Phantom trouble flying straight

[MILLER4PRESIDENT2020]

I am only on day 3 of the phantom but in GPS mode it used to hover in a tight little area fine and if you throttle it forward it would pretty much follow a straight line as well. Now I have to semi actively keep it hovering in place as it will slowly drift and also it drifts while trying to fly in a straight line. I recalibrated it via the software which did not solve it. I am making sure to get a homelock and greater than 6 satellites every powerup.

I did take a couple of minor dingers while taking off and landing which caused it to faceplant into the props. Nothing major, my momentum wasnt completely stopped. I also ran into a bush in my backyard during practice. I wiped the dirt off but the props do have some dings and scratches. Is it time I invest in the prop balancer? Will unbalanced props really have that much of an effect as to throw everything else off?

 

[Audaciter]

I don't think you need to worry much about balancing your props just yet, as dinging them up will only throw the balance off
once again.
You are just experiencing what every new R/C newbie does..... It will just take some time to get used to everything.
Pretty soon you will learn to make micro adjustments while flying, and you won't even really think about it too much.
Much like learning to ride a bike, or drive a car. It just seems wrong at times, especially when you are flying towards
yourself.

There are some plants in my yard, that still get pretty scared when I bring the Phantom outside.

 

[Peter Patricelli]

Are you sure you are STILL in GPS mode? Sounds like Atti to me. Very easy to brush/catch and flip those buttons. Ask me how I know.

 

[BruceTS]

GPS isn't accurate enough to hold your quad in the same exact spot, it will drift. Expect it to keep it in a general location aprox 2', but as one satellite gets out of range and another gets picked up it could drift again.

Depends on your location the Phantom will drift left or right, when flying a straight line. This is an effect of magnetic north and since the GPS and compass are both in a fixed location, can't be adjusted, unlike the standard NAZA unit.

Eventually you'll get used to it the more experience gained, just keep practicing. BTW the stock props can take quite a bit abuse, I still use mine when attempting crazy moves. Don't bother balancing them as each crash will throw them off.