P4P good for a beginner?

[tevek]

Starting out from scratch can be expensive. There are the 1 time costs of getting an RC, and some kind of goggles, great stuff available for less than $100 each and an ARF for $100-$115 and then add batteries. Yeah, about $400 gets you in the air, but when you come down, and you will, the nickel-ing and dime-ing starts to repair it so you can fly again... But. It. Is. Awesome.

Cheers for that, I already have a set of Fatsharks that I use with my P4, so that's a chunk of cash out of the way. I had a look at the local shop offerings out there but a quick look on eBay suggests I can do it cheaper. Just need to get the necessary bits for the googles to run the 5.8 Ghz stuff ( I think..). I would join a local RC club but the nearest one to me is a 320 Klm round trip, so I'm looking for something that is fairly durable. Prior to the phantoms, I crashed and burned just about anything airborne and I expect small RC racing drones to be no different.

 

[HighTechPauper]

Cheers for that, I already have a set of Fatsharks that I use with my P4, so that's a chunk of cash out of the way. I had a look at the local shop offerings out there but a quick look on eBay suggests I can do it cheaper. Just need to get the necessary bits for the googles to run the 5.8 Ghz stuff ( I think..). I would join a local RC club but the nearest one to me is a 320 Klm round trip, so I'm looking for something that is fairly durable. Prior to the phantoms, I crashed and burned just about anything airborne and I expect small RC racing drones to be no different.

These things are a whole lot tougher than you might think, they are pretty simple and there is a great forum (droneracingpilots.com) with great people that helped me get started just a few short months ago so that helps a lot too.

I would look at a Furious True-D fpv diversity module for your fatsharks, you can get something that looks similar for half but trust me you won't be happy so it's wasted money, that and a set antennas and you're done with goggles.

You can't beat a Taranis QX7 for an inexpensive RC that does everything you will likely ever need and can grow with you over time.

If you can get stuff from Banggood etc, and you look for things to go on sale over the holidays, you should be able to save a bunch.
I am flying 3 Eachine Wizard X220's I got for US$99.99 each, added an XSR receiver for $14.99 each and I am in the air with backups to spare. You will blow a few ESC's and bend a few motor bells, if you're really careful, and you will do a bit more damage if you're not, but I bet you the time of your life!

Cheers Mate!

 

[tevek]

These things are a whole lot tougher than you might think, they are pretty simple and there is a great forum (droneracingpilots.com) with great people that helped me get started just a few short months ago so that helps a lot too.

I would look at a Furious True-D fpv diversity module for your fatsharks, you can get something that looks similar for half but trust me you won't be happy so it's wasted money, that and a set antennas and you're done with goggles.

You can't beat a Taranis QX7 for an inexpensive RC that does everything you will likely ever need and can grow with you over time.

If you can get stuff from Banggood etc, and you look for things to go on sale over the holidays, you should be able to save a bunch.
I am flying 3 Eachine Wizard X220's I got for US$99.99 each, added an XSR receiver for $14.99 each and I am in the air with backups to spare. You will blow a few ESC's and bend a few motor bells, if you're really careful, and you will do a bit more damage if you're not, but I bet you the time of your life!

Cheers Mate!

Well that has just set me off on a google manhunt for info, products and pricing! Jumped on the Bangood site and the RTF package is roughly AUD $230. I went through my collection of RCs (all ten of them) and I don't have a spare 6 channel unit that may have been of use. Despite that, buying online is at least $130 cheaper than anything local so maybe I need to take a punt and do more research. I'll find a local online RC club that may have some good links for beginner set ups and possibly some purchasing contacts. The wife just reminded me that I'm flying to Sydney shortly and that I'd better book a ticket, so I'll look some more after that.....

 

[len750]

Hi all, im new in this forum and in the drone world, I never had a drone before but now im planning to buy a P4P to take aerial photos,videos... and offer my services to anyone that needs a drone for that.
So is it worth it or should i buy a cheaper one?
Does the people have interest in those services? (weddings maybe or maybe taking photos of a roof)
Is the P4P good for a starter?
thx

Surely there is an almost new, used, P4P somewhere in Spain.

 

[Dejan Smaic]

Personally, you'll be fine with a P4P as long as you have hand eye coordination. Don't let those who say go with less before you go for more. The P4P is a simple drone to figure out and operate, no major differences than it's predecessors...not enough to modify your piloting skills.

If you are in the USA, and seeking any compensation, you'll need a Part 107 license (by law) and insurance (recommended).

 

[Normex]

Having a strong chance of being bashed and understandly so I recommend you look at Autel x-star if you can, they're affordable in the class of P4P and very
sturdy in case of a crash, its 4k camera is amongst the best and removable if needed for practice.
Good Luck, now the bashing may start but I invite anyone to do homework on this and you will see.
Take care All

 

[upthedowns]

I started out with an Inspire 1. Not crashing is about learning, taking your time, flying in an appropriate wide-open space and taking yourself through moves again and again until you've got them sorted.

Turning it into a business though....that's the challenge!

 

[PJC5301]

Hi all, im new in this forum and in the drone world, I never had a drone before but now im planning to buy a P4P to take aerial photos,videos... and offer my services to anyone that needs a drone for that.
So is it worth it or should i buy a cheaper one?
Does the people have interest in those services? (weddings maybe or maybe taking photos of a roof)
Is the P4P good for a starter?
thx

Absolutely. I was a total novice when I bought my P4P and have had no issues. Just be conservative. I see nothing to m=be gained by "starting cheaper" and working your way up. That is too expensive.

 

[Normex]

One has to agree to all above messages in regards of how to gain experience. Listen if you learn only by crashing then your learning behavior is wrong, the best way is by increasing your experience ever so lightly everytime you fly but most of the time patience is the nemesis of many flights that end opposite of one's intentions and isn't that makes it all the fun ? Some can afford learning the hard way and some only once is enough. To this I just hope this thread will help you acquire the much needed knowledge to experience flying short of piloting yourself.

Norm

 

[potxman007]

I finaly bougth the P4P, thanks all of you for helping me decide

 

[John Locke]

I finaly bougth the P4P, thanks all of you for helping me decide

Congratulations!

My tips would include:

1. Take the time to read the manual before you fly. Don't get in a hurry to fly, learn what you're doing first.
2. After you have a hour on the Go4 simulator, make your first flights are in an open field with no trees or other obstacles for 100' around. Football fields are good for that.
3. After you fly a couple times and realize you don't know where all the settings are in Go4, read the manual again.
4. When indoors at night, to learn more about Go4, with no props installed, turn on the drone and RC and connect. Go through all of the menus and camera settings and memorize where everything is. This takes some time.
5. As you learn about all the settings in Go, test them on your next flight.
6. Practice slow cinematic moves when recording video. Tripod mode is good to know about, works well to help with precision moves.
7. Master reverse navigation before you get too adventuresome.
8. Be kind to your batteries, don't discharge less than 25% unless you have to, maybe due to wind or misjudging return distance. This practice will help to keep batteries healthy.

 

[athearnsd45]

Congrats on your purchase! To add to what others have said, flying even as a beginner shouldn't be an issue if you take it slow and steady. For me, the biggest learning curve was understanding the automation, which can work against you if you don't understand it. For instance, on one of my first flights, I arrived back home with about 20% battery remaining. I decided to burn up a bit more battery by flying up and down my driveway, which has overhanging trees. Return to home eventually kicked in, and the craft attempted to go to RTH height, which would have had it ascending into the trees. I was right behind the craft, not watching the flight app, and didn't notice the option to cancel RTH. I nearly crashed due to an automation feature that is well-documented.

One other tip for you or others who read this thread - there is value to getting an inexpensive R/C airplane. We bought a Horizon Hobby Sport Cub S for about $130, and it will teach you everything you need to know about the dynamics of remote flight. We've crashed it a fair number of times, but it's easy to repair and Horizon has just about every part on the plane available for purchase. It also has different modes, from beginner to advanced, and a button you can press that will right the plane if you get into an out-of-control situation. I also think from a pure flying perspective, it's even more fun than the Phantom.

 

[bhartwell]

I started with a Syma 8Xc. It was cheap, fun to fly, did some neat tricks and taught me how to fly with limited risk. I crashed it a lot, learned how to control it and deal with unexpected events, how to recover, gauge position, deal with obstacles, all the basics you really need to understand before risking a $1500 or more investment. The Phantoms make it easy, that’s true, but I am glad I made my mistakes with a $65 toy, before flying the real thing.

 

[African wildlife]

Potxman007: We likewise jumped in with the P4P+, never having flown a drone before.

John Locke’s advice is excellent. Be cautious, one step at a time. There are some good YouTube tutorials available that I found helpful.

Our first flight was takeoff, push up to 2m above ground, land, and turn off. After first spending time on the simulator.

As upthedowns has already said above, turning it into a business will be the challenging part. And I speak as someone who has successfully run my own businesses for 40 years. I’ve also made five 30 minute films, in the days pre-digital, and editing itself is another skill set.

The technology is great, as you’ll already be discovering for yourself.

 

[danchez]

get the P4P and then call State Farm and get drone insurance, it's only $60 and it covers everything. It's actually a "personal article policy" but it does truly cover everything.