Today it was my turn (The thread I hoped never to make!)

[pgh1949]

Went out flying this morning to get some shots of Ludlow Castle (on the England - Wales) border. Got some lovely video and decided to go down the hill and get some more along the river which runs below the castle.

All was going well when a passer by stopped for a chat and was interested in what I was doing. Very friendly, so I was showing him what the drone could do.

Until I started flying is backwards............!!!!!

I'm now waiting for Mr Amazon to deliver a new gimbal ribbon cable and gimbal damping board tomorrow. Hey ho! Could have been much worse as it landed only a couple of metres from the deep, fast flowing, freezing cold river.

I suppose it was my lucky day.

 

[Clinton1]

Dang, sorry about your crash. Hope you get it back together soon, and lesson learned.

 

[BD0G]

My mom taught me to never talk to strangers.

Actually , anything that diverts your attention should be fingers off sticks to maintain a hover.

Hope you get it rebuilt and repaired in a jiffy!

 

[nikkolaa]

Did you still have feedback from the MP on your phone? Or at least still connected with RC?

 

[pgh1949]

Did you still have feedback from the MP on your phone? Or at least still connected with RC?

Yes, I was getting video from the MP so I realised it wasn't in the river (phew!) and could see more or less where it was on the map display so it only took me about 10 minutes to find it. I was so lucky when it hit the tree it fell towards the bank rather than the other way. It was in a bush about 6ft from the river.

Two props were gone and the others were badly chewed but the damage was relatively minor.

 

[pgh1949]

Just checked the flight log and it seems it WAS heading towards the river before it stopped just short...

Crash

• pgh1949
• Feb 7, 2018

FLight log from my crash

 

[BluesDragon]

*^it happens... Glad you was able to recover your bird.

 

[ronk]

Anytime people are interested in what I am doing, I always take time to address their questions - but only when my drone has landed or is hovering in a safe spot.

 

[Aerial-Pixel]

This exact thing happened to me with my first Mavic... Talking to a buddy, flying backward getting awesome video, thinking I was above the tree line.... I wasn't

 

[AeroMirage]

I had a security guard bothering me for I.D. once. I politely told him that I had to land the drone before I could talk to him. He understood.
One more reason I prefer to fly somewhere ALONE!!!!!

 

[Dariof]

Sorry this happened to you, but your video and the editing were awesome. Great job.

 

[nikkolaa]

Two props were gone and the others were badly chewed but the damage was relatively minor.

"Relatively", hmm

I would just say do not leave alone the battery when it's charging now,

 

[pgh1949]

Well I'm pleased to say that she's flying again!

I got a new ribbon cable and mounting plate today and after several hours fiddling with the gimbal I finally managed to fit the cable. Whoever designed that needs shooting!!

Put it all back together, switched it on and miracle of miracles the gimbal burst into life. Joy was somewhat limited when I tried and failed to calibrate the gimbal but a close inspection revealed some rubbing between a small plastic tab and the gimbal arm. A bit of adjustment and all was well.

So now I'm looking forward to resuming my filming (forwards only from now on!!)

 

[Snake2715]

Sweet!

Good outcome in the end.

 

[ronk]

Well I'm pleased to say that she's flying again!
So now I'm looking forward to resuming my filming (forwards only from now on!!)

good to hear!! and good plan going foward!!

 

[787steve]

My mom taught me to never talk to strangers.

Actually , anything that diverts your attention should be fingers off sticks to maintain a hover.

Hope you get it rebuilt and repaired in a jiffy!

Good idea. As noob, I will incorporate that.

BTW, very nice video till the incident.

 

[Hayabusa]

The only 2 times I crashed were all my fault caused by talking to others and being distracted.

 

[shb]

It had nothing to do with the stranger. You know it doesn't have rear collision avoidance so you only fly backward when you know nothing is behind you can hit. Duh

 

[shb]

It had nothing to do with the stranger. You know it doesn't have rear collision avoidance so you only fly backward when you know nothing is behind you you can hit. Duh

 

[Hayabusa]

Glad ya got it fixed and without too much hassle or cost.
Mike