Hi. I am new to DJI forum. I have been flying my P4P for three weeks now and I'am still afraid to fly further than 1000 feet from me. I'am afraid that if i cant see the drone it will go down or somthing will hapened. But i know it can go almost 4.5 miles away acording to the specs. Doctor am i normal ?

Aloha coco,

     Not only are you normal, but you are probably legal to!  You are noting the common sense basis of most of the national flight rules in place around the world (not all of them unfortunately, but most).

     We need safety first.  Soon drones of the commercial and personal type (as opposed to military) will far outnumber all other aircraft (manned) in the world.  

     However, you can still fly safely beyond your visual range by using a visual observer as allowed in the FAA Part 107 rules.  Eventually sense and detect systems will allow a Pilot in Command to fly without a VO by using high resolution sensors and video, possibly even an IFF (Identify Friend or Foe) variant transponder.  But, it will all be done in the interest of safety when it is demonstrated to be effective.

     You are on the right track.  Now get out there and have fun!  Fly safe.

Aloha and Drone On!

HaHa, yes, you are probably normal.

The law/rule requiring VLOS definitely makes sense but when I read here and anywhere else it seems most don't stick to it.
The VLOS rule requires not only to see the AC but being able to recognize the attitude.

Without looking at my monitor, with AC being further than 150ft horizontal distance, I can't tell which way the AC is facing.
Too bad the phantom is like a square. I'm looking for some skin/color solution which makes it obvious in the distance.

Perfectly normal, even flying within VLOS they can be hard to spot sometimes. I often use a ground reference if I have to take my eyes off it for a few seconds.
If the videos good then it's still flying, and the 'radar' at the bottom of the display is a great tool for pointing back towards home. Always try and fly back yourself and don't become reliant on the RTH button, that can lead to grief.

So the prognosis is that there's not much wrong, no need for a Sickie, go forth and fly.....

Eric13 Posted at 2017-7-7 13:03
HaHa, yes, you are probably normal.

The law/rule requiring VLOS definitely makes sense but when I read here and anywhere else it seems most don't stick to it.

...Ya but the idea here would be to go beyond those limits as one wants to check the drone capabilities !

I'm exactly the same & to be fair I don't mind
I can see what is happening & if I want to shoot something further away I walk there
I'd rather walk than have the chance of losing or crashing my drone or worse still injure someone or damage property that I can't see,
Most of what I want to video isn't that far away from where I stand.
I might get braver with experience only time will tell, but I don't want to push my abilities past the comfort zone.
Good luck though & do what makes you feel comfortable

Are you normal?  Tough to do a full assessment from a forum post, however, it would appear you are having the same experience path that most of us had.  Once you gain the experience, become confident with your skills and understand the P4 functions and limits, yes, you too will be deemed a insane UAV operator as defined by Transport Canada.  (Note, this is humor.  Transport Canada has never deemed anyone insane,,,  Just incompetent and lacking common sense.)  Welcome to the activity, you will have a great time !

It's fun to explore the limits of these machines, but if you're on an imaging mission then it's better to be close if it is practical and there are no physical obstacles stopping you. It's good to peek at remote places that can't be accessed on foot, take your time and build your confidence and experience. Practice flying home using only the screen, in both camera and map mode, then do it in ATTI mode to really learn how to become good at flying. (Make sure that your airspace is clear, have a spotter with you to be safe.)
New pilots sometimes have no prior flying experience and can lack the skills necessary to fly the AC without the luxury of GPS. Those of us who flew stunt heli's like the Blade MCPx in the past will bore you silly about how this autonomous technology takes all the fun out of the actual flying! And before anyone has a go at me, yes, I know that these machines are primarily just flying cameras designed to be good at doing exactly what they do. That's why I still have my other toys which take up too much space in my home!

coco60 Posted at 2017-7-7 13:17
...Ya but the idea here would be to go beyond those limits as one wants to check the drone capabilities !

It is normal to use your drone to it's full capabilities.

My Phantom 3 Standard certainly flies well at altitudes over 11000 feet using the 1640 feet max height from launch location and at distances of 15000 feet.

coco60 Posted at 2017-7-7 13:17
...Ya but the idea here would be to go beyond those limits as one wants to check the drone capabilities !

You don't worry about the drones capabilities, I assure you they are better than many of the pilots who fly them.