Ditched into a river

[AwfulPilot]

Hi all,

A new Phantom 3 Pro owner here. On my second ever flight I got a bit too bold and excited and ditched her into a river. (Yes, I'm hanging my head in shame)

I managed to get her out pretty after just a few seconds, so I'm hoping the damage is minimal. I opened the shell and let her dry for about 24 hours, plus another 10 hours fully submerged in rice.

I turned her on this evening just for a hover in the garden and she *seemed* fine. I'm hoping to get her out properly tomorrow if the weather is fine (far far far away from any water!).

Are there any standard checks I should be making before a flight to ensure everything is working as it should be? I'm still a bit baffled by all of the options in the software, and very nervous of the idea of it malfunctioning while in flight and crashing.

Many thanks in advance

 

[fordruid]

With propellers off, fire it up and try everything

 

[Ken Hanks]

After the bench test, take it out and keep it low and slow just to verify proper drone response and operation.

 

[snowghost]

Curious how it ditched. Battery too low?

 

[AwfulPilot]

Curious how it ditched. Battery too low?

Just an awful pilot! Too cocky, was hovering above a river. The drone seemed to start drifting towards one of the banks and I went to correct it, but realised (too late) that it was facing the opposite direction, so went straight into a bank. It flipped and fell in.

 

[snowghost]

Sorry to hear that. You'd definitely benefit from getting a toy drone to practice flying in different orientations. My little Syma X5C has helped out immensely and is very durable. It's had many a crash and keeps on going.

 

[Draco]

Just make sure you do not pull both sticks down and in or out. This is the dreaded CSC command that will make it drop like a stone. There are videos and posts about what not to do and you may want to get familiar with how most crashes happen before you have another.

 

[AwfulPilot]

Just make sure you do not pull both sticks down and in or out. This is the dreaded CSC command that will make it drop like a stone. There are videos and posts about what not to do and you may want to get familiar with how most crashes happen before you have another.

Thanks for the advice. I've been reading about the CSC issue on the forums and it's been worrying me since.

Managed a few successful flights today so starting to feel a bit more confident. However, I've been keeping it close to me for now. I'm finding it hard to judge how far away it is. I can send the drone up to what FEELS like *very* high, only to find from the logs that it only went 35m high!

Here's todays flight:

 

[alokbhargava]

Also when over waters, maintain a minimum height of 12-15 feet so that you are under full GPS control.

 

[m0j0]

Very cool video. Seems like only thing damaged was your pride. Lessons learned..Keep flying.

 

[Draco]

Beautiful scenery and he found Dorothy and toto.

 

[R2-D2]

To avoid and accidental CSC while descending. I have my left stick going down and the right stick usually going slightly up. So it comes down and at an angle, and not just straight down to avoid any issues.

 

[Draco]

Don't worry about the CSC. Just be mindful of it. When descending I usually have my thumb hover above the right stick. That is outward from the controller.

 

[doomclam]

Here's todays flight:

Very nice. I particularly like the silhouette shot near the end with the person on the hill. I'd suggest getting some PolarPro filters to cut down on the glare and sunspots you're picking up.
Polar Pro DJI Phantom 3 Professional / Advanced Filter P5001 B&H

 

[Droneted]

When I get anything electronic wet I use silica gel. Way better than rice and u can reuse it. They use it to dry flowers etc. good stuff.

 

[JustinJ]

Welcome Awful!

Are you in the UK? (if so, where?)

Also, I'm liking the soundtrack.. what is it please?