People found a lost drone, what to do?

[mpp]

This is my understanding:
When it lands below the take off altitude, it just continues a calm landing descent until the Phantom detects no vertical movement for three seconds, then it shuts down the motors.

Did you get your sunset videos?

Yes I did get my video, thanks. Still in the processing of editing. I'm still new at this stuff. I only have a quite old macbook (circa 2007) and it doesn't handle these big video files very well. But as usual I start some new hobby and it sucks up all my time and my money.

Very impressed at how well it landed and how lucky I was it didn't hit a tree 50 feet off the ground and crash the rest of the way. It literally just landed on a bush and rested at an angle. I then have 15 minutes of video of a the bush and hear what I assume is the gimbal fighting the angle. Shockingly the gimbal motors seem to work fine. Despite what looks like a cheap toy, I'm very impressed with the build quality of these things.

 

[Wedeliver]

I had a thought and I was wondering what you guys might think of it.

On the top shell, scrawl in big "marks a lot" black indelible ink, REWARD, CALL XXX-XXXX REWARD. SERIAL NUMBER IS REGISTERED etc..

type of stuff.

What do you all think? Many tanks!

Craig

 

[Monte55]

That may be ok if you plan to keep the quad forever. If you ever want to sell and upgrade...maybe not a good idea. You can put your info on quad in case you lose it. If someone dishonest finds it and plans to keep it...it makes no difference what you scratch on it. You can mark the quad in a certain way that no one will see as an ID in case you know who has it but can't prove it's yours. Serial numbers can be removed easily, so don't depend on that. You could in that case use a soldering iron to mark the quad is a specia wayl that most would not recognize as not stock markings. A PENCIL tip iron can burn in dots and dashes unique to your machine.

 

[SteveMann]

Put a note *inside* the shell: "This vehicle was stolen from:"

 

[creativedogmedia]

I have the "no more Mr Nice Guy" stickers on bottom right of this page. Hope I never have to rely on them.

http://www.uavstickers.com/products-dji-phantom.php

 

[erniek9]

I had my lost Phantom 2 returned to me. I did something very stupid. I was flying over a wooded area from a 500ft bluff near where I live. It was around dusk. I brought the phantom back in to pack up and go home when the sky turned this awesome violet and purple and orange and it was just too beautiful. Even though I only had 1 light left on my last remaining battery, I thought, it's got enough for a quick out and back just to capture some of this sky. Stupid me. About 100 yards out, it goes into low battery mode and just started landing. I wasn't quite sure what it was going to do because the ground beneath was 500ft lower than the take off spot (I took off from up on the bluff). From where I was and because of the the vanishing daylight I could not see where it was landing. It quickly got dark and I couldn't go look for it in the pitch black.

Couldn't return to the area until a couple days later and spent 4 or 5 hours searching both on foot and from the bluff using binoculars but could not find it.

A week later, I was almost ready to pull the trigger on buying another (and another gimbal and another GoPro...this is an expensive hobby) when my phone rings and a nice man named Dan says "hey I have your drone". A woman that lived nearby saw it land and found it the next day. She had no idea what is was or if it was dangerous so she gave it to her friend Dan who immediately knew what it was. He was happy to return it me (but he was working out of town for the week and hence the delay). He refused my reward money, which I really pushed him to take, but he wouldn't.

Phantom works as if nothing ever happened. Based on the video it landed gently in a bush. Just got it back yesterday.

Hooray for good Samaritans. Don't reward the selfish by selling them a transmitter so they get a drone that isn't really theirs.

I am selling a Controller for some models of the Phantoms (I don't want this to be moved to classified so I am not going to say what I am doing) but this morning I got the message from someone who says they found a Vision Plus and they wanted a RC Transmitter to fly it. I replied and asked if they had any interest in looking for the owners who lost it, that there could be a reward. A few hours later now and no response.

So, I have heard from quite a few folks who have had fly aways and this might be one of the. I don't know what to do.

This is not the first time, At least one other time a RC Transmitter was bought from me and the buyer explained that he had found the, I think it was a Phantom V1.1.1 and he had posted fliers and ads in the newspaper so I thought he had tried so I sold him one.

I do realize that if people who found a lost quad could not fly they would try a lot harder to find the owner, or would they just put it up for sale?

Craig

I found a drone and WANT to return it to it's owner. It landed in my backyard next to the pool. It sat there until it stopped blinking so I brought it into the house. There is a number on it It begins with FA....... I know if I lost it I would be bumbed. It's a Phantom and I don't know the model. In Simi Valley, near Berylwood Elementary School.

 

[kirk2579]

I found a drone and WANT to return it to it's owner. It landed in my backyard next to the pool. It sat there until it stopped blinking so I brought it into the house. There is a number on it It begins with FA....... I know if I lost it I would be bumbed. It's a Phantom and I don't know the model.

that FAnumber is a FAA registration # it can be used to find the owner.

you can do or start a converstion with me and I will do it for you---up top right the envelope

 

[kirk2579]

I did get the FAA reg number from member Erniek9

he found:

" ... I found a drone and WANT to return it to it's owner. It landed in my backyard next to the pool. It sat there until it stopped blinking so I brought it into the house. There is a number on it It begins with FA....... I know if I lost it I would be bumbed. It's a Phantom and I don't know the model. In Simi Valley, near Berylwood Elementary School... "

could you imagine laying at pool side and out of know where a p3 starts a I am guessing low battery landing next to you and the pool...


I contacted the FAA to see about how to get back to owner of the quad.

Here is the FAA answer. and they were pretty quick with response.

Short description: UAS Inquiry Question by User
Comments:
2016-02-22 05:26:25 PM EST - Thomas, KarlousAdditional comments
Sir,

Thank you for your inquiry, please take the drone/aircraft that you have found and turn it into your local Police station. They can contact us and we can advised the local authorities of the process from that point.



U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Aviation Administration

800 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20591

Ref:MSG1403511

 

[QuadcopterFL]

Interesting.....

 

[Cobs]

One can only hope that if and when it happens ... it lands in the right hands, well done on your post and response.

 

[Billj3cub]

I contacted DJi North America by email and gave them the serial number located on the top of the gimbal base. They passed my contact info to the registered owner who contacted me immediately and confirmed the where/when/how the drone was lost. I will be boxing it up and sending it back to him right away. The following is our text thread:

-----------------------------------
My son is the adventurous one who retrieved your drone and verified your text info and picture. He heard that you went to get a rope to try and retrieve it so he scrambled down and got it by hand (he is just like that). He tried to get it back to you right then but had no luck. After posting on Craigslist/Community/Lost & Found with no response I did a little digging on the Phantom forums, found they are all registered, reported it to DJi and they contacted you.

Reimbursement for shipping is appreciated but there is no need for a reward. I grew up in the 1970's flying airplanes and R/C models, both powered and gliders, and can appreciate the value and attachment we have with our flying machines. I lost a few models in my time (boy, could I tell you some stories :O) and it gives me a deja vu sense of fulfillment to return this drone back to you. Almost like I am sending my own glider back to myself so many years ago, releasing that feeling of loss from my own Phantom zone - if you don't mind the pun.

Sincerely,
David Jackson (son)
&
Bill Jackson, (Billj3cub)
-----------------------------------
Hi,
I received an email from DJI that you found my drone. So glad that there are honest people still out there. Thank you so much for getting the drone and contacting the authorities. I will pay for shipping and give you a reward for your honesty. Here is my cell phone number. Please contact me when you get a chance so we can work out the details

573 819 ~~~~
Again thank you so much

P.s. I live in Missouri so there is a 2 hour time difference
-------------------------------------

 

[Billj3cub]

I contacted DJi North America by email and gave them the serial number located on the top of the gimbal base. They passed my contact info to the registered owner who contacted me immediately and confirmed the where/when/how the drone was lost. I will be boxing it up and sending it back to him right away. The following is our text thread:

-----------------------------------
My son is the adventurous one who retrieved your drone and verified your text info and picture. He heard that you went to get a rope to try and retrieve it so he scrambled down and got it by hand (he is just like that). He tried to get it back to you right then but had no luck. After posting on Craigslist/Community/Lost & Found with no response I did a little digging on the Phantom forums, found they are all registered, reported it to DJi and they contacted you.

Reimbursement for shipping is appreciated but there is no need for a reward. I grew up in the 1970's flying airplanes and R/C models, both powered and gliders, and can appreciate the value and attachment we have with our flying machines. I lost a few models in my time (boy, could I tell you some stories :O) and it gives me a deja vu sense of fulfillment to return this drone back to you. Almost like I am sending my own glider back to myself so many years ago, releasing that feeling of loss from my own Phantom zone - if you don't mind the pun.

Sincerely,
David Jackson (son)
&
Bill Jackson, (Billj3cub)
-----------------------------------
Hi,
I received an email from DJI that you found my drone. So glad that there are honest people still out there. Thank you so much for getting the drone and contacting the authorities. I will pay for shipping and give you a reward for your honesty. Here is my cell phone number. Please contact me when you get a chance so we can work out the details

573 819 ~~~~
Again thank you so much

P.s. I live in Missouri so there is a 2 hour time difference
-------------------------------------

The drone has been sent back to its rightful owner. Fly away home. :O)