New P4 pilot, have a question about take off / landing.

[alwhite00]

Recently started flying my p4. I notice the "take off" icon is not present on the screen, the land icon is there. Do I have something wrong?

When flying say 100' above me when I pull the throttle all the way down it almost sounds like the motors quit so I descend very slow, will it drop out of the sky if holding the throttle all the way down?

 

[RémyHeli]

Looks like you have started the motors in first instance. In that case this is excluding auto-take off because already running.

Never pull any sticks all the ways down abruptly, only emergency only. Craft will deal with but avoid rushing sticks.

Gently pull and avoid full vertical descend but transition gently at same time, terrain permitting.

 

[Meta4]

When flying say 100' above me when I pull the throttle all the way down it almost sounds like the motors quit so I descend very slow, will it drop out of the sky if holding the throttle all the way down?

DJI design engineers are very clever. They have limited the descent speed as well as offset the Phantom motors to prevent problems with full left stick descents.
You can pull the left stick down for descending without a problem.

 

[jwt873]

The craft is "Fly by Wire". You don't have direct control over the motors when using the sticks.

No matter how far you hold down the left stick, the maximum descent speed is limited by the on board computer to 4 meters per second or 9 miles per hour in Sport mode. (It's even less than that in P mode). This is explained on page 64 of the owner manual.

The motors will not stop. The only way to stop the motors in flight is to hold the left stick all the way down and then push it all the way to the left or right and then while doing this you need to press and hold the 'Return to Home' button.

FWIW, I've held the throttle stick all the way down many times over the last year that I've owned my P4 -- Most often when I want to come home and land in a hurry.

 

[alwhite00]

Thanks for the input. Yes, I had motors running. I will try it without starting. So I could pull the left stick all the way down for numerous seconds without the motors stalling? It sure freaks me out when it gets so quiet.

 

[microlinux]

So I could pull the left stick all the way down for numerous seconds without the motors stalling?

Right. Descent speed could be an issue in the wrong conditions, but the act of descending won't cause the motors to shut off.

 

[N017RW]

Not sure what the 'right conditions' would be, and should be defined or stated to be helpful, as dead-calm would be worst-case.
No worries of VRS as Meta4 has mentioned so... no worries of full Left stick down for max descent rate when desired.

 

[microlinux]

Not sure what the 'right conditions' would be, and should be defined or stated to be helpful, as dead-calm would be worst-case..

I haven't run into any wrong conditions personally, but I can fathom that situations beyond my experience may exist.

 

[alwhite00]

Thanks for all the Info.

 

[John Locke]

I haven't run into any wrong conditions personally, but I can fathom that situations beyond my experience may exist.

I think in those conditions you shouldn't be flying anyway. I go full down descents all the time, never had a problem in any conditions.

To descend really fast, try full down and a little right using left stick, along with a little forward speed with the right stick, going into a toilet-bowl down spiral.

 

[RémyHeli]

alwhite00,

Find some good info there re descend ;
Slow coming down

 

[microlinux]

I think in those conditions you shouldn't be flying anyway. I go full down descents all the time, never had a problem in any conditions.

To descend really fast, try full down and a little right using left stick, along with a little forward speed with the right stick, going into a toilet-bowl down spiral.

You're probably right about conditions, I've done full speed vertical and spiraling descents with no problem, too. I don't fret about it, nor am I recommending not to do it.