The The Phantom FC40 Quadcopter is based on the same platform as the original DJI Phantom and features a detachable first-person view (FPV) camera with MicroSD recording as well as a 6-Channel, 5.8GHz Transmitter (TX). It is designed to get you started flying and capturing aerial video, the only additional piece of hardware required being your smartphone or other mobile device running iOS or Android.

The FPV camera has a native resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels at 30 fps. It features its own 2.4GHz Wi-Fi transmitter that beams a low-latency, WQVGA resolution (400 x 240 pixels) video feed to a mobile device up to 328' feet line-of-sight away, depending on conditions. Because the transmitter for the FC40 operates on 5.8GHz, there is no danger of the camera's Wi-Fi causing harmful interference. The camera records video internally to a MicroSD/MicroSDHC memory card, and supports capacities up to 64GB.

As with several other DJI quadcopters, the FC40 uses the Naza-M V2 flight control system to maintain flight stability and provide assisted flying features. Out of the box, the FC40 comes configured with two GPS flight modes, GPS Mode and GPS Attitude Mode. GPS Mode will probably be preferred by beginners as it provides the greatest autopilot redundancy and also holds the aircraft in a fixed hover whenever you release the controls, automatically compensating for drift and light wind. Additional functionality can be unlocked using the Naza Assistant Software for desktop computers running Windows only.

This version of the FC40 ships "ready-to-fly", meaning that a 6-channel, 5.8GHz transmitter is included and pre-bound with the aircraft, and that only minimal assembly is required. The tranmitter is configured by default to "Mode 2". Mode 2 is considered the most popular in the U.S., but may be less familiar to pilots from other countries. As with any multi-rotor system, before flying the Phantom FC40 you will still need to follow all of the proper calibration steps and ensure adequate GPS connectivity for the Naza flight control system to operate correctly.