DJI Phantom Quadcopter First Flight -- Fail

[Allan Black]

Originally Posted by Chris Hurd

That's a very good idea, Allan, and I sure appreciate the suggestion. I should probably post a notice regarding the legal issues currently surrounding the operation of these machines in certain areas.

Chris, having dealt with writing disclaimers for airshows involving the public, imo we just have to be seen to be warning any readers
about the UAV 'dangers' in general.

There's no doubt some readers of this board will try flying a UAV, especially after watching good aerial videos posted here.

Trying to cover every single aspect in a public disclaimer, just invites trouble.

Cheers.

[Paul Wags]

Great start, lol
Got one over here too, here is flight number 5.
Had it on attitude mode.
Gopro 2, waiting on parts to put a 2 axis gimbal on with with anti vibration.
They are certainly fun to fly :-)

Cairns Redlynch Quadcopter DJI Phantom Flight #5 - YouTube

[Bryce Comer]

Hey great shots Paul,
You certainly found a great spot to fly your phantom! Ah Queensland, "Beautiful one day, perfect the next"! Shots like those make me miss Oz!
Certainly some jello in the footage. I had the same but managed to pretty much eliminate it by fashioning a mount out of aluminium & using soft foam tape, the kind used for sealing windows & doors (Read really soft!) With the gopro completely isolated from the mount in every way with the foam tape, the footage was really clean.
I too am building a mount with a servo to try to get better footage. I was going to start with a single axis gimbal though, & see how it goes. The new one from DJI-Innovations certainly looks like the goods, just a bit pricey!
At first the idea of the phantom was one of simply getting some establishing shots for a film i'm working on, but the more I practice with it, the more fun I realise it is!!!
Regards,
Bryce

[Taky Cheung]

That's even just fun to watch. Thanks for sharing.

[Dave Blackhurst]

It takes a while to get the hang of flying (or driving) any RC "toy", and one should take appropriate precautions (open areas, no "spectators" or other objects to collide with) until you get the hang of it. Go slow until you get the feel of the controls, and if you alter the airframe (by hanging stuff like cameras on it!), start all over until you readjust to the changes in "feel".

One never wants to memorialize the "first attempts"... they are not typically "pretty"!

[Trond Saetre]

Originally Posted by Taky Cheung

The jello effect makes the footage unusable. I will be waiting for the next version with the safely bumps and the Zenmus gimbal.

I also recently bought a DJI Phantom and GoPro 3, black.
Taky, have you balanced your propellers yet? That will help a lot to reduce the jello.
I have the gopro in the underwater housing, directly hard mounted to the Phantom, and I have not noticed any jello at all. (Filming in 1080p 25fps (pal), and the "medium" angle of view.)

Also make sure the gopro's wifi is turned off while you fly, because it might interfere with the radio rx of the Phantom.

[John Richard]

Have been flying and experimenting one of the Phantoms with the latest GoPro for a couple of months.

First, buy a Prop Balancer from a hobby shop - about $25 - balancing the props makes a big difference in Rolling Shutter Jello Cam.

2nd - experiment with flexible material like foam packing or other "gooshy" material between the attachment mount plate and the Phantom where the GoPro mounts.

3rd - set the GoPro at 2.7k and 30fps

4rth - if you have CS6 use the Warp Stabilizer in Premiere or After Effects to remove an remaining Jello Cam effect. It also stabilizes the footage very well with a little scaling (but you are shooting 2.7k at wide angle so it ends up very well at 1080)

But most of all, practice flying a lot in wide open spaces with no people in the area - even without the camera to get extra battery life. Do not start learning if there is wind.

Other tips are not to use the GoPro Wi-Fi while flying the Phantom as it is reported that the remote control and GoPro Wi-fi operate on the same frequency. You could lose control of the Phantom.

Watch the training videos before your first flight.

Get a second battery for more flight time training.

There were new gimbals for the Phantom/GoPro setup being shown at NAB and that would be fantastic.

Also, there are now pre-balanced carbon fiber props which also take away the vibration causing jello cam.

These Phantoms are doable with a little practice - you want to get yourself to a point where you can fly in Attitude Mode instead of the easier GPS Mode as the Phantom is not constantly adjusting itself causing movement-jerks in the footage. I am not there yet. But am still getting good footage in GPS mode and then Warp Stabilizing.

There is also a software program from DJI that allows you to occasionally re-calibrate the electronic nav control in the Phantom that can be knocked out of wack by the crashes.

These things are pretty rugged. They are much easier to learn than the old single rotor choppers. I tried the single rotor and failed. Still sitting broken. This multi-blade is much easier to learn.

Finally, use common sense and put yourself is wide open safe training areas on low wind times and get good. Never fly close to people or animals

[Trevor Dennis]

My wife gave me a helicopter lesson for my 40th birthday way back. The instructor was ex army, and he did things in that helicopter I didn't even know were possible, like an unpowered landing. In fact he aborted the first attempt, but the second went well, and it was surprisingly smooth.

During the lesson he tried an experiment. He said what if he suddenly became paralysed but could still talk? Would he be able to help me fly the helicopter with voice commands? Well it lasted all of ten seconds before a series of over corrections had the helicopter swaying one way and then the other, and scary out of control. It was 'hard'.

I suspect that model helicopters would be even more difficult to fly, which adds up to very difficult indeed.

[Steve Nunez]

I have one of these DJI Phantoms also and am using it with a Contour Roam at 1080P.....very cool toy!

[Mac McGillivray]

I have been flying RC planes, helis and multi-rotor aircraft for awhile now and the best money I have spent on the hobby is when I bought an RC flight simulator. There are a few out there like Great Plane's Real Flight, AeroSIM-RC, Phoenix.... Google the term "RC flight simulators".

AeroSIM-RC was $100 well spent. It has all the above mentioned aircraft with a large selection of multi-rotors. Quads, Hexs, Octos

Sims are a great way to learn, and you save time and money from breaking / crashing your aircraft when you're trying to learn a new maneuver. In a Sim if you crash you just press a button and start over.

With AeroSIM-RC you do need to have your own radio to use it and the right usb cable for your radio. Real Flight comes with a radio and lots of different types of aircraft to fly, but it is very limited on the number of multi-rotors you can fly.

They even have training for all the things you want to learn how to do, even flying in windy conditions.

Now all that being said, you still need to put time in on an actual aircraft to become proficient, but at least you'll know what is supposed to happen when you move your sticks in any direction.

Digitally,
Mac

[Mike Watson]

Taky,

Loved the video. Four stars. Two thumbs up. Particularly enjoyed the part at :25 where you dive out of the way. LOL'd.

I agree with Chris, the only difference between you and I is that I would not have had the guts to upload it to the interwebs.

Can't wait to see round two!

[Taky Cheung]

hahah! thanks! It's good to be able to laugh at one self. and I did just that. I also posted it in YouTube comment that was more operator error. I have seen really good Phantom footage. So I know the problem is me. I need more time to practice that for sure.

It was also stupid to stand in front of it during take off.. for obvious reason :)

I uploaded one just to show my friends how it turns out. Then my friends laughed so bad about it and ask me to put some dramatic music behind. and I did just that too :)

[Chuck Spaulding]

Originally Posted by Taky Cheung

hahah! thanks! It's good to be able to laugh at one self. and I did just that. I also posted it in YouTube comment that was more operator error. I have seen really good Phantom footage. So I know the problem is me. I need more time to practice that for sure.

It was also stupid to stand in front of it during take off.. for obvious reason :)

I uploaded one just to show my friends how it turns out. Then my friends laughed so bad about it and ask me to put some dramatic music behind. and I did just that too :)

Loved your sense of humor. Keep practicing, they're not that difficult to fly and can be a lot of fun. Also you might need to adjust your expectations a bit, its one thing to be good at flying them and another to get good aerial video but it starts with a lot of practice.

Originally Posted by Paul Wags

Great start, lol
Got one over here too, here is flight number 5.
Had it on attitude mode.
Gopro 2, waiting on parts to put a 2 axis gimbal on with with anti vibration.
They are certainly fun to fly :-)

Cairns Redlynch Quadcopter DJI Phantom Flight #5 - YouTube

Paul, great video. Obviously not your first time flying an RC. Sorry for sounding negative but by flying directly over those kids your putting a lot of faith in DJI. DJI's are certainly more accessible, easier to fly than most multirotors but they're probably the most unreliable as well. They have had a lot of issues with their props, ESC's and motors failing.

Be careful and fly these things as though you know they're going to crash.

[Craig Chartier]

Its one thing to just buy a cool RC and go play around with it, flying over the trees, flying over the car, chasing the cat,,,

One of the great things about this new forum is that its about guys discussing getting the shot. Its much harder to fly point to point and do it over and over for the producer until you hit the open window on the 2nd floor just right.

When, and not IF, the FAA finally gets the rules up and going, it will be the guys that spent hours getting their RC out of the trees that will be first to the bank with a check for services.

The Phantom is a great trainer. and will help you get up to the next level.

The earlier post about simulators will also help get your stick fingers in shape. You can always hit the reset and it wont cost you any more money.

[Jody Arnott]

I'm into RC flying as a hobby, and I'm seriously looking at buying one of these. It would be a great way to get that unique shot that sets your video apart from the rest.

For people looking to get into flying these, I'd recommend Phoenix Sim. It's a bit more expensive than most, but the realism and graphics are unmatched by others sims in my opinion.

You can buy it bundled with a controller to use, which can also be used to fly Parkzone/E-flite planes and helis when you inevitably get addicted to the hobby ;)

RUNTIME GAMES LTD Phoenix R/C Pro Simulator V4.0 w/DX5e Mode 2 (RTM40R5510) | Horizon Hobby - Radio Control R/C Planes, RC Airplanes, RC Helis and Helicopters, RC Cars, RC Trucks, RC Truggys, RC Boats, RC Radios, RC Engines, parts, hop-ups, and acces

My point is that you really can't just pick up one of these things and expect to be able to fly it. It's definitely a skill, it takes a lot of practise, and the cheapest way to achieve that is by using a simulator.