Hey guys,
So I just got a DJI Air 3S and have launched it about five times now. On my last takeoff, I noticed the camera/gimbal was shaking A LOT when the motors started. Looked it up and realized it’s because I didn’t unfold the propellers beforehand, which caused some serious imbalance and vibration.
Do you think I messed up anything—motors, gimbal, or camera? Or are these things built tough enough to handle it?
I’ve literally never unfolded mine manually and never had an issue.
Reese said:
I’ve literally never unfolded mine manually and never had an issue.
What drone are you using?
I had a Mini 2 and never had any problems, but I read that Mini props are looser and spin more freely. The Air 3 and 3S props seem stiffer and kind of stick together when folded, so I guess that’s why it vibrates so much when not unfolded first.
I have an Air 2S and almost never unfold the props. I just let them spin at idle for a second before takeoff. No issues, still using the original props.
Davis said:
I have an Air 2S and almost never unfold the props. I just let them spin at idle for a second before takeoff. No issues, still using the original props.
Good to know, maybe I don’t need to stress so much 
My Mavic 3 used to vibrate like crazy if I didn’t unfold the props, so now I just do it out of habit for all my drones.
Kameron said:
My Mavic 3 used to vibrate like crazy if I didn’t unfold the props, so now I just do it out of habit for all my drones.
Yeah, I get kinda OCD about new stuff, so now I’m overthinking if I might’ve messed up the internals of the gimbal/camera with all that shaking.
Are you talking about unfolding the arms or the actual propellers?
I’ve never unfolded the props manually on my Air 2S or 3S. They should spread out on their own due to centrifugal force. If yours aren’t, maybe there’s an issue with the props and you should swap them out.
@Tan
Yeah, I meant unfolding the actual propellers. They do spread out on their own, but when they start folded, the initial rotation causes a lot of vibration and stress on the motors.
Apparently, DJI recommends unfolding them before launching to avoid that. I was just worried I might’ve done some damage, but it looks like a lot of people don’t even bother and haven’t had issues.
It’s always best practice to unfold the props before takeoff to avoid what you experienced. As a Canadian, I have to follow written operating procedures, and this is part of my pre-flight checklist.
That said, I wouldn’t stress too much about damage. If your Air 3S only had extreme vibrations for a few seconds, the risk of harm is minimal. Just to be safe, do a test flight—hover at eye level for about a minute and watch for any weird behavior. You should be fine!
@Hux
Thanks! I’ll take it out tomorrow and watch the gimbal closely. 
Eden said:
@Hux
Thanks! I’ll take it out tomorrow and watch the gimbal closely.
If there’s a gimbal issue, you’ll notice right away. DJI drones have solid sensors—heck, if you change an ND filter while it’s on, you’ll get a ‘gimbal overload’ warning. You should be all good, my friend. Happy flying! o7
DJI probably designed these to handle normal use cases, but manually unfolding the props might help reduce stress on the motors.
Bigger question—why didn’t your props fling out easily? Are they stiffer than normal?
@Oaklee
They’re not super stiff, but definitely firmer than my Mini 2’s.
I have an Air 3S and never unfold mine.
At first, I thought you meant you took off without unfolding the arms, and I was like ‘WHAT?!’ 