DJI S900/GH4 First Timer

[Stratifier]

Hi All, I'm now qualified on the Phantom 2, and my S900/GH4 is finally available and ready for delivery during the week.
I have never flown anything else than my P2 and I am a bit nervous about sending £8500 in the air...
Is there any crucial recommendations before pushing up the throttle stick? and after as well? What should expect once airborne?
Config is:
S900/Wookong/Z15 GH4.
2cams/2operators/2Futaba(14G) (8J)
I will collect it from the supplier, and will have a training/best practice session on the day, but I'm greedy for information, and the more I can gather now the less stressed I will be.

What feeling do you get compared to the quad?
Also, the remote cameraman comes with me to test the GH4. Is it reasonable to install the cam for the first flights?

Thanks.
S

 

[RCJardin]

I have a thought that if it was me it would be best to just fly the machine first with perhaps a dummy weight on it to get the feel of things.

 

[PCMAerial]

+1^

I would personaly take off that gimbal/camera for the first few flights. Keep the same weight to tune gains, get comfortable. Then add your gimbal and fine tune gains. Enjoy!

 

[Quinton]

I would take not of your gains that it is already set up with, if it has cam/gimbal, then remove it

Depends what Flight Controller you have on there, but personally I would fly it for at least 20 flights to get used to it.
You will probably find it easier to fly than your phantom as it will hold better in wind, the hardest part will be taking off and landing, maybe best to pump it right up in the air, as sometimes it will look as though its not going to take off straight.
If it an A2 I would certainly put a lot of flight time in first without camera/ gimbal.

According to DJI the gains for the s900 should be as below..

With the A2 flight controller:
Basic: Roll 110%, Pitch 110%, Yaw 120%
Attitude: Roll 220%, Pitch 220%, Vertical 120%

With the WooKong-M flight controller:
Basic: Roll 160%, Pitch 160%, Yaw 160%
Attitude: Roll 190%, Pitch 190%, Vertical 100%

 

[Av8Chuck]

Depends on how much you can afford to lose, but if all you've flown is a P2 then I'd recommend you build a moderate sized quad to try different motors, props and controllers and really learn how to build, repair and fly.

Otherwise there's a high probability that you will become a statistic like a lot of other DJI users scratching their heads making excuses as you pick up the pieces.

 

[Efliernz]

Depends on how much you can afford to lose, but if all you've flown is a P2 then I'd recommend you build a moderate sized quad to try different motors, props and controllers and really learn how to build, repair and fly.

Otherwise there's a high probability that you will become a statistic like a lot of other DJI users scratching their heads making excuses as you pick up the pieces.

Spot on there!!!

People underestimate the value of experience when going from toy-size Phantoms to large machines. It's worth while building a 3 Kg machine just as an experience builder. It doesn't even need a gimbal... but it will let you learn the different handing required on larger machines as well as the physical engineering and maintenance techniques. Also - spend less time in gps mode and lots of time manually flying.

Just my 2c worth...

Pete

 

[Quinton]

It's worth while building a 3 Kg machine just as an experience builder. It doesn't even need a gimbal... but it will let you learn the different handing required on larger machines as well as the physical engineering and maintenance techniques.

Pete

I agree yes, and no.
There is nothing wrong with learning slowly from a machine that someone with more building experience has made.
Its a bit like saying to a racing driver, you can only drive this thing if you know how to build it.

In-experienced people can learn quite a bit from a well built machine, rather than learning from their own mistakes which can be very costly.
If you can fly a phantom well I think you can fly a heavier machine pretty good too, I have seen a lot of people turning their noses up at phantom users, but at the end of the day if you can control one well, there is not a big difference in a bigger one, like I said earlier it can be just as easy.
As long as you understand its capabilities of what it can and can't lift then I think that is more important.
I'm not saying its not a good idea to build your own machine, it certainly is...when you have learned how to do it properly over time, probably with help from users in this forum.

 

[Carapau]

Im with Quinton on this. I think you will learn the S900 easily enough. It's certainly good advice to de-risk the first few flights by using a dummy weight. Im not sure who will be doing the intro but if they are worth anything they will have you flying it with a sensible amount of confidence in no time. All I would say is just don't rush anything. Take it slow as slow is pro! Dont rush the flights and hold back on what you can do with your Phantom. Best of luck.

 

[Stratifier]

Thanks for your replies, even if some are not very optimistic!
That reminds me when I started riding motorbikes, I was more or less advised by some to go through all the range of engines progressively... I take it on board and I appreciate that things don't come in a snap! but this is not going to happen. What I'd like to learn from experienced people is what behaviour I am going to get when I start flying... Is it as reliable and forgiving as a P2? What about inertia? taking its *** off the ground? Is it able to manage its higher weight easily or is it a problem? What about reactivity?

I know it's a lot of questions!

Thanks Quinton and Carapau, confidence is what I need to get!

 

[Av8Chuck]

This is not like moving up the food chain in engine size, your flying basically the same controller, move the throttle to 50% and it takes off. The size and weight don't really change the characteristics that much. However, if all you've flown is a P2 then you probably don't have much experience on what to do when it gets pear shaped. I'm not saying you have to build a lot of MR's but at least one would be good. Regarding the anology of driver vs mechanic, a DJI is no race car arguably not even that well built.

 

[Ronan]

I flew my P2 for a few month's before going to bigger craft. Got a 800mm and flew that a lot then went to the S900. It's true i set up the 800mm myself and i learned a lot of the DIY/mechanical/electronic side of it. Meaning i can built/fix/tune it myself without having to pay someone to do it. This forum is a ridiculous amount of help too

I now have 3 S900's and even a X8 i'm working on.

The key is to fly, fly, fly and then fly. Also fly in different places, different modes, different weather conditions. You learn a lot. It's also very important to research on the internet, so you can catch things from other people's mistake (or advice's).

The S900 A2 is a great machine, just go through the regular pre-flight check list and make sure it's balanced properly (or else it will bounce around in the wind). Watch out for tall grass, it can make landing/take off a bit finicky.

 

[Tahoe Ed]

I consulted with a builder for a pilot that had never flown a multi-rotor. He took it up with the gimbal and camera in place, raised the landing gear and promptly bounced the gimbal off the ground twice. Remove the gimbal and replace it with some ballast for balance and fly as has been stated. The big thing is to understand what the builder did in setting up the Tx and mapping in the A2 and GCU for the gimbal. I fly slightly higher gains on Basic than DJI default. 145/145/150. It suits the way I fly.

 

[Stratifier]

I think I am going to ask the builder to set it up as normal and remove the gimbal. That will definitely change the behaviour but protect the most exposed and expensive parts...

 

[Ronan]

I think I am going to ask the builder to set it up as normal and remove the gimbal. That will definitely change the behaviour but protect the most exposed and expensive parts...

Doesn't hurt to have a good liability insurance too, even as a hobby

I remember some guy playing baseball in his backyard with his kid... one hit too strong and a bystander's corvette windshield needed replacing...

 

[Stratifier]

There are not so many corvettes passing in my street so it's safe.