Another Mavic lost failed to RTH

[Cyberpower678]

I'd like to buy this and take it with me. Planning a trip to Europe in May coming up. I'd hate to be in a situation, away from familiar surroundings (home), and have something like a fly-away happen. I'd like to fly it near unique structures or landscapes with complete confidence. Any lingering, unresolved issues... yeah, scare me. Wisdom I guess.

Then if you setup the drone correctly, and fly it correctly, it will never fly away. Make sure your RTH settings are correct and set to a high enough altitude, that way if it disconnects it won't just fly into something on the way back. Make sure you observe the status of the drone when flying. If it switches to Atti mode mid-flight expect the drone to drift since GPS is now unreliable. Steer correctly and the drone will respond accordingly. Atti mode is essentially flying the drone manually.

 

[Birdman5280]

I'd like to buy this and take it with me. Planning a trip to Europe in May coming up. I'd hate to be in a situation, away from familiar surroundings (home), and have something like a fly-away happen. I'd like to fly it near unique structures or landscapes with complete confidence. Any lingering, unresolved issues... yeah, scare me. Wisdom I guess.

There are more successful flights than there are failed ones. I was on the fence with the MP as well. It's been 2 months now, and knock on wood, incident free. I'm so confident in this machine that I purchased a second one for my 17 year old. Read and re-read the manual, follow a pre-flight checklist. Fly in the right conditions and there won't be issues. I'm not trying to spend your money, but you're obviously interested in the Mavic. Do it or don't but you won't regret it if you're a safe and conscientious flyer.

 

[Cyberpower678]

Do you happen to recall the 2 instances of machine errors? What were they and if DJI has addressed them?

The newest firmware and the Litchi app don't mix at the moment. The crash was caused from flying with Litchi app. The drone went out of control had a massive power surge and slammed into the driveway. Litchi has made an announcement about this a week later. The second instance I cannot recall entirely but after long analysis it was deemed to be a manufacturing defect and the drone needed to be fixed.

 

[Falcon1az]

There are more successful flights than there are failed ones. I was on the fence with the MP as well. It's been 2 months now, and knock on wood, incident free. I'm so confident in this machine that I purchased a second one for my 17 year old. Read and re-read the manual, follow a pre-flight checklist. Fly in the right conditions and there won't be issues. I'm not trying to spend your money, but you're obviously interested in the Mavic. Do it or don't but you won't regret it if you're a safe and conscientious flyer.

Very new to the forum. Is there a preflight checklist developed by DJI or one from a member posted on this forum? Like to review it. I've looked over the owners manual. Test flew it 2 days ago (impressed). The guy that owns it... NOT technical. He really didn't know as much about the machine, DJI GO app, or even his IPad as I thought he would. BTW... do you have any reservations about flying it with Samsung S7 Edge? I'd like to use that phone. It fits in to the portability part of owning the Mavic for me.

 

[Cyberpower678]

Very new to the forum. Is there a preflight checklist developed by DJI or one from a member posted on this forum? Like to review it. I've looked over the owners manual. Test flew it 2 days ago (impressed). The guy that owns it... NOT technical. He really didn't know as much about the machine, DJI GO app, or even his IPad as I thought he would. BTW... do you have any reservations about flying it with Samsung S7 Edge? I'd like to use that phone. It fits in to the portability part of owning the Mavic for me.

One tends to develop their own pre-flight checklist. Mine is personally intuitive and in my head, but others right very lengthy and detailed lists. The essentials are check the props, make sure they're secure, check the batteries, check the gimbal and remove the clamp, and make sure the vents are clear.

Calibrate as needed and check app settings for the drone before flying, especially after updating the firmware.

 

[Flyboy36]

Very new to the forum. Is there a preflight checklist developed by DJI or one from a member posted on this forum? Like to review it. I've looked over the owners manual. Test flew it 2 days ago (impressed). The guy that owns it... NOT technical. He really didn't know as much about the machine, DJI GO app, or even his IPad as I thought he would. BTW... do you have any reservations about flying it with Samsung S7 Edge? I'd like to use that phone. It fits in to the portability part of owning the Mavic for me.

Order the reverse usb micro cord for that phone. The one that comes with the drone won't work

 

[msinger]

Is there a preflight checklist developed by DJI or one from a member posted on this forum?

Check out these search results.

 

[Birdman5280]

Follow the link to the various checklists attached by msinger. They're a start. I've had enough flights that mine are now a routine but they derived from the ones here. I honestly spend more time adjusting camera settings nowadays. As for the Samsung S7, I'm an Apple Fanboy...lol..can't help you there, but there are some great members here who use them. The only thing I'm aware of and it may have changed, is to close out all other apps.

 

[Falcon1az]

Check out these search results.

Very good checklists here, certainly an excellent starting point. Also, the DJI '5 ways to prevent flyaways', simple, very good things to follow. Many thanks. I feel much better about buying a MP after the words of wisdom from yourself and the others in the last 60 minutes. Thank you.

 

[Strafe1]

Very good checklists here, certainly an excellent starting point. Also, the DJI '5 ways to prevent flyaways', simple, very good things to follow. Many thanks. I feel much better about buying a MP after the words of wisdom from yourself and the others in the last 60 minutes. Thank you.

One last piece of mind may be getting the State Farm Personal Articles Policy for drones. You don't need to have an existing policy with them, it is only $60/yr ($23 if you are already with them), and it covers damage or loss. I mention it only because you said Mavic cost may be a factor.

 

[Falcon1az]

One last piece of mind may be getting the State Farm Personal Articles Policy for drones. You don't need to have an existing policy with them, it is only $60/yr ($23 if you are already with them), and it covers damage or loss. I mention it only because you said Mavic cost may be a factor.

I just saw that on another thread! I'm going to call State Farm tomorrow. Can't believe they've got a policy available for this. Thanks for the tip! Peace of mind never hurts.

 

[OralndoMavic]

I am withholding purchase based on this reported problem. I'm shocked I have heard of uncommanded fly aways and consequently losing your machine. Before I go forward with buying the Mavic can anyone share how big is this problem?

Hello, prior to receiving my MP, I joined this forum to learn about the MP and it's operation. This is my first drone. I have been flying it for a month now. I found flying it easy, just paying attention to videos and learning from postings on this fourm keeps me aware of things that can go wrong. I have no regrets about the money I spent and look forward to many flights. One day however, it will be my turn to post, "what went wrong". Best Wishes !

 

[maxfaxdude]

I am withholding purchase based on this reported problem. I'm shocked I have heard of uncommanded fly aways and consequently losing your machine. Before I go forward with buying the Mavic can anyone share how big is this problem?

Just like manned aircraft, the MAJORITY of drone crashes are DIRECTLY attributable to pilot error!

 

[integlikewhoa]

The Mavic is great. But not 100 percent


**** lots of negative thinking directed towards the pilot here. I'm looking for positive vibes here. I only calibrate when its in red. Failsafe is always set to RTH and avoid obstacle. I sometimes always touch. She just hovers until I reboot. Thanks for nothing.

Not really sure what your looking for? If you could post the flight log that would probley lead to more answered questions.

 

[flyNfrank]

So Frank why don't you just tell us all how to do it right here right now....

Mavic Pro TXT file Retrieval-android instructions

1)Connect PC to device used to host DJI GO4 app
2)Power up device - enter USB control area - Select "USB for file transfer"
3)Select following directories - Internal Storage/DJI/dji.go.v4/FlightRecord
4)Search for desired .txt file similar to - DJIFlightRecord_2017-03-05_[14-41-37].txt
5)Save .txt file to directory to PC in Your favorite location

Optional:
1)Use this link [TOOL][WIN] Offline TXT FlightRecord to CSV Converter to covert the TXT file to a CSV file format. To read the CSV file most use the Excel program for best file display. If Excel is not a option for you, check with others to see what works best for them.

 

[SRJ_Mavic_PRO]

Awesome! Thank you!

 

[Cyberpower678]

The Mavic is great. But not 100 percent


**** lots of negative thinking directed towards the pilot here. I'm looking for positive vibes here. I only calibrate when its in red. Failsafe is always set to RTH and avoid obstacle. I sometimes always touch. She just hovers until I reboot. Thanks for nothing.

With no flight logs to look at, there's a lot of doubt in your story about the drone being at fault. If you're looking to vent about your lost drone, you are free to. Everyone will understand and feel for you that you lost your drone, but if you're looking for positive vibes when you're saying your drone stopped responding, and then don't upload a flight log for us to verify this claim, then you're looking in the wrong place. You're on a forum with a lot of drone experts willing to help, but do so by basing their help on flight data, not given stories, since in most cases the story omits a very important fact that caused the problem in the first place. You've been given a link with instructions for how to upload the flight logs. In case you missed it, go to https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/Upload/ and read the instructions there.

 

[maxfaxdude]

With no flight logs to look at, there's a lot of doubt in your story about the drone being at fault. If you're looking to vent about your lost drone, you are free to. Everyone will understand and feel for you that you lost your drone, but if you're looking for positive vibes when you're saying your drone stopped responding, and then don't upload a flight log for us to verify this claim, then you're looking in the wrong place. You're on a forum with a lot of drone experts willing to help, but do so by basing their help on flight data, not given stories, since in most cases the story omits a very important fact that caused the problem in the first place. You've been given a link with instructions for how to upload the flight logs. In case you missed it, go to https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/Upload/ and read the instructions there.

Cyberpower678d...

I couldn't have said it any better.

 

[Hellsbellsidaho]

Misconfiguration of RTH and taking off in Atti mode resulting in the drone not being able to return home.

What is a misconfiguration of the RTH?

 

[Cyberpower678]

What is a misconfiguration of the RTH?

Altitude app low, OA disabled, etc...