Need a question answering...

[weephillie]

Would a Phantom 2 just fall out of the sky if one of the motors failed?
Same with a hexacopter, could that fly on 5 motors or would that just fall also?

Thanks in advance!

 

[SanCap]

Yes to both, the Hex might have a chance of recovery.

 

[ProfessorStein]

A typical quad will not fly with 3 motors, no. It will spiral to the ground.
There are supposedly some very bright minds who have designed a flight computer that can fly on only 2 or 3 motors in an emergency, but as far as I know it's not in any commercially available quad yet.

A hex or octocopter is generally much more forgiving, and can typically fly if one motor goes out (at least long enough to land... depending on the payload you're carrying)... but it also depends on how/why you lost the motor.

 

[weephillie]

Thanks for the speedy response, that's a big help.

 

[OI Photography]

I've lost a prop while flying, once on my Phantom and once on my 550 (hex). The Phantom plummeted like a shot bird, but the 550 just did a slow autorotation that let me easily control it in for a smooth soft landing.

 

[locoworks]

I've lost a prop while flying, once on my Phantom and once on my 550 (hex). The Phantom plummeted like a shot bird, but the 550 just did a slow autorotation that let me easily control it in for a smooth soft landing.

power to weight is a bit different betwen the two at a guess