New & Waiting for Phantom to Arrive

[Stigy]

Hello there - total newbie here! On Amazon Prime Day (a month or two ago), I picked up a cheap ~$75 drone from Amazon because I wanted to give it a shot. I fly it a lot, but the camera produces footage that isn't worth doing anything with (bad quality, jelly / rolling video, etc).

A few of my friends bought DJI Drones (P3, P4, Mavic, etc) and the content they were producing (even still images) was amazing. I started checking refurbished sites, slickdeals, eBay, etc to try to find a deal that was too good to pass up and as luck would have it I found a great deal yesterday (on my birthday no less)!

I ended up getting a DJI Phantom 3 Advanced (with very few hours on it), an extra battery, extra propellors and a DJI Backpack all for less than $500. It should be here Wednesday and I couldn't be more excited to get it up in the air.

Besides doing a lot of reading and watching YouTube videos on preventing crashes & flyaways, anything else I should take a look at before I take off?

 

[Racer888]

Good luck you will enjoy it! Not sure about the P3 but if it has the simulator use it to practice before flying.

 

[Fly Dawg]

The P3A is an awesome flying machine, plus the fact that it has everything the P3P has except for 4K video capabilites. If you have been flying non-GPS smaller quads, you will have no problem with this one. Just make sure you read the manual at least 3 times, then read it again before you even charge a battery. Don't get in a rush to fly right away. It will pay you dividends later. And another important thing. If you see anything odd when you first get it powered up, be sure and check back here and look for whatever issue you may have, if any at all. One of the first things I would check on a used aircraft would be for the dreaded stress cracks. These would normally be located under the motors around the screws. If you see those or any other oddities, return it. Give a complete visual inspection, just to be sure. Better safe than sorry. Feel free to ask around for assistance from most anyone here and you will most likely get answers to anything. Welcome Aboard!

 

[msinger]

Welcome to Phantom Pilots!

Besides doing a lot of reading and watching YouTube videos on preventing crashes & flyaways, anything else I should take a look at before I take off?

Here are some items you might find useful:

• Phantom Manual & Release Notes (the manual does not come in the box)
• Firmware Update Instructions
• Most Common Pilot Mistakes
• PhantomHelp.com (lots of Phantom tips & accessories)

 

[BigAl07]

Hello

Welcome to the forum and the addiction er hobby

 

[dirkclod]

Welcome to the forum .
I hope you will find our site helpful and look forward to any input , photo's/video's you might post .
Don't be shy and ask anything if you can't find it by searching .

 

[Stigy]

The P3A is an awesome flying machine, plus the fact that it has everything the P3P has except for 4K video capabilites. If you have been flying non-GPS smaller quads, you will have no problem with this one. Just make sure you read the manual at least 3 times, then read it again before you even charge a battery. Don't get in a rush to fly right away. It will pay you dividends later. And another important thing. If you see anything odd when you first get it powered up, be sure and check back here and look for whatever issue you may have, if any at all. One of the first things I would check on a used aircraft would be for the dreaded stress cracks. These would normally be located under the motors around the screws. If you see those or any other oddities, return it. Give a complete visual inspection, just to be sure. Better safe than sorry. Feel free to ask around for assistance from most anyone here and you will most likely get answers to anything. Welcome Aboard!
View attachment 87078

Oh I wasn't aware stress cracks were a thing, but I have Googled it and found some pictures that indicate what those might look like so I will be doing a full visual inspection upon receipt of the drone.

Welcome to Phantom Pilots!


Here are some items you might find useful:

• Phantom Manual & Release Notes (the manual does not come in the box)
• Firmware Update Instructions
• Most Common Pilot Mistakes
• PhantomHelp.com (lots of Phantom tips & accessories)

Oh this is awesome - I have downloaded the manuals to my iPhone for lunch-time reading. Thanks!

 

[WV. Rootman]

Some have stress cracks with no further issues after putting epoxy on the inside. I still would contact the seller if it wasn't mentioned. Good luck.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

Hello,
It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Phantom Pilots forum.
I hope that you will be able to use the forum to further your safety knowledge and for the exchange of innovative ideas and as a resource for current developments in DJI quadcopter’s.

 

[Oso]

Hello there - total newbie here! On Amazon Prime Day (a month or two ago), I picked up a cheap ~$75 drone from Amazon because I wanted to give it a shot. I fly it a lot, but the camera produces footage that isn't worth doing anything with (bad quality, jelly / rolling video, etc).

A few of my friends bought DJI Drones (P3, P4, Mavic, etc) and the content they were producing (even still images) was amazing. I started checking refurbished sites, slickdeals, eBay, etc to try to find a deal that was too good to pass up and as luck would have it I found a great deal yesterday (on my birthday no less)!

I ended up getting a DJI Phantom 3 Advanced (with very few hours on it), an extra battery, extra propellors and a DJI Backpack all for less than $500. It should be here Wednesday and I couldn't be more excited to get it up in the air.

Besides doing a lot of reading and watching YouTube videos on preventing crashes & flyaways, anything else I should take a look at before I take off?

Welcome to the forum!

If you are interested, click here for some tips that I often share with new P3A/P3P owners.

Cheers!

 

[Stigy]

Welcome to the forum!

If you are interested, click here for some tips that I often share with new P3A/P3P owners.

Cheers!

These are great - thanks so much!