Has anyone here NOT crashed a drone?

[dirkclod]

Pretty sure for a lot of crash's and I'm bad about it is simply
being over confident and pushing it .
I know

 

[Erised]

No crashes with my P4 (yet) with over 7M feet in 18 months. Several times I was close and it was all my fault, dept perception is tricky, A few other times after having a good flight and under the forest canopy I realized that I forgot my loss of connection setting was RTH to raise 90 meters instead of doing nothing and wait till I reconnect. Chances of loosing connection would be very slim being so close but ship happens. My Syma on the other hand probably hit everything in my yard and they are good tree ornaments as they seem to just hang themselves, nailed quite a few walls in my house too, tough little mother, I do stuff with my little Syma that I would never attempt with my P4.

 

[solentlife]

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.

I love the self-confidence !!

As they say - If you haven't crashed - you will !

Nigel

 

[Loz]

I've had two non damaging incidents over two years and about 200 flights - one flying 'sensibly' when learning & into edge of tree at edge of big open park - lesson learned was as depth of field vision is more difficult with distance ( I couldn't see that I was that close to tree). Second really stupidly landed recently demonstrating to a brand new Karma pilot how good the Phantoms are & tipped over on the grass as I was not paying adequate attention to the shut-down on landing [emoji37]. As many experienced pilots will attest - watch that danger period just after you learn, when you start becoming confident..

 

[tevek]

I've had two non damaging incidents over two years and about 200 flights - one flying 'sensibly' when learning & into edge of tree at edge of big open park - lesson learned was as depth of field vision is more difficult with distance ( I couldn't see that I was that close to tree). Second really stupidly landed recently demonstrating to a brand new Karma pilot how good the Phantoms are & tipped over on the grass as I was not paying adequate attention to the shut-down on landing [emoji37]. As many experienced pilots will attest - watch that danger period just after you learn, when you start becoming confident..

Being witnessed by a Karma pilot would have had me wishing for a remotely operated Semtex device on my AC,me detonating it and putting it down to a hardware fault. Can't begin to imagine how you would have felt...... Actually I do, I was overtaken by a big bore trail bike on a race track when trying to impress on my superbike. From memory I drove the car and trailer back home with my helmet on...

 

[jwmcgrath]

It’s all about STAYING conservative.

I find that as confidence grows, so does risk-taking for the better shot. It’s the drone’s fault... it’s such a stable platform, it MAKES you confident.

Then suddenly, that tree was a little closer than you thought...

But sure it’s possible to never crash.

 

[G Lee]

I've had my P3A for over 2 years now flying whenever possible and no crashes. But in those two years I've learned a whole new meaning for the words preparation , consideration objects , depth perception , and not even to start on pictures and videos. Its been GREAT FUN

 

[shrub3234]

So I crashed once and had a few rough landings, my crash was straight up negligent I hit a guy wire for a telephone pole. Flying to fast to low to close. Fly smart and keep it in one piece

 

[Pharm]

I love the self-confidence !!

As they say - If you haven't crashed - you will !

Nigel

NEVAAAAH!!!

 

[jwmcgrath]

I love the self-confidence !!

As they say - If you haven't crashed - you will !

Nigel

They say the same thing about motorcycles… If I thought that were true I’d have never gotten on one!

 

[Newbieguy]

Ive crashed both once. Hopefully I’ve gotten them out of the way.

 

[Chrislaf]

Had my P3S flip upside down after my first Litchi mission. I had set it to RTH after the last waypoint and it sped at near top speed into the sun so couldn’t see it. Didn’t realize at the time that RTH could be off a few metres. Almost ended up landing in a tree and just missed a couple of tree branches. Probably flipped in my panic to locate it and land it. Was lucky, no damage and almost 100 flights later is rock solid. Learned alot on that one about Waypoint missions, RTH, and the sun!

 

[OOO]

Crushed on day one then I found this forum and for now everything seems ok. No crush for the past 6 months yet.

 

[Kevin Ford]

I thought I would never crash mine but I had some beers and had a minor crash but I think if you pay attention and don't drink and drone its possible

 

[RadRocket]

I found the 10 second hover rule before flying off is a must. Very Prudent.
And always make sure your maps appear and check your app and firmware ver. numbers
and RTH settings every time.

 

[hawk256]

Under normal circumstances with proper control over flight conditions and barring equipment failure, it is very possible to never crash a drone. However, things can go wrong and cause a crash. I would bet most of the crashes are pilot error but there are a few cases of unexplained failures. Much like driving a car or general aviation, there are risks but you should mitigate those risks as much as possible.

 

[Sundevilfan]

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.

Like others have said you can always make a mistake or have an equipment failure. However, if you follow all of the do's and dont's there is no reason to fear crashes. I started flying drones many years ago with a Walkera Ladybird. I have purchase nearly every model that Syma has made. I bought the original Phantom about 4 months after it was on the market. The electronics failed about 6 months ago and I bought a P3S.

When I was learning to fly I did have some crashes with the small "learning" drones. Now after 4 years of flying I rarely crash a smaller drone. I have never had a crash with either of my Phantoms. I did have a take-off "incident" on my first flight with the Phantom 1. The drone seemed to be tipping a little to one side on take-off. I panicked and cut the throttle thus insuring that the drone would tip over and damage 2 of the props. I replaced the 2 props and added prop guards. After that I made sure I went full throttle on take-off. I never had a problem after that and did not need the prop guards. The P3S is soooo much better than my Phantom 1 but I do have to guard against over confidence. Be careful, use a checklist, check your prop tightness every flight, watch your remaining battery carefully and stay away from hazards mentioned in the tips article.

Good luck and enjoy this wonderful hobby.

 

[Ghostdancer76]

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)

Knock on wood I’ve had mine a year and haven’t crashed yet but you never know what tomorrow brings [emoji1365]

 

[FT in Japan]

Not crashing? That's a thing?

 

[Zeuspower]

Second Year,here with my P3S...first flights crashed 2 or 3 times,no damages...Almost lost the drone because of bug in the Beginner Mode (don't use it !)...
Since then almost all my flights are perfect...my checklist :

---LEARN how to use your controller (RTH,cancel RTH etc)---

1. Check google maps and litchi hub (for altitude) + windy.com (for winds& weather..very helpful for me) ,before fly to a location.
2. Cache your maps in app mobile.
3. Always FULL battery.
4. Tighten you propellers(no over-tight of course).
5. If possible find a view where you can see you drone even is far away.
6. 10 second rule ,inspect your drone after take off.
7. FEEL the wind and the weather,if you feel the aggresive weather ,fly very very conservative ,even abort,you 'll find another opportunity.

Happy Landings !