I've never flown a drone before. I'm interested in buying one for aerial photography of large farms and pieces of land. I'm going to hire someone to give me a couple of lessons. Is the Phantom Pro 4 too complicated for a brand new drone pilot? Any advice would be appreciated.
Phantom 4 Pro for Beginner
- Thread starter HuntWire
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Not at all.. My first drone was the P4P... I have bought others since and they are much harder to fly honestly. The P4P is simple... has great specs and can get complicated if you want it to be. But as a beginner quad, I think it’s fine. Many will tell you to learn on something cheaper and then move up. For me, I did the opposite... Got spoiled with the initial purchase.
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My first was a P3P
Easy to fly once you get the hang of it.
Right and left had me confused at first as I expected it to turn like an RC car not just move sideways.
Watch a LOT of youtube vids and completely read the manual before you charge a battery.
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The Modern Drone has been developing over a number of years, with the market (I suspect) numerically overwhelmed by pilots still on their 'First' drone.
The wealth of excellent YouTube content on this subject is extraordinary. I was in your situation a year ago, and purchased the P4Pro+, as I favoured the larger sensor, and the integrated display. [My mobile Phone was an OLD Nexus 5, with a low-end plan, not ideal for the task.]
The advantage of the built in screen is to be weighed up against any potential 'screens' in the household. The convenience is high, but so is the (likely) built-in obsolescence, when the 'next drone' comes knocking.
I would regard the advice of the "most lucid of teachers", would largely overwhelm 'most' new users, and suspect that you will learn much on a 'local field' before calling in experts to fine tune your flying. judgement and knowledge. Think about learning to drive a car at your current age, rather than when you were 17.
My suggestion?
a. Research and purchase the Drone.
b. Take it out, fly a bit within your comfort zone...
c. Research more video guides..
[Repeat b,c.]
Let your confidence build progressively, then seek answers to fill in the gaps in your knowledge, which should increase with every flight.
This site is amongst the best of the resource base for 'specific, detailed knowledge and advice', but a large core of good content is available to review at your own pace, on [YouTube] as a first call.
My opinion just reflects my experience with a drone, Others will also contribute, valid responses from their experiences; then it is over to you!
Good Luck!
The wealth of excellent YouTube content on this subject is extraordinary. I was in your situation a year ago, and purchased the P4Pro+, as I favoured the larger sensor, and the integrated display. [My mobile Phone was an OLD Nexus 5, with a low-end plan, not ideal for the task.]
The advantage of the built in screen is to be weighed up against any potential 'screens' in the household. The convenience is high, but so is the (likely) built-in obsolescence, when the 'next drone' comes knocking.
I would regard the advice of the "most lucid of teachers", would largely overwhelm 'most' new users, and suspect that you will learn much on a 'local field' before calling in experts to fine tune your flying. judgement and knowledge. Think about learning to drive a car at your current age, rather than when you were 17.
My suggestion?
a. Research and purchase the Drone.
b. Take it out, fly a bit within your comfort zone...
c. Research more video guides..
[Repeat b,c.]
Let your confidence build progressively, then seek answers to fill in the gaps in your knowledge, which should increase with every flight.
This site is amongst the best of the resource base for 'specific, detailed knowledge and advice', but a large core of good content is available to review at your own pace, on [YouTube] as a first call.
My opinion just reflects my experience with a drone, Others will also contribute, valid responses from their experiences; then it is over to you!
Good Luck!
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The Phantom and other modern drones have so much electronic assistance than someone that's never touched an RC device in their life can fly it. A child can fly it, too. I know this because I have allowed both to fly it, because it just sits in one place until you start inputting commands via the transmitter.
That being said, my advice to new drone owners is to always buy a cheap $15-20 dumb drone like the Syma X5A-1 and learn how to fly that inside the house without using headless mode. The reason for this is because, I suspect, many brand new owners of drones have never flown a drone in atti mode before. It's actually quite difficult to fly a drone that has all the assistance turned off, because now you need to know the orientation of the drone and you need to know how that corresponds to if the controls are reversed or not, you need to be able to correct drift and altitude, you need to be able to put in minor inputs, etc. All these new people who have zero atti mode experience will most likely smash their drone to pieces if the drone goes into atti mode and the video feed cuts for whatever reason. Having actual dumb drone flying experience teaches you how to control a drone, all without the risk of a $1000+ drone being smashed into the ground in an experiment to learn the controls.
That being said, my advice to new drone owners is to always buy a cheap $15-20 dumb drone like the Syma X5A-1 and learn how to fly that inside the house without using headless mode. The reason for this is because, I suspect, many brand new owners of drones have never flown a drone in atti mode before. It's actually quite difficult to fly a drone that has all the assistance turned off, because now you need to know the orientation of the drone and you need to know how that corresponds to if the controls are reversed or not, you need to be able to correct drift and altitude, you need to be able to put in minor inputs, etc. All these new people who have zero atti mode experience will most likely smash their drone to pieces if the drone goes into atti mode and the video feed cuts for whatever reason. Having actual dumb drone flying experience teaches you how to control a drone, all without the risk of a $1000+ drone being smashed into the ground in an experiment to learn the controls.
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They have a beginner mode you can use to learn. It is there for a reason. If should keep you out of trouble. Just follow the advice the people are giving you above. You can do it on your own, just go slow. There are some very smart people here, just listen to them. I learn some thing new all the time, and I been flying since the P4 came out. Also, get insurance if that will help your confidence level. You can do it, and have fun doing so. Just don't go to Jersey and try to find pretty women in your first hour of flying..
When you get it, here's a list of things to test. It's important to confirm things are working right out of the box. If they aren't then you have the opportunity to return it to the vendor and swap it for another one, assuming you bought it from a vendor that allows a 30 day period to swap if defective. Otherwise you'll have to send it to DJI which can take about 3-4wks for repair or replacement.
HuntWire: our first drone was the P4P+ and it’s brilliant.
There are several good YouTube videos guiding you from “straight out of the box”.
Remember, when in the air, if you get into trouble and aren’t sure what to do, just take your hands off the remote controller.....and the drone will simply hover in the same position, awaiting further instructions. Also, learn one step at a time. Learning which way is forwards, backwards, left, and right will help a lot because you can get disoriented during a flight if you’re not careful.
We considered getting lessons from an experienced drone pilot but it really isn’t necessary unless you know someone who is careful and a good teacher (both not exactly common qualities). This forum has excellent advice at hand for specific questions.
Perhaps the biggest difficulty of all is working out how to really use a drone in a meaningful way. The technology is available, but what about the operator’s brain power.....?
Again, it’s a great drone with very good quality video and photography at your disposal.
There are several good YouTube videos guiding you from “straight out of the box”.
Remember, when in the air, if you get into trouble and aren’t sure what to do, just take your hands off the remote controller.....and the drone will simply hover in the same position, awaiting further instructions. Also, learn one step at a time. Learning which way is forwards, backwards, left, and right will help a lot because you can get disoriented during a flight if you’re not careful.
We considered getting lessons from an experienced drone pilot but it really isn’t necessary unless you know someone who is careful and a good teacher (both not exactly common qualities). This forum has excellent advice at hand for specific questions.
Perhaps the biggest difficulty of all is working out how to really use a drone in a meaningful way. The technology is available, but what about the operator’s brain power.....?
Again, it’s a great drone with very good quality video and photography at your disposal.
This.
I bought P4P+ just a few weeks ago and love it. Used the simulator extensively before my first flight and read a lot in this forum. YouTube videos also helped immensely. Just took things slow and made sure I was in the right mindset before every flight. Still learning a ton about the aircraft and haven;t even scratched the surface yet on the camera!
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The hardest thing about a dji drone, whether you're new to drones or experienced, is getting them ready to fly when they're brand new. If you run into trouble, ask here. When you're ready to fly, do it in wide open spaces. Good luck and have fun!
msinger
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While Phantoms are easy to fly, they are very technical. Make sure you take the time to learn how everything works so you know what to do once you get it up in the air. Here are some good resources to get you started:
- Phantom Manual & Release Notes (the manual does not come in the box)
- DJI GO Manual
- Firmware Update Instructions
- Tips for Avoiding Common Pilot Mistakes
- Tips for Avoiding a Crash
- Worldwide Drone Regulations
- PhantomHelp.com (lots of Phantom tips & accessories)
I agree with above, P4P is a very good starter drone considering how stable it is.
Start out with the basics in a clear field doing VLOS tasks, there's many articles doing these circles, squares and figure 8's (checkout youtube video's as well!). That's what I did w my Mavic Pro Platinum, I see no difference in doing this as I did but on the P4P.
Go slow, learn the feel and stick orientation. Hardest part for me was the (right stick) pushing right is only to the right if the drone is facing away from you, it's the opposite direction if not. That is the tricky part to pick up on. Sometimes hovering way up high above me and you cannot distinguish direction, I'll give it a slight left and see what way she's going. I think we all "cheat" like this sometimes!
Enjoy and good luck!!!
Start out with the basics in a clear field doing VLOS tasks, there's many articles doing these circles, squares and figure 8's (checkout youtube video's as well!). That's what I did w my Mavic Pro Platinum, I see no difference in doing this as I did but on the P4P.
Go slow, learn the feel and stick orientation. Hardest part for me was the (right stick) pushing right is only to the right if the drone is facing away from you, it's the opposite direction if not. That is the tricky part to pick up on. Sometimes hovering way up high above me and you cannot distinguish direction, I'll give it a slight left and see what way she's going. I think we all "cheat" like this sometimes!
Enjoy and good luck!!!
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