My 3rd Mavic and I'm afraid to fly it. What should I do?

[wayy510]

Why buy another Mavic if you're afraid to fly it or don't trust it. I guess I don't understand the post bro.

 

[Glen e]

Jesus, sell the thing and find a new hobby.......not sure what you want us to say..

 

[crock]

Mavic #1

Bought it, brought it on vacation and on day 3 it disconnected from the RC and there was no way to reconnect it. After many back and fourths with DJI they said send it and the RC in. After breaking promise after promise I finally got it back 8 weeks later with no explanation as to what the problem was. I called and they said they did not have access to that info.

Mavic #2

Did one short test flight and all is well. 2nd flight, 65 degrees, no wind, solid signals I sent it about 3,000 meters out to a lighthouse at about 100 meters up. Solid HD signal all is well. On its return at about 1,000 meters out and 80 meters high it lost signal and the RC went to "connecting" mode. I looked up and the Mavic fell out of the sky into the cold ocean. Thank god I bought DJI Care Refresh, right? Nope, it doesn't cover lost drones. DJI says they will replace it if its a defect. I send them all the flight data that shows everything was normal and it just powered down with plenty of battery in excellent conditions and they tell me that they need proof and asked if I videoed it falling into the ocean. In the end they said I could not prove that it was a defect and they would not replace it even though the flight data showed perfect controls and then POOF! In the process of giving them all the drone purchase ownership info they wanted the serial number of the drone and of the RC. I didn't have the drone anymore so I couldn't provide it. I also couldn't give them the serial number from the RC because it was worn off! So now I butters another Mavic only and they gave me a small discount.

Mavic #3

Now I have a new Mavic and what I now realize is a heavily used RC that they sent me to replace the original NEW one I sent them. Will the same thing happen when I am flying under normal conditions? I haven't tried asking them for a new one because I couldn't even get them to confirm if they replaced the original Mavic or just sent it back with a refurbished RC.

Bought 2 Mavic's, 6 batteries, multi speed charger, carry case and every other accessory and afraid to fly it. FMLView attachment 11368

I have had a couple of mavics and the last one lost control from 75 yds away and decided to try to land on a river, and I flew it into the bank just to get the drone back total busted up loss, BUT I have state farm drone insurance and they bought me a new one no questions asked for 55$ a year they will cover 2 drones, they didn't even ask for pictures of it which I was ready to provide, better than getting a questionable refurb from DJI

 

[crock]

I did want to say though I have had hours and hours of flawless flights, video and photos flying my mavic but as with any electronic things are bound to go wrong or not act the way you want it to, overall I am really enjoying these drones and what they can do but you had better get into a mindset that it is really possible that you will lose it.

 

[iMario]

I've been flying for several years and still feel apprehensive throughout every flight; it's what keeps me sharp. The day I don't have sweaty palms will be the day I crash!

I love the way you put it!

 

[Busaman]

I can see why you are afraid , just go slow an cautious and build up your confidence in mavic. I've been only flying a few months but love mine . I'm cautious and don't fly much more than a mile away and stay 240ft above the ground. Helps avoid obstacles an birds exc an keeps signal strong. Fly an enjoy " life is short!!

 

[jpbluzharp]

Mavic #1

Bought it, brought it on vacation and on day 3 it disconnected from the RC and there was no way to reconnect it. After many back and fourths with DJI they said send it and the RC in. After breaking promise after promise I finally got it back 8 weeks later with no explanation as to what the problem was. I called and they said they did not have access to that info.

Mavic #2

Did one short test flight and all is well. 2nd flight, 65 degrees, no wind, solid signals I sent it about 3,000 meters out to a lighthouse at about 100 meters up. Solid HD signal all is well. On its return at about 1,000 meters out and 80 meters high it lost signal and the RC went to "connecting" mode. I looked up and the Mavic fell out of the sky into the cold ocean. Thank god I bought DJI Care Refresh, right? Nope, it doesn't cover lost drones. DJI says they will replace it if its a defect. I send them all the flight data that shows everything was normal and it just powered down with plenty of battery in excellent conditions and they tell me that they need proof and asked if I videoed it falling into the ocean. In the end they said I could not prove that it was a defect and they would not replace it even though the flight data showed perfect controls and then POOF! In the process of giving them all the drone purchase ownership info they wanted the serial number of the drone and of the RC. I didn't have the drone anymore so I couldn't provide it. I also couldn't give them the serial number from the RC because it was worn off! So now I butters another Mavic only and they gave me a small discount.

Mavic #3

Now I have a new Mavic and what I now realize is a heavily used RC that they sent me to replace the original NEW one I sent them. Will the same thing happen when I am flying under normal conditions? I haven't tried asking them for a new one because I couldn't even get them to confirm if they replaced the original Mavic or just sent it back with a refurbished RC.

Bought 2 Mavic's, 6 batteries, multi speed charger, carry case and every other accessory and afraid to fly it. FMLView attachment 11368

Kind of surprised that you didn't add your serial number, registration number and all other pertinent data regarding your Mavic into your contacts list on your iPhone, tablet or whatever you're using to fly with... organizational skills are an important part of flying and maintaining your aircraft.

I'd stay away from open water flying for awhile...

 

[wr0j]

I'm loving my Mavic. I find it responsive and reliable.

However, threads such as this make me very nervous - particularly flying over water, which is about half of my flight time. Like the OP, it makes me want to use it less.

I totally agree Ziggy. Mine spends most of it's time on my desk acting as a paperweight or conversation piece. I think I have more hours on it updating firmware than I do in flight.

 

[Hammer]

My 2 cents. I wouldn't trust anything but the factory battery charger either. If you need to charge more than one at a time, buy more than one charger.

 

[iMario]

My two euro-cents...
I find I'm most bogged down with the various local legislations here in Europe.
When I got my Phantom 3 more than a year ago I was flying more often, traveling with it, never had any issues, but had a police surrounding me in France, politely asking me to land it, as it's not allowed to fly it.

And then as the laws around became stricter and me being more aware of them, I didn't enjoy it that much anymore. I would carry the drone while cycling around Europe, but filming only few times.
That's why I got Mavic now, I find it less conspicuous and I'm more willing to go out and fly it or just carry it around and launch it.

Other than that, I'm quite confident in my drones. I would fly Ph3 often a mile and a half away, the other day it was half that distance, but the fog was heavy and it affected the signal reception quite a lot, the drone just disconnected. Without panicking I tried approaching it on foot, heard it, that would be enough for visual line of sight, but the app would not reconnect. I force-closed the app, drone still in mid-air. Restarted the app, the drone reconnected, and I was able to bring it down.

 

[RobP62]

Insurance?

Bought my State Farm insurance on day two. Still apprehensive about flying over water. Mexico in November so hopefully by then my confidence will be higher.

Sad to hear troubling stories like these though.

 

[Flying Irish]

Reading these forums as a new Mavic owner, it would be easy to think I'd gone and purchased a drone that was unreliable and prone to numerous issues. Fortunately, I've been a long time participant in photography forums and know that the majority of people that post to these kind of forums have some sort of issue. However, they are but an extremely small percentage of the overall number of owners, most of which are very happy with their device who don't feel the need to post anything.

I've had my Mavic for a few weeks now and I've flown around half a dozen sorties with it. I've updated it to the latest .600 firmware and I can happily report that I've experienced no issues with it. In fact, I've been blown away by this incredible machine..

That is great news. Consider your self lucky you didn't get a bird with a mind of it's own. And God forbid you ever truly experience DJI customer service.

 

[Ironman]

Insurance?

Hi Mate,

I see you been flying a long time. I am new can I ask you a quick question plz?

 

[gavcuk]

Me? Sure!

 

[geigy]

Nothing is 100%, even and especially life itself, which was meant to be lived just as our drones are meant to fly.

 

[FORDY]

Good advice. That is my full intention. I'm always a bit nervous before I send it up, but I guess that's all part of the fun.

Another thing that bothered me was a poster suggesting these power failures are a direct result of the latest firmware upgrades and still another poster suggesting these faults appear to mainly concern Mavics manufactured in early March - mine has a date of March 6. Dark mutterings.

Anyway, I'll be sending her up and across Sydney harbour again tomorrow...wish me luck.

You're so lucky, I love Sydney !!!!

 

[MrDanner]

Kind of surprised that you didn't add your serial number, registration number and all other pertinent data regarding your Mavic into your contacts list on your iPhone, tablet or whatever you're using to fly with... organizational skills are an important part of flying and maintaining your aircraft.

I'd stay away from open water flying for awhile...

I was thinking that the OP should have the serial number from registering with the FAA, but realized after reading more he's in AUS. This post motivates me to contact State Farm immediately though!

 

[newnan3]

Nothing is 100%, even and especially life itself, which was meant to be lived just as our drones are meant to fly.

Sage advice.....Confucius said "He who never flies doesnt need drone"

 

[J3ffrey]

Good advice. That is my full intention. I'm always a bit nervous before I send it up, but I guess that's all part of the fun.

Another thing that bothered me was a poster suggesting these power failures are a direct result of the latest firmware upgrades and still another poster suggesting these faults appear to mainly concern Mavics manufactured in early March - mine has a date of March 6. Dark mutterings.

Anyway, I'll be sending her up and across Sydney harbour again tomorrow...wish me luck.

so... fly over Sydney harbor today?

 

[bakerboy]

so... fly over Sydney harbor today?

hahahah

too many muppets thinking they can do as they please