My flyaway story and what to do

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I took the drone out last night along the water. I have a pretty good handle on flying the thing, the blade protectors, gps etc. Well, it was about 2000 feet away, 500 feet up and kept disconnecting mid-flight which was getting annoying and bit dangerous over the oceans and highway, so I decided to use the return home feature. I had previously tested this feature in an open field several times. Worked great. This occasion, the phone said "coming home" then said "disconnected" several more times then ended up landing in the ocean according the the GPS locator.

Do I have any recourse here with DJI? I am guessing no but wanted to check with everyone who has had the drone not return home.
 
sorry to hear of your mishap,
Unfortunately, i've spoke to DJI and they tell you don't fly it over water, so if you do your on your own and truthfully, they don't make any claims to crashes and user error. I flew mine into a tree on my second flight. Luckily it didn't do much damage, but it was my error as i was too busy watching the FPV and looking up to see where it was at when it crashed. like the previous user said, if you can afford it just get another one and probably stay away from water. You were using the prop guards ???? most of the accidents i've seen involve those things..i don't fly with them.
 
New flyer claiming flyaway? Well thats a first. Dont use RTH as a rock solid way of getting your phantom back. New flyers really need to start learning about what they bought.
 
abacus01
Thanks for the genuine answer and good advice. Interesting that the prop guards might lead to more crashes? Is it less stable with them?

Mal_PV2_Ireland
It amazes me how angry many phantom enthusiasts are. Half the replies I get are really helpful like abacus01's, the others are just people taking out their aggression in a helicopter toy forum. And yes, it is a very cool toy, but it is still a toy.
 
judsonabts said:
I took the drone out last night along the water. I have a pretty good handle on flying the thing, the blade protectors, gps etc. Well, it was about 2000 feet away, 500 feet up and kept disconnecting mid-flight which was getting annoying and bit dangerous over the oceans and highway, so I decided to use the return home feature. I had previously tested this feature in an open field several times. Worked great. This occasion, the phone said "coming home" then said "disconnected" several more times then ended up landing in the ocean according the the GPS locator.

Do I have any recourse here with DJI? I am guessing no but wanted to check with everyone who has had the drone not return home.

Sympathize with your loss, but PLEASE stop using the d*one word,
it is a radio controlled quadcopter,
lets not give our opponents more ammunition,
I always point out to folks that call it a d*one, that the military use them,
these are hobbyist models.
 
I am curious - what is the reason for NOT flying over water please?

AND

Regarding the prop guards statement. What don't you like about them?

I have fitted them to my Phantom and have nothing but praise for them because they protect the props in a tilt on landing or taking off situation.

Regards

Pete
 
deltamike said:
I am curious - what is the reason for NOT flying over water please?
I guess that if you do have a crash over water then more than likely the Phantom will be toast (if you can find it)
I fly over water but it still increases my heart rate every time :D

AND

Regarding the prop guards statement. What don't you like about them?
Personally I think they are clunky and unnecessary. Have read on here about more crashes due to VRS with them on than without. I bought them when I got my Phantom but still in the box unopened.


I have fitted them to my Phantom and have nothing but praise for them because they protect the props in a tilt on landing or taking off situation.

How are you taking off and landing that the Phantom tips over?

Regards

Pete
 
I fly over water but it still increases my heart rate every time :D

Time to invent floatation devices :)

What is VRS please?

My FC40 tends to dip on take off, ?????

But anyway, surely - even YOU must have had a ground chipped prop at least once ......... ;)

Regards

Pete
 
deltamike said:
What is VRS please?
Vortex ring state or settling with power. More noobie crashes due to that then anything else.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vortex_ring_state




But anyway, surely - even YOU must have had a ground chipped prop at least once ......... ;)
Nope. Over 100 flights and still on the same props. Had never flown anything before in my life either so a complete noob.

Regards

Pete
 
And yes, it is a very cool toy, but it is still a toy.[/quote]

H'mmmm. I want to disagree with you here.

The Phantom is NOT a toy in my opinion, if that is what you are referring to.

Toys do not generally have the ability to cause damage or injury for a start.

To set the aircraft up initially via the Naza assistant is not easy the first time and to do this requires a LOT of reading.

So many times I have seen people take it out of the box and attempt to fly it without learning first, and crash it or hit someone or something.

Its a good thing people cant do this when buying and driving a car for the first time and I hope that in the future there is some similar legislation for flying these aircraft. It is only a matter of time before someone is killed - mark my words.


Regards

Pete
 
xgeek said:
deltamike said:
What is VRS please?
Vortex ring state or settling with power. More noobie crashes due to that then anything else.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vortex_ring_state


Thanks XG. I shall still keep mine on until such time ................... You will be the first to know if .............



But anyway, surely - even YOU must have had a ground chipped prop at least once ......... ;)
Nope. Over 100 flights and still on the same props. Had never flown anything before in my life either so a complete noob.

Do leave orf. A noob is someone with under ten flights. At 100 flights on GPS you are classed competent. If you have flown ATTI manual 50+ times you are type qualified

Regards

Pete
 
deltamike said:
I fly over water but it still increases my heart rate every time :D

Time to invent floatation devices :)

What is VRS please?

My FC40 tends to dip on take off, ?????

But anyway, surely - even YOU must have had a ground chipped prop at least once ......... ;)

Regards

Pete


check getterback.com :D it recovers your phantom :D
 
xgeek said:
deltamike said:
What is VRS please?
Vortex ring state or settling with power. More noobie crashes due to that then anything else.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vortex_ring_state




But anyway, surely - even YOU must have had a ground chipped prop at least once ......... ;)
Nope. Over 100 flights and still on the same props. Had never flown anything before in my life either so a complete noob.

Regards

Pete


HOW TO AVOID VRS in Phantom ?
 
Handy link to Green Marine, XG - Thanks.


I notice though, he does not condemn prop guards. It appears VRS can happen anytime with or without prop guards.

However, knowing about VRS and how to get out of the created vortices is valuable info.

Now - what about wfac?

Regards

Pete





(Wife Frowning About Costs)
 
deltamike said:
I notice though, he does not condemn prop guards. It appears VRS can happen anytime with or without prop guards.

True, but it seems the Phantom will enter VRS quicker/easier with prop guards attached. I have no first hand experience mind you, but from what I have seen and read that would appear to be the case.


Just be careful :D
 
xgeek said:
deltamike said:
I notice though, he does not condemn prop guards. It appears VRS can happen anytime with or without prop guards.

True, but it seems the Phantom will enter VRS quicker/easier with prop guards attached. I have no first hand experience mind you, but from what I have seen and read that would appear to be the case.


Just be careful :D


Rest assured .......................
 
xgeek said:
deltamike said:
I notice though, he does not condemn prop guards. It appears VRS can happen anytime with or without prop guards.

True, but it seems the Phantom will enter VRS quicker/easier with prop guards attached. I have no first hand experience mind you, but from what I have seen and read that would appear to be the case.


Just be careful :D

Maybe this is because most people using the prop guards are new users and those that don't have more experience?

I started off using the prop guards and removed them when I had 25+ flights under my belt flying phantom mode and 5 or so flying in naza mode. I noticed very little difference either way.
 
Why the heck wouldn't you fly it back instead of relying on the RTH crutch? If you're having problems with GPS why not switch to ATTI and stay in control as you fly it home?

The title should not reference "flyaway" but rather "bad decision making" or "I decided to give up control and lost my toy."[/quote]



Good posting - my thoughts too.

While we are on the subject, can someone answer the following please.

What positions do the switches have to be in to have the Phantom ignore the GPS and rely only on the Naza gyros and accelerometers, barometric devices only? Presumably this is the ATTI. Am I correct?

I just want it clear in my own mind. I find the manual confusing trying to find a definitive answer.

Regards

Pete
 

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