Am I F'd? 1st day, slow landing on grass, disaster!

[msinger]

Well I started a thread on the DJI forum.

Here's a link to the thread:
Safe Motor Shut Down

 

[GadgetGuy]

The CSC is useless for landing.

Well, to be fair, if executed in the air, CSC usually makes for a very quick landing!

 

[BayouBill]

Probably pulling back pitch and roll to right/left on the way to CSC is what causes the flip. You are momentarily calling for extreme pitch/roll/yaw and that would also explain the reason the motors momentarily speed up. But not going to test that theory. Obviously CSC does not belong in the landing procedure.

 

[Flyboy707]

Probably pulling pitch back and roll to right/left on the way to CSC is what causes the flip. You are momentarily calling for extreme pitch/roll and that would also explain the reason the motors momentarily speed up. But not going to test that theory. Obviously CSC does not belong in the landing procedure.

I fully agree.

I'm still waiting for a response from DJI/Reseller...

 

[Avocet]

CSC will turn off motors almost instantly, that's the purpose.
Lowering down the throttle stick need 3 sec to stop the motors.

Actually, I have seen a number of videos that reveal an interesting observation. CSC appears to have a second or so of a throttle up before the motors lose their power and spool down. This would quite possibly contribute to the disasters of using CSC as a method to land a near-to-the-ground-hovering AC. You can hear the motors/props momentarily spool up for a brief moment just before they commence shutdown.

 

[msinger]

You can hear the motors/props momentarily spool up for a brief moment just before they commence shutdown.

Yes, this does occur. You can reproduce it with your Phantom sitting on the ground with the props off. However, if the throttle is in the full down position, that spooling should not cause a tip-over.

 

[BayouBill]

The throttle up is caused by the op commanding FULL pitch/roll/yaw with the sticks as required by CSC. The only way to avoid it is by going full down throttle first. But then the CSC is unnecessary.

 

[Flyboy707]

Read the comments as well. Lots of people in the same boat and a few with outcomes exactly like mine.

 

[GadgetGuy]

2 years ago, during my maiden flight on my P2 V+ with prop guards installed, I landed on grass, and the manual recommended CSC shutdown tipped the aircraft over. Despite the prop guards, the tipover on grass caused the spinning props to make contact with the grass, and both props were destroyed. That was the last time I ever landed without handcatching!

 

[Tenly]

2 years ago, during my maiden flight on my P2 V+ with prop guards installed, I landed on grass, and the manual recommended CSC shutdown tipped the aircraft over. Despite the prop guards, the tipover on grass caused the spinning props to make contact with the grass, and both props were destroyed. That was the last time I ever landed without handcatching!

I guess I missed that part of the manual where it recommends a CSC as part of a normal landing. When did they add the ability to power down using the left stick straight down for 3 seconds? (Or has it also always been there?).

My first 5 flights, I used either the RTH or the auto-land functions from within DJI-Go. Since then, I usually use RTH to bring it back close, then cancel it when it's almost home and land manually - turning off the motors by continuing to hold down the left throttle for 3 seconds after it lands. I have never tried the catch and release but i suppose i should.

But my question is - under normal circumstances - why would anyone do anything other than the throttle down for 3 seconds?



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[Flyboy707]

Because the manual says you can and it's listed as Method 1 maybe?
That's why I did.
The manual states "Motors will stop immediately" when the CSC is performed. It's a pretty attractive option when you're a newbie.

PS. I have a P3P and it's in the latest version (v1.8) of the manual.

 

[msinger]

When did they add the ability to power down using the left stick straight down for 3 seconds? (Or has it also always been there?).

That has always been included in the Phantom 3 manual.

 

[Tenly]

That has always been included in the Phantom 3 manual.

Strange. The only thing that would have made sense to me was if at one point early on, the CSC shutdown was the ONLY way it could be done. If the other mechanism (left stick down 3 seconds) has always been available, it's baffling that DJI would even mention a CSC as a method to stop the motors during a normal landing. CSC should only have been mentioned in a "In case of emergency" section.

Is it even possible to shut the motors off with a CSC while on the ground without flipping over? I wouldn't want to try it - especially since it sometimes takes me 2 tries to START the motors with a CSC!


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[Tenly]

Because the manual says you can and it's listed as Method 1 maybe?
That's why I did.
The manual states "Motors will stop immediately" when the CSC is performed. It's a pretty attractive option when you're a newbie.

PS. I have a P3P and it's in the latest version (v1.8) of the manual.

I wasn't trying to imply that pilots are dumb for using the CSC method so apologies if that's the way my post sounded. I was implying that it's crazy for DJI to recommend it if there is a simpler, safer mechanism available.


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[msinger]

Is it even possible to shut the motors off with a CSC while on the ground without flipping over?

Yes -- but, it only works properly if done exactly as shown in the manual.

 

[Flyboy707]

I wasn't trying to imply that pilots are dumb for using the CSC method so apologies if that's the way my post sounded. I was implying that it's crazy for DJI to recommend it if there is a simpler, safer mechanism available.


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All good bud.
I agree, this whole thing has me absolutely flabbergasted that DJI can recommend a landing method that is so risky and obviously prone to failure. A big eye opener for me considering the calibre of machines we're using. Scrap Method 1 ASAP!

 

[Flyboy707]

Yes -- but, it only works properly if done exactly as shown in the manual.

I did, and it tipped over.

 

[msinger]

I did, and it tipped over.

I'm confused. Are you still claiming you had the throttle in the full down position before doing the CSC? Or, are you saying the manual is too vague and you did not understand how to perform the move?

I feel like we've been down this road already...

 

[Flyboy707]

Yes, we've been down this road.
It was a matter of interpretation as to the throttle position. No I didn't have it fully pushed down, but, they didn't specify to do this. Just that it be pushed down, which I did.
When it touched down, CSC was performed and it tipped.

 

[msinger]

Do you understand that you also must move both sticks to the corners to do a CSC (and not just move them toward the corners)? Perhaps that's why your motors did not stop after your Phantom tipped.