Lost drones. How big of a problem are they?

[Twodumbdogs]

I was wondering what the community thinks on this subject. I know most modern drones have some sort of RTH system if there is low battery or signal loss, but they do happen.

I'm sure it's a problem for the pilot who loses a drone but is it something that the larger uav community worries about?

I ask because I am bouncing around an idea to help get found drones back to their owners. Is it enough of a problem to warrant a service or product?

Just looking for some general feedback from the community. Sorry for being cryptic.

 

[Mossiback]

The wider term of "lost drone" would fit your purpose better and not begin the debate of how a "fly away" happened. There is a Lost and Found forum here but it only has 120 original posts so I do not think it happens that often with DJI products. Of course there are a lot of inexpensive UAV's out there that are more likely to get "lost" so there may be a need in the general community. I think one problem you will have is matching a UAV with the owner. Most people don't bother putting their phone number on their device and even fewer note their serial number.

 

[Twodumbdogs]

The wider term of "lost drone" would fit your purpose better and not begin the debate of how a "fly away" happened. There is a Lost and Found forum here but it only has 120 original posts so I do not think it happens that often with DJI products. Of course there are a lot of inexpensive UAV's out there that are more likely to get "lost" so there may be a need in the general community. I think one problem you will have is matching a UAV with the owner. Most people don't bother putting their phone number on their device and even fewer note their serial number.

Thanks mossiback.
Regardless of why, lost is lost. I know I would want every opportunity to recover my lost $1k+ investment.
I may just have to flesh out my idea for the board and see if anyone thinks it would make sense.
Thanks again.

 

[Former Member]

Thanks mossiback.
Regardless of why, lost is lost. I know I would want every opportunity to recover my lost $1k+ investment.
I may just have to flesh out my idea for the board and see if anyone thinks it would make sense.
Thanks again.

Anything anyone could do to try and reunite lost drones with their owners is worth a shot.

 

[NiTRoX624]

It seems like you hear about lost drones a lot. However if you have a successful flight you are probably not going to post about it. If you lose your drone you are more likely to post about it. I think they do happen. Most of the time user error though.