Flawless flights or am I just lucky

[DonB]

I purchased the Mavic back in November and have used it pretty much every weekend since and had flawless performance. I I have updated the firmware every time a new version comes out and have never had an issue with exception of one update. I fly most over water (90%) of the time. So the question is am I just lucky or has anyone else experienced this type of performance? I read/hear a lot of horror stories, is it just a matter of time?

 

[rydfree]

Got mine on Jan 5th and it has been great .

 

[Robbyg]

See this thread I put out, it got zero attention. It might explain it better.

Does DJI have a QC Problem?

Rob

 

[Edjes]

Same here, but complaining is more appealing .

 

[Cgomez1978]

Got mine in February and it's been flawless since day one

 

[DonB]

Rob, good video sheds some light on the QC issues. I have done regular compass calibrations at every different site I go to and I have done a few IMU calibrations as well a stick calibrations.

 

[Robbyg]

Rob, good video sheds some light on the QC issues. I have done regular compass calibrations at every different site I go to and I have done a few IMU calibrations as well a stick calibrations.

Thanks Don.
I feel kind of bad because in the past when new guys said do an IMU calibration I use to say "Why I have never done one".
That video really cleared up my misconception. It's almost unforgivable that DJi would ship out mavics without calibrating them.

Rob

 

[Morden]

So far the Mavic has behaved perfectly for me.

 

[DonB]

Agree

 

[Cyberpower678]

I'm on .500 firmware with DJI GO 4.0.6. Flawless except the one time it wouldn't connect on WiFi mode. Turns out it was an app problem and reinstalling it helped.

 

[rydfree]

Thanks Don.
I feel kind of bad because in the past when new guys said do an IMU calibration I use to say "Why I have never done one".
That video really cleared up my misconception. It's almost unforgivable that DJi would ship out mavics without calibrating them.

Rob

Just remember the inexperienced people doing calibrations can actually make things worse . There are good calibrations and bad calibrations . If it has been done correctly it should be fine from there on unless it has been subjected to a crash etc .

 

[CyberdyneSystems]

All flawless flights on mine. I calibrate compass every now and then and always way from metal. Make sure my RTH point sets before every take off. I check it on he map; am I and the drone where the map says it is? I also conseider my RTH altitude; how windy is it and how high is the surrounding terrain. When I first take off I'll hover above my head and make sure the Mavic stays put and do a couple of quick spins. This is to convince my self the drone and little onscreen drone arrow point in roughly in direction. I only ever used RTH when first learning now days I always fly my drone back either via visual cues or via the map. I fly out of VLOS, I know shocking!, but I keep within a mile or two; I'm not really looking to push the range. If the video feed gets sketchy I go up until it's better. Also I pretty much exclusively hand take off and catch. I feel it keeps the mechanics cleaner plus it just seems easier on uneaven terrain or windy conditions. Just grab the sucker, don't let go and throttle down. Never mess with turning off any sensors.

 

[Robert Mitchell]

Got mine in December. No calibrations, no problems in 175 flights. If the above video theory is correct, I guess I am lucky because I got mine pretty much during the production crunch.

 

[Cali-Mavic]

A+ flawless
I just need goggles real bad, I have bad eyes can't see my screen in the Sun

 

[Grey Wolf]

You really only need to do a calibration if you change time zones while travelling.
Other than that you should be ok unless there is a lot of metal nearby, than you need to do it then and there.

 

[rydfree]

You really only need to do a calibration if you change time zones while travelling.
Other than that you should be ok unless there is a lot of metal nearby, than you need to do it then and there.

If there is a lot of metal nearby and it is prompting you to do so , you DO NOT need to do it then and there . You need to move to a different spot with no metal or electrical magnetic interference and see if the notification goes away . This is how you get bad calibrations !

 

[Grey Wolf]

If there is a lot of metal nearby and it is prompting you to do so , you DO NOT need to do it then and there . You need to move to a different spot with no metal or electrical magnetic interference and see if the notification goes away . This is how you get bad calibrations !

Yes, I meant that you should move away and re calibrate.
My bad!

 

[dewster]

Not a single issue with mine. Great range/connectivity; intelligent features work as advertised; RTH is peace of mind; portable; more batteries than I have places to fly. Perfect.

 

[AlanTheBeast]

I purchased the Mavic back in November and have used it pretty much every weekend since and had flawless performance. I I have updated the firmware every time a new version comes out and have never had an issue with exception of one update. I fly most over water (90%) of the time. So the question is am I just lucky or has anyone else experienced this type of performance? I read/hear a lot of horror stories, is it just a matter of time?

One observation is that it's hard to run into trees out over the water!

The MP's are very good machines. There are those who have had quality issues (including me - camera soft on one side) resulting in premature returns. A recent discovery is bulges and cracks on the front of the front top shell - not clear what causes that but at first glance doesn't appear very serious.

There are those who "lose" their machines to accidents or plain flyaway. That falls into:

• Experience, exuberance, expectations
• Poor setups or procedures to prevent fly aways
• Poorly latched battery coming loose in flight (one possible case).

So all that's left is reliability.

 

[AlanTheBeast]

All flawless flights on mine. I calibrate compass every now and then and always way from metal. Make sure my RTH point sets before every take off. I check it on he map; am I and the drone where the map says it is? I also conseider my RTH altitude; how windy is it and how high is the surrounding terrain. When I first take off I'll hover above my head and make sure the Mavic stays put and do a couple of quick spins. This is to convince my self the drone and little onscreen drone arrow point in roughly in direction. I only ever used RTH when first learning now days I always fly my drone back either via visual cues or via the map. I fly out of VLOS, I know shocking!, but I keep within a mile or two; I'm not really looking to push the range. If the video feed gets sketchy I go up until it's better. Also I pretty much exclusively hand take off and catch. I feel it keeps the mechanics cleaner plus it just seems easier on uneaven terrain or windy conditions. Just grab the sucker, don't let go and throttle down. Never mess with turning off any sensors.

The sole fly in that ointment (IMO) is that OA should be turned off in the RTH settings (if it isn't already). Since RTH should be setup to clear all obstacles there is no need for it. Turning it off makes sure it won't be fooled by the rising or setting sun into thinking there is an obstacle nearby. If you have a radio link loss and it freezes in place on return due to the above, you might not recover your drone.