Stupid decision to fly my P3. Luckily I escaped damage

[lawman0210]

So my buddy owns a business that's a few miles from my house. He joked about me doing a fly over so I decided to oblige. I drove to a distance of just over 900 ft. The launching point was behind a shopping center where the tractor trailers make their drop offs. So I had to ascend to 100 ft then start my flight. The shopping center walls were only 20 feet tall or so. The P3A gave me a compass warning before flight but after calibrating it seemed fine. So I reached his building and hovered just passed his shop in a wooded area just beyond his parking lot. Then I got the "not connected warning". I unplugged the the cord, plugged it back in with negative results, flipped cobtroller off and back on with nothing. Fpv showed it in the same spot. Just a froze screen I guess. So I jumped in my car to move around to a better view of his shop and couldn't spot the P3. I hit the RTH button and it started beeping but nothing was updating on the screen. I keep looking and trying to reconnect by closing app and restarting it. Nothing so after 10 -15 minutes I was sure it was gone for good. I decided to go back to the launching point and there it was safe and sound. It landed nearly exactly where it took off from in the alley way maybe 30 feet deep. Winds weren't to bad but we did have some strong gusts. Never again

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[sergekouper]

Close call...

 

[Oso]

The launching point was behind a shopping center where the tractor trailers make their drop offs. So I had to ascend to 100 ft then start my flight. The shopping center walls were only 20 feet tall or so. The P3A gave me a compass warning before flight but after calibrating it seemed fine.

When I read this, I was expecting that you would mention bad things from trying to calibrate your compass in such an area!

Then I got the "not connected warning". I unplugged the the cord, plugged it back in with negative results, flipped cobtroller off and back on with nothing.

I'm curious. When you turned off your RC it would have initiated an auto RTH. Why did you leave the home point before it returned?

 

[eBird]

I had the same question, once you turned off the transmitter it should have RTH, and sounds like that's exactly what it did. I'm guessing you drove around because the frozen downlink screen made you think it was still stationary. You were driving around the building while it's busy going home.
I would caution you against calibrating your compass in order to overcome a compass error. It was trying to tell you there was magnetic interference, and by calibrating there you essentially told it "this messed up magnetic area is normal". Once it flies away from the interference, the compass would then be messed up.
Does not sound like this had anything to do with your flight, which really just sounds like a frozen screen.

 

[lawman0210]

Because I wasn't sure if it was hovering over the area that it was when I lost signal or if my tablet/app was froze. Even after it landed the controller was still beeping. Screen never updated and when I peeked around the building i didn't see anything in the sky at all so I thought it might have gone down. It might have been coming over top the building as I turned it's corner. Just glad a truck didn't come by and squash it

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[snerd]

I'm confused. You flew it 900 feet away, from an alley with buildings between you and it? I'm surprised it didn't lose signal much closer. If you can't see it for the obstacles, it can't see the signal. Unless I'm misunderstanding it.

 

[lawman0210]

It was having compass issued that cleared up with a calibration and seemed to correct itself after getting above the roof line. Launch site was behind a large building (dock doors etc) where the trucks go. The area has houses to my back businesses to my front. Once I got out to his location I showed it hovering there but then lost signal (as shown with the no signal warning) I attempted to pilot it back but it was just a still screen. To make matters worse I may have had a frozen screen on the Samsung tab 4 I was using. I then it the failsafe button and the transmitter starting beeping as it should I tried to move closers to where it was but it was nowhere to be found. I'm thinking we passed each other as I went around the side it was coming over the building. I was gone about 5 minutes. Controller was still beeping as I went back to launch site and there it was. What is the steps I should take on a "no signal situation again? If the controller initiates a RTH scenario does the controller beep as well? Is the beeping suppose to stop once it's landed? Mine did not. I don't know at this point if I was able to initiate the RTH or its just a coincidence that it did it on its own at nearly the same time I was trying to. BTW Just in case your wondering this is a very sparse area in regards to people . Other then the house to my back. The area in which in was hovering was to the back on his shop which was wooded. Yes I had to fly over a few roads. Reckless maybe. But where I live you have to drive a long way to reach fields of plenty

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[Meta4]

Your compass error should have been a warning. Post #4 above explains it well.

RTH is one of the most important points to understand in Phantom flying.
There are 3 kinds of RTH and the manual has two whole pages on it.
Everyone should practice in an open area so they understand how to activate RTH and how it works and also how to cancel and resume control.

 

[Othan1]

It's difficult to trust the technology to come back when you lose connection. Understandable in a panic what you did.

I was on eggshells when I lost connection once and had to force myself to wait and see what happened. RTH kicked in and I got connection back and was able to continue flying a different direction.

You'll get to trust it a bit more.

 

[TG3S]

You flew 900 feet and had to drive for a better view?
Sounds like you need to learn how to pilot your phantom before attempting difficult flights..

 

[lawman0210]

Thank you

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