i love my Phantoms. I have a P2+V3 and now a P3P. Unfortunately the P2 is in for repair. I bought the P3 becuase I was really concerned about the time it might take to get the P2 back. It was a good decision since I still have no idea if and when it will be repaired. But now I'm too scared to fly the P3.  Can't just keep throwing money at something that isn't supported. We need DJI to put out a statement regarding their support issue.

How does DJI hear our concerns?

What Happend to your P2? why affraid to fly the new one?

I love flying my P3 Professional. No issues as of now.

espinosa.josero Posted at 2015-5-22 21:48
What Happend to your P2? why affraid to fly the new one?

My mistake. Backed int a tree and damaged ribbon cable. I'm a novice that got a little to comfortable with FPV flying.

deboldt@machlin Posted at 2015-5-22 07:20
How does DJI hear our concerns?

It's hard to know what question you are asking!


DJI knows all. They read these boards and other forums. They read most every post. They know what their support issues are.

That said, I don't think they will ever do much for novices that crash their birds. As a pilot I'd consider (with the P2) using 3rd party repair shops (there are a few) for accidents which were not warranty...and, of course, most accidents are not warranty.

What support issues concern you and make you ground your P3?

If you have concern about your piloting and technical skills, you should buy some $20-$50 quadcopters and put in a couple hours with them. I learned well using that method and then flew a Phantom 1 for over a year before I fiddled with these advanced and more technical craft.

Despite what the marketing dept says, these are not "for everyone". They require a great deal of knowledge and care to fly correctly and safely.

The Phantom 3 is a wonderful machine. Don't take the issues people raise here on this forum as a sign that many people have (big) problems with the Phantom 3s. People mostly write when they have problems. The thousands who don't, post less

I'm very happy with my P3Pro and I had a P2V+ before (still have to to be exact, but will sell it). What matters to me the most is the ability to produce much better video (and photos too).

Before I had the P2V+, I had (and still have) a small Hubsan X4 quad. And I think this is important. If you're strapped for cash, don't learn to fly an RC aircraft/quadcopter on a fairly expensive flying camera like the Phantom 2V+ or Phantom 3. Learn to fly on a cheap "toy" quadcopter (maybe don't use the ultra small, though they will help learn too). Take it outside. Get used to the sticks and the basic flying-mechanics. A Hubsan will not help you fly as much as a Phantom, so when you master the small quadcopter, you will be so much more confident flying the bigger one.

The marketing of the Phantom (2+3) is a bit misleading, just as droneflyers said. It is not THAT easy and people actually need to walk before they can run. Driving a car is easy too - but only if you know how to. Patience, baby-steps and not taking big chances is my best advice - especially for people for whom crashing and destroying the gimbal, camera or drone itself is a serious hit to the pocketbook.

Hopefully without sounding too self-congratulating and while knocking on wood, I can say that I've not crashed either of my Phantoms. And I still fly with the original props on both. And I've flown 43 flights with my Phantom 3 Pro so far - and several hundreds of flights with my P2V+. But I certainly crashed my Hubsan X4 with HD camera. Quite a lot!

-

Buy your DJI Phantom 3, DJI-gear, extra DJI Batteries, DJI Hardshell Backpacks from the DJI Store by using this link - it'll help me out

droneflyers.com Posted at 2015-5-23 05:20
It's hard to know what question you are asking!

Thanks for your recommendations. I will seriously consider getting a less expense copter for improving my flying skills. But I really do enjoy flying the Phantoms.

FantomDK Posted at 2015-5-23 07:19
The Phantom 3 is a wonderful machine. Don't take the issues people raise here on this forum as a sig ...

Thanks for your recommendations. I will seriously consider getting a less expense copter for improving my flying skills. But I really do enjoy flying the Phantoms.

deboldt@machlin Posted at 2015-5-25 00:41
Thanks for your recommendations. I will seriously consider getting a less expense copter for impro ...

There are a lot of experts on this forum. And I mean that seriously, not sarcastically. But I have to disagree with one major assumption.

You will probably be able to fly your Phantom 3 better than just about any cheap quad you buy! I own two small quads. One of them is really, really small (I think it qualifies as a micro). It's virtually unflyable. It's twitchy and no amount of trim/adjustment seems to matter. Some 6-year-old child can probably fly it just fine, but the necessary hand-eye coordination is way below my 70 years.

My next level quad is a Blade Nano. I think I paid around $70 for it. With a couple of hours of heavy practice (maybe double that!) I can fly it from room to room without slamming it into the wall or venetian blinds. I flew it mostly with a Spektrum DX-8 radio - it has expo programming capability and I was able to significantly counter my ham-fisted lack of coordination.

In addition to the Phantom 3 Pro, I also have a Blade 350 QX3. The Blade and the Phantom are both imminently flyable right out of the box. I quickly got used to the AP mode on the Blade (the mode where it flies as it's supposed to as opposed to the "smart" mode which can actually be somewhat confusing when you're learning. It's incredibly stable. While not quite as stable as the Phantom 3, it is disgustingly easy to hover. In my opinion, the ability to hover is incredibly important for the beginner. Unlike a remote control plane, you can let go of the sticks and the quad will hover right where it is - particularly when it's under GPS control - giving the user time to think about what the dickens is going on and extricate oneself from danger/trouble.

With one of those little, cheap quads, you'll feel more like an old geezer chasing a swarm of gnats!

Stick with your Phantom. Learn to fly with your Phantom. Some day, if you're in the presence of a group of people (probably kids) who have something smaller, convince them to let you try it. You'll immediately see what I mean.

Just start out slooooooooowly. You'll learn how to be smooooooth and you won't regret it when you get the hang of it and start taking award winning videos/pictures. Well, so you probably won't sell anything to National Geographic. You'll have a lot of fun in the process.

Good luck.

aburkefl@gmail. Posted at 2015-5-25 07:40
There are a lot of experts on this forum. And I mean that seriously, not sarcastically. But I have ...

Thanks for taking the time to reply. This is all very helpful. Lots to consider.. Guess that why I started droning. This is good information. Thanks again.

Just something to consider.   If you are a diy guy at all,You may want to consider performing any repair that you are comfortable with.   Right now is not a good time to send your bird off.   DJI seems to be covered up with repairs.   If you have to ...be patient. Good Luck with your issue.

deboldt,

I think we all have the same concerns that you do.

I practiced with cheap stuff AND simulators over the winter and now fly with confidence my P3P.

Some of the things I used to practice:
- Flight simulators: Phoenix RC and RealFlight 7. All it takes is 5-10 minutes per day. Fly hard, try stuff, go crazy.
- Small one for indoors: http://www.banggood.com/Gin-H7-2 ... Q2021898655201411EX
- Normal size for outdoors: http://www.banggood.com/JJRC-H8C ... Q2021898655201411EX

Here is one of my tests, I still have a lot to learn about speed, cuts, camera parameters and all. Not in a hurry, just for fun:



Btw, the two banggood links above have my affiliate link, if you mind that, please remove all from the question mark to the right of it.


Thanks and good luck.