Paranoia rules

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I've flown my P2V 4 times now, but not for about two weeks due to our rotten wet and/or windy weather here in southern England.

I've been keeping up with the forums here and, having lost a Parrot AR Drone a while ago (uncontrolled ascent and rapid fly away immediately after takeoff) I'm getting quite paranoid and rather apprehensive about going out again. I've read a lot of threads here about fly aways, uncontrolled descents, and other mishaps. So, given:

- Perfect conditions - low wind in particular
- All batteries fully charged
- Unmodified in any way
- All pre-flight checks and calibrations carried out, and LED colours spot on
- Enough satellites

Then what are the real statistics on the likelihood of loss of or mortal damage to the machine? How many more times can I fly it before, statistically, losing it? Exclude pilot error!

Opinions please!

Alan
 
People post negative news easily.
I have never had any problem with my P2V whatsoever, having flown for quite some time now.
Enjoy your flights!
 
Hi,

I felt the same way for a while after I got mine p2v.

I agree with grinsven, I decided that if I worried about what could go wrong too much, then I would never fly it, and it was then just a very expensive door stop.

however with that said, there are things you can do to help with the risk, a lot you have mentioned, I do pre flight check, and more in depth weekly checks, but I also don't fly like an idiot.
just have fun.
 
Thank you guys for your responses, and also for the link to a similar thread. I feel much better now! Weather might be OK here on Sunday, so wish me luck!!
 
CallMeAlan said:
Thank you guys for your responses, and also for the link to a similar thread. I feel much better now! Weather might be OK here on Sunday, so wish me luck!!

Just don't fly with winds stronger than 4 Bft.
And don't fly too high or too far, you need to be able to get back before the battery drops to 30%.
Happy flying!
 
I think also, don't update anything if it's working OK...

Ie... Firmware updates.... Etc....

If it works, flys home when control signal is lost, and don't fly home to china, leave it, don't update it, and enjoy it..

I know there may be some folks who say otherwise....

;)
 
I'm sure since you are somewhat paranoid 'same as me'
you have read the manual, people miss a key note on page 37 which is 'fly in an open area'
it is easy to takeoff in a tight spot but due to the gps and other circumstances beyond your control,
the phantom can't land in that tight of an area unassisted should it use RTH.

RTH works perfect but it will fail if a tree obscures decent.
I give myself a minimum of 50 metres eVery direction for safe control.

I love the vids but I by far appreciate the stills of the vision and the plus.

My biggest issue when I 1st started flying was trying to go higher and farther.
I've flown well oVer 3000 feet and over 1000 elevation, not records but a good distance.
Once I realized the real fun (for me) was closer taking pictures, much of the paranoia subsided.
I've since became a much better pilot and take some interesting shots. Some before even leaving the ground.
 
eflyer01 said:
Hi,

I felt the same way for a while after I got mine p2v.

I agree with grinsven, I decided that if I worried about what could go wrong too much, then I would never fly it, and it was then just a very expensive door stop.

however with that said, there are things you can do to help with the risk, a lot you have mentioned, I do pre flight check, and more in depth weekly checks, but I also don't fly like an idiot.
just have fun.

Totally agree. Pre-flight and post-flight checks are a great idea and doing a short "test hover" while testing all controls to be sure all looks well and it'll hold a fairly tight hover in GPS mode... And you really don't need a fancy electronic doorstop, so go on out and enjoy it. :D

As far as flying like an idiot... :D I know I'm perfectly capable of doing that... ;) I occasionally do high speed runs in an attempt to break 40mph. Once I do, that'll be that as I have no desire to break 50. I've been over 37mph, so I'm close. But while I'm doing these high speed runs, I'm fully aware that I'm flying like an idiot and do whatever I can to mitigate the risk. I fly high enough so that I don't auger in, low enough so that it won't fall 200 feet, fly in a nice open treeless area, etc...

I also no longer do high speed vertical runs, or quick turns, etc. unless absolutely necessary, and it seldom is. I have the old style spring loaded battery pins and have had a number of issues because of them. Therefore I try to keep the vibration down to a dull roar. Also, because of the battery pin issue, I don't fly in strong winds like I used to. :shock:

-slinger
 

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