There seems to be a LOT of confusion on other discussion boards about what could kill the motors on a Vision+ during a flight.  Since there are many newbies who just bought a Phantom Vision+, this naturally causes much anxiety since people don't want to watch their $1,200 toy plumment to the Earth like a rock and smash into 1000 tiny pieces !!   

I must admit the User Manual for the Vision+ is somewhat ambiguous about this topic.  They do state that executing CSC during flight WILL kill the motors and the Phantom will drop like a rock.  What's foggy and confusing is whether or not holding down throttle (left stick) for more than 3 seconds will also stop all motors during a flight?  It seems like factory default setting is "Intelligent" motor control which means holding down left stick > 3 seconds during flight will initiate landing but not shut off motors?  I've been tempted to try this myself but afraid it won't work and my $1,200 toy will crash to the ground like a meteor from Hell.  

Can someone please answer this perplexing question once and for all ??

I fly my Vision + in NAZA mode with the default settings and holding down the throttle for more than 3 seconds does NOT turn off the motors mid flight or make it autoland, I always hand catch my Phantom and then holding down the throttle for 3 seconds does turn off the motors, but only when the Phantom is stationary in my hand.
Performing the CSC will turn off the motors instantly in the air or not.

Like John said, it won't intelligently unless there's a upward wind to fool the system. So it's highly not recommend to operate in that way.

Never gave this any thought. So, let me get this straight... as I am descending and holding the throttle down all the way for more than 3 seconds, the only thing stopping the motors from cutting off is the steady decrease in altitude? In other words, if there was a countering wind preventing the phantom from dropping altitude and you were holding down throttle, and these two forces were equal and miraculously exactly the same, the Phantom would think it had hit solid ground and turn off the motors?

It sounds crazy and I would think "What are the chances", but I suppose it could happen.  So, can I ask, if I was also applying rudder and traveling in any other direction other than perfectly still, while still holding down throttle, would the Phantom still cut the motors? What I mean is, I never descend straight down. I am always moving in one direction or another, most of the time in a corkscrew pattern. If this upward wind was preventing a descent, but I was moving along a path, does the Phantom recognize the lateral movement and over ride the shutdown? (does that make sense?)

Oh thanks DJI-Daniel for worrying me about updrafts...lol
I guess that the 3 second rule that the Phantom has to be stationary will stop that happing.....
Tony, I am with you, always have some lateral movement when descending and everything will be fine.....fingers crossed

DJI-Daniel Posted at 2014-9-26 16:42
Like John said, it won't intelligently unless there's a upward wind to fool the system. So it's high ...

Don't you think this is a major flaw with the Vision+ ??

An updraft powerful enough to counteract the full downward throttle is a rare thing, and probably even more rare to have it happen just as you hold down the left stick for > 3 seconds ---  but this COULD happen!  

Let's hope there is a firmware update that corrects this potentially fatal flaw and the left stick motor shutoff function can only occur once the Phantom detects no movement in either vertical OR horizontal direction for > 3 seconds (ie, hand-catch like most people are doing).