I am a first time drone flyer and buyer. My first being the P4P+. I thought I would share my thoughts for other first timers who may have doubts and/or fears in buying their first drone – or in my case, apprehension in flying it for the first time.
I can't speak highly enough of this product. From someone who was genuinely nervous taking off for the first time (I waited five days until the weather was calm and I didn't feel rushed). I am amazed how easy the P4P+ is to fly. I couldn't be happier seeing the P4P+ take off and hover like it did in mild, windy conditions. The controllers are so smooth and simple to use.
I found the screen intimidating at first, with all the icons and information. WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?!! So, i kept my intial flight as simple as I could, using beginner mode and practising flight control, taking off and landing. Also, not to mention, just getting use to watching the drone in the air. I didn't focus on using the camera or anything else. It was purely take off, basic flight control and landing.

My three tips would be:

1. Read the manual and pay strict attention to the preflight checklist (obvious I know, but why cut corners?)
2. Use the 'beginners mode'. Some people advised here not to bother with it as it's too limiting. In my case it was perfect for my first use. It relaxed my nerves and built my confidence very quick.
3. Don't spend time in the forums reading up on other user's problems. I stopped viewing threads as it was making me more nervous thinking many problems might arise. In my case, none, zilch, nutter, zero!

What a product! Great stuff DJI

Yes, having a drone which is trouble free, makes a lot of difference for those first flights. And all subsequent ones as well.
I've had my Phantom 3 Pro for over 1 1/2 years and never had one bad flight or any negative instances. It's simply remarkable.
But that's exactly how it should be for everyone of us here. I wish that were the case, but unfortunately some drone pilots have drone issues, which need extra attention, to correct.


So you should, feel fortunate, if not lucky.  ;-)
Enjoy your aircraft and time well spent in the forum.

RedHotPoker

That's very reassuring thanks for the post and hav fun :-)

Good job, your approach should be adopted by many if not all first timers, good luck and thanks for your comments..

RedHotPoker Posted at 2016-12-10 19:54
Yes, having a drone which is trouble free, makes a lot of difference for those first flights. And all subsequent ones as well.
I've had my Phantom 3 Pro for over 1 1/2 years and never had one bad flight or any negative instances. It's simply remarkable.
But that's exactly how it should be for everyone of us here. I wish that were the case, but unfortunately some drone pilots have drone issues, which need extra attention, to correct.

You're right, I do feel fortunate.

At last, someone sensible. Before I got my first Phantom (3 Phantoms ago) I did exactly as you. I read, re-read and then read again all the information and instructions, I then watched all the tutorial videos. Apart from a couple of updating hiccups, I've never had a problem with my birds. Enjoy your Phantom!

Very sound advice. Always ensure the calibrations are up to date and the firmware too. Fly safely in clear, open areas away from congested space and no fly zones. I always calibrate the compass too before every flight to be super safe and check over the Phantom and props before and after every flight. Always take off with a 100% charged battery and keep in VLOS at all times during the first several flights. Build up your confidence then move onto intelligent orientation commands such as active track, tap fly and draw. Experiment with ATTI mode in dead calm winds to learn to fly without GPS for those emergency situations and familiarise yourself with the app and avoidance sensors. Then move on to sport mode and really get into the camera settings to get the most out of this amazing tech.
In time you'll be filming amazing 4K footage and taking stunning 20MP stills without even thinking about it! ALWAYS, ALWAYS keep the UAV under 400' AGL though and don't sell any of your material unless you have a licence. There are quite a few laws around flying drones and its always better to be safe than sorry. Consider public liability insurance for model aircraft too for even greater peace of mind.

This message should be mandatory reading when someone signs up for the forum.  Keep at it and here's to many hundred happy flying miles to you.

I agree, was definitely nervous about the first flight. I too used beginner mode.... because I am a "I beginner ". It went so well I can hardly believe it !

ACW Posted at 2016-12-10 18:44
Very sound advice. Always ensure the calibrations are up to date and the firmware too. Fly safely in clear, open areas away from congested space and no fly zones. I always calibrate the compass too before every flight to be super safe and check over the Phantom and props before and after every flight. Always take off with a 100% charged battery and keep in VLOS at all times during the first several flights. Build up your confidence then move onto intelligent orientation commands such as active track, tap fly and draw. Experiment with ATTI mode in dead calm winds to learn to fly without GPS for those emergency situations and familiarise yourself with the app and avoidance sensors. Then move on to sport mode and really get into the camera settings to get the most out of this amazing tech.
In time you'll be filming amazing 4K footage and taking stunning 20MP stills without even thinking about it! ALWAYS, ALWAYS keep the UAV under 400' AGL though and don't sell any of your material unless you have a licence. There are quite a few laws around flying drones and its always better to be safe than sorry. Consider public liability insurance for model aircraft too for even greater peace of mind.

I think it has been demonstrated and discussed many times on the forum that calibrating the compass before every flight is not only unnecessary but can be dangerous for your drone. Get a good calibration and leave it alone.

KM5RG-Robert Posted at 2016-12-10 17:36
I think it has been demonstrated and discussed many times on the forum that calibrating the compass before every flight is not only unnecessary but can be dangerous for your drone. Get a good calibration and leave it alone.

Well, I have always calibrated my compass and have never had a single issue in 18 months flying over a thousand miles - I speak from my own personal experience rather than via third party 'advice'.

ACW Posted at 2016-12-11 03:08
Well, I have always calibrated my compass and have never had a single issue in 18 months flying over a thousand miles - I speak from my own personal experience rather than via third party 'advice'.

Good for you then. Carry on.

Airobotix Posted at 2016-12-10 04:05
At last, someone sensible. Before I got my first Phantom (3 Phantoms ago) I did exactly as you. I read, re-read and then read again all the information and instructions, I then watched all the tutorial videos. Apart from a couple of updating hiccups, I've never had a problem with my birds. Enjoy your Phantom!

exactly what i did. Do your homework

It's a great mindset to have. Thank you for sharing and happy flying!

KM5RG-Robert Posted at 2016-12-10 22:38
Good for you then. Carry on.

Good for anyone, especially someone new to the hobby too!

great advice

Im still trying to learn atti flying aswell as much practice with all the squares and circles and figure eights. I do them even in atti mode with winds up to 15mph.

One great thing. I keep my finger on the switch mode. A couple of times ive lost control or its drifting too fast with the wind. A quick flip to p-mode and it brakes instant. Saved me a few times.

But yeah i totally agree if you dont prepare and read up and do your homework and slowly build up your flying confidence.

The only thing I would add is, with the current fly away problems, don't use the Beginner Mode. At least until the problem is resolved.

That's great advice. My Phantom 3 Standard is my first drone, and I am extremely impressed by the technology and how easy it is to fly.

BashP4P+ Posted at 2017-2-1 19:15
Im still trying to learn atti flying aswell as much practice with all the squares and circles and figure eights. I do them even in atti mode with winds up to 15mph.

One great thing. I keep my finger on the switch mode. A couple of times ive lost control or its drifting too fast with the wind. A quick flip to p-mode and it brakes instant. Saved me a few times.

Don't forget that You can practice your maneuvers in the onboard flight SIM as well. ;-)


RedHotPoker

And I like your point #3! I think people tend to post about bad experiences more than good ones. Reading the forums makes it sound like if you dare go out and fly your new drone it's most certainly going to crash or fly away. This Phantom 3 Standard is my first drone, and I always keep it in sight and have just recently strayed out of beginner mode, but haven't had any problems so far. (fingers crossed )

I've had my drone just over a week. P3 Standard.  First thing was read the manuals.  
My friend flipped his drone first flight as he didn't RTFM and did not have his props on the correctly.

Even with being careful on one of my early flights a prop came off.  What saved me was that I was only at maybe 10m in height and was flying above a tea farm.
Landed upside down in the tea hedge and didn't hit the ground.

Also google lots of tips and tricks for the camera settings. Also you can unscrew the controls and raise them to give better feel.
I also reduced the tilt on the gimble so now it moves up and down much more slowly.

I get better pictures as now use the sunny, cloudy, landscape and cinema modes. I also take stills and video.

Read other peoples tips and tricks.  After a week I am happy enough to fly at 350m height and 350m - 450m distance.  
Learn about not to fly directly overhead or you could lose signal to the drone.  

One thing i did notice today. Im not sure if it was p mode or sports mode or both. It was pretty windy. And mayb when there were like a rush of wind. Only when in direction of wind. The AC would beep and stop. A few times it was wind velocity warning. I didnt see any obstacle messages which i thought it could have been due to wind. I was like looking at AC and controller. But didnt see any messages except wind related. Mayb it will be in flight logs?

Thanks for the Info, hopefully get my Phamtom 3 Standard soon. I will let you know how it goes.

I'm on my second week and so far it's been fantastic! Happy Flying!

I just purchae a P4P, and have escentially been as cautious as you have been.  When you have $1500 - $1700, being overly cautious isn't a bad thing.  I've found the P4P to be an incredible platform.  The stills and video, when properly exposed and focuse,have exceeded my expectations.  The drone has proven to be rock solid when shooting video.  I was out flying today with winds around 15 mph and gusting.  I was more than impressed

My first drone was the Phantom 1. Wonderful machine but not without its flaws. It crashed many times and eventually it was out of control. So when I got my P4P I forced myself to take baby steps, learning to fly and watching its behaviour. But the DJI-insurance gives peace of mind, that if I crash again at least there'll be another P4P to continue the adventure.

I can't agree with this enough. I've had my P3S for almost a week now, very careful with where and when I fly and was very apprehensive about the first flight. Not because of my inexperience with quad copters, more because of the money I'd spent and the desire not to see that all smash into a thousand pieces.

As with most on here I imagine - I spent quite a while researching and watching videos on youtube about the Phantom before making my purchase and even though I understood that the flying it was easy, I wasnt prepared for how effortless the whole experience is thanks to the technology built into the device.

I was very impressed as well when I first got my drone, I got a little too confident. I crashed the drone when I suddenly got a compass error at 30 feet. I learned that all the features are great but don't rely on them.