Expected lifespan? History of DJI drones?

[MinneapolisFlyGuy]

I am wondering how many flight hours one can reasonably expect from a Mavic Pro.

Those of you with previous DJI drones who fly a lot, do you have any rough estimate of hours?

And how do they tend to "die"?

 

[Wombat55]

And how do they tend to "die"?

Crashing into a tree, flying into the ceiling, hand-launching off a rocking boat, hitting the only house on a square mile of land, etc., etc., etc.

 

[BlakPhoenix]

As a second part to this question. How long do the blades tend to last? I check mine before each flight but am wondering when I should make sure to replace them.

 

[MinneapolisFlyGuy]

I was talking about when they die of old age.

 

[Wombat55]

I was talking about when they die of old age.

You're new here, aren't you?

 

[hp7950]

I see in this forum a guy from au
With very long flight time . I remember i asked him if his mavic is a texi

 

[hp7950]

The guy reported 300 flights and 420 km .before some time

 

[hp7950]

I belive it wil show some wornings before a system fail as motors battety sensors .

 

[hp7950]

You need to know the electronic inside a drone very simmilar to smartphons so expect a life of a phone ..... i hope iphone ha ha ha

 

[Norval]

150 hours, about the lifespan of the electric motors...
Could last longer, but the risk of failure increases exponentially after this time.

 

[zebrock]

150 hours, about the lifespan of the electric motors...
Could last longer, but the risk of failure increases exponentially after this time.

That would mean if I have 3 batteries and fly all 3 in one day at 20 min flight each that I am only averaged about 50 days on the motors? I find that hard to believe

 

[Wombat55]

150 hours, about the lifespan of the electric motors...
Could last longer, but the risk of failure increases exponentially after this time.

From what I've read about small brushless motors, they tend last a lot longer than 150 hours on average. More like thousands of hours and more if they are not abused.

Can't think of any particular significant "old age" vulnerability of a drone like a Mavic. Not many moving parts, and the parts that do move (i.e., the four motors, the propellers, and the internal cooling fan) should be very reliable and last a long time if not abused. My best guess is that the #1 cause of "old age" death with the Mavics will be a problem that develops with the gimbal assembly, but that will probably take many years of normal use. For the rest of us, we'll probably just eventually retire our perfectly functioning and intact Mavics because a much better drone with some amazing new technologies and features comes out onto the market.

 

[Norval]

This data is from people who have worked with drones of all brands for many many years.
150 hours of flight is about 450 battery cycles (at 20 minutes per battery).
As I said, could last much much longer, but professionals change their motors at that time in order to avoid failures on their crafts.

 

[zebrock]

Oops, I misread that as 50 hours. 150 sounds more believable

 

[halley]

Lithium batteries will degrade significantly after 4 years, and I bet they will be hard to find on the shelves after 2 years. Even if your motors last, there is a limited shelf life to these gadgets.

 

[Logger]

The guy reported 300 flights and 420 km .before some time

That guy would have been me. Now done almost 600 flights & 800km.



Still on orginal set of Props. But drone went swimming in salt water yesterday, so I am afraid it may now be end of life.

 

[msinger]

How long do the blades tend to last? I check mine before each flight but am wondering when I should make sure to replace them.

You should replace them when they are damaged. Otherwise, you'll just be tossing away a perfectly good set of props.

 

[Q.A.]

I am wondering how many flight hours one can reasonably expect from a Mavic Pro.

Those of you with previous DJI drones who fly a lot, do you have any rough estimate of hours?

And how do they tend to "die"?

Recently I rode camels in Cabo San Lucas at the beach. Every group is video taped by a mavic Pro. They said they last about 4four months in the salt air before quitting. The mavic Pro however is far superior in maintaining it's position in the frequently breezy conditions beside the ocean. They also told me they have seven now for spare parts that have given it up. None went swimming.

 

[SkunkWerx's]

That guy would have been me. Now done almost 600 flights & 800km.

View attachment 9125

Still on orginal set of Props. But drone went swimming in salt water yesterday, so I am afraid it may now be end of life.

Sorry to here about your unwanted swim ..... Hope you find out the reason

 

[Glenn Goodlett]

I replace my props after 1 million feet flown.