Will the Prop Locks be available for the P3 or are they going to be necessary? Obviously they are not included in the package.

Prop locks? You screw the props on and tighten.

amstaff_loyalty Posted at 2015-5-5 01:55
Prop locks? You screw the props on and tighten.

To be fair you do that on the Inspire 1 as well.  I wouldn't worry though buddy.  I've had over 500 flights with the P2 and never had one prop fly off.  The P3 props are a  tighter fit and seem more sturdy IMO.
Good luck

dlew, the reason you might need prop locks on the P3, is it has active braking, like the I1, it will slow down the motors, instead of letting inertia naturally slow them without power... In fact, the reason you should NOT use P2 props with the P3 is because the P2 props have metal hubs, which could slip more... You'll notice the interior of your P3 props (and the only real visible different) is the hubs are plastic inside. The theory is this soft plastic "bites" more so that the props won't slip and turn the other direction during active braking. Perhaps this design is good enough to ensure no issues, but I've already had one inspire owner surprised to see the P3 didn't use prop locks similar to his, due to active braking.

Why would you need prop locks? The motors spin the into the props the same way they are tightened. They are not going anywhere.

pjw315@yahoo.co Posted at 2015-5-5 02:58
Why would you need prop locks? The motors spin the into the props the same way they are tightened. T ...

Because what you said isn't entirely correct.  Unlike the P2, the P3 actually CAN "throw" the propellers off.  When props are turning, they want to keep turning or course... But the motors stop (or slow) during active braking.  If you use the P2 props (which due to a poor design decision actually fit the P3) they could fly off mid-flight.

The solution is different props with plastic threads, which hopefully grip tightly enough to prevent this.  Unfortunately P2 props "fit", but they can fly off.  I'm confident people WILL make this mistake.

pjw315@yahoo.co Posted at 2015-5-5 02:58
Why would you need prop locks? The motors spin the into the props the same way they are tightened. T ...

I already told you why.

Active braking can stop the props from spinning quickly.. that quick stop could create a counter motion that would spin a loosely tightened prop in the opposite direction than the motor spins (every force has an equal and opposing force... physics). The worry is, if ppl just spin on props loosely, active braking may spin the prop backwards and off.

The Inspire 1 ALSO has self tightening props. Why do you think they supply "prop locks" if those props never can spin backwards... again.. ACTIVE BRAKING.  

Now... with that said, I'm not sure if prop locks are  really necessary for the P3, but ONLY because of a intentional change in the prop design. The new P3 prop design (with the plastic hubs, which I, again, mentioned before) may create enough friction to counteract the forces created by active braking (again physics... gotta love friction coefficients)... but it is not a stupid question to ask about prop locks on a system that has active braking... I suspect (hope) DJI did the math, and the plastic threading is specifically created for this, but I could see why ppl worry.

The BIGGEST point you need to take away here is DO NOT use P2 props on the P3. They may look identical on the outside, and they may spin on perfectly, but the metal threads will not make you a happy P3 owner! A secondary take away is, at least hand tightend your P3 props... With self locking props, some may have gotten in the habit of just spinning them on, and relying on the "self tightening" to do the rest... you would spend an extra second and spin them all the way down, hand tight... with will let the plastic threading "bite" and hopefully ensure you have no unexpected issues from active braking.

coreynach@gmail Posted at 2015-5-5 05:16
I already told you why.

Active braking can stop the props from spinning quickly.. that quick stop  ...

I'm worried too about the (awesome) fact that the P3 utilizes active braking and thus might throw off a prop that is only tightened by friction.

And being used to P2's where you did not have to tighten the props at all, just spin them on and they would only tighten further while in flight I would not be surprised if disasters happen and props are thrown.

It would be reassuring if DJI would elaborate on the testing they have done on this and maybe tell us about what sort of strength the active braking exerts on the props?

I would imagine that the problem would be MUCH more likely to occur on the Aspire which weighs 2-3 times more than a P3 and therefore also has a much more powerful propulsion system, larger props etc.

For us I think we should just be aware and take care to tighten props more than we might have been used to on the P2.

I agree... I'm not too worried if you tighten down a bit harder than you may have before... but I think the biggest issue would be folks that don't follow these threads, and buy and use P2 props with metal hubs just because they seem to be alike. Perhaps, DJI will start supplying even P2 props with the plastic inside, since there shouldn't be any issue with the p2 using those, and it would help p3 owners that don't know better.   I do agree active braking is a great thing.