Hi all I've been reading in here alot about all of the different AC from Dji and while i won't comment on some of the surprising things I've seen about other models, I do have one specific question. Has anyone ever had their P3 just drop from the sky (or any other flight issues such as not wanting to come down or go up after take etc) from an actual hardware or factory battery malfunction on the P3???
P3 (any model) reliability
- Thread starter 3rdof5
- Start date
We all know about the FPV/black screen issue and the stress crack issue thats common on the P3 but even when i had the FPV issue, the AC always flew perfectly and fully under control and i cant recall seeing any posts of anyone ever complaining about control issues.
I own two P3's. The P3S needed a new main board, however, DJI covered that under warranty. No other mechanical failures. Both fly as they should.
captainmilehigh
Premium Pilot
Same here. Have two P3S’s on very old firmware. Both fly great. No issues.
I've got a P3S, 2 P3P's and all have performed flawlessly. Some of them have several hundred flights.
I'm really glad to hear this from you all, from everything I've read on these AC anywhere including in here, i think its safe to say the P3 is probably the most reliable AC in the air atm. Not knocking any model of AC, I've only ever owned a P3 (besides toy crap) and I've grown to trust it. It ain't without it's issues but it always comes home 
I think the secret is not to update.
Mine hasn't been updated for a couple of years.
Mine hasn't been updated for a couple of years.
I can't speak to that point, my p3 came fully updated outta the box and its completely fine. But I've read alot about FW Updates causing issues for some owners.
I've had my P3A for almost three years and except for one time, any problem I've had was my own error. Once, I think I had a bad battery connection, but it never took off, so there was no harm done. Changed the battery and off it went. So, in short, I've found mine to be totally reliable.
And, I've been using that battery since with no problems, so, again, It was probably not pushed in enough (i.e. my fault).
I've been flying my P3P for almost 3 years with no crashes and great control. Recently I've had a couple of flights where the video went black in the middle of the flight. But I still had full control of the bird and both times was able to bring it in for a landing. Luckily, it was in my line of sight both times. If it had been out of sight I wouldn't have known which way to turn to get it back to the home point. Other than that, the P3P has been a stellar performer.
The loss of FPV is a common issue, its happened to me as well but it's never affected flight controls. RTH always works so even in a situation where u lose VLOS and FPV the AC will always come home. Its very interesting to see all of your reviews on the flight reliability of the P3. Mine has never had issues in that area either and so far I havent found a single post where the P3 just grew a mind of its own and flew away uncontrollably (unlike its successor) so I consider myself fortunate having purchased a P3 as my first Dji AC. Even tho its an older design and has known issues, they are easily avoided once you know about them and it seems to be most reliable flightworthy AC still in the air.
P3A bought new, fully updated - 100% reliable, never a glitch. Used with DJI Go and Litchi, some Pix4D.
I wish my P4Pro was as solid.....
I wish my P4Pro was as solid.....
One other thing, in a situation where you have lost VLOS and FPV, your map will still show you which direction your AC is facing and where it is relative to the home point so you can fly it back into VLOS fairly easily.
P3Pro, solid performer for over two years. It auto-landed once or twice because of cold battery until I figured out to make sure the battery is at least 25 C temperature on takeoff, also I watch the battery voltage during flight. Another time it suddenly homed and landed; I was working too close to a friend also flying a drone and their signals probably crossed.
I've had it drop into "ATTI Mode" a couple of times unexpectedly; it is a good idea IMO to practice flying in ATTI mode since it will drift with the wind. In fact, if not perfectly balanced it will simply drift with no control input.
His drone was a bit problematic but that was because he was using an underpowered Android tablet and completely lost video downlink and telemetry. We could see the drone but knowing which way it is pointed is a challenge. The technique is to give it some left stick. If it moves left it is "tail first" which is the most correct way, then just give it back-stick and it will fly back to you. But if left stick moves it right, it is facing you, in which case forward stick will bring it to you. But that's a lot to remember so rotate the drone in increments until left stick moves it left and then you can bring it back. It's a good idea to practice the technique.
I've had it drop into "ATTI Mode" a couple of times unexpectedly; it is a good idea IMO to practice flying in ATTI mode since it will drift with the wind. In fact, if not perfectly balanced it will simply drift with no control input.
His drone was a bit problematic but that was because he was using an underpowered Android tablet and completely lost video downlink and telemetry. We could see the drone but knowing which way it is pointed is a challenge. The technique is to give it some left stick. If it moves left it is "tail first" which is the most correct way, then just give it back-stick and it will fly back to you. But if left stick moves it right, it is facing you, in which case forward stick will bring it to you. But that's a lot to remember so rotate the drone in increments until left stick moves it left and then you can bring it back. It's a good idea to practice the technique.
My P3 Pro and six batteries have worked flawlessly since I purchased them in December 2015. I don't put a ton of hours on it per month, and my usage comes and goes, but it gets out on the average twice per month for 2-6 batteries each time since I've had it. I crashed it once and had to replace the shell and a motor, but that was not a malfunction, pilot error getting too close to a tree.
I recently got my bird back from dji. Fully functional and ready to go. Unfortunately I've recently learned that flying in my city in Canada is strictly prohibited due to helicopter air traffic. Which does not surprise me. And the areas that are allowed legally are so completely surrounded by power line towers and lines that it makes sense that even manned AC don't fly there so ****.... sucks being in Canada.
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