First flight - Tipped on landing WTF?

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Now that I have searched the topic it appears I am not alone. I about crapped my pants when I saw my second test flight end with a tip over (rear). I landed on level asphalt surface. My first flight landing was fine but that second one got me.

I have prop guards but I decided to go without them due to the reviews on here. Is there some secret way to cut the throttle off much faster than the hold sticks down and wait three seconds?

I will get a video up in this thread soon. Other than that, good flight. Kept it under 200' altitude and flew around a 200' radius. Nothing to risky.
 
You only hold the left stick down after landing, not both. If you are pulling them both down then this is why it flipped.

You can cut them quicker by doing a csc like when you start them. ie down and inwards on both sticks but the most preferred method is to just hold left stick down as the csc method actually tends to make it tip.
 
I only pulled the right stick down when I felt like the props were not going to stop. Time really slowed down during that time. I will put the guards on and practice my landings. I will be sure I am keeping my thumb off the right stick to be certain.
 
I've always had luck by landing with just the left stick, getting down low enough so I can pull down hard and leave it there, then bring the right stick into play when moving both sticks inward, all the time keeping left stick down. The only time I had a tip over was when I read and tried, from DJI I believe, to hover just a few inches above the ground and shut off your motors. That didn't go well.
 
The phantoms landing gears are as useful as wings on a chicken.

Use stock DJI props and leave prop guards on for the time to practice safe catch landings.
After a few successful catches, take the guards off.

What do I do?
Have lanyard on remote so you have a free (right) hand.
Check your surroundings.
Check that my recording has stopped (not that important).
Check battery levels: you will notice it force it self to land at the second critical warning. You don't want this as you want it hover for easy catch.
Make sure you look at battery when catching. This helps with orientation.
Hover it so you reach up to catch with right arm. Kill the motor by hold down on left stick for 3 secs.

In windy conditions, have the wind blowing behind you and phantom in front you, so it doesn't give you a new face.
 
Walter said:
I have prop guards but I decided to go without them due to the reviews on here. Is there some secret way to cut the throttle off much faster than the hold sticks down and wait three seconds?

Once you touch down hold ONLY the LEFT stick down. If you pulled both down that's why she tipped backwards. At full down on left stick, there is no lift, and the props will stop in a sec or two.
 
Nice video, Walter.... you'll get the hang of things and the controls soon enough.

Was that lady a neighbour of yours that you know? Was she suspicious of the copter 'watching' and following her? ;)
 
I only hand catch in windy conditions. With my awkward tendencies I like to minimize the risk of the inevitable. I'd rather lose a prop than a piece of flesh.
 
I live in Hawaii and I routinely fly in windy conditions (tradewinds can get fairly strong here) and I land on the ground (pavement/grass) all the time. I tipped once or twice when I was first learning. In my circumstance, I found the key was to bring it down slowly letting it hover about a foot or so above the ground before bringing it down. Because it's so windy here, I waited until the wind eased up a bit and/or the phantom wasn't moving too much in the horizontal axis then committed to landing using only the left stick and keeping it held down until the rotors stopped. I've been practicing the hand catch and that works pretty well too. I grab the right front leg as that's the only one that has nothing running through it.
 
I got hand catching perfected, but since I do most of my flying off my boat, I made a folding heli-pad I mount on the bow. I was afraid that if I should get hurt I'd be stuck with no one to pilot the boat, so it's safer to do the heli-pad landing. To make landings even easier I made a carbon fiber landing gear, which is a lot wider than the stock gear. No tip-over possibility with the widened gear. I agree the landing gear on the Phantom is too narrow.
 
First few time I always land and bust up my set set of props real bad.

Got online, like this thread, and ask people. Respond: hand catch.

Been hand catching since.

Type on hand cache: Don't FLY into your hand. Walk up to it.

Keep copter 5-6 feet in front of you, chest high. WALK up to it, grab the leg, then power down with the other hand.
 
yawnalot29 said:
First few time I always land and bust up my set set of props real bad.

Got online, like this thread, and ask people. Respond: hand catch.

Been hand catching since.

Type on hand cache: Don't FLY into your hand. Walk up to it.

Keep copter 5-6 feet in front of you, chest high. WALK up to it, grab the leg, then power down with the other hand.

My preference would be an arms reach above and in front of you.
At chest height you can harm others, esp if a gust of wind catches. Dogs love chasing these things and they can jump at it.
Also the Phantom is unstable at 4 feet high. GPS and compass gets crappy and you get turbulence. Imagine if you get 6 or less GPS and it switches to ATTI and drifts into you whilst catching...
On dirt at that height, you may get dust in your eye from the turbulence when you're trying to catch it (its possible).
The higher the better I say.
 
Hello,, done that a couple of times myself..

Now I bring drone to head height a few feet away and grab it by landing strut whilst it is hovering, and power off with left stick, so unless it does a RTH yards away it never lands on terra firma...

just my two pence worth..

yes I'm British

Alan Jackson
 

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