Preventive, Routine, and Periodic Maintenance

[stewball5]

Ok, cool. And that has WHAT to do with calling FAA if Dji doesnt give you a maintenance schedule, exactly? Im missing the connection here. That or maybe some of us in here can help you out a little bit. Are the props in good shape? Check. Are they installed properly and tight? Check. Ensure your motors dont make any frightening noises or dont spin freely when you spin the. Check. There ya go, there's your Phantom 3 Maintenance schedule. What REALLY is there to do maintenance wise? Without breaking the seal, so to speak, and voiding our warranties? And if FAA wanted us to do something that voided our warranties in order to do a stupid maintenance schedule, well, I guess they could just bugger off, huh? I just think (and apparently many others in here do as well) that you're making a bit too much out of this.

Gary, are you a commercial operator? If not, this does not apply to you.

 

[stewball5]

Get a life

I've got one and a **** good one at that. Thank you!

 

[Jussaguy]

I believe DJI must include maintenance schedules, procedures, and checklists for preventative, routine, and periodic, maintenance, in the User Manual. Not only should the schedules be published, but so should procedures and checklists be published as well. It seems that since DJI does not include these maintenance requirements, they can not hold the user accountable for not performing the maintenance. I plan on notifying the FAA UAS Integration Office if I don't see something happen with respect to this issue in the next 10 days.

Im sure it's already been discussed in this thread but oddly, I just learned about this last night.

A pilot friend (who is an active member of this forum) of mine was telling me about how his friend pilot just had their annual and in the context of how annuals can actually be dangerous because they were taking off and before they cleared 2 miles at 400 feet, the lost the only engine in a single engine Cessna, turn had to call the tower, own the airport, raise the flaps, turn off all avionics and even eventually radio and pray that they would make the runway which they did by about 5-8 feet as he tells it.

After the NTSB investigation, it was found that the cause of the fire was a part that needed 4 screw, got 1. And I don't remember what the part was but it caused the spark that lead to the loss of engine.

So annuals? I dunno, right now I wouldn't want DJI putting their hands on my bird. It's working great.

Seems it should be self regulatory at this size. Airlines and even private planes are a different thing but small craft, too much IMO.

Left Seat: Anatomy of an Annual

 

[stewball5]

I can tell similar stories having been a pilot for over 50 years and owned my own airplane. As I have said, if you are an amateur hobbyist, you are not really affected by all the new legislation and new Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR). Guidance for the hobbyist is given in Advisory Circular 91-57A, Change 1, which is attached. If you follow the AMA safety rules and the Advisory Circular, you are golden and will be in the future.

The big changes, like maintenance as an example, are coming for the commercial operators and manufacturers. The new FAR Part 107 to be published this month or next will set the stage for even more government oversight. Additional FAA oversight will come with the Congressional passage of, and the Presidential signing of, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2016 eventually resulting in significant changes to the FAR. The oversight will impact commercial operators and manufacturers with new operational requirements, new standards, and new manufacturing and test requirements.

 

[snerd]

Im sure it's already been discussed in this thread but oddly, I just learned about this last night.

A pilot friend (who is an active member of this forum) of mine was telling me about how his friend pilot just had their annual and in the context of how annuals can actually be dangerous because they were taking off and before they cleared 2 miles at 400 feet, the lost the only engine in a single engine Cessna, turn had to call the tower, own the airport, raise the flaps, turn off all avionics and even eventually radio and pray that they would make the runway which they did by about 5-8 feet as he tells it.

After the NTSB investigation, it was found that the cause of the fire was a part that needed 4 screw, got 1. And I don't remember what the part was but it caused the spark that lead to the loss of engine.

So annuals? I dunno, right now I wouldn't want DJI putting their hands on my bird. It's working great.

Seems it should be self regulatory at this size. Airlines and even private planes are a different thing but small craft, too much IMO.

Left Seat: Anatomy of an Annual

Makes one very appreciative of how safe the FAA has kept the National Airspace!

 

[Gary M]

Gary, are you a commercial operator? If not, this does not apply to you.

I am not, no. But I got into this with every intention of becoming one. So it does apply to me. And I'm sorry friend, I know you're a pilot and all, that's cool. Many of us here, me included, are no strangers to aviation ourselves. Is what I think you have going on here is applying the "Aviation world's" way of thinking to an area where almost absolutely nothing is the same as the GA world. This is sort akin to the FAA requiring a pilot's license to fly a drone professionally. Everyone's like, REALLY?! had a small role in aviation in the Navy, I'm sure many of us here have similar experience as well. I know quite very well how important maintenance is to an aircraft. Ask any other military guy and they will tell you it is very strict and intensive. I TOTALLY get why. Is what we are saying is there isn't very much to inspect & maintain on a 2 pound craft which is basically just some electronics, a couple pieces of plastic and 4 motors. Trust me Bud, a guy like me appreciates that a guy like you wants to do things the smart way and do your part to make sure everyone is safe. I just think you're barking up the wrong tree, that's all. And again, more government involvement?? Eeeew....

 

[Sim597]

I too am a careful operator, but not a maintainer. Just like they give a pre-flight checklist, they need to do they same for maintenance. DJI has implemented things in the software, you might not be aware of as of yet depending on where you fly. Try to start you vehicle inside a control zone where a tower exists. You may not be able to do so. Further, I think the degradation in range is also do to a software change to keep your vehicle within VLOS. That's just the beginning of what both Congress, the FAA, and the manufacturers are doing to impact our sport and/or businesses. In the event of an incident beyond my control, I don't what to hear that I did not perform the proper routine/preventative maintenance that could of prevented the incident.

Sorry but you seem like the kind of guy that doesn't think we landed on the moon? Are you a conspiracy guy? I don't think for one second a Chinese company cares what the congress or senate is doing unless it cost them money, and it hasn't cost them a dime yet, just my $.02

 

[Sim597]

How exactly is the government ruining your life? Can you drive to your job on real roads? Or are they roads like in Afghanistan or Russia? Our infrastructure is intact and operating under nominal conditions, you have your trash taken care of and your car got its registration you paid for, of course it's not perfect, far from it, but I don't see how it's ruining ppl's lives living here in the states.

 

[suck it up]

 

[Gary M]

How exactly is the government ruining your life? Can you drive to your job on real roads? Or are they roads like in Afghanistan or Russia? Our infrastructure is intact and operating under nominal conditions, you have your trash taken care of and your car got its registration you paid for, of course it's not perfect, far from it, but I don't see how it's ruining ppl's lives living here in the states.

I guess the most polite way I could answer that (I don't know who you were asking) is if you don't see how the government is ruining people's lives, DAILY, you apparently live in a different America than a lot of the rest of us do. Just the roads part of your comment could be picked apart for days.

 

[Erised]

The biggest fail componants is electronics. Firmware does a check at startup, visual inspection of craft before flight .check. Not mutch you can pre-check if your electronics are about to fail. AND BY THE WAY HOW MANY OF US CHECK OUR 2 TON CARS BEFORE WE GET ON THE FREEWAY! MILLIONS OF THOSE ON THE ROAD AND NO CHECKS!

 

[Sim597]

We are getting off the point here, the fact is, there isn't a lot we can check on these machines.
Like what was pointed out, it's really hard to tell if an IC board is about to **** the bed, sure you can hook up a diagnostic machine but most wouldn't know what to look for it at, even with thousands of dollars in these machines would the detection rate be above 5%.

So we do what we can, we check the motors and gears in the motors, the props, and when starting it goes though its own diagnostics, these are pretty simple, albeit complex machines, lol.

I did notice on the more commercialized Inspire, they have a much more rigid and comprehensive maintenance program, but there is more to look at, besides the Phantom that only has one moving part, the gimbal, besides the 4 motors.

I have one of those temp guns, you know, with a red dot, and I check my motors pretty regularly, if they're all within a couple degrees, which they do run consistent with each other, then that's about all one can do. Failure rates on IC boards is low, really low, solid state electronics just don't crash and burn like the older vacuum tube designs of the past. Get yourself a temp gun, check the motors when you land, depending on the outside temp, I see from 90*~almost 100* usually about 97* here in Texas at this time of year, if a motor is running hot, chances are a bearing is wearing, but besides that, do a check on loose screws, make sure props are undamaged, and your golden.

I have 26 hours in the air at this point, nary a single failure, not sure how many battery cycles that is, but it's over 600,000' flown, and some here have more then quadrupled that, without an actual failure

 

[Sim597]

I guess the most polite way I could answer that (I don't know who you were asking) is if you don't see how the government is ruining people's lives, DAILY, you apparently live in a different America than a lot of the rest of us do. Just the roads part of your comment could be picked apart for days.

I drive the same roads as you, what you can't get to somewhere?
The fact is corporations don't pay their fair share, haven't for a long time, GE, IBM, APPLE just a name a few that make billions a year, billions.
That's all I'll say, deleted a long rambling reply, now back to the discussion

 

[Gary M]

I drive the same roads as you, what you can't get to somewhere?
The fact is corporations don't pay their fair share, haven't for a long time, GE, IBM, APPLE just a name a few that make billions a year, billions.
That's all I'll say, deleted a long rambling reply, now back to the discussion

We'll agree to disagree here in the forum. If you'd ever like to debate or "Chat" out of the forum I'd be up for it. I have what I'd say are valid fact based counterpoints, lol!

 

[Wheatfield]

I believe DJI must include maintenance schedules, procedures, and checklists for preventative, routine, and periodic, maintenance, in the User Manual. Not only should the schedules be published, but so should procedures and checklists be published as well. It seems that since DJI does not include these maintenance requirements, they can not hold the user accountable for not performing the maintenance. I plan on notifying the FAA UAS Integration Office if I don't see something happen with respect to this issue in the next 10 days.

Wouldn't it be easier to just educate yourself on what (if any) preventative maintenance there is? What the hell is it with Americans, on the one hand they want to shrink their government to the point it can be drowned in a teacup, and on the other they want it to be used as a cudgel against people because of some imagined slight?

 

[Mikee]

After reading all this post.. I've now got a headache.. Thanks
My maintenance schedule is a pre flight check and after every 10 flights check screws and fixings for tightness, security and wear
Job done

 

[AntonioDavideMarcello]

After reading all this post.. I've now got a headache.. Thanks
My maintenance schedule is a pre flight check and after every 10 flights check screws and fixings for tightness, security and wear
Job done

I agree with. The maintenance is very important but I suppose that DJI's engineers and their staff have more experience about this question: I don't know anyone who can say to have an experience of 100 or 1000 hours of work, but I think that DJI has the capability, due to tests and reports, to tell and write the most frequent accidents and what to do to avoid them. For example: normally how many hours can the motors work, isn't it?

 

[SCGENE]

It's a big boy toy, look at the motors maybe one or two years of life, heck my 2010 Corvette (LS3 Motor) with regular maintenance schedule want last a life time unless you only drive a few hundred mile every year.

 

[Mikee]

I agree with. The maintenance is very important but I suppose that DJI's engineers and their staff have more experience about this question: I don't know anyone who can say to have an experience of 100 or 1000 hours of work, but I think that DJI has the capability, due to tests and reports, to tell and write the most frequent accidents and what to do to avoid them. For example: normally how many hours can the motors work, isn't it?

Like all things in life.. the unexpected can happen.. motors can fail, esc's can burn out and so on.. it's how you as a pilot deal with a given situation and how you respond to it. All you can do is to in this situation, is to ensure that you fly within the parameters of the FAA or in my case CAA and avoid people and property.... should such a situation arise..
DJI has released a video and I think that most problems start and develop through pilot error or ignorance to read and fully understand the capabilities of their purchase.

My Phantom 3P has over 120 hours flying time logged on it and has never missed a beat.. I hope my P4 will do the same.

 

[normr]

I think he needs to change his name to screwball since he feels the extreme need to run to the FAA and complain, we're talking an expensive toy here, not a hundred thousand dollar aircraft, or even a commercial drone, what is he going to want next the need to pay for an aviation mechanic to work on our Phantoms and to pay for an inspection sticker that needs to be affixed to our quadcopters?

When they come out with a Quadcopter that can carry me, then I'll agree with his point.


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