DJI Phantom 2 Vision Plus

The DJI Phantom 2 Vision Plus arrived this past weekend after 3 weeks of anticipation.  Amazon had indicated that it would be available on April 25th but that date came and went with no new updates until May 13th when they announced a new delivery date of the 16th.

Unboxing the DJI Phantom 2 Plus

As you can see by the picture, the packaging was very well done and somewhat reminiscent of Apple products.  The quad is basically ready for flight other than charging some batteries and attaching propellers.

Total setup time was about 1 hour but this was due to reading the manual, downloading and configuring the iPhone application and setting up the wireless.

My biggest hurdle was the compass calibration and after my 5th try I was finally able to get it to complete the process successfully.  What I learned was that I wasn't able to hold the quad stable enough, by hand, to complete the calibration.  The unit needs to stay on a smooth flat surface with slow deliberate motion while completing the various rotations required.  After reviewing the manual, this will make more sense.

I had initially planned to remove the camera before my first flights but after it arrived I discovered that it was all but integrated into the quad.  I'm sure it can be removed but it requires removing the plastic clips on the gimbal which are not reusable.  In the end I decided to do a very brief hover test and then determine if removal would be necessary.

Charging took 40 minutes to complete on the flight battery.  I also had a second battery that I began charging immediately there after.  Both arrived with about 50% charge which is a typical practice when storing lipoly batteries.  The Wireless Range Extender required about 2 hours to complete its charge, but this could have been due to the usb charger that I was using.

Essentially, 2 hours from unpacking, the Phantom 2 was ready for flight.  The madden voyage was simply amazing.  I've been an RC pilot for 20 years and have never experienced a maiden flight quite like this before.  The DJI flight controller lived up to all the hype.  It was extremely stable and hovered easily and consistently while I gained some experience with the controls and movement.  Within a few minutes I was transversing between my neighbors yards and up the street a 1/2 block.

Snap Shot from the Phantom 2 Vision Plus (~100ft)

I then took it up to approximately 100 feet and shot some beautiful video footage of the neighborhood and surrounding area.  Since this was video footage and not still photo's, I took a few screen shots to share.  The video quality is superb and the the DJI gimbal provided excellent stability through out the flight.

After several flights, I installed the software on an iPad and allowed my children and neighbors to experience FPV flight.  To say they were impressed is an understatement.  If it weren't for the steep sticker price (not to say it isn't worth it), I likely could have sold several on the spot.  It was very addicting and I ended up flying right up to dusk and maybe a hair later.

The following day I was able to test the "return home" function.  Obviously nervous about simply turning off the transmitter and "seeing" what happens, I found a large unoccupied area and performed the test.  I first flew out 30 feet from my starting location and positioned the quad 2 feet off the ground.  I then initiated the return home function by turning off power on the transmitter.  The iPhone app quickly responded stating that connection from the transmitter to the quad had been lost, and then a few seconds later it reported "returning home".  The quad then smoothly raised to about 35-40 feet AGL and proceeded back to the starting point.  Once returning it continued to hover at altitude for approximately 30 seconds and then descended to the ground and shutdown completely.

This test was repeated several times along with the steps to recover control mid way, which worked just as the manual described.  During these tests, the GPS was accurate to within 2-4 feet each time.  I had read about this feature, but seeing is believing.  Simply amazing!

I have a greater appreciation for the craftsmanship and expertise that has gone into the flight controller and design of the Phantom 2.  I would give it 2 thumbs up without hesitation and I highly recommend the vision plus version due to the outstanding picture quality and ease of use.  The iphone/ipad application was top notch in my opinion and deserves more than the 2 stars the app store had it rated at.

Battery life is the only minor draw back.  I typically saw 18-20 minutes of flight.  DJI reports 25 minute flight times but this must be indoors, zero wind and hovering.  Regardless, 20 minutes is still very reasonable.

I'm now anxiously awaiting the firmware release that allows the use of their Ground Station (GS) software, as it provides another unique view and control of the system via way points.