I am loosing confidence in my MA

[Deleted member 94047]

After 8 months of flying the MA, I am now right back at where I started - I am very nervous to fly it. My relationship with the MA has gone from absolute fascination at what it does, to total awe at how well it does it; I truly am impressed by the MA even now but I no longer trust it fully. My anxiety is growing with each successive flight instead of diminishing. I haven't had a major incident yet but I fear one is coming. Lately, I have been experiencing a series of flights where I had uncommanded (and seemingly unexplainable) yaw movements late into the flights. I re-calibrated the Aircraft's vision systems, IMU, and the remote controller's sticks. Either one of these had a good effect or the AC pulled itself together and I was glad to have this issue out of the way**.

The last few days, I am experiencing another issue - very odd disconnections. I attach the logs of one flight I did yesterday as an example but I have encountered this same issue in 3 of my last 5 flights.


I encountered app disconnections caused by a dodgy cable early on in my first months with the MA and have replaced the stock connecting cable with a very good one. This one to be more specific


So I am somewhat skeptical about the likelihood of a bad cable being the cause. However, the MA shouldn't have any problems maintaining connection at those heights and distances which makes me think that this is indeed a case of an app disconnection rather than a remote signal loss. The logs also seem to suggest that the app is disconnecting for some reason and upon reconnecting, the AC is re-initializing the connection with the app. I remain uncertain about why the app is disconnecting though. I am using the same device I have used before without any problems and following the same SOP like closing all running apps and putting the phone in Airplane mode. It is also not an app crash since the app reconnects after a few seconds.

What is also odd (at least to me) is the message about the internal memory being full. I was recording to the memory card. I have no clue as to why this message keeps popping up after each disconnection incident.

So, long story short, I am no longer a confident flyer. I am going out uneasy and I am flying my MA right on edge which is not a great experience. i miss my calm, collected, confident flying days. And yes, I now concede the MA is indeed "persnickety" (borrowing @brett8883's description of it) and very temperamental. Which is a shame because it is such a great little drone.
_____________
** I contacted DJI about this issue discribing the problem in detail and attaching the relevant logs. I did not hear back from them.

 

[pmshop]

I am actually compiling a list of my ongoing issues.
Most recently, I sent in my Mavic Air for the 5th warranty work between two models.
Sent in for 1) gimbal not holding the horizon, 2)YAWing without input and 3) downward sensors not working
Received 10/1/19 and second flight, it YAWed with no input so I RTH.
When it landed, it hit the deck at regular descent speed never slowing for a soft landing.

So I am right with you.

 

[pmshop]

Purchased refurb FlyMore - had stuck pixels recording/ shooting photos - exchanged for new
One of 3 batteries in the flymore package were DOA - Exchanged for new
Exchanged for new Mavic has stuck pixels – sent back in
Purchased a second, new Mavic Air standard package for my fleet - battery DOA
Second Mavic Air has dead pixels while recording/ shooting photos.
Controller on second Mavic Air set reboots on its own even in flight – controller exchanged
Cannot shoot panos - spheres or 180s with the second Mavic Air – Exposure not even - even with manual
First MA returned with stuck pixels
Second MA gimbal cannot hold the horizon
Both have IMU errors – sent in and exchanged
Both started YAWing without stick input and downward vision sensors not working
Sent one MA in for not holding horizon, stuck pixels and downward vision sensors.
Returned and downward vision sensors still not working.
Poor repair service.
Everything listed has been repaired or attempted repair under warranty since 23March19

Overall after repair on both Mavic Air:
Still Cannot shoot Spheres or 180s due to uneven exposure
Gimbals will not hold the horizon after a few flights even after calibrating
Still YAWs without stick input even after calibration

 

[spamgnome]

I'll pile on. As you may have seen from a couple of my other posts, I'm having problems with battery cells' voltage collapsing, leading to a forced landing. I think my days of flying the Air over water are over.
Sadly, I don't think it's a matter of IF I lose the drone to a technical malfunction, but rather when.

 

[Mavic Mac]

Gee - thankfully I haven't had of those problems but all of your posts are making me nervous. Haven't logged a lot of hours on the MA so I am sure from the sounds of things I will be posting similar posts in the future ☹

 

[luisfandre]

How do you get your logs as a table?

 

[Deleted member 94047]

Sorry I brought every one down

 

[pmshop]

Sorry I brought every one down

No worries.
Just wish it was different.

 

[brett8883]

After 8 months of flying the MA, I am now right back at where I started - I am very nervous to fly it. My relationship with the MA has gone from absolute fascination at what it does, to total awe at how well it does it; I truly am impressed by the MA even now but I no longer trust it fully. My anxiety is growing with each successive flight instead of diminishing. I haven't had a major incident yet but I fear one is coming. Lately, I have been experiencing a series of flights where I had uncommanded (and seemingly unexplainable) yaw movements late into the flights. I re-calibrated the Aircraft's vision systems, IMU, and the remote controller's sticks. Either one of these had a good effect or the AC pulled itself together and I was glad to have this issue out of the way**.

The last few days, I am experiencing another issue - very odd disconnections. I attach the logs of one flight I did yesterday as an example but I have encountered this same issue in 3 of my last 5 flights.
View attachment 82948

I encountered app disconnections caused by a dodgy cable early on in my first months with the MA and have replaced the stock connecting cable with a very good one. This one to be more specific
View attachment 82953

So I am somewhat skeptical about the likelihood of a bad cable being the cause. However, the MA shouldn't have any problems maintaining connection at those heights and distances which makes me think that this is indeed a case of an app disconnection rather than a remote signal loss. The logs also seem to suggest that the app is disconnecting for some reason and upon reconnecting, the AC is re-initializing the connection with the app. I remain uncertain about why the app is disconnecting though. I am using the same device I have used before without any problems and following the same SOP like closing all running apps and putting the phone in Airplane mode. It is also not an app crash since the app reconnects after a few seconds.

What is also odd (at least to me) is the message about the internal memory being full. I was recording to the memory card. I have no clue as to why this message keeps popping up after each disconnection incident.

So, long story short, I am no longer a confident flyer. I am going out uneasy and I am flying my MA right on edge which is not a great experience. i miss my calm, collected, confident flying days. And yes, I now concede the MA is indeed "persnickety" (borrowing @brett8883's description of it) and very temperamental. Which is a shame because it is such a great little drone.
_____________
** I contacted DJI about this issue discribing the problem in detail and attaching the relevant logs. I did not hear back from them.

I agree with your assessment but my view that the Mavic Air is persnickety is based solely on the feedback from pilots on here and maybe that’s not a good gauge since we tend to hear more from people that are having issues then those who aren’t.

However, as a Mavic Pro owner it baffles me to hear about so many compass issues (that’s likely the root cause of your yaw drift) with the Mavic Air. I had my Mavic Pro OG for two years and it asked me to calibrate the compass when I first took it out of the box but never again did it ask me to calibrate the compass. I even realized at some point that I did it wrong the one time I did do it. I drove that thing hard and did everything you aren’t suppose to but never had issues with the flight controller or navigation system.

The thing that makes flying it so enjoyable is I trust it. Even when I do stupid things it seems to be able to bail me out and I feel like that’s the only reason I continue to buy DJI products.

I can’t imagine not having that trust with my aircraft and how different my experience and attitude towards drones would be different. I’m sorry you guys have to deal with that. All other DJI products are pretty amazingly resilient. Tilted horizons aside.

 

[pmshop]

I agree with your assessment but my view that the Mavic Air is persnickety is based solely on the feedback from pilots on here and maybe that’s not a good gauge since we tend to hear more from people that are having issues then those who aren’t.

However, as a Mavic Pro owner it baffles me to hear about so many compass issues (that’s likely the root cause of your yaw drift) with the Mavic Air. I had my Mavic Pro OG for two years and it asked me to calibrate the compass when I first took it out of the box but never again did it ask me to calibrate the compass. I even realized at some point that I did it wrong the one time I did do it. I drove that thing hard and did everything you aren’t suppose to but never had issues with the flight controller or navigation system.

The thing that makes flying it so enjoyable is I trust it. Even when I do stupid things it seems to be able to bail me out and I feel like that’s the only reason I continue to buy DJI products.

I can’t imagine not having that trust with my aircraft and how different my experience and attitude towards drones would be different. I’m sorry you guys have to deal with that. All other DJI products are pretty amazingly resilient. Tilted horizons aside.

Agreed
I have to calibrate the compass on both almost every time I fly.
And I am flying in the same area.

 

[Thomas B]

Agree. Seems the Air is not quite ready for prime time.

 

[pmshop]

Agree. Seems the Air is not quite ready for prime time.

Or something changed after the release.

I could have sworn something changed with the Spark about 15 months in but couldn't prove it.
Can't remember what the issue was but a lot of people were having the issue.
But I wasn't because my serial was older.
And it was not that summer of total loss of power either.

 

[DanMan32]

For yaw issues and genuine frequent need to recalibrate compass, try demagnetising the MA, and avoid storing it near devices with magnets such as speakers.

 

[Unknown Pilot]

Sorry I brought every one down

No, not everyone. I find mine a pleasure to fly, even pushing the envelope. Sure, occasionally I'll have to recalibrate the compass or find a cleaner wifi channel but that's about the limit of my problems.

If you're losing confidence take out an insurance policy or sell it. I heard those BB-8s are a lot of fun.

 

[baksideDisaster]

I've reached the point that now my Mavic Air is almost two years old, I'm not really afraid for it to go up in flames. I've dealt with all the nits, they still bug me sometimes, especially when my gimbal twitches in the middle of a great shot or the constant need to re calibrate, but the way I look at it, I've more than got my money out of it. In my four years of flying drones I've had this one the longest. Year one I went though five 3DR solos. And I still think for what my primary use case is, filming action sports in the backcountry, there's not a better drone as far as the portability factor goes. But I'd wish there was a suitable replacement on the horizon, a next generation of this fine craft. Cause if it does sink to the bottom of Puget Sound, thus eliminating my ability to get a replacement from DJI, I'm not sure what I'd buy.

 

[daramwhat]

After 8 months of flying the MA, I am now right back at where I started - I am very nervous to fly it. My relationship with the MA has gone from absolute fascination at what it does, to total awe at how well it does it; I truly am impressed by the MA even now but I no longer trust it fully. My anxiety is growing with each successive flight instead of diminishing. I haven't had a major incident yet but I fear one is coming. Lately, I have been experiencing a series of flights where I had uncommanded (and seemingly unexplainable) yaw movements late into the flights. I re-calibrated the Aircraft's vision systems, IMU, and the remote controller's sticks. Either one of these had a good effect or the AC pulled itself together and I was glad to have this issue out of the way**.

The last few days, I am experiencing another issue - very odd disconnections. I attach the logs of one flight I did yesterday as an example but I have encountered this same issue in 3 of my last 5 flights.
View attachment 82948

I encountered app disconnections caused by a dodgy cable early on in my first months with the MA and have replaced the stock connecting cable with a very good one. This one to be more specific
View attachment 82953

So I am somewhat skeptical about the likelihood of a bad cable being the cause. However, the MA shouldn't have any problems maintaining connection at those heights and distances which makes me think that this is indeed a case of an app disconnection rather than a remote signal loss. The logs also seem to suggest that the app is disconnecting for some reason and upon reconnecting, the AC is re-initializing the connection with the app. I remain uncertain about why the app is disconnecting though. I am using the same device I have used before without any problems and following the same SOP like closing all running apps and putting the phone in Airplane mode. It is also not an app crash since the app reconnects after a few seconds.

What is also odd (at least to me) is the message about the internal memory being full. I was recording to the memory card. I have no clue as to why this message keeps popping up after each disconnection incident.

So, long story short, I am no longer a confident flyer. I am going out uneasy and I am flying my MA right on edge which is not a great experience. i miss my calm, collected, confident flying days. And yes, I now concede the MA is indeed "persnickety" (borrowing @brett8883's description of it) and very temperamental. Which is a shame because it is such a great little drone.
_____________
** I contacted DJI about this issue discribing the problem in detail and attaching the relevant logs. I did not hear back from them.

Can you please send the link to get this cable? I need one of those.. Thanks

 

[Deleted member 94047]

Can you please send the link to get this cable? I need one of those.. Thanks

It is the Adams Elements RC cable for the Mavic Air. It used to be available on Amazon and the DJI store. You can search for it (on my phone now and can't do a proper search) It comes in mini USB, USB C, and iPhone variations so pick the one that fits your phone. Very sturdy cable.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

These are brilliant, spiral cable and right angle to device provides cable out of the way too.

ConnecThors Video Feed Cables for Drones | Thor's Drone World

Check out our exclusive ConnecThors cables, custom made coiled video feed cables with 90 degree plugs, for USB Type C, Micro USB and Lightning . OTG MICRO USB & USB 2.0. CrystalSky Monitor Cable

www.thorsdroneworld.com

A search for connecthor also shows them on Amazon.

 

[daramwhat]

It is the Adams Elements RC cable for the Mavic Air. It used to be available on Amazon and the DJI store. You can search for it (on my phone now and can't do a proper search) It comes in mini USB, USB C, and iPhone variations so pick the one that fits your phone. Very sturdy cable.

Thanks..

 

[OldBlueHeron]

No, not everyone. I find mine a pleasure to fly, even pushing the envelope. Sure, occasionally I'll have to recalibrate the compass or find a cleaner wifi channel but that's about the limit of my problems.

If you're losing confidence take out an insurance policy or sell it. I heard those BB-8s are a lot of fun.

This, I’ve owned mine since launch and like all the DJI drones I own, some days are better then others. There are so many variables that effect good flights versus subpar ones. I find aside from the finicky compass, it’s quite reliable and accepts most of my abuse, including the need to switch out props and change settings so that I perceive it as quieter. It’s not.