Has anybody NOT had a flyaway or some sort of control loss?

[fastsmiles]

Re: Has anybody NOT had a flyaway or some sort of control lo

I've had my P2V+ since May and I fly almost every day-no control problems at all.
Tip-never get in a hurry. Take your time and go thru a checklist, either written or mental.

 

[syotr]

Re: Has anybody NOT had a flyaway or some sort of control lo

I have over 450 flights with 3 incidents. Two were flyaways and one was VRS. Both flyaways were recovered with minimal damage. Both were probably my fault. VRS incident resulted in a hard landing but no real damage.
If you have bad compass or GPS data, you might be able to recover in manual. If you have an intermittent mechanical or electronic failure, then there is nothing you can do to recover. Turning off the transmitter only helps in a situation where you have good GPS and compass data but have lost sight or orientation of the bird. Best to try switching to homelock first.
GPS trackers are of no use to me and would just be added weight. Where I often fly, there is no cell service.

 

[NCHoytArcher]

Re: Has anybody NOT had a flyaway or some sort of control lo

Had my Phantom for just under a year. Zero issues. Not one, of any kind. Probably a couple hundred flights.

That's impressive, any tips for beginners? Anything you recommend pre-flight and during flight to keep things going without issue?

Just follow the advice of the many experienced fliers on this and other forums. Go through your checklist. Pay attention to your LEDs. Some preventative maintenance doesn't hurt (listen to your bearings, check connections, check the many screws for tightness)

Most importantly, for me anyways, was learn about your Phantom. I have not been on this forum as much in the past months (also flying a discovery, and a BAH mini quad now) but this forum is absolutely full of knowledge. Most of these guys in here are great help, and are willing to help out people who are either considering, or are new Phantom pilots. Learn as much as you can from them.

The biggest thing you need to bring with you to the flying field, is confidence in the Phantom. Take the step of testing the return to home, and failsafe. I strongly suggest, for the sake of your confidence level, that you make a one time, 2 dollar investment as a first flier. Go get a spool of string, tie it to the landing gear, have a buddy hold said string about 100 ft away from you, and turn the controller off. Watch as your new investment does exactly what its supposed to, flies back, and lands in front of you.

I read the title of this thread and remember thinking the same thing when i was just thinking of getting one. Reading about flyaways is scary. But as a wise man on another forum told me, you are flying something, no matter what it is, how much money youve got into it, it may one day, not come back. But take the number of flyaways you may read about and understand that is an unmeasureable fraction of succesful flights with this quadcopter. Of that fraction, the VAST majority of them will be user error of some sort. Many will get very defensive about the definition of user error on these forums. To me, that doesnt mean you didnt have sat lock, or didnt set home properly. It can mean something that you werent even aware that you should consider. A friend of mine had a "flyaway" with a 550, only to find out the campground he was it was blasting wifi with a dozen hotspots all around him.

Anyways, long story short,
I love my Phantom, and if you are reading this, and thinking of getting one, DO IT. You will not regret it. It is one of the best purchases I've made, and got me, and my son started in a hobby that that we really enjoy. A year from now, you will be on this forum, telling someone else the same thing I am, go get your Phantom

P.S. thanks to all the guys who gave me advice when I started here.

 

[NCHoytArcher]

Re: Has anybody NOT had a flyaway or some sort of control lo

Sorry double posted

 

[bobdob]

Re: Has anybody NOT had a flyaway or some sort of control lo

Had my Phantom for just under a year. Zero issues. Not one, of any kind. Probably a couple hundred flights.

That's impressive, any tips for beginners? Anything you recommend pre-flight and during flight to keep things going without issue?

Just follow the advice of the many experienced fliers on this and other forums. Go through your checklist. Pay attention to your LEDs. Some preventative maintenance doesn't hurt (listen to your bearings, check connections, check the many screws for tightness)

Most importantly, for me anyways, was learn about your Phantom. I have not been on this forum as much in the past months (also flying a discovery, and a BAH mini quad now) but this forum is absolutely full of knowledge. Most of these guys in here are great help, and are willing to help out people who are either considering, or are new Phantom pilots. Learn as much as you can from them.

The biggest thing you need to bring with you to the flying field, is confidence in the Phantom. Take the step of testing the return to home, and failsafe. I strongly suggest, for the sake of your confidence level, that you make a one time, 2 dollar investment as a first flier. Go get a spool of string, tie it to the landing gear, have a buddy hold said string about 100 ft away from you, and turn the controller off. Watch as your new investment does exactly what its supposed to, flies back, and lands in front of you.

I read the title of this thread and remember thinking the same thing when i was just thinking of getting one. Reading about flyaways is scary. But as a wise man on another forum told me, you are flying something, no matter what it is, how much money youve got into it, it may one day, not come back. But take the number of flyaways you may read about and understand that is an unmeasureable fraction of succesful flights with this quadcopter. Of that fraction, the VAST majority of them will be user error of some sort. Many will get very defensive about the definition of user error on these forums. To me, that doesnt mean you didnt have sat lock, or didnt set home properly. It can mean something that you werent even aware that you should consider. A friend of mine had a "flyaway" with a 550, only to find out the campground he was it was blasting wifi with a dozen hotspots all around him.

Anyways, long story short,
I love my Phantom, and if you are reading this, and thinking of getting one, DO IT. You will not regret it. It is one of the best purchases I've made, and got me, and my son started in a hobby that that we really enjoy. A year from now, you will be on this forum, telling someone else the same thing I am, go get your Phantom

P.S. thanks to all the guys who gave me advice when I started here.

Fantastic post. I actually already have my phantom and have flown it about 3-4 times now.I have done my fair share of youtube videos, online tutorials, and going through the LED's. I think you're right though and I do need to try the return home function.

If you don't mind, I would like to go over my checklist and maybe you or somebody else can let me know if this sounds ok? I have gathered all this info from forums, websites, and different youtube videos, just don't know if there is anything anybody else wants to throw in there or any corrections. If it looks good I am going to print and laminate this, to bring with me during each flight.

1. Obvious, but make sure you are in an open location (no power lines, etc.)
2. Turn on transmitter
3. Plug battery to phantom, but don't put battery inside yet, let the phantom sit without touching or moving it for a few seconds
4. Now proceed to place battery in phantom
5. Let IMU warm up/calibrate
6. Calibrate compass if you are in a new area (flip right switch up and down, then 360 with phantom and then again with nose down)
7. Wait until phantom flashes green, with no red flashes, indicating it has found 6 or more sats
8. Press the throttle which should trigger a series of quick green flashes to indicate the home point has been recorded
9. Start flight, but hover about 5-6 feet off the ground for a few seconds before you send the phantom off
10. If during the flight you lose control, switch controller to attitude mode to regain control, if that doesn't work try manual mode, and lastly if all that fails, turn off transmitter to trigger (hopefully) return to home

 

[Great Pumpkin]

Re: Has anybody NOT had a flyaway or some sort of control lo

I would modify your check list somewhat for a P2V without gimbel and GoPro:
Be sure WiFi extender is fully charged, and all batteries are fully charged before each flight.
Be sure the antenna is vertical initially and that the S switches are both in the up position.
Turn on 1) WiFI extender before turning on 2) controller, then turn on 3) battery.
Calibrate compass and do it about 10 feet away from controller. (I've never had a compass problem, and I haven't always calibrated, but it takes just a minute, so why not?). And whether I do a compass dance or not, I always point the Phantom toward North before taking off.
Wait for the proper combinations of LEDs, then (I) don't fly with less than 8 satellites.
Yes, hover for 30-60 seconds 8-15 feet off the ground, and use that time to check remaining battery, number of satellites. Rotate the Phantom and be sure the LEDs are still showing red forward and green rear, and that your FPV device shows the direction, altitude, and 0 mph during hover. Take it up and down a few feet a couple times. I also check to be sure that the FPV (iPhone for me) sees what the camera is seeing.
Everything working as it should? Then FLY and have a good time doing it. (I might add: fly within the limits of the system).
At the end of the flight, turn off 1) battery, 2) controller, 3) WiFi extender.
I would also add that it is a good idea to keep a flight log to monitor your flights over the long term. You may record trends that will presage future problems.

 

[N[]vA]

Re: Has anybody NOT had a flyaway or some sort of control lo

Been flying my P1 for just over a year now in Vietnam at first and now in South Africa without any issues, I do pay a lot of attention to maintenance

 

[Wedeliver]

Re: Has anybody NOT had a flyaway or some sort of control lo

I had an original style prop (non-self tightining) where a nut came off, prop came off and crashed from about 20' i into beach sand. So, I guess.. no its not a guess, I have never had a fly away.

 

[Zinnware]

Re: Has anybody NOT had a flyaway or some sort of control lo

If you don't mind, I would like to go over my checklist and maybe you or somebody else can let me know if this sounds ok? I have gathered all this info from forums, websites, and different youtube videos, just don't know if there is anything anybody else wants to throw in there or any corrections. If it looks good I am going to print and laminate this, to bring with me during each flight.

1. Obvious, but make sure you are in an open location (no power lines, etc.)
2. Turn on transmitter
3. Plug battery to phantom, but don't put battery inside yet, let the phantom sit without touching or moving it for a few seconds
4. Now proceed to place battery in phantom
5. Let IMU warm up/calibrate
6. Calibrate compass if you are in a new area (flip right switch up and down, then 360 with phantom and then again with nose down)
7. Wait until phantom flashes green, with no red flashes, indicating it has found 6 or more sats
8. Press the throttle which should trigger a series of quick green flashes to indicate the home point has been recorded
9. Start flight, but hover about 5-6 feet off the ground for a few seconds before you send the phantom off
10. If during the flight you lose control, switch controller to attitude mode to regain control, if that doesn't work try manual mode, and lastly if all that fails, turn off transmitter to trigger (hopefully) return to home

I fly a Phantom 2 in NAZA-M mode.
I would definitely adjust Item 7 of your check list to read.....
7. Wait until phantom goes through two occurrences of rapid flashes of green lights followed by normal flashes of green, with no red flashes, indicating it has found 6 or more sats. One set of rapid green flashes indicates that the compass lock has occurred. The second set of rapid green flashes that there is a GPS lock.

I believe this may be the reason for many flyaways. Operators see the either all green or or a single set of rapid flashing green lights that indicate a compass lock and there is not really a good GPS lock indicated by the second set of rapid green flashes. I personally do not fly unless I get 7 or more satellites.

Back to the original question about fly-aways....I had a lost of control of my Phantom 2 when my gopro was streaming video via WiFi. Fortunately I regained control before it flew away or crashed. I never lost sight of it during this incident.

 

[Wedeliver]

Re: Has anybody NOT had a flyaway or some sort of control lo

If you don't mind, I would like to go over my checklist and maybe you or somebody else can let me know if this sounds ok? I have gathered all this info from forums, websites, and different youtube videos, just don't know if there is anything anybody else wants to throw in there or any corrections. If it looks good I am going to print and laminate this, to bring with me during each flight.

1. Obvious, but make sure you are in an open location (no power lines, etc.)
2. Turn on transmitter
3. Plug battery to phantom, but don't put battery inside yet, let the phantom sit without touching or moving it for a few seconds
4. Now proceed to place battery in phantom
5. Let IMU warm up/calibrate
6. Calibrate compass if you are in a new area (flip right switch up and down, then 360 with phantom and then again with nose down)
7. Wait until phantom flashes green, with no red flashes, indicating it has found 6 or more sats
8. Press the throttle which should trigger a series of quick green flashes to indicate the home point has been recorded
9. Start flight, but hover about 5-6 feet off the ground for a few seconds before you send the phantom off
10. If during the flight you lose control, switch controller to attitude mode to regain control, if that doesn't work try manual mode, and lastly if all that fails, turn off transmitter to trigger (hopefully) return to home

I fly a Phantom 2 in NAZA-M mode.
I would definitely adjust Item 7 of your check list to read.....
7. Wait until phantom goes through two occurrences of rapid flashes of green lights followed by normal flashes of green, with no red flashes, indicating it has found 6 or more sats. One set of rapid green flashes indicates that the compass lock has occurred. The second set of rapid green flashes that there is a GPS lock.

I believe this may be the reason for many flyaways. Operators see the either all green or or a single set of rapid flashing green lights that indicate a compass lock and there is not really a good GPS lock indicated by the second set of rapid green flashes. I personally do not fly unless I get 7 or more satellites.

Back to the original question about fly-aways....I had a lost of control of my Phantom 2 when my gopro was streaming video via WiFi. Fortunately I regained control before it flew away or crashed. I never lost sight of it during this incident.

Here ya go buddy. viewtopic.php?f=27&t=19099&hilit=tin+foil\

"satellites drop slightly when recording video, SOLVED" the title of the tread

 

[syotr]

Re: Has anybody NOT had a flyaway or some sort of control lo

There is a poll at RC groups that lists a lot of flyaway accounts. Obviously, none of these polls are a scientific measure of the actual percentage of flyaways.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthre ... st28121838

 

[mcopete]

Re: Has anybody NOT had a flyaway or some sort of control lo

Can you explain what this does or how it works and how much they cost? Is it a more accurate way to see how many sats there are?

this is what i've bought LINK. It was recommended to me by the shop that i buy all my Phantom/GoPro bits from who have tried it & said it works well. You put a sim card in it, charge it & turn it on when your about to fly. & if you do have a fly-away call sim & it replies with a text message with a link to a map with its location on

That's pretty cool, but will the gps tracker interfere with the phantom in anyway to make it actually fly away or act weird? I know you can't have the wifi on a gopro on, so I feel like having an actual gps tracker on it might make it act wonky.

I use a TinyTelemetry from Immersion RC which sends gps telemetry down one of my FPV audio channels. I then plug this into my iPhone which lets me plot the path of the flight on a google map. While the TinyTelemetry as its name suggest is small and I was able to locate it inside the Phantom, I ended up strapping it to the landing gear to get a clean gps signal. It do not affect the Phantom whats so ever in either location.

I've never had any type of loss of flight control, other than a few scary moments of human error while first learning how to fly. Avoid electromagnetic fields such as power lines, and calibrate the compass when ever you go to a new location or make any changes to the Phantom.

 

[bobdob]

Re: Has anybody NOT had a flyaway or some sort of control lo

I use a TinyTelemetry from Immersion RC which sends gps telemetry down one of my FPV audio channels. I then plug this into my iPhone which lets me plot the path of the flight on a google map. While the TinyTelemetry as its name suggest is small and I was able to locate it inside the Phantom, I ended up strapping it to the landing gear to get a clean gps signal. It do not affect the Phantom whats so ever in either location.

I've never had any type of loss of flight control, other than a few scary moments of human error while first learning how to fly. Avoid electromagnetic fields such as power lines, and calibrate the compass when ever you go to a new location or make any changes to the Phantom.

I am going to have to check out one of those things. Def will make me feel better.

 

[DrReveg]

Re: Has anybody NOT had a flyaway or some sort of control lo

I have recently had a rapid drop scenario where I was flying along a river corridor (no people) about 10m above the river and 10-12m from high tension power wires that parallel the river. There was a nearby structure that may have had wi fi going. In reading the many posts of loss of control, it's not completely clear to me what may have caused the rapid drop (into the river, unfortunately). I had two previous troublefree flights within 100m of this 'fatal' flight but without nearby power lines. What I am wondering is whether there might be a relatively definitive reason or reasons? For instance, 'flying near high tension wires throws off the GPS or compass' or something like that. I have not been able to find that anywhere on the forum.
I am flying a P2+ w Flytrex 2 module, flying in NAZA mode, GPS and normal settings (both switches in the up position). It was a clear day, no wind. She did one dip partway to the water about 1 minute before taking the final swim.
Thanks for any help.

 

[Buk]

Re: Has anybody NOT had a flyaway or some sort of control lo

Forgive me if this video has been mentioned already:
http://youtu.be/2bxjL7wFyb8

For me with a Phantom 2 in Naza mode, I place it on level ground, turn on the transmitter, turn on the Phantom and don't touch it until it has found the needed number of satellites and blinked the green series for course lock, then blinked the green series indicating the availability to be able to set home lock. Then I calibrate the compass and the set in down where I want home to be and start motors to establish home point and fly.

Although in my mind calibrating the compass as soon as possible seems to make sense, I've had good luck calibrating after letting it sit for awhile, acquire satellites and get course and home.

Lately, due to all the metals at the construction site where I fly most often, I hold the Phantom above the ground during satellite acquition and course and home blinking series, then calibrate compass and then set it down and fly. This is contrary to any advice I've received. Although I've not experienced any problems, but I'm always within 200 feet of the Phantom. Usually within a 100 feet horizontally.

 

[Wedeliver]

Re: Has anybody NOT had a flyaway or some sort of control lo

I have recently had a rapid drop scenario where I was flying along a river corridor (no people) about 10m above the river and 10-12m from high tension power wires that parallel the river. There was a nearby structure that may have had wi fi going. In reading the many posts of loss of control, it's not completely clear to me what may have caused the rapid drop (into the river, unfortunately). I had two previous troublefree flights within 100m of this 'fatal' flight but without nearby power lines. What I am wondering is whether there might be a relatively definitive reason or reasons? For instance, 'flying near high tension wires throws off the GPS or compass' or something like that. I have not been able to find that anywhere on the forum.
I am flying a P2+ w Flytrex 2 module, flying in NAZA mode, GPS and normal settings (both switches in the up position). It was a clear day, no wind. She did one dip partway to the water about 1 minute before taking the final swim.
Thanks for any help.

I am very sorry to hear of your loss. I think I would be thinking that a battery issue might have raised it ugly head rather then a wifi issue. If you think that a wifi signal at 2.4ghz might have interfered with your Radio Controller, any phone should tell you how strong and how many signals there are at that location. If you have a vision plus, then a strong 5.8ghz signal would be necessary to bother your signal and that is very unlikely in my humble opinion.

You don't mention is you were able to recover the quad or if it sank in the river but for others who read this you might consider this product to make sure that your battery connection is as solid as can be since we don't put rocks in our quads. (solid as a rock).

Also, I have begun to refurbish quads and if there was some method for donations for users who have lost their quads. I would consider selling my fixed units at a discount for a purpose like that. Not sure about the details, proving that one was owned, a funding source for this, or should people buy insurance that could pay for it. I do think the idea is worth discussion.

If you should happen to get your quad back after it was in the water, all is not lost. If the power went out completely that would have been a good thing when it went in the water. buy a big bag of uncle bens rice and let it sit until there is not water left. At least 2 or 3 days., a warm room might help. Even at that point, there could still be water in the Naza module and the motors so a heat gun, hair dryer, careful not to hot, might help dry it out.

Again, when I hear of these things, I think "except for the Grace of God, there go I" so, if there is anything I can do to help, let me know.

 

[Khudson7]

Re: Has anybody NOT had a flyaway or some sort of control lo

So far after about 6 months, no problems at all to speak of...well, the 2 problems I did have with flyways was my stupid error. Sent it up on two occasions when it was way too windy. Got caught in wind gusts and wind was stronger than phantom, so lost control for a while. But fortunately, I was eventually able to gain control and get it back on the ground. But these were my fault, no fault of the phantom. Have to be careful because on occasion, where I am standing on the ground it does not feel like it is that windy, but wind currents can be stronger as you get higher.

Also I have stayed on version 2.0. I like not being limited with decent speed and if it ain't broke, don't upgrade it. Why ask for trouble.

 

[hedonist222]

Re: Has anybody NOT had a flyaway or some sort of control lo

If you don't mind, I would like to go over my checklist and maybe you or somebody else can let me know if this sounds ok? I have gathered all this info from forums, websites, and different youtube videos, just don't know if there is anything anybody else wants to throw in there or any corrections. If it looks good I am going to print and laminate this, to bring with me during each flight.

1. Obvious, but make sure you are in an open location (no power lines, etc.)
2. Turn on transmitter
3. Plug battery to phantom, but don't put battery inside yet, let the phantom sit without touching or moving it for a few seconds
4. Now proceed to place battery in phantom
5. Let IMU warm up/calibrate
6. Calibrate compass if you are in a new area (flip right switch up and down, then 360 with phantom and then again with nose down)
7. Wait until phantom flashes green, with no red flashes, indicating it has found 6 or more sats
8. Press the throttle which should trigger a series of quick green flashes to indicate the home point has been recorded
9. Start flight, but hover about 5-6 feet off the ground for a few seconds before you send the phantom off
10. If during the flight you lose control, switch controller to attitude mode to regain control, if that doesn't work try manual mode, and lastly if all that fails, turn off transmitter to trigger (hopefully) return to home

I fly a Phantom 2 in NAZA-M mode.
I would definitely adjust Item 7 of your check list to read.....
7. Wait until phantom goes through two occurrences of rapid flashes of green lights followed by normal flashes of green, with no red flashes, indicating it has found 6 or more sats. One set of rapid green flashes indicates that the compass lock has occurred. The second set of rapid green flashes that there is a GPS lock.

I believe this may be the reason for many flyaways. Operators see the either all green or or a single set of rapid flashing green lights that indicate a compass lock and there is not really a good GPS lock indicated by the second set of rapid green flashes. I personally do not fly unless I get 7 or more satellites.

Back to the original question about fly-aways....I had a lost of control of my Phantom 2 when my gopro was streaming video via WiFi. Fortunately I regained control before it flew away or crashed. I never lost sight of it during this incident.

Omg. Thank you for explaining this.

When I first got my phantom 1, I Read the manual several times. I'm fairly certain it doesn't mention having sets of flashing green.

I always thought it was one set.

Green red red red
Green red red
Green red
Green green green green green

Then I flew it.

This was the first few months of ownership. Never had a fly away.

Then one day just as it finished the & turned green, it started flashing green/againthen multiple green.

I thought it locked to GPS then lost it.

But but then it happened every time after that.

Two sets as you mention.

I thought ny phantom was slightly broken.

But now that you mention it I'm so relieved.

But also pissed, I'm fairly certain the manual doesn't explain that there are two sets.

Is this mentioned in the manual?

 

[Rustysocket]

Re: Has anybody NOT had a flyaway or some sort of control lo

I'm sitting here reading the manual and I can't find any mention of the two sets of green lights. It is very unclear and frankly a lot to remember what all the different lights mean.

 

[hedonist222]

Re: Has anybody NOT had a flyaway or some sort of control lo

I just rechecked manual myself.

Can't find it either.


I you're right, but it's not clearly mentioned the manual.