Flew out too far over the water :O

[Turbomania]

Took my bird out in less than ideal conditions yesterday to get a quick feel for my new GL658B Inspire Controller.
Started out with a 10 mph cross wind, as i checked signal strength and what not i hadn't noticed the wind had turned and was 20+ mph. Not a problem for a Phanton 4 you say... It is a bit concerning when you are 15000 ft out over water with a 20 mph head wind to return against. Oh $hit...
The return flight is a nail bitter, you can see it fighting the wind and running out of battery. Had to cancel 1 Autoland at 500 ft out, wasn't able to cancel the last. it was a heck of a landing to say the least.
Hand caught it on the edge of the water with 7% battery..
Newbies, Pay attention to the wind !!! don't be a me

HealthyDrones.com - Innovative flight data analysis that matters

 

[Mark The Droner]

Yep looks like the wind shifted. Also, the high winds can create havoc even if they're just cross winds.

I've been flying almost 14 months and my lowest landing has been 9%, but my P2V autolands at 15% whether I like it or not - no cancelling! So to max distance, I have to be high on the approach so I can use the remaining 15% to angle it as much as possible to maximize distance.

You were smart to keep it low on the return. You had a nice advantage in that the trees served as a wind block. It's easy to forget about that when your hands are shaking and your heart is 170 bpm. Well done, sir.

 

[Turbomania]

A rush like no other...lol, glad i was sporting my new DJI lanyard.. it was working overtime. i was shaking like a drug addict...lol..
I see now that i should have noticed the wind on the water half way out and turned back. I also think it would have been a wise choice to land at that closed IGA store. i could have drove the boat over to get it.
feel free to share any idea's. what would you have done, besides not get into that situation

 

[kingkong90210]

They say ur alive when u do one thing a day that scares u, since i had the phantom i.ve had quite a few of those, but not to ur level!

 

[durrantie]

Well that was tense, I felt your fear there and I've had a similar experience, I went 2 miles out into open sea, turned around and got a scare when I saw how far away land was, i had a head wind on the way back as well and same as yourself nail biting to say the least, heart in the mouth waiting for it to hopefully make it back - time literally stood still.

 

[Turbomania]

Seemed like an hour...lol
Learned my lesson about importance of wind direction !! and wind speed.

 

[FlashBuddy]

Kudos on your skillz. You pulled it off.

 

[Turbomania]

Kudos on your skillz. You pulled it off.

50% luck and 50% reading and watchin every "my drone sank" video on earth before i even opened it...lol.

 

[Vision]

Is the inspire remote offering more range?

 

[Turbomania]

Is the inspire remote offering more range?

I have only flown that controller 3 times. So far, No

 

[Opfor]

Wow...great lesson indeed. My 4 arrives tomorrow and glad I found this as I had not really even considered how wind change could affect on return flight. Well done!

 

[Meta4]

Newbies, Pay attention to the wind !!! don't be a me

That's the kind of flight that you learn from.
If you survive it you are a lot more conscious of wind and potential issues for future flying.

 

[Turbomania]

Wow...great lesson indeed. My 4 arrives tomorrow and glad I found this as I had not really even considered how wind change could affect on return flight. Well done!

You are doing the right thing by reading/watching all the "oh crap" video's you can.
When $hit happens you sometimes only have seconds to make the right choice. On the flip side, the, I only have seconds mind set can make you over react.
Video disconnects are a bit scary in the beginning, controller disconnects will get your attention. Be patient with both. Video will come back, you still have full control, move around until it comes back. use the google map on the bottom rt to guide you.
Controller disconnects are a bit more concerning as you are completely disconnected from the craft. Be patient again, wait for it, wait....lol. If it stays disconnected for more than a few seconds it will be headed home on it's own. It will reconnect as it gets closer giving plenty of time to cancel the RTH and land it yourself.

Welcome and enjoy that new bird.

 

[Turbomania]

That's the kind of flight that you learn from.
If you survive it you are a lot more conscious of wind and potential issues for futer flying.

I am a bit disappointed with myself for not realizing how important wind direction and speed are when planning your flight. it's easy to get all caught up in the high tech end. Calibrations, sensors, memory cards ect ect and skip the basics.

 

[bkushner]

Took my bird out in less than ideal conditions yesterday to get a quick feel for my new GL658B Inspire Controller.
Started out with a 10 mph cross wind, as i checked signal strength and what not i hadn't noticed the wind had turned and was 20+ mph. Not a problem for a Phanton 4 you say... It is a bit concerning when you are 15000 ft out over water with a 20 mph head wind to return against. Oh $hit...
The return flight is a nail bitter, you can see it fighting the wind and running out of battery. Had to cancel 1 Autoland at 500 ft out, wasn't able to cancel the last. it was a heck of a landing to say the least.
Hand caught it on the edge of the water with 7% battery..
Newbies, Pay attention to the wind !!! don't be a me

HealthyDrones.com - Innovative flight data analysis that matters

I had similar situation flying out over the Delaware Bay, talk about no option to put her down anywhere.. I finally made it to the beach and it landed at 6% and I had to walk out a mile and a half down a road to the beach to get the bird.. Nice job getting it back.

 

[Turbomania]

I had similar situation flying out over the Delaware Bay, talk about no option to put her down anywhere.. I finally made it to the beach and it landed at 6% and I had to walk out a mile and a half down a road to the beach to get the bird.. Nice job getting it back.

That's a real nail bitter with no landing options. 6% :O
My dumb butt had options and didn't use them. Fly and learn

 

[kennedye]

And that's why weather is on the 107 exam.

Good recovery!

 

[Turbomania]

And that's why weather is on the 107 exam.

Good recovery!

Good point.

 

[Drone on!]

Would it have been better putting into sports mode to bring it back faster or is that a case of driving faster to get home before your fuel runs out lol
I guess it would have been really hard to stabilise in that wind as well.


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[PFCO]

Eek!

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