Ask A Stupid Question

[ACDan]

New guy here starting a thread in Off Topic, mods please delete if I overlooked a rule or search function. If I get berated it's ok, I have thick skin.

I figured I'd start a place for members to ask a question that may have been answered a hundred times or even ask what you had for dinner, or perhaps what that guy on this forum wife was wearing today, or why my my commas are grammically incorrect.

My stupid question is, as a new flyer, how long did it take for you to get over the adrenaline rush from flying?

As I turn off my mini 2 and remote I have to humbly come back to settling with ground eye view. And wait for my extra battery to deliver...

 

[MS Coast]

"My stupid question is, as a new flyer, how long did it take for you to get over the adrenaline rush from flying?"

Personally, I hope my luck holds and I never get over the excitement of flying. Airplanes, gliders, drones, and in my dreams.

 

[eEridani]

My fingers still have tremor while trying to do fine motion controls; though my neurologist says that the wiggle is normal age related senile tremor . Though I prefer to think it is just nerves.

After you've dodged a few unintended obstacles, had the drone lose connection and do an AutoRTH, or had the battery go from charged to dead because you didn't notice the fuel gauge dropping in sport mode and thus experience the Nagging Wench telling you to LAND IMMEDIATELY as you nurse the drone back home; then you'll start to relax a bit.

 

[ACDan]

My fingers still have tremor while trying to do fine motion controls; though my neurologist says that the wiggle is normal age related senile tremor . Though I prefer to think it is just nerves.

After you've dodged a few unintended obstacles, had the drone lose connection and do an AutoRTH, or had the battery go from charged to dead because you didn't notice the fuel gauge dropping in sport mode and thus experience the Nagging Wench telling you to LAND IMMEDIATELY as you nurse the drone back home; then you'll start to relax a bit.

I'm still getting a belly drop feeling anytime I see the slightest screen glitch or hit 3 bars in red. 2 bars might make my knees knock right now!

 

[ACDan]

With a strobe you can see a drone better at night versus daytime, correct?

 

[eEridani]

Be sure you read up on registering your drone and the FAA rules for flying your drone. And yes, there are serious laws that cover flying a drone, and flying it far enough away you can't instantly tell which way it is heading and what you need to do to avoid a collision is in violation of those rules.

The laws start here:

FAADroneZone

faadronezone.faa.gov

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title49-section44809&num=0&edition=prelim

https://www.modelaircraft.org/sites/default/files/documents/100.pdf

https://www.modelaircraft.org/sites/default/files/files/105.pdf

I've found a strobe is not that helpful during the day. Once the drone is lost, the strobe helps discovery only a few extra feet. At night, a strobe does help, but needs to be tri-color to keep the VLOS rules in play.

 

[ACDan]

I've found a strobe is not that helpful during the day. Once the drone is lost, the strobe helps discovery only a few extra feet. At night, a strobe does help, but needs to be tri-color to keep the VLOS rules in play.

Thank you for this info.

So, was your meal worth eating this evening?

 

[old man mavic]

@ACDan ,the worse thing you can do when it comes to flying your drone ,is to become complacent ,and cut corners ,and ignore warning messages
the short period of time it takes to do your pre flight checks before lift off ,have a profound effect on the out come of a good flight
all you can do as the PIC is to mitigate as many risks as possible ,and enjoy the flight
after well over a thousand flights on various brands of drone
i still have a buzz when i have had a successful flight and have safely landed
thats all part of the hobby

 

[eaglesurfing]

Once you realize you are flying an unman aircraft and you are in control.
Like every new pilot there is a lot of learning and the ones who wants to try to use shortcuts will be posting their mistakes on this forum.
Go through all your settings and find an open field like a football field to practice.
Go straight up and aim your gimbal down to take a picture. Your problems look awful small from up there.
Test everything before moving on to places that have objects in your way.
The more you fly and are very sure of your settings plus the health of your drone..... Then you will relax more.

 

[ACDan]

If you had to choose, Is it better to lose a propeller or break one in half mid flight?

 

[MS Coast]

If you had to choose, Is it better to lose a propeller or break one in half mid flight?

Not enough difference to matter. Avoid both. Fortunately, with a little care both are rare.

 

[eEridani]

If you had to choose, Is it better to lose a propeller or break one in half mid flight?

Seems a propeller falling off for any reason will ruin your day - no quad drone will fly with only three operating propellers.

Always verify the propellers are properly attached and not damaged in any way shape or form. Even a scuffed propeller or one with insect strikes reduces flight characteristics (e.g., flying over a river collects bug strikes).

 

[ACDan]

Are our motors longevity depleted more by the hours in air or distance traveled?

Side question, what's a reasonable motor life expectancy on my Mini 2 before warnings or failure?

I'm sure it will be awhile before I really have to worry about it since I'm only at 4.36hrs and 44km.

 

[eEridani]

If your motors are brushless, they'll virtually last forever. Bearings may need a drop of lubricant in a year or four. Main thing I think is to keep the aircraft clean, free of dust and debris.

Inside a Drone – Brushless Motors

Brushless motors take the aircraft into the sky and keep cameras level. They are fast, powerful, agile, highly efficient and extremely reliable, making them ideal for everyday use. The way they are made and how they interact with everything from props to the airframe can have a huge impact on...

www.dji.com

 

[ACDan]

If your motors are brushless, they'll virtually last forever. Bearings may need a drop of lubricant in a year or four. Main thing I think is to keep the aircraft clean, free of dust and debris.

Inside a Drone – Brushless Motors

Brushless motors take the aircraft into the sky and keep cameras level. They are fast, powerful, agile, highly efficient and extremely reliable, making them ideal for everyday use. The way they are made and how they interact with everything from props to the airframe can have a huge impact on...

www.dji.com

That was a good read.

Would one of those keyboard cleaner cans of pressurized air be a good way to keep motors clean?

 

[ACDan]

How long is too long for a drone to be underwater?

 

[eEridani]

Depends on the water. But most here will tell you the drone is toast.

If clear fresh water with low dissolved solids, and you took measures to air out and dry the drone before powering it back up, also assuming it didn't sit underwater powered up for hours, it really depends on luck, and things like if the IMU air port kept an air bubble and didn't flood.

 

[ACDan]

Depends on the water. But most here will tell you the drone is toast.

If clear fresh water with low dissolved solids, and you took measures to air out and dry the drone before powering it back up, also assuming it didn't sit underwater powered up for hours, it really depends on luck, and things like if the IMU air port kept an air bubble and didn't flood.

I finally found a question that didn't require regulation references. We are getting there slowly.

What about if just the battery got dunked in a clean water trough for 30 seconds, thoughts on chances of battery surviving?

 

[eEridani]

Water is not by itself conductive. Things that dissolve in water can be. Salt is one of the worst offenders, so sea water, and some marshy brackish water is pretty hard on electronics.

There are stories of guys who lost their drone in a pond, found it a week or two later, recovered it from the bottom, rinsed it off, dried it out, and then flew it.

Likewise, stories of guys who lost their drone in seawater for a few seconds and didn't rinse it out and the battery terminals were corroded past functionality by the time they got home a few hours later.

 

[LoudThunder]

I want to say Thank You to MavicPilots for offering a Forum titled "Off Topic" where we can ask "Strange and Exotic" Questions, even "Stupid Questions."

I know, I've been told and even repeated the expression, "There are no stupid questions!" But I beg to differ, When I am asked, "Can I ask a question?" I usually reply, "Yes you can, and you did; is there anyone else with a question?"

That usually draws a laugh and I get to say, "Yes you can ask a question, but if you are going to ask if you can ask a question, the answer is No. And to be perfectly clear, the only Stupid Question is the question you do not ask… So ask away…"

Once again, Thank You MavicPilots for this Topic and I only have one question…