- Joined
- May 21, 2013
- Messages
- 100
- Reaction score
- 16
$1500 + lost - I am sick.
I had flown this new set up with the HeroPro 3+ and all the trimmings, zemuse, Mini iOSD, and a 600 mw FPV set up. Fantastic set up - my favorite of a large collection of quads, including a P1 and many helis and planes. This set up was by far the nicest thing I have flown.
I had tested the set up to 1 km. No problems. Then decided to push the copter to 1.6 km My personal goal - one mile above my home. I live in the country and only sparse homes around. Mostly farmland and woods.
I will post a video if anyone thinks they can help me evaluate what might have happened.
Best I can tell, the high winds at that altitude pushed me a little off course. 800 meters - but still kept a video link - keep in mind I maintained radio and video contact throughout - well over 5500 feet - pretty amazing.
I lost video contact when the battery dropped to 8.8 volts. That is probably when the whole thing shut off. I could hear the motors surging off in the distance - at that time I was 700 meters from home and over 3500 feet high. Amazing that I could hear the motors surging like that.
We did a quick study of the local video - then headed out for a search.
It was not a DJI flyaway, it was pilot error. Had I paid closer attention to my location I would have kept it closer to my home position and it would have mode it home with battery to spare. I was at 45% when I headed back home. So I am confident of this fact.. Then video was breaking up some during this drift and it distracted me from keeping things under control. I did not realize why it was doing this until I discovered that I had drifted so badly. Once I got the patch receiving antenna back in line I knew I was in trouble.
Well, we have spent hours flying the other phantom quad all over about 100 acres of woods and waist-high wheat fields. No luck. We have studied the videos...gone back to look at suspect areas...grief.
Does anyone know what the descent rate of a free-falling Phantom 2 is? at 3500 feet no power and possible slight wind, I am trying to localize the landing point. I need HELP!!!!
Kent
Here is the whole video:
http://youtu.be/4qkZlJ-fl1k
Thanks everyone.
I had flown this new set up with the HeroPro 3+ and all the trimmings, zemuse, Mini iOSD, and a 600 mw FPV set up. Fantastic set up - my favorite of a large collection of quads, including a P1 and many helis and planes. This set up was by far the nicest thing I have flown.
I had tested the set up to 1 km. No problems. Then decided to push the copter to 1.6 km My personal goal - one mile above my home. I live in the country and only sparse homes around. Mostly farmland and woods.
I will post a video if anyone thinks they can help me evaluate what might have happened.
Best I can tell, the high winds at that altitude pushed me a little off course. 800 meters - but still kept a video link - keep in mind I maintained radio and video contact throughout - well over 5500 feet - pretty amazing.
I lost video contact when the battery dropped to 8.8 volts. That is probably when the whole thing shut off. I could hear the motors surging off in the distance - at that time I was 700 meters from home and over 3500 feet high. Amazing that I could hear the motors surging like that.
We did a quick study of the local video - then headed out for a search.
It was not a DJI flyaway, it was pilot error. Had I paid closer attention to my location I would have kept it closer to my home position and it would have mode it home with battery to spare. I was at 45% when I headed back home. So I am confident of this fact.. Then video was breaking up some during this drift and it distracted me from keeping things under control. I did not realize why it was doing this until I discovered that I had drifted so badly. Once I got the patch receiving antenna back in line I knew I was in trouble.
Well, we have spent hours flying the other phantom quad all over about 100 acres of woods and waist-high wheat fields. No luck. We have studied the videos...gone back to look at suspect areas...grief.
Does anyone know what the descent rate of a free-falling Phantom 2 is? at 3500 feet no power and possible slight wind, I am trying to localize the landing point. I need HELP!!!!
Kent
Here is the whole video:
http://youtu.be/4qkZlJ-fl1k
Thanks everyone.