fun.

Don't know much about Litchi, I use DJI GO or the FPV app with VR goggles and I really love it,

Do NOT get blade protectors, they can interfere with the aerodynamics

best tip I can give you for avoiding trees and obstacles is to fly above any of them. If you are beyond any obstacle, its literally impossible to crash into anything right? Now the footage wont look as cool but that's how I fly 90% of the time.

Respect all the laws.

Good flying

 

[sundeviljon]

Thank you for all the replies! Some really helpful tips already!

My Nvidia Shield K1 just came today , as did other parts/accessories I ordered along with the quad.

Do I need any special cable to connect the Shield to the transmitter? Anxiously waiting the delivery of my P3A....

 

[msinger]

Do I need any special cable to connect the Shield to the transmitter?

You just need a micro USB cable. It's helpful to get a 1 foot cable -- like this one. That prevents a lot of slack from hanging down behind your remote controller.

 

[Meta4]

Thank you for all the replies! Some really helpful tips already!
My Nvidia Shield K1 just came today , as did other parts/accessories I ordered along with the quad.
Do I need any special cable to connect the Shield to the transmitter? Anxiously waiting the delivery of my P3A....

Any USB data cable will do (some are charging only).
The Phantom will come with one but having a spare is a good idea.

Your Phantom is fine for use on a boat.
It needs no internet or cell phone connection.
You will have all the satellites you want - the (G in GPS stands for Global)
The P3 is a great machine.
There's a lot to learn to master it, but overall it's pretty intuitive.

 

[sundeviljon]

Awesome!

When traveling, should I have my batteries completely uncharged? I purchased 3 spares.

Don't want any headaches leaving Newark International, nor in Athens/Mykonos.

 

[Prairie Pyro]

Bring em down to about 50% and should have no issues. Theres plenty of threads on batteries and breaking them in, long term storage and time over a couple days