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Do drones really just go crazy?

MavicPro

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I've read a few things about people fly their drones and all of a sudden out of nowhere it goes crazy and crashes! How true is this? I can't get the thought out of my mind most times flying now. I've never had that issue with over 14 hours 75 flights across 3 different drones. But the nagging thought is starting to ruin my flying fun. What do you guys think?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using MavicPilots mobile app
 
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About 18 months ago I had a Phantom ordered.

Browsing though the Net in general and YouTube in particular presented me with a series of horror stories about crashes and fly-aways. What I saw and read made me wonder if, loss for loss, I couldn't just put the money in a bundle, tie it with a flimsy piece of rubber-band and just throw it in the air to see what would happen.

I was so negatively impressed, I cancelled my order.

As time went by and I further investigated the subject, I came to 2 conclusions:

1. Manufacturers, especially DJI, were quickly developing and/or adjusting software in order to drastically mitigate the fly-away problems.
2. Many of the crashes were originated by hardcore idiocy by operators. (...Just yesterday I was seeing a video from a guy who already managed to crash his Mavic twice and, midway through the video, he nonchalantly mentions there were 25 mph winds with even higher gusts conditions on the second event...).

So, now I finally stepped from the side lines, have a Mavic ordered and am very confident that, with due care and appropriate following of technical and common sense rules, I will be OK and that if and when a crash happens it will most probably just be my fault...but a fault that won't come from ignorance or pure idiocy.

MK
 
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About 18 months ago I had a Phantom ordered.

Browsing though the Net in general and YouTube in particular presented me with a series of horror stories about crashes and fly-aways. What I saw and read made me wonder if, loss for loss, I couldn't just put the money in a bundle, tie it with a flimsy piece of rubber-band and just throw it in the air to see what would happen.

I was so negatively impressed, I cancelled my order.

As time went by and I further investigated the subject, I came to 2 conclusions:

1. Manufacturers, especially DJI were quickly developing and/or adjusting software in order to drastically mitigate the fly-away problems.
2. Many of the crashes were originated by hard core idiocy by operators. (...Just yesterday I was seeing a video from a guy who already managed to crash his Mavic twice and, midway through the video, he nonchalantly mentions there were 25 mph winds with even higher gusts conditions on the second event...).

So, now I finally stepped from the side lines, have a Mavic ordered and am very confident that, with due care and appropriate following of technical and common sense rules, I will be OK and that if and when a crash happens it will most probably just be my fault.

MK
I hear alot of people say that 90 percent or so it's operator error or user fault. I know things can happen, like a bird attacking my drone at 400 feet up and there is nothing I can really do about it. I guess I just need to get over it haha. I haven't even flown over water yet because I'm scared the moment I do it will end bad. :( weird how I haven't had a single issue but how my mind starts believing it will happen.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using MavicPilots mobile app
 
Well, anything that flies has risks involved and we should be able to make an evaluation about what their magnitude is and if we are ready to assume them.

Once this decision is rationally made, we really should enjoy ourselves. :)

If has to happen it will happen...

MK
 
...about the birds...

I've also had to ponder this carefully because my town is a fisherman's one and seagulls are abundant around here.

I came to the conclusion that these birds only seem to attack anyone or anything they feel is menacing their nests. I also observed this behavior with Arctic Terns in Iceland where they would attack people's heads with their pointy beaks, while we walked along a road only because their hatching holes were buried right alongside the very same road. When people deviated from the area, the attacks would immediately cease.

Since seagulls nest on roof tops around here andf I don't intend to fly over populated areas, I reckon things will be okay (...fingers crossed since it is, indeed, a factor difficult to control...)

MK
 
I did notice that my Mavic attracts birds more than my P4. The only bird on my area that is brave enough to chase my drone is the big Ravens or Crows. I'm not sure. I think they are Ravens. Pretty big birds, about the size of a hawk or eagle. Mean guys. But yea they are attracted to the Mavic alot more than my P4 for whatever reason. They fly in groups of 3 or 4 and circle above the drone. I always haul *** away from them before they make a move haha

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using MavicPilots mobile app
 
Drones are things, things can break and technology can and occasionally does fail. So yes a drone can fail.
It's increasingly rare, but it does happen.
 
Someone, no names, no pack drill, just put up a post saying his 'Mavic just screwed up' when he appeared to be just acting the goat with it and pushing the boundaries. People waiting for their Mavics to arrive should read (and understand) the manuals and how to guides, but instead, they take it out of the box, don't even charge the batteries, and go on a ten km mission. If you treat it properly, then in the vast majority of cases it will treat you properly. They are not (quite) foolproof, and there's plenty of fools out there..
 
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The siml
Someone, no names, no pack drill, just put up a post saying his 'Mavic just screwed up' when he appeared to be just acting the goat with it and pushing the boundaries. People waiting for their Mavics to arrive should read (and understand) the manuals and how to guides, but instead, they take it out of the box, don't even charge the batteries, and go on a ten km mission. If you treat it properly, then in the vast majority of cases it will treat you properly. They are not (quite) foolproof, and there's plenty of fools out there..

Yes, the simple fact is that flying and drones are relatively complicated things and they don't mix well with the current social trend that are no specialized subjects, that we all understand everything about everything, we want it, we want it now and we want to use it in a borderline, "radical" fashion that will impress whichever social media we might be into.

The fact that affordable prices makes these relatively complicated devices accessible to that kind of mentality and that, furthermore, the product is especially attractive to it, does not help.

One really has to comb through mishaps reports in order to "validate" the inputs, to recognize and assimilate which are useful pieces of added operational knowledge.

There not many of those out there...

MK
 
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I've read a few things about people fly their drones and all of a sudden out of nowhere it goes crazy and crashes! How true is this? I can't get the thought out of my mind most times flying now. I've never had that issue with over 14 hours 75 flights across 3 different drones. But the nagging thought is starting to ruin my flying fun. What do you guys think?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using MavicPilots mobile app

When it happens it's either a compass and or gps issue or something physical like a damaged prop.

- I've had a Phantom 3 Pro go bonkers when it was 500 meters away (compass thought it should suddenly be someplace else).
- I've had a Typhoon H go bonkers right at take off and fly erratic for several minutes before returning to a state of normality (I believe it was a compass issue, but it worked itself out).

In both of the above cases the key is to stay calm, keep the drone above the tree line, take it out of GPS mode (can't yet do that on the Mavic) and do whatever you can to bring it back to you. Also.... learn & be comfortable with hand catching because drones that go bonkers do not want to land pretty.
 
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