Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4 – Part 5(this page)
Your First Flights- Orientation and Startup
New pilots will find it easier to learn by facing in the same direction as the Phantom while standing behind it. Using this orientation, the controls on the transmitter will feel more natural – that is, if you move the right stick forward, the Phantom will travel forward, etc.
If you have no familiarity at all with Quadcopters it is usually suggested that you fly some of the toy models first…just to get the basic idea of how things work. You can find more information in our beginners section.
Assuming you have calibrated the compass earlier, place the Phantom 3 on the ground in front of you with the nose facing away and go through the startup process of turning on the transmitter FIRST and then turning on the smart battery. The Phantom will sing a startup tune. Make certain the 3-way mode switch on your Transmitter is set to the right (P mode).
Open the DJI Go App (see: DJI Go App info for more) on your smart device (it should already be connected via USB to your Remote) and hit the Camera icon. This screen should display a yellow banner on the top which says Aircraft Warming Up. Within about 2 minutes it should turn green and display Ready to Fly (GPS). Check the map screen to make certain that your Phantom knows where it is – the triangle representing the aircraft should be at your current location. This is often referred to as the Home Point since it’s where your Phantom will fly back to if the RTH function becomes activated.
Starting and Stopping the Motors – IMPORTANT
Note – it it the author’s opinion that budding pilots should learn how to take off and land manually rather than using the automatic features. This will allow you to become a safer and more capable operator.