Has anyone here NOT crashed a drone?

[J04DAN]

I just got a Phantom 3 Standard as my first drone. I plan on being super conservative with it. I got to do mostly family aerial video and high B roll. Nothing too far away.

I’m a little concerned because it seems like everyone says that no matter what you will eventually crash your drone. I don’t really have the funds to replace it. So I am wondering if it’s possible to not crash if you’re careful.

 

[msinger]

So I am wondering if it’s possible to not crash if you’re careful.

It's possible, but not guaranteed. Here are some resources you should dig into if you want to become a better pilot:

• Phantom Manual (the manual does not come in the box)
• Tips for Avoiding Common Pilot Mistakes
• Tips for Avoiding a Crash
• PhantomHelp.com (lots of Phantom tips & accessories)

 

[J04DAN]

It's possible, but not guaranteed. Here are some resources you should dig into if you want to become a better pilot:

• Phantom Manual (the manual does not come in the box)
• Tips for Avoiding Common Pilot Mistakes
• Tips for Avoiding a Crash
• PhantomHelp.com (lots of Phantom tips & accessories)

Thanks. I’ve definitely already studied all of that. Also, been watching videos of people’s crashes to see what they did wrong. It seems most people fly too fast or too low/not aware of surroundings

 

[msinger]

Lately, I've seen many flights logs where the Phantom was not able to return home due to strong winds. So, that's another one to keep in mind.

 

[PaulSouthport]

I've crashed lots of quadcopters, but never a Phantom, having had P2V, 2 * P3S, P3A. P4 and now P4P

 

[iflyp3s]

I've also got a P3S but I must admit that I have minorly crashed mine three times, all my own fault. (It's still perfectly fine like a trooper [emoji106])

The first time was me being completely stupid. I was testing to see how the blades could be a new gardening tool by flying next to some light-leafed branches. After a few seconds I encountered a bit of GPS drift (where the hover becomes a tad unsteady for a moment) and before I could make any corrections all three blades were trying to chop up the trunk of the tree. The Phantom shut its motors down on its own, fell about a meter and flipped over, popping the battery out.

The second and third time simply involved me being UNDER a very big tree where the low battery RTH automatically kicked in and shot straight up into the thick branches below, sending it down about 5 meters.

Lesson learnt: don't be cocky around trees!

Safe flying everyone

 

[macoman]

I have a phantom 3 standard as well and never crash it. I have over 40 flights. I have this drone for almost a year. The key for a successful fly is to follow all procedures. Make sure that the home point is set before taking off and make sure you fly in a open field.

 

[Newbieguy]

Two kinds of drone pilots. Those who have crashed and those who will.

 

[paulyc31]

Hit a transformer, cause of bad depth perception, thankfully only replaced two props. Battery released, found in bush, shell ok. Also clipped handicap sign close to ground, goofing off.
Return to home function went straight up into tree, caught drone mid-air during fall, little cut on finger.
All good fun.

 

[sar104]

It's perfectly possible not to crash. It just needs careful flight planning with conservative margins for error, attention to details such as aircraft conditions (props etc.), wind speed, launch location hazards (magnetic interference etc.), and careful, undistracted piloting.

 

[tevek]

Having crashed and burned anything with wings and props and finally being able to fly in Atti mode, my first phantom (PS3) was a revelation in what it offered to people like me. It was easy to be seduced into thinking that these things virtually fly themselves.
They don't.
The manual can only teach you so much, so for me fully understanding how to use RTH, flying into the wind on the way out, learning in an open area and only ever flying with a fully charged battery were the biggest learnings. The only close calls were entirely pilot error and I have yet to crash either of my drones in over 18 months.

 

[Deleted member 62848]

Yes i think i fall into " its coming " crashed and burned but none of me phantoms yet,have to say been very close in past,,stocked on some parts incase

 

[Wardy]

I just got a Phantom 3 Standard as my first drone. I plan on being super conservative with it. I got to do mostly family aerial video and high B roll. Nothing too far away.

I’m a little concerned because it seems like everyone says that no matter what you will eventually crash your drone. I don’t really have the funds to replace it. So I am wondering if it’s possible to not crash if you’re careful.

I have not crashed my phantom 4 ,with all my safety setting i have complete confidence

 

[SunnyD]

Do you know anyone who’s never been in a car accident of any kind?
...that being said I haven’t crashed my Phantom yet, and have no plans to. I also never had any plans to get in a car accident...

 

[N017RW]

I have not crashed due to operator error. Probably because I have crashed many a fixed-wing aircraft and learned a lot of lessons that way.

However component failure is more of a concern to me with these aircraft since they are more ‘complicated’.

 

[tevek]

Yes i think i fall into " its coming " crashed and burned but none of me phantoms yet,have to say been very close in past,,stocked on some parts incase

So Ian you are a fatalist .
The only spares I have are undies following some of my more adventurous stunts.....

 

[dirkclod]

NOT crashed a drone?

 

[Mark The Droner]

I've crashed roughly eight times out of roughly 300 flights. Bird dropped from sky at 15' on first flight, no damage (bad battery in box and I was too noob to know it), bird wedged itself into Y of tall tree, no damage (flew in close quarters and took eye off bird to view screen), Waypoints flight hit tree (my fault for setting height too low, found with GPS tracker, fairly easy repair), hit trees/brush during final descent 4x (my fault 4x, two repairs were extensive, one was medium repairs, one was no damage), prop spun off at 400' (my fault for not checking props before flight, found with GPS tracker, extensive repairs), battery shut itself off at 400' (my fault of using aftermarket battery, found with GPS tracker, extensive repairs), I think that's it. All my ACs were repaired by me coupled with advice from this site, and all are still flying. I have three as of now.

Sometimes things go wrong during flight, such as you lose video, you lose your map, you lose telemetry, you lose sight of the AC. But it's still the pilot's responsibility to land the AC safely even if things go wrong and it may be a bit more difficult. MHO

There is an inherent risk when flying. There are no guarantees. Assess your risk tolerance and decide what you want to do.

 

[solentlife]

During one of the early first flights with a P3S ... the video link stopped ... AC went behind a bunch of trees and into the field next to my ground - decided to clip the ONLY TREE in the middle of that field... fell to ground - No damage.

Much later I ran out of battery - 12km on a P3S round trip is asking for trouble when there's wind ! - and she went into the river ....

Lessons learnt !!

 

[Pharm]

I’ve had mine for almost 2 years. Never crashed, never a rough landing, never a “flyaway”.

My “keys” to not crashing (yet)? Not getting in a hurry, understanding how it works, understanding it’s limitations, not flying in high wind, never flying near trees, buildings, or large, nearly extinct animals, knowing the AC, following a pre-flight checklist, etc. When flying fairly long Litchi missions, I review the mission with a fine tooth comb before takeoff.

Yes, it COULD happen to me but if it does, it will almost assuredly be a mechanical or firmware/software error rather than pilot error.