Sell or Downgrade Decision

[kjopc]

I'm so spooked by numerous gimbal damage reports on the Phantom 2 Vision+ that I'm afraid to fly it.

If I had known how fragile the V+ was - and the crazy cost/delay for repairs - I wouldn't have bought it. (Wish I'd joined PhantomPilots.com earlier!)

I'm thinking of selling the unit before it breaks and buying the more robust down-level model.

My other notion is to keep the quadcopter but install a cheap gimbal and GoPro camera to minimize the loss and downtime from a crash.

What's my best option to get back to flying without dread?

 

[BMEWS]

if you fly sensibly and avoid where possible really hard landings (you can always hand catch) then you have mitigated a massive chunk of the risk involved with potential damage to the gimbal.

The reality is that a mixture of electrical and mechanical components that sometimes things fail. A good routine of pre and post flight checks will help there too.

You assess risk every day (in the normal decisions you make) this should be and is indeed no harder. You never hear of the countless successful flights where folk just fly around their locality, keep an eye on their power usage and bring their airframes down sensibly.

OR, you could take the inevitable hit on your purchase by selling at a loss, buy something else and start worrying about which bit of that you might damage

get out there and enjoy your flying.

bmews

 

[IrishSights]

I think you seem to have a fear of crashing rather than dissapointment in gimbel build quality. Granted there can be hardware reasons for a crash, however most crashes are down to pilot error. I am suggesting that if you fly carefully, with full knowledge of you crafts capabilities and factoring in good choices regarding environmental conditions there is no reason why you can't fly crash free. I have only ever had one crash - well sort of a crash. Early on in my experience I got disoriented at takeoff and slowly backed into a bush - pilot error. You need to get back on the horse and practice your flying skills. IMO.

Sent from Samsung S4 via Tapatalk

 

[kydan]

If you are within your return time window, perhaps go that route and get a Phantom 1 or Phantom 2?

Otherwise, just take your time and practice hovering/flying nose out & in/soft landings/even buy a simulator if you want/or get a cheapo quad to practice on (which is really what you or anyone should do if this is your first RC heli/quad experience).

 

[Peter Evans]

I think IrishSights is correct. You have a fear of crashing, which results in fear of expensive damage. That's not a criticism of you because I am exactly the same and, therefore, I understand exactly how you feel.

You just need to get out into open space, go through a flight check every time before you fly, and practice, practice, practice. Print out a flight checklist! - regular pilots with thousands of hours experience do this every time before take-off. Why? Because if you don't, there's always a risk you'll forget something, and that's when it will all go FUBAR. Best case scenario is you'll have forgotten to put the SD card in; worst case scenario is you'll forget to acquire sufficient satellites, or not get a Home-Lock or fail to notice that the compass need calibrating.

Don't fly too high and too far; as far as I am concerned, for filming and photography purposes, there is little point in flying above 100 metres altitude and beyond 250 metres distance. If you need to go further than that then bring it back down, move to a new spot and fly again.

If you didn't buy the P2V+ for filming and photography and just want a r/c quadcopter then, yes OK, sell it and buy something smaller and less expensive. But if you want to capture images and video, there's little point changing it now. I have a P2 with the H3-3D gimbal and I would guess that that is just as 'fragile' as the gimbal on the P2V+

I always now catch mine by hand (i.e. bring it down slowly to just above shoulder height and hover, walk towards it, reach up and grab a leg and immediately bring the left stick straight down and the rotors will stop. Nerve-wracking at first (makes you screw up your face! :lol: ), but it works every time. IF you're landing on a flat surface, bring it down really slowly and again stop the rotors with a straight down pull and hold on the left stick (do NOT stop the motors in the same way that you started them otherwise it's almost certain to flip over whilst the rotors are still turning).

Stay in GPS mode until you get some experience and don't try anything fancy.

Lastly, if something does go wrong, don't panic!. I've been there, done that and both times it just made things worse and ended in a crash (with no damage fortunately). Just take your hands off the controller and let the machine hover whilst you get your head back together.

I'm still very nervous each time I fly, but each time gets better. I still won't fly near lots of trees; I need much more practice to overcome this barrier but I will do it, because the experience and the results are magical. It's opening up a whole new world to me and I'm determined that my fear of losing all that valuable kit isn't going to stop me.

EDIT
I just saw the above post about using a simulator and I second that recommendation. I have the Heli-X and find it useful to practice on rainy days.

Oh, and you might like to look at the end of my post here http://www.phantompilots.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=15626#p142160 where I'm using simple to fit and remove leg extensions to keep the camera/gimbal away from the floor should I need to land rather than hand-catch.

 

[N017RW]

I actually taught my 9 & 11 y.o. how to fly my P2 using 'AirHogs" co-axials.

They fly very much the same as a P2 in Atti.mode really.

Looks different but the stick inputs/reactions are the same.

 

[TJB]

If you're serious about wanting to downgrade, I've been thinking about trying to upgrade myself.
Maybe we can talk about trading, plus I could give you some bucks.
I have a phantom 2 vision that has only a few flights on it, and is in perfect condition.

 

[Happyflyer]

You just need to get out into open space, go through a flight check every time before you fly, and practice, practice, practice. Print out a flight checklist! - regular pilots with thousands of hours experience do this every time before take-off. Why? Because if you don't, there's always a risk you'll forget something, and that's when it will all go FUBAR. Best case scenario is you'll have forgotten to put the SD card in; worst case scenario is you'll forget to acquire sufficient satellites, or not get a Home-Lock or fail to notice that the compass need calibrating.

Peter Evans has the right idea here. I just received my carry case and when I had my yard work done today, I took the quad to the beach. All set up and ready to go. Motors would not start. ???? Forgot to put the check list in the box. One of the switches was not forward. Click and we took off. Can't beat a check list!

 

[extrememc]

My fear of my investment crashing was cured with a P 1.1.1. I fly it with prop guards and I love it. Gives me the perfect simulator. Plus I got 6 batteries and can fly for a 1 hour and have loads of fun.


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[Phantom_Menace66]

if you fly sensibly and avoid where possible really hard landings (you can always hand catch) then you have mitigated a massive chunk of the risk involved with potential damage to the gimbal.

The reality is that a mixture of electrical and mechanical components that sometimes things fail. A good routine of pre and post flight checks will help there too.

You assess risk every day (in the normal decisions you make) this should be and is indeed no harder. You never hear of the countless successful flights where folk just fly around their locality, keep an eye on their power usage and bring their airframes down sensibly.

OR, you could take the inevitable hit on your purchase by selling at a loss, buy something else and start worrying about which bit of that you might damage

get out there and enjoy your flying.

bmews

Bravo! Well said....

 

[kjopc]

The solution to my angst was so simple that I overlooked it: I've added the flying camera to my homeowners insurance.

For $38 a year (no deductible), the camera is covered for loss or damage.

I can now fly again knowing the replacement cost for a too-fragile gimbal won't be all on me.

I love this camera. Just didn't like the dread of a huge financial loss from enjoying it.

 

[happydays]

As many others would agree, any quadcopter is vulnerable to damage when crashed. I have lost a P1 in the sea, replaced it with a P2V, then upgraded to a P2+. Still have the P2V if anyone wants to buy it!

Get into a very big field, stay well away from trees, get up high enough to avoid shrubs and trees but low enough to overcome your fear! You'll gain in confidence with every flight.

Enjoy it!

CBS

 

[skyhighdiver]

The solution to my angst was so simple that I overlooked it: I've added the flying camera to my homeowners insurance.

For $38 a year (no deductible), the camera is covered for loss or damage.

I can now fly again knowing the replacement cost for a too-fragile gimbal won't be all on me.

I love this camera. Just didn't like the dread of a huge financial loss from enjoying it.

But remember that when it crashes and you claim the lose your home insurance will go up in price
maybe a lot I know we had water damage from a dishwasher claim totaled 1900.00 insurance went from 618.00 to 1140.00 a year and that is for 4 years before they will readdress
and your already paying 40.00 a year to have the ins.
so not really a sound action. Feels good but really