That is an odd title for a post so let me explain myself. I need a bunch of batteries right away. I was planning on going up to Seattle on a shoot to avoid the hazmat charge for shipping because it would nearly cover the cost of another pair of batteries. I found some Tattu batteries on Amazon that look like they would work if I swapped out the connectors. Able Cine does not have any in stock. Is there any place in SF (Bay Area) that might have them in stock? Has anyone had any bad experiences with 3rd party batteries? Now on to the first flight. I have a bunch of hours with a Mavic Pro and a Phantom 4 Pro but zero experience with the Alta. Is flying the Phantom 4 in sport or attitude mode anything like flying the Alta? I'm mostly concerned with takeoff in the Skyview mode. My first jobs are going to be all Skyview and the Alta is awfully unstable on that tiny inverted landing gear. I have looked at a few flight simulators and they look a bit flakey but if someone has one that they like I will gladly take another look. I would also be interested in going out with another Alta pilot in Northern CA to pick up a few pointers or even take a class. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. P.S. I wondered how often you disconnect the configuration jumper to set things up. If you had to do that in the field it seems like installing a switch may be a good idea. Those little screws would be awfully hard to find if you dropped them in the woods.
Rick: Third party batteries are OK to use with the ALTA. You may not get the same useful charge out of them, nor the same number of charge cycles, but I would not hesitate to use batteries like MaxAmps, or Tattu if you cannot get FF's own. The Mavic and Phantom are like sports cars compared to the ALTA which is like a Rolls Royce. That's not to disparage either, but the Mavic and Phantom have less mass in motion so seem more twitchy or maneuverable (depending on your point of view), compared to the ALTA -- the extra mass of the ALTA and payload make it seem far more stable in the air. Flying in Skyview certainly could mean landing on the smaller battery pack, but I'm not aware of anyone who has had difficulties with that -- I've not heard of any tip-overs. It sounds like you have had some flight experiences that differ from mine -- did you find the Skyview configuration "awfully unstable?" I think other forum members would benefit from your experiences. Provided that you don't crank the ALTA hard nose-down/nose-up/nose left/nose right I've not found flying in Skyview significantly different from non-Skyview flying. Obviously the ALTA cannot defy the laws of physics when it comes to its center of gravity, though. If you anticipate the need for installing/removing the configuration jumper, just take all the screws off, stuff them into a small plastic bag, and put them somewhere safe, then tape the access cover on with gaffer tape. It's clearly not a permanent solution -- and I only chose to do it once when I was testing. I have really not needed to change the configuration out on location. I would encourage you to get some flight hours in with the ALTA in normal (non-Skyview) before you put the aircraft, the MoVI, the camera, the glass, and your underwear at risk of serious damage. As I'm sure you realize the ALTA is in a different league to the Mavics and Phantoms and I would be remiss if I did not encourage you to get one or two flight hours "on type" before flying in Skyview.... Apologies in advance if it sounds like I'm sounding like an aging relative or parent, though....I just hate seeing postings of the form "I crashed my ALTA and trashed my MoVI...." Andy Forensic Software & sUAV / Drone Analyst : Photographer : Videographer : Pilot (Portland, Oregon, USA): Trees=2, Ground=1, Props=11. The Ground Is The Limit™ ---------- Forensic Drone Analyst : Forensic sUAV Analyst : Forensic Unmanned Aircraft Analyst : Forensic Drone Expert Forensic Software & sUAV / Drone Analyst : Photographer : Videographer : Pilot (Portland, Oregon, USA): Trees=2, Ground=1, Props=11. The Ground Is The Limit™ ---------- Forensic Drone Analyst : Forensic sUAV Analyst : Forensic Unmanned Aircraft Analyst : Forensic Drone Expert