Oh How Original Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 So, I am back looking at drones, this time more purely for aerial shots over the pleasure of simply flying. Most interesting is the DJI Mavic Pro, it would fit in my bag nicely on the bike so I could go and get some nice aerial stuff. But I've seen quite a few of them fly away and are never found. Has anyone had this happen and if so, do DJI offer any kind of replacement? I assume it's due to some kind of GPS fault, so should be under warranty of some kind? I could be wrong, but DJI don't seem to want to reply to my E-Mail about the topic, so I wondered if anyone had experienced this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stretch Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 I read some someone on here had a flyaway with the phantom 1 one was never found and another ended up on a building roof. Luckily with my fc40 I never had an issue but always made sure I calibrated it every time even if flying in the same spot. If I got another I would fit a small GPS tracker just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.AJ. Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 Yea it was Hebby, he had one fly away and it was found on the roof of a industrial unit a few months later 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oh How Original Posted May 30, 2018 Author Share Posted May 30, 2018 A little tracker is actually quite a good idea. I do wonder why they fly away though, if it's a fault of the drone, surely they should have to replace it? I would of course calibrate it every use, but I've read that quite a few have flown away, so it's a concern, when you're spending nearly a grand on a tiny toy lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turok007 Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 (edited) even a fully calibrated one can still have a brain fart when that happens the GPS moves. so the takeoff point could end up miles away that is why the pilot should know how to regain manual control. as for cover DJI are not really helpful as the dji spark had severe battery issues so people with flight logs still didn't didn't get much help. The dji spark would just fall from the sky so it was easy to see it was not user error. also you can set up the quad to stay in a certain area but if the brain fart happens the quad speeds off to get inside that area so you loose it. my advice to everyone is learn to fly without GPS and it will help if you have a issue Edited May 30, 2018 by turok007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oh How Original Posted May 30, 2018 Author Share Posted May 30, 2018 So, if it starts moving away, is there actually a way to tell it to come back to you, or just take full manual control or something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turok007 Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 1 minute ago, Oh How Original said: So, if it starts moving away, is there actually a way to tell it to come back to you, or just take full manual control or something? if all is working then it shouldn't move off. but people hit return to home and then the issues start as if gps has moved then it fly's off to find the landing spot. so as you say going manual is the best thing to do or if auto land is setup then you can do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oh How Original Posted May 30, 2018 Author Share Posted May 30, 2018 Sounds like there are ways to combat it then. The reason I am wanting to learn more about this stuff is I might go to some fairly remote areas with not great signal. So I want to weigh up the options, if it's worth the risk or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turok007 Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 most people buy it then go straight to full auto and never learn the basics. so when something goes wrong they rely on a push of a button. so if you practice you should be fine. i use to practice by closing my eyes then move all the controls for a few seconds then see how quick i could regain full control also which direction i was going as if you loose sight for even a second at distance things can go very wrong & quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oh How Original Posted May 30, 2018 Author Share Posted May 30, 2018 That's a very good idea actually. I might even go down the refurbished route, they still come with a 6 month warranty, for about £150 less than brand new. I should also only need one battery realistically, I'll more than likely plan a route, take it with me, have it in the air for 5 minutes or so, then carry on the route to another stop, another 5 or so minutes flying etc... Should have enough flight time with one battery for a few stops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazp1976 Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 Finders keepers dude. If I find it I'm avin' it 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turok007 Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 14 minutes ago, dazp1976 said: Finders keepers dude. If I find it I'm avin' it if you find one just don't trust the GPS lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oh How Original Posted May 30, 2018 Author Share Posted May 30, 2018 No good without the transmitter for what that puny little thing is worth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turok007 Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 1 minute ago, Oh How Original said: No good without the transmitter for what that puny little thing is worth always see transmitters for sale on ebay. but it is funny when you just see the quad copter for sale you can see it has been found but the seller tries to deny it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oh How Original Posted May 30, 2018 Author Share Posted May 30, 2018 Just now, turok007 said: always see transmitters for sale on ebay. but it is funny when you just see the quad copter for sale you can see it has been found but the seller tries to deny it I'd always do my best to try and return it to the owner, if that wasn't possible, I'd still just keep it indefinitely, just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jforce Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 I've had 2 disconnects with my Mavic Pro in the year I've owned it and both times it was due to an android device crashing, since I switched to apple device finger crossed its been fine, both time I didn't have to take control as it was not far away and it RTH. Think there are a few places you can get insurance to cover a unrecoverable flyaway, don't waste your time with DJI refresh its cheaper to get Insurance in the UK and become a member of the BMFA as you get 3rd party insurance cover from that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oh How Original Posted June 6, 2018 Author Share Posted June 6, 2018 On 04/06/2018 at 18:18, Jforce said: I've had 2 disconnects with my Mavic Pro in the year I've owned it and both times it was due to an android device crashing, since I switched to apple device finger crossed its been fine, both time I didn't have to take control as it was not far away and it RTH. Think there are a few places you can get insurance to cover a unrecoverable flyaway, don't waste your time with DJI refresh its cheaper to get Insurance in the UK and become a member of the BMFA as you get 3rd party insurance cover from that. I did wonder about the BMFA actually, my friend is a member. I also don't think I'd waste my money on DJI insurance, from what I understand, there customer service is pretty much non existant, I wasn't aware you could get other insurance though so I will look into the costs of that thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turok007 Posted June 6, 2018 Share Posted June 6, 2018 i was a member of the BMFA for a few years and it was good to know i was covered just in case my plane hit anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oh How Original Posted June 7, 2018 Author Share Posted June 7, 2018 I do assume the BMFA wouldn't help in the event of a drone flying away though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turok007 Posted June 7, 2018 Share Posted June 7, 2018 1 hour ago, Oh How Original said: I do assume the BMFA wouldn't help in the event of a drone flying away though? https://ikopta.co.uk/ultimate-recreational-drone-insurance-guide-2018/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oh How Original Posted June 7, 2018 Author Share Posted June 7, 2018 3 minutes ago, turok007 said: https://ikopta.co.uk/ultimate-recreational-drone-insurance-guide-2018/ £176 for a years insurance actually isn't as bad as I thought... That's for a Mavic Pro. I do wonder if there's other similar drone options though, being nearly a grand in itself is steep. I don't want to start another 'which drone' thread though 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone-wolf Posted October 13, 2018 Share Posted October 13, 2018 Most flyaways are due to pilot error, not doing proper pre flight checks, things like ignoring compass error, not waiting for home point to be recorded , and then if it goes into a flyaway hitting RTH and wondering why its heading away, simple thing is to flick into Atti mode and fly it back to you, i have had a Phantom for about 3 years and built about 6 GPS quads and Hexacopters, only had one flyaway and that was my own fault, i did some work on my 600 quad and fitted the compass 180 degree out, it set of doing its own thing and i had no choice but to ditch it as it was heading for some houses (did not like the idea of a 6600mah 4s going through a strangers window) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bajadre Posted October 13, 2018 Share Posted October 13, 2018 worth getting the dji insurance tbh my mate did with his mavic pro as they can track any flight you make anyway so as long as you follow the rules and don't fly in no fly zones and lose it they will replace it asap its quite expensive but so buying another mavic tbf ive flown for 4 years now in that time I seen only one drone fly away a friend of mine lost orientation and off it went further and further away trust me its the worst feeling in the world not only losing the drone but wondering if its caused any damage or hit anyone must gps drones are pretty good now but not perfect this flight is the only time ive lost gps on any of my quads and the feeling when you think its going is gutwrenching trust me this one went out over the lakes lost gps and luckily it regained and started RTH mode even luckier it landed where I took off where an old lady was sat worst rc day of my life tbh have a look after this I went to fpv drones with no gps I wouldn't trust any drone that has under 5 sats lock again 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazzzer Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 On 30/05/2018 at 18:19, turok007 said: most people buy it then go straight to full auto and never learn the basics. so when something goes wrong they rely on a push of a button. so if you practice you should be fine. i use to practice by closing my eyes then move all the controls for a few seconds then see how quick i could regain full control also which direction i was going as if you loose sight for even a second at distance things can go very wrong & quick. Atti mode is challenging more so if you where really high up and with wind, could be a challenge for someone with experience in flying too , I would get a cheap drone to learn to fly on first , one of my friends told me about his gps went off and entered to Atti mode, he had some experience in flying but was took by surprise he couldn't control it , he said there was some wind but he had it out in the dark which probably wasn't a good idea , Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hebby Posted June 9, 2019 Share Posted June 9, 2019 On 30/05/2018 at 17:33, .AJ. said: Yea it was Hebby, he had one fly away and it was found on the roof of a industrial unit a few months later It actually wasn't found on the roof lol it was found about 2 miles away at the side of a busy dual carriageway could have ended very differently 😕 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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