Hi Guys

Hi MM.just picked up phantom fc40...errected it in my car.needs charging up.....charged up the camera from my cigarette lighter..Camera works ok with my samsung s3 android.......will try it out in the morning on the way to work.......what is the procedure when starting off for the first time.......is there anything I should read up on to get into flying......should I join a flying club......Any advice would be very welcome.....cheers. 4 props. From Hull.uk
 
For your first flights, find someplace away from people, buildings, poles and especially TREES. (quadcopters love trees) I'm pretty sure the FC40 has a flight mode that keeps track of where you are, so provided you don't move, the flight controller will automatically flip left, right, forward and back to "head-in" flight is the same as head-away flight.

You'll still want to get comfortable with the response of the transmitter, so start in an open area.
 
Honestly - it's a lot nicer flying when it's not windy, but light to medium wind typically isn't an issue. If it gets heavy, I'll usually call it a day. If you're just starting out, definitely try to fly on days with as little wind as possible while you get used to the controls. Also, depending on your flight control board, things should be pretty stable, even in the wind for the most part... where you'll run into the most problems is being comfortable with knowing how much stick to give the copter when flying with or against the wind. It can make a huge difference sometimes. I had a buddy fly his copter over a river and since he was flying with the wind, he thought nothing of it. On the way back, he was flying into the wind and had to give it everything just to get back across. Since he didn't have a boat and there were no bridges near by, he couldn't just land it on the other side and walk over and pick it up, so it got pretty intense. That was in pretty heavy wind though.
 
Phew....thought you was gunna say he ditched it!.....alls well that lands well....is there a code you lads use say if its over 5mph you dont fly or do you simply take a chance....cheers 4 props.
 
Exactly - there are a lot of scary situations and close calls in the air... and then when you do drop $1000 in equipment from 100 feet in the air, it's no fun - but it's not as devastating as you think it would be. This hobby sucks you in and drains all your money! haha.

For me, there is no rule - especially because wind speeds change a lot. Sometimes you go outside and you know it's way too windy to fly and then others you start flying and a few gusts hit your copter when it's up in the air and you decide to bring it down and try again later. It's really more of a feel thing and what you're comfortable with. Like I said before - the control boards that are out now can handle wind very well. You see a lot of videos from the beach where guys fly out over the water - and even some videos of people wind surfing on lakes or in the ocean - and the video is very stable, so it's not really as big of a concern as you'd think - but when you're learning, it's definitely easier to not have to deal with wind.

Also, again - it depends on the board. If you're running something without a lot of automation features, like a KK board, you're doing a lot more of the flying and you don't really have a safety net. If you're using a higher end board, you'll often have a return to home or altitude/position lock feature. These are helpful if you get into trouble. I think that FC40 you got should have those features.

Edit: just checked and found this info:

The FC40 has two GPs-assisted flight modes for you to choose from. Of the two, GPS Mode is the most automatic. In GPS Mode the Quadcopter will stop as soon as you release the controls and stay hovering at a fixed horizontal and vertical position. This setting is the easiest to fly and is generally preferred for shooting video as the Quadcopter won't sway or drift because of light wind gusts.
Click to expand...

It does say light wind gusts though - so you may still need to assist it, but that's a lot better than having to try to stay at a good altitude manually AND adjust for wind.
 
No wind this morning, went to local football pitch, set up my fc40 and it flew like a dream.had 12 mins of flying time, achieved 3 good landings. Im getting into this now.....see what the weather is like tomorrow. Thanks for all the advice lads. Greatly appreciated.
 
Some people buy enough batteries to rotate them through a charger in their car, but flying continuously (apart from battery changes) may overheat components in the quad, and some quads have other things that need charging, like cameras.
If you're staying with the Phantom, three is fine, more is probably better. But you may find you want to branch out into a "sport" or racing quad and give the Phantom a rest now and then.
 
High Hugh...my idea of the phantom is simply to get some different camera angles and maybe sell the pics to estate agents etc etc. I must admit though im loving flying my fc40, getting slightly hooked on it......will keep you posted on my progress. Cheers. 4 props. Hull.
 
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