Is the DJI Innovations Phantom more reliable nowadays?

[Fly-catchers]

Starting to get sucked into trying some aerial filming!! And the Phantom/Gopro with the gimbal looks pretty impressive. But the horror stories of flyaways have stopped me from adding it to my basket!

Also still not clear what altitude flying mode is against full manual. As it seems the GPS mode is the one that causes all the issues. And also not clear how lawful they are for flying in the UK. As it seems as if its only when you charge for work shot with it that requires any regulations. So does just using common sense- keeping it well clear of people & property, the main requirment?

Any guidence gratefully received!!

cheers

bill

 

[David Saraceno]

The jury is still out on the cause of the flyaways. However, it seems that they are rare in comparison to the number of Phantoms in use.

Manual mode is the most difficult for new flyers to use -- sticks are very, very responsive, and the quad responds very quickly and is accelerated over ATTI or GPS mode.

ATTI has a self leveling feature, and GPS will hold the quad in space.

Regardless of whether you charge, you must keep the quad below a certain ceiling, and a certain distance away from airports, etc.

 

[Fly-catchers]

Thanks for your helpful reply. When flying how do you judge its height? As judging from some of the posted videos I would imagine the flyers could barely see the craft- let alone what the LEDs are indicating!!