Got my P3P today - What should I do first?

Volitant_Soul · Dec 29, 2015

I am super excited to be a proud new owner of the P3P. I ordered mine from B&H Photo as it appeared they had the best deal on the Phantom from what I found. I ordered it Sunday night and it arrived today using the FREE 1 day saver shipping. The package came wtih the hard shell bag pack and 1 battery I ordered 2 more bringing my total to under $1500. Everything came professionally packaged and wrapped but the gimbal guard was not properly secured. I will start up the phantom once the RC and batteries for the quad is charged and check the gimbal.

Here's a list of questions I have...

1) Now that I've read all the manuals that came in the box now what should I do next? The RC has been on the charger for an hour and a half and it's only at the 3rd led. I guess it's slow charging for the first time to get optimal performance.

2) Once I've charged all the batteries and downloaded the Go App is there anything I must do before I turn everything on?

3) What are some tips you seasoned pilots can give to a new owner that's not mentioned in the manuals?

4) What are the must have accessories to prevent and maintain longevity?

Thanks in advance!

msinger · Dec 29, 2015

Welcome to Phantom Pilots

Download the full Phantom manual from DJI's downloads page. Also, check out my must-haves and tips here.

MADrone · Dec 29, 2015

Volitant_Soul said:
I am super excited to be a proud new owner of the P3P. I ordered mine from B&H Photo as it appeared they had the best deal on the Phantom from what I found. I ordered it Sunday night and it arrived today using the FREE 1 day saver shipping. The package came wtih the hard shell bag pack and 1 battery I ordered 2 more bringing my total to under $1500. Everything came professionally packaged and wrapped but the gimbal guard was not properly secured. I will start up the phantom once the RC and batteries for the quad is charged and check the gimbal.

Here's a list of questions I have...

1) Now that I've read all the manuals that came in the box now what should I do next? The RC has been on the charger for an hour and a half and it's only at the 3rd led. I guess it's slow charging for the first time to get optimal performance.

2) Once I've charged all the batteries and downloaded the Go App is there anything I must do before I turn everything on?

3) What are some tips you seasoned pilots can give to a new owner that's not mentioned in the manuals?

4) What are the must have accessories to prevent and maintain longevity?

Thanks in advance!

I would suggest playing with the simulator for awhile. Gives you an idea of how the bird will respond.

Volitant_Soul · Dec 29, 2015

MADrone said:
I would suggest playing with the simulator for awhile. Gives you an idea of how the bird will respond.

Is the simulator on both android and ios?

Volitant_Soul · Dec 29, 2015

After I downloaded and installed the go app from the play store. I read somewhere I should download it directly from the mirror site on dji, so I did just that and I realized the file from the play store is 124mb and the version from the dji website is 75mb. Why is the file size so different?

Jamesak51 · Dec 29, 2015

My P3A had a piece of foam wedged somewhere on the gimbal that I didn't see right away and wasn't mentioned. When I powered it up for the first time I got a gimbal overload warning. I was pretty nervous after that, wasn't sure if I got a defective unit and once I discovered the piece of foam I was worried that I had done some damage which I didn't. Definitely check for that before you power it up for the first time. And Welcome aboard!!

msinger · Dec 29, 2015

Volitant_Soul said:
Is the simulator on both android and ios?

Yes.

Volitant_Soul · Dec 29, 2015

Yikes my rc has been on the charger for 2.5hrs now and it's still not done

is this normal? I hope the flight batteries don't take that long.

Wibble · Dec 29, 2015

Only fly on a nice day with low wind to start with.
Find a nice big open area.
Calibrate compass - remove watch and anything else metal - keep away from fences etc.
Let the P3 just sit there powered up - make sure it gets full GPS lock etc.
For takeoff use full throttle - dont use auto take off
Let it just sit and hover at say 10' for a minute or so
Height is your friend - take it up to say 80'
Just take your time and don't panic.
For landing always hand catch - make sure you have someone to help the first few times.
Good luck and have fun!!!

Wibble · Dec 29, 2015

Volitant_Soul said:
Yikes my rc has been on the charger for 2.5hrs now and it's still not done is this normal? I hope the flight batteries don't take that long.

Yes that is normal. You don't need to charge it very often!

Wibble · Dec 29, 2015

Oh make sure props are hand tight!
Spanner is to loosen them only!!!

Volitant_Soul · Dec 29, 2015

Wibble said:
Only fly on a nice day with low wind to start with.
Find a nice big open area.
Calibrate compass - remove watch and anything else metal - keep away from fences etc.
Let the P3 just sit there powered up - make sure it gets full GPS lock etc.
For takeoff use full throttle - dont use auto take off
Let it just sit and hover at say 10' for a minute or so
Height is your friend - take it up to say 80'
Just take your time and don't panic.
For landing always hand catch - make sure you have someone to help the first few times.
Good luck and have fun!!!

Most of my flying will be done solo with the exception of showing it to family and friends. I don't think catching the phantom is a smart and safe thing to do. Why do you recommend catching it on landing instead of flying it to the ground on a flat surface?

Wibble · Dec 29, 2015

Catching isn't really the right term. Reach up and grab would be a better term!
As soon as you grab a skid hold it firmly and remember to hold the throttle down until the motors stop. Then power off.
Why do I recommend it? Experience!
Sudden gusts of wind - eddies - VPS sensor - dust and grit.. All sorts of reasons not to land it on the ground.
My very first landing was a hand catch - never had trouble just use some sense!

guyinutah · Dec 29, 2015

Wibble said:
For takeoff use full throttle - dont use auto take off
Let it just sit and hover at say 10' for a minute or so

Why do you recommend not using auto takeoff? I have never had an issue with it. Just curious!

msinger · Dec 29, 2015

guyinutah said:
Why do you recommend not using auto takeoff?

Because your Phantom is flying without input from you. When close to the ground (landing or taking off), it's always best to be in full control.

SouthernPhantom · Dec 29, 2015

I use auto takeoff all the time, let it hover at 4 feet for a few seconds to see if it's stable, then hover at 20 feet, then up it goes.

And I vary between using manual landings, auto landings, and RTH landings on flat, paved surfaces. They're always perfect!

There are many threads about hand-catching on landings vs never doing it. Some folks always do. Others warn about possible injuries. I'd recommend learning to do it only after you are really comfortable with how the unit flies and hovers, after many flights.

Volitant_Soul · Dec 29, 2015

Ahh that makes sense. I'll have to get pretty comfortable to attempt grabbing the phantom while it's hovering to avoid debris and landing on uneven surface that can possibly tilt the phantom and break a prop.

SouthernPhantom · Dec 29, 2015

Volitant_Soul said:
Ahh that makes sense. I'll have to get pretty comfortable to attempt grabbing the phantom while it's hovering to avoid debris and landing on uneven surface that can possibly tilt the phantom and break a prop.

It lands amazingly evenly on pavement. Even with the auto-landings (normal and RTH), you can use the stick to slow it down and land as gently as you want. But it's generally not necessary at all. Breaking a prop is extremely unlikely under any circumstances unless you hit a building or a tree on the way down.

Volitant_Soul · Dec 29, 2015

@SouthernPhantom

You're saying I have control over the throttle while it's in RTH?

SouthernPhantom · Dec 29, 2015

Volitant_Soul said:
@SouthernPhantom

You're saying I have control over the throttle while it's in RTH?

Absolutely! Even when it's traveling horizontally or landing, it's easy to override it (both directionally and vertically). And when you let go of the stick, it will resume what it was doing.

AND, you can completely cancel the RTH by holding the RTH button down again, at any point. The copter will stop dead where it is.

So, sometimes I let it get ten feet above the landing spot, cancel RTH, move it a bit, and finish manually. Or if the space is wide open, and there are no people around, I let RTH bring it all the way down.

The point being, you should have a full bag of practiced tricks to use in varying circumstances! You're going to love it!