That tree was a blessing in disguise- someone could have got seriously hurt had this crazy plan continued.
Bought a phantom 3, destroyed in 2 hours later - next steps?
- Thread starter Flyindubs
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. As has been mentioned, he crashes the drone through his own stupidity, and because of the payment method he used, he can claim a new one or a repair to the existing one. Now this guy can do this continuously until such times he either gets used to flying it properly (hopefully) or he damages something or someone else. He may be your next door neighbour ?? !!
Any of us could damage someone else's property at any time. This was not possible after your first few flights?
If you had that type of coverage and accidentally crashed your $1200, you would simply do without or spend $1200 out of your pocket rather then take someone up on their offer to replace it? Regardless, no need to judge someone else when it does not affect you in any way. Negativity that serves no purpose will make you a bitter person.
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Don't feel so sorry for VISA. They're not going to have to shut down their Manhattan offices because of this. Yep it was dumb.
Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.
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This post is the EXACT reason why we have some of the stupid rules and laws we do. Its time we have a national test BEFORE anyone can use a UAV
Two words: Driver's license.
Although I'm in favor of some basic UAV operator license, I am in no way believing that it will overcoming stupid.
Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped. -- Elbert Hubbard
Being in the UK, I do not know how your credit card purchase insurance works over the water.
But surely, the cover is limited to non delivery, accidental damage, faulty product etc. It cannot cover intended recklessness/stupidity?
But surely, the cover is limited to non delivery, accidental damage, faulty product etc. It cannot cover intended recklessness/stupidity?
First, welcome to the forum. I'd agree the "In the car and follow me" plan was flawed. I can't judge, because I
have had one or two bad judgement calls in my day... (That rocks and glass houses thing)
To answer the question put forth:
Upon getting the replacement Phantom 3 (regardless of how it is replaced) I would recommend NOT
using intelligent flight modes until you are well versed in flying the UAV manually. I say this because even IF
you switch to GPS mode in a pinch, you may still need to make flight adjustments on the quick, and you'll be
putting yourself at a serious disadvantage.
While 'training' you might consider using prop guards and a gimbal protector to defend against 'bad landings' and such.
I'm at about 20 flights now, and far from experienced, but my last flight was my first 'way point' flight using the litchi app, and
the flight plan was around the bases at a baseball diamond in the park... and NO there wasn't a game on at that time!
I'm glad I did this, because one of the altitude settings wasn't adjusted, and it shot up to 148 ft. I learned a valuable lesson,
but my Phantom 3 was safe, and no one else was in danger (just 2nd base). Under trees would've meant certain doom.
You'll see that flying slow and smooth is the best way to make good videos, and it's the safest way to fly.
Take registration with the FAA seriously (if you're in the U.S.), and fly within the safety rules and your abilities. Fly safe!
have had one or two bad judgement calls in my day... (That rocks and glass houses thing)
To answer the question put forth:
Upon getting the replacement Phantom 3 (regardless of how it is replaced) I would recommend NOT
using intelligent flight modes until you are well versed in flying the UAV manually. I say this because even IF
you switch to GPS mode in a pinch, you may still need to make flight adjustments on the quick, and you'll be
putting yourself at a serious disadvantage.
While 'training' you might consider using prop guards and a gimbal protector to defend against 'bad landings' and such.
I'm at about 20 flights now, and far from experienced, but my last flight was my first 'way point' flight using the litchi app, and
the flight plan was around the bases at a baseball diamond in the park... and NO there wasn't a game on at that time!
I'm glad I did this, because one of the altitude settings wasn't adjusted, and it shot up to 148 ft. I learned a valuable lesson,
but my Phantom 3 was safe, and no one else was in danger (just 2nd base). Under trees would've meant certain doom.
You'll see that flying slow and smooth is the best way to make good videos, and it's the safest way to fly.
Take registration with the FAA seriously (if you're in the U.S.), and fly within the safety rules and your abilities. Fly safe!
Lol this is kind of how insurance works. You buy a new car, drive off the lot into a brick wall, and then get a new car from insurance. There's really no reason to feel that bad about the insurance company. People who drive well will get annoyed though because insurance will go up for everyone if people are reckless.
In any case, seems a little odd that visa would cover anything like this but if they do, take the advice of folks here and learn slowly and build up your skills...
In any case, seems a little odd that visa would cover anything like this but if they do, take the advice of folks here and learn slowly and build up your skills...
My credit card's annual fee is $899 so I think I deserve the top tier purchase protection insurance, which I clearly have.
Kind of surprised at the attitude of some of the last few posts. My apologies if my drone accident has offended you.
Kind of surprised at the attitude of some of the last few posts. My apologies if my drone accident has offended you.
Insurance is insurance, you pay for it, use it. No qualms there.
However, using follow me mode from a car is a very complex manoeuvre that should only be attempted after at least a couple dozen of flight hours (if not more) under your belt.
My complaint isn't with your accident, I'm sorry your bird got damaged, it's with the attitude of attempting something way outside your skill level on one of your first flights. That is hubris, and in any activity that requires a large safety margin, hubris tends to be frowned upon. If you pull something like that in a manned aircraft, you'd be grounded, and probably ostracized from your local flight club.
Right now, there is a battle going on between liberty and legislation, vis à vis, drone laws. The community is trying to demonstrate that we can self regulate, and in doing so, hopes to prevent onerous external restraints.
Your behavior, and moreover, attitude, demonstrate the exact type of thing the government(s) wish to prevent with laws and additional restrictions. And to those of us who take safety seriously, it's a borderline slap in the face. Also, flaunting the fact that you are able to so easily replace your bird, may rub some people the wrong way. I'm very fortunate in my own personal financial security, so I could care less, but for many people these birds are a serious and not easily replaced investment.
Yes, I was perhaps a bit brisk in my first reply, which was not kind, and I apologize for that. However, these UAS are NOT toys, despite the fact they are largely sold as such. They are aircraft under FAA/CAA jurisdiction, and should be treated with due respect and deference. Otherwise, not only are you potentially endangering yourself and others, but you're working against all of us here who are responsible pilots, and wish to be treated as such.
Hope that makes some sense.
And if not, I welcome your further thoughts and feedback.
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Thanks for that -- I totally understand where you're coming from regarding not wanting to make the community look bad. To be honest that did not occur to me at all, I had no idea there was such a strong community behind drone flying, and had no idea there is so much current and pending regulation surrounding them. That being said, as silly as that makes me seem, that's going to be probably 70% of people buying drones, so I appreciate you taking the time to educate me about why experience matters (beyond not wasting money on breaking an expensive drone).
For the record, I live on a 10-acre property and was conducting the follow me test on that property. Not that that really helps my case but, at least I didn't do it out on a public road.
Hey, we all gotta start somewhere, and I'm sure everyone here has done something dumb. Ask any professional pilot and they'll have some story to tell you about something stupid they did that they learned from. We all learn from our mistakes, that's what makes humans humans.
And yes, the fact that so many people buying these UASs are unfamiliar with airspace rules/regulations is a big issue, and soon enough, there will probably be a requirement for ground school of some sort before you can even legally fly one. That's why in the USA for example, you now have to at a minimum register with the government before you can operate one.
Luckily, you don't need to pay big bucks or take a class to learn most of what you need to know.
But start small, and move up from there. Read compulsively, and learn from other's mistakes as well. Plus, common sense, and again, stay risk adverse when flying.
Listen, I'm a 27-year-old male. I'm lucky to spend a few weeks most summers driving way too fast in a sports car on windy Mediterranean roads. If I screw up a 30 mph turn on a hairpin with no guard rail, it's a 1,000 ft shear drop, and I'm toast. That's a risk I'm willing to take (sometimes). But when I drive with other people in the car, I drive like a grandma. That's the difference between my personal risk assessment and the risk assessment involving others.
These new drones are a "paradigm shift" and truly allow some novel things. That's why I love them.
But when you enter the public airspace, you're not just risking your own property, but the lives and property of others. And yes, while you're over your own territory and at low altitude, the risk to others is pretty much zero. But... You should get in the habit of considering every flight as an entry into public airspace and consider the risk scenario as such.
So, again, sorry for my harsher first comment, and all in all, I'm glad you joined the forum/community, and I hope you'll continue to fly and continue to learn.
Good/better luck with your next bird!
It is just that you are the poster boy for what everyone has feared would happen over the Christmas Holiday, get a drone and do no research at all not even study the manual or at least watch the DJI YouTube videos, just charge up the battery and flyyyyyyyyyyyy!!! Lol now imagine how many thousands of times your story will be repeated by all the other uneducated operators. READ THE MANUAL, WATCH THE VIDEOS, FOLLOW THE RULES AND LAWS!
Wow, that is a great huge private area for you to learn flying a quad. Not many people here have your privilege.
Still learn to fly the basic first, either with a cheaper learner quad or with your Phantom practise these manoeuvres as shown in this training guide: http://download.dji-innovations.com..._Vision_Plus_Pilot_Training_Guide_v1.1_en.pdf
Practise them regularly for a month or two, before you try those fancy intelligent flight modes.
Believe me, if you don't and you crash your second Phantom again due to your own silly antic, you are going to get slammed hard in this forum.
While I feel for your loss of your aircraft its not nice but and its a BIG but
that was quite a dumb thing to do without practicing first! I got mine for xmas like a few on here did and I am taking it so slowly, landing taking off 40+ times learning the capabilities of the machine flying in an open field without obstacles staying fairly low doing a few flying exercises over and over again to get familiar with the controls
and having said all that I too had a minor skirmish with an enemy bush! and crashed from a couple of feet in the air so no real damage but I learned from the experience you MUST treat this wonderful machine with great respect, it can come and bite you on the *** very easily if you are not very well practiced
that was quite a dumb thing to do without practicing first! I got mine for xmas like a few on here did and I am taking it so slowly, landing taking off 40+ times learning the capabilities of the machine flying in an open field without obstacles staying fairly low doing a few flying exercises over and over again to get familiar with the controls
and having said all that I too had a minor skirmish with an enemy bush! and crashed from a couple of feet in the air so no real damage but I learned from the experience you MUST treat this wonderful machine with great respect, it can come and bite you on the *** very easily if you are not very well practiced
I think buddy the general feeling amongst most on here is that 'recklessness' is what gets this hobby a bad reputation and if people don't respect the machines, learn its capabilities and fly safe its going to get everyone 'tarred with the same brush' and more and more restrictions will be enforced by the various governments and DJI in firmware updates. I think that you have learned a valuable lesson both out in the field and on here folks are on the whole sympathetic in my experience.
Wow.. so much hate in this thread because the poor guy crashed his new 'toy'. Sheesh folks, get over yourselves.
Hence why I came back and gave a more measured response than my first. Though sadly, people seemed to "like" my first post more.
Point is, the P3 is not a toy, regardless if it's sold as such or not.
And I think it's clear the OP gets that and also gets why people were annoyed.
Nuff said.
And that is a problem here people think they are perfect the guy hit a tree not a person he was not flying in the path of a plane . You know how many times I hit a tree in the past 20 years ? It happens you learn from your mistakes . As far as we know he had a spotter in the car just go to the vid section of the forum see the vids where people are doing follow me in a car . He had a crash we are here to help not bash a guy the had a whoops moment in his yard
I bought and learned to fly a P3P. Then I bought a Syma X5c-1. The Syma isn't anything like flying the P3.
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