Hey DB! Just flew the beast for the first time... didn't do much... a little active tracking, tap fly and sport mode (just shortly). Outside temp 11 degree Celsius. I got 22 min (first level 25%). I had 13% at the end.
Phantom 4 - Dirty Thoughts
- Thread starter Dirty Bird
- Start date
There was a bit of wind but not 30 mph worth. When it was zooming past I was like...Wow! It was literally screaming by & people were definitely taking notice.
My P3P has hit around 50 Mph before but THAT speed is pretty darn awesome. Can't take it any more... just placed my P4 order
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I sure hope so because I got the P4 specifically for the Bay Bridge run. 40 mph will cover the 9.08 mile route in about 14 minutes but I'd like a little more cushion than 3 minutes! To make matters worse I am reading reports of auto-landing commencing at 25-30%. Maybe Sport Mode just requires significantly more power?
I saw that auto landing post a little while ago. It did make me a bit worried. Did you have that issue? I am crossing my fingers about the battery as well. The Verge review did say they consistently got around 30 mins, so I'm just hoping there is a break in period. I only did one test flight at night, where I discovered the collision avoidance doesn't work unless it is light outside. I didn't have an auto land issue. I sent off my remote for a new type of distance mod that will be available soon. It will have the range of an FPVLR boosted setup but look extremely clean - even cleaner than DBS - basically an OEM look. I'll only have the remote back in about 10 days 
But by then, I'll have the extra batteries and a custom case for it, so I'll be flying nicely at that point. Hopefully Litchi will have an update soon as well to support the P4. You'll probably have to wait for that to do your Bay Bridge run anyway. You should have at least 18 mins in full sport mode, and Litchi better support that!
But by then, I'll have the extra batteries and a custom case for it, so I'll be flying nicely at that point. Hopefully Litchi will have an update soon as well to support the P4. You'll probably have to wait for that to do your Bay Bridge run anyway. You should have at least 18 mins in full sport mode, and Litchi better support that!
I read the Verge review & was amazed. Wonder how they were flying to get 30 minutes when I didn't make 20? 
I will definitely be using Litchi for the Bay Bridge flight. Post some pics & information on your new antenna mod when you get it. I always prefer clean & tidy OEM-looking mods so this sounds interesting.
I will definitely be using Litchi for the Bay Bridge flight. Post some pics & information on your new antenna mod when you get it. I always prefer clean & tidy OEM-looking mods so this sounds interesting.I saw that auto landing post a little while ago. It did make me a bit worried. Did you have that issue? I am crossing my fingers about the battery as well. The Verge review did say they consistently got around 30 mins, so I'm just hoping there is a break in period. I only did one test flight at night, where I discovered the collision avoidance doesn't work unless it is light outside. I didn't have an auto land issue. I sent off my remote for a new type of distance mod that will be available soon. It will have the range of an FPVLR boosted setup but look extremely clean - even cleaner than DBS - basically an OEM look. I'll only have the remote back in about 10 days
Will do. Let us know in the meantime if your flying time increases as the batteries break in. Maybe try a time test with little to no wind running in full P mode the whole time - after you've had a few more charge/discharge cycles.
And, btw, where the heck are the multi chargers/hubs? They need to get them out pronto.
And, btw, where the heck are the multi chargers/hubs? They need to get them out pronto.
I read the Verge review & was amazed. Wonder how they were flying to get 30 minutes when I didn't make 20?
I have the bird with me & hope to get in some more flights this afternoon. I will do one or two flights in straight P or ATTI mode to see if S-mode is just a battery hog & behind the low flight times. DJI will need to completely revamp their hub for the new battery design. I know the DJI hub only charges one at a time but I normally come in & throw the batteries on so they are ready for the next day.
Looking fwd to hearing your battery results. However, if they need to be broken in, they may need a few more cycles before accurate flight times are available.... In regards to the battery hub -that's exactly what I did. I'd just throw the batteries on and leave it overnight. If I was in a hurry, I'd use a blue charging hub which does 3 batteries simultaneously with the remote. Those were great and good quality for about $50. I'm sure they are working on a P4 update. It would have been nice if at the very least DJI would have released the hub with the P4. I know they would need a redesign with the new batteries, but hey, the batteries and the P4 were already redesigned. It should have been done at the same time. :/ Did you notice that Yuneec was originally planning on charging $1600-1800 for the Typhoon H and now is charging around $1200? It looks like DJI is killing them. I bet GoPro is a little worried now as well.
I wonder how long it will be before we see an actual Lightbridge competitor out there....
#hatchetburied
I wonder how long it will be before we see an actual Lightbridge competitor out there....
#hatchetburied
Can confirm that this thing is fast! Hit 55mph without much tailwind. You must have had some amazing gusts behind that bird. First flight was 14 minutes, 46% battery left, had an angry hawk follow my phantom around. Going to do a flight with no sports mode to see how long it lasts.
I saw this review where they got between 20- 22 minutes of flight so far.
7 Days With The Phantom 4: Day 3
7 Days With The Phantom 4: Day 3
So... is it worth the upgrade, and is breaking in the batteries fact or fiction? Also give me a few more negative comments so you could save me 1400 bucks.
With crash avoidance on the phantom is slow as hell. If you turn it off the P4 runs like the P3. Sport mode is insanely fast.
Honestly the build quality is amazing on the P4. But I'm not sure it's worth the $1700 I spent. Not enough difference between the P3 and 4 so far. I have two weeks to return. We will see.
I guess you would be the most concerned with build quality. If I recall, you were one of the first to address the cracked P3 shells..
Keep inspecting the P4 each flight and hopefully you wont notice anything and hope that DJI has built a worthy fault free-machine.
You remember right. I was one of the first to discover the cracking shells and I uploaded the video to YouTube. DJI ignored me so I took matters into my own hands and got ahold of someone (I won't name names) who was high up at DJI and they overnighted me a new P3. I sent my cracked P3 back and never heard anything. Then people on the forums started to discover their P3's also cracking.
If the P3 had sport mode it would fall apart in the sky. The P4 in sport mode you can really pull some really hard G's. It puts a lot of stress on the P4 body. Part of me wants to run it really hard in sport mode a bunch of times and see how the arms hold up. Part of me doesn't.
Just holding the P4 in my hands, it feels like an apple product. I can't get over how well built the P4 is. It's truly a beautiful product and leaps and bounds better built than the P3.
Your comments are spot on. I received mine today and am still blown away by the build quality of this thing. It looks and feels leagues ahead of my previous phantoms. No pictures show this. If must be seen and held in person to get a full understanding. As for the shell itself, it's beyond belief that not a single reviewer has mentioned the phantom 4's through the bottom and top shell motor attachment which not only no longer requires the tiny arm end screws, but also helps keep the top and bottom shell together. Not to mention doubling up the plastic that holds the motors. This is a massive change. This is, in my opinion, the true nature of why the motors sit higher. The propeller out of view story is only a side effect of the true intentions. Keep in mind as well that high sport speed is being marketed as a feature so there must be more inherent strength in the fuselage to cope besides the better motor attachment. Also, for us non crashing pilots who cracked shells ad nauseum, the old "how did you fly" should no longer apply when one looks at DJI and it's phantom 4 speed advertising this time around. I bought mine at the first sight of this picture below when I noticed this massive improvement in motor attachment. In spite of what looks like 3 screws per motor. Anyway, time will tell but it does feel a heck of a lot more solid.
I see what you are getting at. The lower frame acts like the UAV strong arms. You would now need to crack both the top and bottom shell for the motors to separate.
Exactly. When I saw this part of the video back on release date, after cracking so many prior phantoms in spite of never having bad a phantom 1, 2 or 3 crash, I stopped the video, played the part over and over and said to myself "I'll be damned! That's why the motors sit higher!" I ordered it right there and then. I don't need object tracking, object avoidance, tap fly or any of that. But a stronger way to mount a motor on a light bridge craft that I would fly over 3 kilometers over ocean on a daily basis is just what I needed.
I'm amazed that not one tester in all the YouTube videos mentioned this massive improvement. Then again, by their videos where they are doing little back and forth, up and down Mickey Mouse flights, one can tell they aren't the type of pilot who gets it up to 400 feet, level off and haul *** past 2 kilometers which is the type of flying that sort of necessitates a stronger shell.
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