Hey everyone,

I will be getting my Phantom 4 this friday and was wondering what I should do first thing out of the box. Got intrested in drones through the mavic, but found out the phantom was more for me.

So far, I have this

Charge both remote control and battery to 100%
Calibrate the compass
Calibrate IMU? Do I need to do that for first flight? Also to update that, I just let the Phantom sit for 20 minutes of so by itself, and it does its own thing right, I dont need to do anything like the compass calibrtion.

Also some other questoins

I've heard mixed stuff about this, but can I charger both the drone battery and remote controller at the same time with the 1 given brick charger? Or should I charge them seperatly. If seperatly, why?

Any other things I should do, or reccomend for a first time flyer?

Thanks

That's awesome! You will love your new drone. Here's what I would do:

- Before you fly in the US, you MUST register with the FAA and put the number they give you on your drone. I put mine inside the battery well.

- Read the manual. You can do this before it arrives as you can find it online.

- Watch YouTube vids about flying the Phantom. Again, do this before the drone arrives.

- Download the FAA app and check out the location where you plan to fly (http://www.faa.gov/uas/where_to_fly/b4ufly/).

- Expect to have to upgrade the firmware when the Phantom 4 arrives.

- First time you fly, try to find an open field. The last thing you want to do is tag a tree on your maiden flight. Take time to get used to the controls.

- Once you get the first flight out of the way, I would pick a "feature" or two to see how it works. Return to home is pretty important. Make sure you know how that works.

As to your question about the controller / battery charging: The manual says only one at a time.

Hope this helps! Have fun!

Goes without saying, First thing: RTFM!!
Yes, calibrate your drone before flying it, cold IMU, gimbal, then go outside and calibrate the compass.When the drone is cool, place a warm battery in it, and begin the IMU calibrations. Be sure it's sitting on a flat surface, and don't move it, or walk firmly near it, while if completes..

It's not recommended to charge the intelligent flight battery and RC battery together. It may overwork the power source.

Best to charge them "separately". To solve this dilemma, I bought a second 100w charger...

RedHotPoker

You can charge both at the same time,  I would suggest if you haven't watch all of the DJI videos, for the phantom 4 at DJI.com,,, you.ll learn everything you need to know, you will love your drone!!!

All the previous advice is great, but whatever you do, do not update the firmware immediately. More people get into trouble doing that than anything else. Fly it for a while before you do any upgrades to make sure everything works properly.

Then, when you are comfortable with flying your aircraft THEN you can perform an update and brick it.

Regarding charging the two together, no, it is not recommended by DJI. The power supply is rated to charge one battery at a time, any more than that and you are risking overloading it. You will also find it takes quite a long time to charge the RC battery because it is not charged at the same high rate as the flight battery.

Geebax Posted at 2016-11-2 13:06
All the previous advice is great, but whatever you do, do not update the firmware immediately. More  ...

Why should I not upgrade to the latest firmware before flying? Makes no sense to me

Also, should I Calibrate the front sensors upon boxing as well? Or is that not needed?

I'm the original poster fyi, just changed my name lol

Don't forget to calibrate the VPS camera on the front and bottom with the Assistant 2 software either, else your landings might be a little rough and bouncy.  You can also register the drone with DJI while in there too.  It might also tell you you need a battery or firmware update to the P4 too.

I'd fly the simulator around a bit too that comes with it to get a hang of the controls.  Fly a box pattern, maybe a circle or figure eight, and a few on-spot landings.

Enjoy!

goldmansachs Posted at 2016-11-2 16:24
Why should I not upgrade to the latest firmware before flying? Makes no sense to me

Because lately, every time DJI release a new version it screws up things that were just fine in the previous release. Also, new owners frequently get into trouble with the update process. Feel free to ignore this advice.....

Thanks for all advice mentioned above, in addition, you need activate the aircraft firstly, and it's recommended to fly under beginner mode.
Before starting the flight, please read the manual and watch videos on DJI official website:
http://www.dji.com/phantom-4/info#video