I crashed. So did the phantom. Not quite what you think!

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Ok, I was out on Mar 1st (now the 4th). Flew once at lunchtime just at the tail end of a snow storm that rolled through. Then again after work. The one after work was unplanned but it looked like we were going to get a nice sunset so I wanted some aerial shots. We did, and I got them.

After the flight, I went over to the phantom where it had landed and eagerly awaited me to come fetch it. I did and I headed back to the truck as it was time to go pick up the granddaughters from play practice. As I headed back I left it on to make sure the last video finished saving. And...OH! Boom, owww! Buzzz grind. WTF!

I slipped on some ice under the new snow. Feet went forward. So did the phantom. I went down. with the RC and tablet. Thankfully the crack I heard wasn't me or the tablet but the ice where I landed. As I was falling I must have hit something with my hand on the tablet as the bird started up again just as it landed upside down on the ground. I realized from the grinding it was props spinning, Pushed down on the throttle then realized it was upside down so CSC. That killed it. Thats when the pain set in. Shoulder. Side. Hip. Groin. Props. Looks like one got chipped and the end of one was missing. The gimbal seems to be none the worse for the experience. Good video and it actively moves as I move the drone body. So that seems a good result.

After regaining my composure, I collected my dignity, the RC and the drone and headed for the truck. I replaced all the props and set it back down. CSC and 3 of 4 props spun up so I killed it again. The 4th one seemed to be bound. Wasn't so when I replaced the props. I shut the battery off and tapped it to make sure no more ice was in there. Didn't see anything come out but the prop spun free and felt like all the others. So I turn it back on and CSC....and .... nothing. Just sits there. I got video and links. So I exit Litchi and shut off wifi and fire up GO to see if it reports any different. CSC and "ESC Error" with some instructions to power down and reboot. Did. Same error. Crud. Guessing my warranty just ended on this new bird. I power off everything and throw it in the truck. Gotta go get the girls from play practice and I figure I will fool with it when I get home.

Well that took longer than anticipated. By the time I got the girls I was fully in the mood to hit a walk in clinic. I was in a lot of pain. Seems I pulled a muscle in my shoulder, pulled a groin muscle and bruised my hip bone. Some mild pain killers and was basically told to go home and rest. Sigh. Those pills are weaker than what I take for my back. I tossed them in the cupboard and grabbed my back pills. Ahh...much better.

I tried to run the phantom again, same result. ESC error. So I figure its game over. I have one of the girls trot it down to the basement. I am in no condition to deal with it or the steps.

So I finally get to the point I can deal with it last night. I looked about the ESC boards here and other forums. Ok, not a federal project to replace. Haven't looked at a price yet. Don't want to. I looked at my P3A thinking I can rape the parts off it to fix the P3P. Thats when I realize it has new motors, the P3P has old. Dman. ESC boards won't work without replacing motors AND boards. Crud. Can't use the P3A as a parts bird.

Sigh. So this morning I decide to fire it up again and get the exact quote off the message to hit google and see what others are experiencing. And ... WTH? Um, it spins up? It wants to fly (no props on it). <faint>

I guess I need to go see if it will actually fly. Won't have a chance today (Serena's birthday) and might not tomorrow (Range Safety Walk).

DId I just get lucky? Should I trust it? Unfortunately in my rush to leave and get the girls, I didn't think to mark which arm hat the broke prop, nor which arm didn't spin up.
 
Well, took it for a 13 minute trip through the snow tonight. Flew as good as it always has. Seems God smiled on me this time.
 
If you need to in the future you can take the whole camera/gimbal assembly from the Pro, install it on the advanced and flash the pro firmware and voila, you have a P3P.
 
Works good enough to get photos in a snow storm. Flew over the empty field for a while and got to the point I saw it wasn't gonna fall out of the sky any time soon. Decided to try some longer shots (2sec). Got a hand full of keepers in the short flight. Started to get water spots from the snow falling on the UV filter near the end of the flight and they were reflecting the red lights too much so that was my excuse to bring it home..









 
Nice pics Wolf, nice and steady with good color and contrast. Good to see you and your copter are ok.
 
Nice pictures.I have a question.I hit a tree.The phantom is fine,but the camera has a waves in it when taking a video.Is my humble motor mess up,and do I have to replace the whole camera and gimbal.
 

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