Im not a pro here at all but growing up as a kid playing video games, flight simulators and understanding dual stick flight controls, I have to wonder one thing on here after reading countless "horror" stories about their phantoms crashing........was it really failure of the dji product or operator failure?  I know for certain many people buying these things have never flown anything rc before, let alone grab the controller on day one and don't look at it like wth does all this stuff do?  Ive never come close to crashing anything and have had my P3P in some very tight surroundings, around a lot of people, low and close to the water, trees etc.........but when I unboxed my P3P a couple weeks ago, had a few buddies over that wanted to see it they all said "you sure you just bought this thing?" because of the control I had over it.  They kept looking at the controller and saying, "man, Id have to practice for weeks in a wide open field to feel comfortable flying it like you do."  We live in a society where not many want to man up when they do something wrong and want to place the blame elsewhere but after reading all these "crash" stories on here and other forums, I really have to wonder who is at fault.

Playing games enhance your hand–eye coordination. I am a long time gamer and first time quad pilot. After a short while with my P3P I was able to pull some very precise maneuvers and now I feel I can do anything I want, those machines are just so easy to fly and unbelivevably stable. If you aren't completely careless it's almost impossible to crash this thing.

same here. avid gamer. and had some experience flying micro helis. this thing is so easy to fly compared to that. Got used to atti on the first day itself

Yeah, before purchasing my product I was a bit nervous w/ all the fly-away stories and crash stories. After I received my phantom3 and flown it a few times I didn't find it difficult at all. That being said its all been supported w/ GPS n such and I'd really just like to fly in ATTI mode to really practice if the need ever arises.

pr51 Posted at 2015-8-5 21:40
Yeah, before purchasing my product I was a bit nervous w/ all the fly-away stories and crash stories ...

try it. its not really all that different. the only difference is that it doesn't "brake".

Another difference in ATII is that goes with the wind requiring constant course corrections

axidify Posted at 2015-8-5 21:42
try it. its not really all that different. the only difference is that it doesn't "brake".

I would have thought that corrections for wind would be non-trivial.  A breeze of as little as 6mph / 10 kph represents 20% of the maximum speed of the P3 and consequently would require correction that would vary by wind direction and fluctuation.

I will fly ATTI some time soon, but still practising my skills with the aid of GPS.

Flying a drone is super easy. Easier than any other RC flying aircraft, fixed wing or rotors based. I fly 3D helicopters and that is very difficult if you are in advanced stuff. That being said, it does not prevent flight controllers going crazy. I had this on a DJI F550. Nothing to do with flying skills.

As long as it works 100% it´s as easy as anything. My 11 year old daughter takes of flies around and lands the P3 as good as anyone in GPS mode  while I´m holding the RC for her
The experience is needed when things suddenly don´t work 100% as described by so many.

A long time back I read an article in a major publication. It noted that the great majority of VCRs had never been programmed. Most users just went down the street to Blockbuster, rented a movie and shoved it in the VCR. On many VCRs, the clock flashed continuously.

Apparently it required, in their words, "...a pre-MTV skill called 'reading the directions'..." In today's vernacular, that's RTFM.

So many users are unpacking their drone(s), skipping right by the manual/instructions/safety notes, etc., and going directly into the air - with sometimes disastrous or disappointing results. I have a Phantom 3 Professional, a Blade Chroma and pieces of what used to be a Blade 350. I can personally attest to the potential problem of not going about these things slowly and carefully.

msjh Posted at 2015-8-6 14:38
I would have thought that corrections for wind would be non-trivial.  A breeze of as little as 6mp ...

Quoting from memory, but I think I saw that DJI recommended not flying when the wind gets up around 20 - 22 mph or so. If you think about the actual size of your Phantom 3 and think of it in terms of a "scale model," a 20 mph wind is a lot of wind.

On the other hand, it's amazing to watch how effectively many quadcopters can hold position (with GPS lock) in a moderately nasty wind.

Any of the modern quads are easier to fly, they all self level and some hold position.  Anyone remember flying the DraganFlyer quad back around 2005, those were a challenge at times...

I have just ordered my P3A today but I have been studying the online manual and watching all the Youtube vids I can get .... I used to fly nitro helis a few years ago and I bought a Hubsan to fly in my house ...
I can whizz the Hubsan about the house with ease and was in expert mode in 20 mins so im confident I will be able to handle the P3A but will still take it easy for some flights ....

I must say the first time I read the online manual I was able to go through it quickly as I had done that much studying elsewhere I knew most of it but I still go through it every couple of nights ...
iv been on here a few days now and had the questions I asked answered and im happy enough to just read more until I get the P3A .... hope my homework pays off ....

jwimmerli@yahoo Posted at 2015-8-6 15:47
Flying a drone is super easy. Easier than any other RC flying aircraft, fixed wing or rotors based.  ...

True.
Flying a full size 60 nitro powered Heli with only gyros is a hell of a different beast to fly than these self flying drones for sure.  Even in manual mode flying a Phantom is easier by quite a bit.

Sorry to say but when I got my P2 V+ I had a quick read of the Quick Start Instructions went down the local kids playground (No kids there) and flew it,
didn't connect my phone just flew it. Reading too much can confuse a person. AND I'll bet, if people are honest, an awful lot of us did that

Before mine came I watched all the intro videos on DJI.  Then went to youtube and watched a couple videos.......one is linked in this forum under a different thread and is a great video explaining the entire DJI app and remote set up and all the options.  

I didn't think twice about skipping out on all the intro videos etc and just unpacking it, flying it and potentially crashing it and then getting on a forum and cry because its DJI's fault.  I suspect that happens A LOT because we as a nation do have a short attention span, lack of attention to details and want to do it NOW! lol

Every crash I've was my own fault  Never complained to DJI about their products,  I love them all and now am the proud owner of the Advance and the Pro  
Stick it in your pipe and smoke it

I have thousands of single rotor flights. 55 crashes total. Half technical issues, half dumb thumbs (mind you this is trying stuff like fast inverted hurricanes or stationary flips inches from the ground...3D pilots will get this). I personally don't understand how you can dumb thumb a multi rotor which WORKS....Except flying into like a power line far away etc. But this is not flying skill its maybe lack of preparation. But when 5minutes into the flight doing nothing special the multi rotor goes crazy and smashes into the ground...well, nothing to do with the pilot. DJI products are not faultless.

Obviously there can be product error that will cause a flight issue.  I would expect that every now and then : ).  I just went down through the first pages of the lead threads and more and more people buying these things, firing it up and crashing it.   Hell, one guy didn't watch one thing on how to land it and shut off the motors........he said he read somewhere that someone said you pull both controllers down and kept wondering why it kept flipping over.  

I guess too many people have money just to toss away for fun or mommy and daddy are supporting them.  

Generally speaking, it does seem to be the folks new to RC or who take all the technical aspects for granted or who are somewhat careless in the air who have the majority of the crashes and flyaways.

It's more disconcerting when someone who apparently does know the ins and outs and does understand the techncial aspects has a flyaway imo.

Xahhax Posted at 2015-8-7 04:34
I have thousands of single rotor flights. 55 crashes total. Half technical issues, half dumb thumbs  ...

As long as we remember it may not have to do with DJI either.   Solar flares happen, people fly near sources of RF interference etc.

I think DJI has some good reasons to be guarded in throwing warranty relief around too readily.

That said, it REALLY blows when a bonafide, verifiable equipment failure occurs and DJI throws a 30% bone at it....or nothing at all.

I think it may be wise to equate owning a DJI Phantom with ALSO owning some sort of tracking device to recover the carcass be it a Trackimo or MarcoPolo.  Just my 2 cents.
I'm getting a Trackimo for the P1 right now but will definitely add a MarcoPolo to the arsenal when the P3P arrives.

Cessna172 Posted at 2015-8-7 20:40
Generally speaking, it does seem to be the folks new to RC or who take all the technical aspects for ...

My concern is people not treating these toys seriously.  They are not some 6oz. radioshack RC that when crashed will not hurt anyone.  These things are 500ft+ up in the air and pilot error could cause some serious damage.  

well, a phantom will not kill someone. A 700 size heli can. And did, unfortunately quite a few times.
I think this is true that people with no experience in RC fly those things without much respect for some basic rules (checklist, people around etc).. I saw that myself I was much much more cautious than some guys who never flew ANYTHING RC...because I know those things crash, they always do at some point...

With marketing messages like this, no wonder it creates certain expectations... Safe, easy, and fun to fly, the Phantom 3 Standard makes it possible for everyone to reach for the sky