Lesson learned!

[captainrick]

I just received my phantom last week and after going over all the videos for pre-flight I went out to test it in my front yard. Since I am in a community and lots of trees, I decided to just go up move very little, and come back down. I had calibrated the GPS (thank goodness!) and it hovered no problem. So, since I do not have my gopro yet, I decided to go in and get my small camera and tie wrap it to it to try a video. I set down the controls after landing and ran into the house, got the camera... came back out and the phantom was GONE!!! It had taken off on it's won! Well I panicked and started running around looking in trees, going into neighbor yards and figuring I had just lost it after less than 5 minutes of flight. As I was frantically scrambling around hoping it was not already far from my house I heard some conversation going on behind my house! Seems the phantom had landed there (just missing landing in a tree) and the gentleman said he saw it come down and thought "somebody is missing an expensive toy". Talk about relief!!!!
So I learned that I will NOT let the phantom out of my sight without first removing the battery!!!! Has this happened to anyone else?

 

[Lithium12.6]

I just received my phantom last week and after going over all the videos for pre-flight I went out to test it in my front yard. Since I am in a community and lots of trees, I decided to just go up move very little, and come back down. I had calibrated the GPS (thank goodness!) and it hovered no problem. So, since I do not have my gopro yet, I decided to go in and get my small camera and tie wrap it to it to try a video. I set down the controls after landing and ran into the house, got the camera... came back out and the phantom was GONE!!! It had taken off on it's won! Well I panicked and started running around looking in trees, going into neighbor yards and figuring I had just lost it after less than 5 minutes of flight. As I was frantically scrambling around hoping it was not already far from my house I heard some conversation going on behind my house! Seems the phantom had landed there (just missing landing in a tree) and the gentleman said he saw it come down and thought "somebody is missing an expensive toy". Talk about relief!!!!
So I learned that I will NOT let the phantom out of my sight without first removing the battery!!!! Has this happened to anyone else?

This is strange, the Phantom does not even starts with the throttle alone.
Are you sure after you landed, all motors stopped?
Because look like this could have happened, when you went inside house the Phantom lost the signal.
Than as it suppose to do climbed 20 meters and tried to land at home.

 

[jrstewart83]

Yup, make sure you shut the motors off. I'm guessing because it didn't receive input from the transmitter for a period of time it went into failsafe. Not sure why it chose the backyard as home, sounds like you got lucky on that one.

 

[captainrick]

Thanks for your inputs... but that was what was so strange! The quad props were fully shutdown....I then placed the controller beside it and walked in my front door. If it had started ascending again... I would have heard it even with my back to it as I walked. I was in a residential neighborhood and figured there had to be some sort of radio interference that activated it.

 

[dkr77573]

I'm curious what version of the Phantom you have. Does it have one or two antenna leads?

 

[captainrick]

Re: Lesson learned!...I think I know what happened

There is a chance I left the battery in the phantom and turned off the transmitter as I walked into the house. That would explain it taking off ...losing communication and going up to return to home. Still learning but loving the phantom!!!