Fear...

[ppdrone]

First of all Happy New Year!

I have been on the forum for a few days. Learning a lot while I don't even have the Phantom yet.
I have ordered one and should get it by Friday.

BUT....reading some of the posts about the FAA, flyaways, and about the drone dangers I am starting to get cold feet and wonder if I should buy it or not!
Am really afraid of crashing it into someone or someones property, causing lots of damage and getting sued!

Am I the only one with this fear and am I exaggerating? ...and is this what every newbie feels?

What do you think?

 

[jiva]

I had these same fears.

I got over them very quickly once it arrived and I found how fun it was to fly.

Should you be careful? Of course you should. Just like when you drive your car, or if you engage in any kind of sports. Life is filled with risks... but if you don't take some risks, you never really live.

 

[Shrimpfarmer]

I felt exactly the same. Saw someone refer to the phantom in a post. Watched DJI's videos, got hooked and bought it. Then I found this place and learn't about the real world experience.

Then I learn't and understood enough to assess the risks properly. Then I relaxed and enjoyed the phantom. I reckon you will too in a short time. Having said that, don't even take it out of the packaging if you intend to return it. You could always buy another one later once things have totally calmed down. :twisted:

 

[skeyephantom]

You're not alone....I too am getting ready to order my Phantom and have some of the same misgivings. However, I think it depends on what you plan to do with your quad. Is this just personal use or are you going into business? This will be my first experience with a UAV. For me, I plan on starting an aerial photography/videography business, so I will need to consider this when buying insurance. I think a lot of what scares us is far fetched and like anything else, good common sense should prevent catastrophes. Set safe parameters for yourself. Go through your "what if" checklist before flying. And lets face it....what kind of damage could this quad do if it did crash. Chances are, the only damage would be to the quad itself.

I'm sure more experienced pilots will weigh in on this, but as for my opinion.....go for it.....the benefits and just the freakin' fun of this will outweigh the risks.

 

[ppdrone]

Thanks for the replies so far....
I see I am not the only one.

I will purely use it for fun, and to take some personal videos/photos.

The real fear is a flyaway and not knowing where it will end....and worse case scenario crashing into and hurting someone...

P

 

[Shrimpfarmer]

And lets face it....what kind of damage could this quad do if it did crash. Chances are, the only damage would be to the quad itself.

I'm sure more experienced pilots will weigh in on this, but as for my opinion.....go for it.....the benefits and just the freakin' fun of this will outweigh the risks.

I used to think that until I took it out of the box and installed the battery. I formed my opinion it could really hurt someone or dent a car the second I picked it up. This is a heavy machine and nothing like the small helicopters and quads you may have seen in the shops.

 

[HVMSTORMER]

You already have the right attitude by thinking and respecting what could happen. Take your time, use common sense and read my signature quote below from someone that was a lot more experienced than you or I. Fly safe and have fun.

 

[EMCSQUAR]

This will be my first experience with a UAV. For me, I plan on starting an aerial photography/videography business, so I will need to consider this when buying insurance. .

You might to want to read up on FAA rules re: using UAV for business/prfit

 

[jiva]

The real fear is a flyaway and not knowing where it will end....and worse case scenario crashing into and hurting someone...

I *think* that non-user caused flyaways are actually relatively rare on the current firmware.

By non-user caused, I mean flyaways that are caused strictly and exclusively by the craft just up and deciding it's going to zip off and fly back to china...

If you look at a lot of the videos of flyaways, you'll see there's a fair amount of user-error involved. Some things to consider, and keep in mind that will help you keep your flights reliable and safe:

1. ALWAYS allow your craft to warm up prior to flight. (Wait for flashing all greens!)
2. ALWAYS perform a compass calibration if you moved a long distance between flights.
3. Make sure you have updated the firmware and performed the software calibration prior to your first flight. (Do this regularly as well.)
4. Prefer "GPS" mode over other modes until you are very confident in your flying ability. ATTI and Home Lock and Course Lock can make the craft behave in illogical ways.
5. Realize that at a distance, it's *extremely* hard to tell what direction the craft is facing. As a result, you can easily find yourself flying it away from you when you thought it was flying toward you.
6. As a result of 6, Learn how to use Home Lock to get the craft to come back to you when you are disoriented.
7. Know that lots of things can interfere with radio and GPS signals. Taking off from atop a metal object, tree cover, even your hand over the GPS antenna, can all cause problems. Avoid these when calibrating and taking off.

Above all, have fun. You'll love it!

 

[LeoS]

One thing about PV... its (default) wifi range is much shorter than the control\tx range. So you would lose FPV signal much earlier than you'd lose the control signal.

I think this works in favour for inexperienced users (me included) as some sort of a leash :lol:

 

[CyberVet65]

I understand about the compass calibration. And why it is done. Does this procedure need to be done if all you do is change the battery for another flight?
Finally, what is the IMU???

 

[Peter Patricelli]

Personally I would suggest to you that fear of causing damage and getting sued is the LEAST valid reason for not getting and flying a Phantom. If you are thinking about it, then you will limit your flying to safe environments, away from crowds of people, away from densely populated neighborhoods, freeways, etc.

Just be cautious, careful, and responsible about your choices of where and when to fly. Study your bird and take it step-by-step.

If you REALLY want insurance....literally, join the American Modeling Association (AMA) and for $60/year you can get $2 million in insurance.

 

[WReimer]

Happy New Year to you as well! I hope it's everything you hoped for!

First, may I ask where in the U.S. you live? I know you're in the U.S. simply by the questions you posed, and I feel badly for you and the number of your fellow Americans for having been put in a circumstance where that level of near paranoia seems almost the norm.

I can't imagine having to be that worried about the litigious behaviour of my neighbours that I had to worry about immediately about being sued for enjoying a hobby.

In all the years of flying I've done; nitro, gas & electric...fixed wing, varying sizes of helicopters and now multi rotor aircraft, I can honestly only recall one time in more than 20 years of flying where I had someone react negatively. Even then, it was a very minimal issue.

Every other time,almost without exception, certainly without any regard for location, I've had more people around asking questions, admiring the aircraft, or just standing around watching with smiles on their faces. Perhaps there is something about being in Canada....

I'm being somewhat flip about that, but I truly find it distressing that these thoughts even cross your minds. If you're operating your aircraft in a safe fashion, in a safe environment, I can't for the life of me understand all of the squawking some people can do about something that, under those circumstances, is really not their concern.

If you're overhead, or over their property; fair ball, but not if you're fiying safely in a public location

 

[ppdrone]

Happy New Year to you as well! I hope it's everything you hoped for!

First, may I ask where in the U.S. you live? I know you're in the U.S. simply by the questions you posed, and I feel badly for you and the number of your fellow Americans for having been put in a circumstance where that level of near paranoia seems almost the norm.

I can't imagine having to be that worried about the litigious behaviour of my neighbours that I had to worry about immediately about being sued for enjoying a hobby.

In all the years of flying I've done; nitro, gas & electric...fixed wing, varying sizes of helicopters and now multi rotor aircraft, I can honestly only recall one time in more than 20 years of flying where I had someone react negatively. Even then, it was a very minimal issue.

Every other time,almost without exception, certainly without any regard for location, I've had more people around asking questions, admiring the aircraft, or just standing around watching with smiles on their faces. Perhaps there is something about being in Canada....

I'm being somewhat flip about that, but I truly find it distressing that these thoughts even cross your minds. If you're operating your aircraft in a safe fashion, in a safe environment, I can't for the life of me understand all of the squawking some people can do about something that, under those circumstances, is really not their concern.

If you're overhead, or over their property; fair ball, but not if you're fiying safely in a public location

I indeed since end September live in US...moved from Europe....so this is something that is new to me and therefore the paranoia!

Anyway, will look into extra insurance that PP has posted earlier about.

 

[amrflyingdude]

I have had mine for almost a week now, although I am no expert I am an airline pilot an that puts my mind in a little bit of an extra "cautious mode" towards this, I can tell you this my friend "you will love every second of this thing". You will need to take precautions, this is a flying machine so needs to be handled responsibly, maybe because I am older I see this way but I believe flyways and accidents can be 100% prevented. This is what I am doing to avoid accidents and also to avoid any fly aways.

- Read every manual, every post here and watch every video out there regarding this bird. Some of the problems I have seen here are related to pilots going for the moon on their first flight or just pushing the Throttle up without the knowledge needed. You need to learn from the aircraft not the other way around.

- Start by picking 2 flying sites using this criteria:
-No water
-No People
-No power Lines
-No cell towers
-make your first few flights in these 2 places until you know your quad is stable and you can handle things

- On every flight, take off and just hover and watch the behavior of the phantom, whatever you see wrong land and look either for help or go to your flying site number 2. When I went for my first flight I noticed my phantom was jerky when correcting for wind, so I did not feel comfortable and landed and looked for a different place to fly just to make sure it was not interference. when I drove away with my car I saw a cell tower just behind some trees I was not able to see when I picked the site, I am sure I was in for a big surprise should I have not hover and watch for any abnormal behavior.

- Limit your altitude and maneuvers. start by just going up to 30 feet first and increase altitude by 10 - 15 ft each flight, your goal is not video and pictures but to feel comfortable maneuvering, maneuver this a lot very slow not going up more than you need to at first

Memorize this and use it as a check list before every flight:

EASTp
E = Extender (if you are flying a vision) "on"
A = APP (if you are flying the vision) "Running"
S = Switches S1 and S2 "UP"
T = Transmitter "ON"
P = Phantom "ON"

Reverse this same checklist to shut it down and finish your flying session.

P= Phantom "Off" (Battery Off)
T= Transmitter "Off"
S= Switches S1 and S2 "UP"
A = App (If flying vision) "Close"
E= Extender (if flying vision) "Off"


Safety for take offs and landings:

-This is a rotorcraft, all take offs and landings HAVE to be up and down, not at an angle.
- Your ground speeds should be "0" (Zero)
- If windy, forget about greasy landings, put the thing down for landing and push hard for take offs, if you do not take off quick or land quick in windy conditions you will flip the phantom

Test your phantom thoroughly. Charge your batteries accordingly and as specified in the manual and change your transmitter batteries every 4 to 5 flights. I have also put together a logbook using a spreadsheet where I log my flights and what I did including flying site just to know when I should do some maintenance and such, I take notes of those flying sites I did not find suitable and never go back there anymore, like my first one for example (the one with the hidden cell tower)

I would say that after 10 to 15 flights You can start looking in to more challenging locations, by then you will know your toy so well that you will know what to do if something goes wrong. If you practice safe flying you will be doing your part at avoiding an accident and you will enjoy your phantom even more

Hope this helps.

Danny.

 

[ppdrone]

I have had mine for almost a week now, although I am no expert I am an airline pilot an that puts my mind in a little bit of an extra "cautious mode" towards this, I can tell you this my friend "you will love every second of this thing". You will need to take precautions, this is a flying machine so needs to be handled responsibly, maybe because I am older I see this way but I believe flyways and accidents can be 100% prevented. This is what I am doing to avoid accidents and also to avoid any fly aways.

- Read every manual, every post here and watch every video out there regarding this bird. Some of the problems I have seen here are related to pilots going for the moon on their first flight or just pushing the Throttle up without the knowledge needed. You need to learn from the aircraft not the other way around.

- Start by picking 2 flying sites using this criteria:
-No water
-No People
-No power Lines
-No cell towers
-make your first few flights in these 2 places until you know your quad is stable and you can handle things

- On every flight, take off and just hover and watch the behavior of the phantom, whatever you see wrong land and look either for help or go to your flying site number 2. When I went for my first flight I noticed my phantom was jerky when correcting for wind, so I did not feel comfortable and landed and looked for a different place to fly just to make sure it was not interference. when I drove away with my car I saw a cell tower just behind some trees I was not able to see when I picked the site, I am sure I was in for a big surprise should I have not hover and watch for any abnormal behavior.

- Limit your altitude and maneuvers. start by just going up to 30 feet first and increase altitude by 10 - 15 ft each flight, your goal is not video and pictures but to feel comfortable maneuvering, maneuver this a lot very slow not going up more than you need to at first

Memorize this and use it as a check list before every flight:

EASTp
E = Extender (if you are flying a vision) "on"
A = APP (if you are flying the vision) "Running"
S = Switches S1 and S2 "UP"
T = Transmitter "ON"
P = Phantom "ON"

Reverse this same checklist to shut it down and finish your flying session.

P= Phantom "Off" (Battery Off)
T= Transmitter "Off"
S= Switches S1 and S2 "UP"
A = App (If flying vision) "Close"
E= Extender (if flying vision) "Off"


Safety for take offs and landings:

-This is a rotorcraft, all take offs and landings HAVE to be up and down, not at an angle.
- Your ground speeds should be "0" (Zero)
- If windy, forget about greasy landings, put the thing down for landing and push hard for take offs, if you do not take off quick or land quick in windy conditions you will flip the phantom

Test your phantom thoroughly. Charge your batteries accordingly and as specified in the manual and change your transmitter batteries every 4 to 5 flights. I have also put together a logbook using a spreadsheet where I log my flights and what I did including flying site just to know when I should do some maintenance and such, I take notes of those flying sites I did not find suitable and never go back there anymore, like my first one for example (the one with the hidden cell tower)

I would say that after 10 to 15 flights You can start looking in to more challenging locations, by then you will know your toy so well that you will know what to do if something goes wrong. If you practice safe flying you will be doing your part at avoiding an accident and you will enjoy your phantom even more

Hope this helps.

Danny.

Great points of advise Danny!!! Much appreciated.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Shrimpfarmer]

Lovely post Danny. I love that acronym. Excellent advice for all pilots. Its a shame that some will not even see it before their phantom is dashed to smithereens.

I look forward to your future contributions to the site.