Buying and Flying the DJI Phantom Quadcopters

By Craig Issod

Note - this book covers all models leading up to the new Phantom 3 quadcopters (current model) - and touches on the newer models.
Many readers will want to download our newer book on the Phantom 3 (Buying and Flying the DJI Phantom 3 Quadcopter) or our best seller on Getting Started with Hobby Quadcopters and Drone (same author).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Craig Issod
• Release date: Oct 22, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311725301

Craig Issod

18: Worked at Macrobiotic restaurant–Learned Nutrition and Cooking 20: Worked at Soy Dairy, exploring the uses and production of Soy milk and other soy products. Instrumental in the development of first Soy yogurt and Soy based ice creams 21: Vice President of demolition and salvage operation-Tore down and salvaged homes, barns and factory buildings (up to five stories). Sold recycled materials. 22-23: Learned carpentry and construction, worked on crew building houses, etc. 23-28: Started and operated successful remodeling company. 26-45: Started and operated Alternative Energy Business including stoves, Solar and conservation. Sold Business in 1998. 33-35: Bought and operated Wood stove manufacturing business- Learned the cast-iron foundry business as well as other aspects of metalworking. 35-40: Bought and operated importing and marketing company that sells Central Heating products. Visited Denmark twice. Introduced new products to the market successfully. Developed marketing and sales programs. Wrote Technical Manuals. 38-41: Invented and Patented new product–Manufactured and marketed same with first year sales exceeding projections. Sold business in 1998. 40-48: Created Hearth.com, a top rated site on the Internet. Also created many web sites for clients inside and outside the hearth industry. 48-58: Continuation of work on multiple projects – received patent for hearth and chimney related apparatus. Sold chimney company and patents. Hearth.com traffic (yearly) passed 3 million readers. 58-60+: Hearth.com hits new records – becomes larger than such well known web sites as ZipCar, The North Face, Brookstone and many others. 2014 – Hearth.com sold to willing buyer who intends to further develop the site! 2013-2014 – CHI Associates starts new web site for drone (quadcopter) beginners which already has over 150,000 pages read monthly. Two Amazon ebooks and print books related to the drone site have become best-sellers – #1 and #2 in the category. Non Profit, Volunteer and Teaching Work One of my non-profit projects involved setting up a complete computer lab and network at the Boys and Girls Club of Burlington County (NJ). We got Steve Wozniak (The Woz), a founder of Apple Computer, to help with the first donation for the project! I also volunteered as an advisor, teacher and trainer at Hopework ‘N Camden, an org that teaches technology to disadvantaged youth in Camden, NJ. Subjects that I taught include digital video, digital photography and PHP/MySql programming. In 2014 I did a “drone camp” at Hopeworks, where an introduction to aerial robotics was given.

Book preview

About the Author

By any method necessary, Craig has been attempting to leave the confines of Mother Earth since childhood. From Model Rocketry to Balsa Scale Models, his early attempts succeeded in sending large payloads, including live mice, into near space. In his adult life, he first tried CB Radio with pirate channels, then Ham Radio with vast antenna arrays on his rooftop. Finally he found the promised land of Compuserve (1986), AOL (1988) and the Internet (1994 on).

Along the way, he developed and sold various alternative energy products, wrote technical manuals, obtained two patents, founded major web sites and, along with his spouse of 40+ years, raised three children. Craig founded the popular Droneflyers.com web site and regularly tests and reviews quadcopters, cameras and other related accessories. His first book, Getting Started with Hobby Quadcopters and Drones, quickly became a best-seller and garnered rave reviews.

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Here’s what readers are saying about this book

This is a well-written introduction to the Phantom Quadcopters. The author has obviously spent a lot of time with this product, and a lot of time sharing his experiences. The author writes well, and has done a good job editing this book and making it readable and fun

If you plan on buying a phantom, this is a must read

This book is well written and tells you everything you need to know about these amazing flying machines in order to make an informed decision as to which one to buy and how to use it."

This guide does exactly what it says it does: gives readers enough information to get started with DJI Phantom quadcopters, in a short, clear, concise, and well-organized way

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If you or your friends are just getting started in this thrilling hobby, be sure to check out our beginners book Getting Started with Hobby Quadcopters and Drones. It’s available on Amazon in ebook or paperback form.

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Introduction

The DJI Phantom Quadcopters represent a major milestone in the adoption of consumer level drones. This is an Aerial Robot that, just a few short years ago, would have been impossible to build. Similar vehicles have been built in the last few years, but they are usually in kit form and can require time, patience and mechanical skills.

DJI Phantoms are sold Ready to Fly (RTF) complete with transmitter, advanced navigation and software control and the ability to lift high quality video and still cameras. This book will introduce the reader to the various Phantom models and their capabilities as well as their limitations. Operation, safety, accessories, modifications and maintenance will also be discussed.

Who is this book written for?

This book is designed as an educational resource and a guide to help beginning flyers make an intelligent purchasing decision. Those just entering the pursuit will learn all the basics - and more. However, if you are already experienced with R/C flying or quadcopters, you are probably familiar enough with the DJI products to research them online and make an informed choice.

If you have never flown a quadcopter or other R/C craft, it may help to start at the beginning with our other book "Getting Started with Hobby Quadcopters and Drones", available on Amazon in ebook and paperback form. Practice makes Perfect and it’s better to crash and lose a couple $40 quadcopters during your learning experience than to lose your precious DJI Phantom.

Who should consider a DJI Phantom Quadcopter?

DJI markets the Phantom as a flying camera and it’s true that video and still photography drive many to consider this model. However, there are other uses which some may consider. Here is a list of some possibilities:

1. Video - creative uses as well as inspection of structures

2. Still photography - creative uses as well as inspection

3. Aerial Mapping - stitching photos and/or using other sensors

4. Small agricultural inspection/sensing

5. Technology Demo, Education and Experiments

6. Aerial piloting education in GPS, Orientation and more

7. Gotta Have it Gadget - add to your tech collection

8.Just plain fun! Lift a scary costume decorated with LED lights on Halloween or mimic a UFO for an evening flight.

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See things from a new perspective

Use of Terms and Basic Definitions

We will use the terms drone, quad and quadcopter interchangeably, drone being the common use in the news media while quadcopter is more descriptive of the Phantom models. Not all drones are quadcopters - quadcopters have 4 propellers, while some drones have 6 or 8. There are also winged drones with one or more propellers.

A more accurate name might be UAVs, which stands for unmanned aerial vehicles. Some use the term aerial robots or autonomous in their descriptions, indicating the drone may have more advanced capabilities, such as flying a pre-programmed flight path (called waypoints) without operator input or control.

We will start with only a few definitions - a more complete glossary is at the end of