P2V rear view in the distance

PhantomFan said:
LeoS said:
Keep in mind that the phantoms are fly-by-wire device. IT relies 100% on sensors itself anyway. GPS, gyro, altimeter won't work less reliably the further away they are located from the pilot. Although there are potential interference sources to watch out for.

Although you say the Phantom is fly-by-wire, that is not true. It is fly by PILOT by radio. The problem as I see it is reliance and interpretation. You can't really rely on the "instruments" without already knowing how to fly from the controls first. Also, it takes more than a bit of time to know where to look to instantly find the precise information you need to make that critical stick decision, too. Look at the folks who transition from line of sight flying to FPV. They initially find it unnatural and struggle quite a bit, and we are USED to using our eyes all the day long. The OSD data is far more non-intuitive at the outset at least.

My advice stands. One MUST develop stick skills first, then increasing reliance on the data stream from the PV has actual meaning and benefit. Only THEN can it be successfully integrated into your flying.


PF

I understand where you're coming from, but unless you're flying the phantom in MANUAL, the phantom itself relies on it's gyro, altimeter (and gps) to not crash. If any of those sensors malfunction during flight, then you need to be smart enough to discern what is causing what, and maybe to switch out to manual mode to bail your *** off.

No matter how good your stick skill is, keeping up with technology and how it's applied is important too.
 
I've never figured out how to get the Phantom's switch to manual. It is stuck on GPS, ATTI and ATTI. No matter, I can fly my DJI Flamewheel 450 in manual mode, my Syma X-1 flies ONLY in manual mode and the PVC V-tail Acro quad I am presently building will be based upon the HobbyKing KK2.1 board, and so will be able to fly in manual mode.

After all the money I poured into the Phantom (extra batteries, case, CF props, etc., etc.) I stopped flying it partly BECAUSE I can't fly it in manual mode. Frankly, after using the Phantom as a re-trtainer to get back my rusty old pattern plane flying skills it turned out to be boring as hell to fly.

PF
 
lol.... you may have to change your name in there then - NoLongerPhantomFan?!

Not had any problem changing the switch to manual or failsafe though via assistant 1.05 though -- if you got that sorted you could do manual and then we'd love to see the vids....

Oh -- and I've meant to say, your Floyd strapline always makes me smile....
 
No, I think it is still a pretty cool machine, packed with innovation, and well executed (well, at least the Phantom is. Jury is still out on the PV).

My son (age 27) has never flown R/C and he enjoys coming over to fly the Phantom. When (if) he gets better at the sticks, I'll probably just give it to him lock, stock and barrel. If he doesn't want it, I'll just sell it. Now that I've gotten my skills back sufficiently, it has served its purpose. I am a little disturbed by the fact that some folks never bother to develop flying skills and still take to the air with the Phantom, but I've already rung in on that point, and enough is enough.

The Phantom was the first quad copter to come to my attention. I'm better versed in all the different quad designs, manufacturer's and capabilities/possibilities out there now, many of which are more suited to my interests, which do not include pretty pictures or videos. I love to build (#1 interest) and the Phantom gets a zero on that score being ARF. I love to FLY what I build (same score). And I love to honk my aircraft around the sky at middle altitudes (so I can see 'em) and do tricks like loops, rolls, flips. Hell, even my $35.00 Syma X-1 can do **** the Phantom can't do in that regard. So...I'm grateful to the Phantom. I had about 40 uneventful flights with it, and now it sits in its case doing nothing. I'm out flying the Flamewheel while building my own acrobatic quad out of PVC, which I'm modeling after this design:



I have everything I need - motors, ESC's, extra Futaba Rx, batteries. Just waiting on the KK2.1 to arrive from HobbyKing (China).

PF
 

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That Vtail looks fun!

I've seen a bunch of pvc pipe builds on the forums and they look like a lot of fun to build and fly... Now all I need is a 48 hour day...
And I agree -- flying what you built is a great buzz!

I used to fly rc planes but that was over 10 years ago, the quads have got me back into it all again. Learning to fly again with a hubsan x4.. pesky little thing to get right but you feel great when it does exactly what you intended!
 
Those small manual-only quads are EXCELLENT for skill advancement. I love mine. I fly it around the basement and garage all the time when the weather is inclement or at night after work. My ceiling in the basement is too low to allow for the flips it can do, so I constantly practice flying nose-in and making circles around the lolly columns.

EDIT: Started building the v-tail. Pix attached.





Shocked at how cheap and stupid easy it is to build your own. Total cost of PVC was less than $4.00. Tomorrow morning I boil some water and flatten out the areas for the motor mounts and bend the tail motor mounts 30 degrees. :lol: Also extremely surprised at how light it is, even using 3/4" PVC (thin walled stuff). Despite this, I may still drill a bunch of holes with my drill press to make the structure even lighter! Will take the parts to work and weigh on a postage scale.

PF
 

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