Lost my Mini 2

[Skwirl]

It doesn't matter if the OP uploads to Airdata, Phantomhelp or just posts the txt file.
The experts can work from any of those.
But until the data appears, this story isn't going anywhere.

I understand that part. The point i was trying to make is to access those files BEFORE something happens.
theres a lot of data there. Heck it monitors how long it takes to turn the drone to each side. Alerting the operator to take a look at their props. Thats pretty good info. Potentially avoiding a crash.

 

[Chris Rees]

I wish I had done that now, but I used the Find my drone function and you need the controller connected to see this, don’t you? It’s my loss I guess. I don’t have a computer at the moment so can’t upload flight log either

 

[Chris Rees]

@Chris Rees i am not trying to be critical but the first thing i would have done given your situation would have been to press and hold the RTH button on the RC and if it had started bleeping then i would know that it was at least connected to the RC and trying to get home ,then i would have tried to reboot the screen device while this was happening and then once the drone was overhead and descending then just cancel RTH and land manually

You are quite right, I should have done this. A warning to others maybe

 

[Meta4]

I wish I had done that now, but I used the Find my drone function and you need the controller connected to see this, don’t you? It’s my loss I guess. I don’t have a computer at the moment so can’t upload flight log either

No data ... the story ends here.

 

[old man mavic]

@Chris Rees one of the things that long time flyers recommend newbies to do when they start off in the hobby, is in safe clear space to try out the various RTH functions so in the event of an issue arising then knowing the outcome can save the day, i remember the first time i flew out a couple of hundred feet,and then turned off the RC to see what would happen ,and was very glad when my drone came back to the home point ,and also disconnecting the cable from my device and being able to still fly the drone,i know hindsight is a wonderful thing ,but to have a level of trust in the equipment you are using ,and trying out the functions is the only way to get that trust i hope you do keep on with the hobby ,and not let this experience dampen your enthusiasm

 

[Chris Rees]

No data ... the story ends here.

Thank you for your valuable input.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

I understand that part. The point i was trying to make is to access those files BEFORE something happens.
theres a lot of data there. Heck it monitors how long it takes to turn the drone to each side. Alerting the operator to take a look at their props. Thats pretty good info. Potentially avoiding a crash.

I may well be misunderstanding your post but if you are suggesting trying to look at the currently being written log whilst flying I am not sure if that is possible, besides which it would be a distraction for the pilot and that is not a good thing.
If you mean go through the logs for the last flight before making the next flight then, to be honest I am not sure of the value of that, others are better placed to discuss that.


Incidentally you may find the PhantomHelp (PH) presents, via the downloadable csv, more information than does Airdata. I find it easier to find data in the PH csv than trying to figure out where it is in Airdata.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Thank you for your valuable input.

Actually three people, OMM, Meta4 and myself, have suggested to you that the only chance of perhaps finding out what happened is to post the logs.
Meta4 may be abrupt but he is correct, until the log is posted everything else is largely speculation or investigative questions.
Both Meta4 and myself have suggested you try uploading the log to PhantomHelp via your computer.
At a quick skim I do not see that you have answered the the question, "can you confirm whether or not this was a drone/controller disconnection or a controller/phone disconnection?". Both OMM and myself have posed that question.
Folks here are trying to help you, the questions some of them ask are relevant and the answers may help determine what went wrong.
You would do yourself a favour by answering those questions.
For reference Meta4's input was/is valuable.

 

[Skwirl]

I may well be misunderstanding your post but if you are suggesting trying to look at the currently being written log whilst flying I am not sure if that is possible, besides which it would be a distraction for the pilot and that is not a good thing.
If you mean go through the logs for the last flight before making the next flight then, to be honest I am not sure of the value of that, others are better placed to discuss that.


Incidentally you may find the PhantomHelp (PH) presents, via the downloadable csv, more information than does Airdata. I find it easier to find data in the PH csv than trying to figure out where it is in Airdata.

Not while flying.
When you get home, at your leisure you can review them. I did it last night, I was amazed the amount of info available.
With all these lost drone threads, I got worried that something may happen to mine. So I set up to view my logs and post a link here if need be, hopefully I'll never need to.
I'm merely trying to inform new drone operators that this info is available and potentially very important to have access to in the event something happens. Even if all goes well on every flight, I think its beneficial to review the flight logs.

Flying a drone is not as simple and easy as the advertising indicates, theres a lot to it.

 

[umanbean]

Thank you for your valuable input.

His 'valuable input' is only matched by your lack of cooperation in doing what several experts here have asked you to do. What he's saying, in short, is that without flight logs, everything else is pure speculation... useless, time-wasting speculation.

 

[sar104]

I wish I had done that now, but I used the Find my drone function and you need the controller connected to see this, don’t you? It’s my loss I guess. I don’t have a computer at the moment so can’t upload flight log either

You can upload your flights to AirData without a computer if you first sync them to the DJI server and then use the AirData UAV app.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

With all these lost drone threads, I got worried that some

To perhaps put you mind at rest, I have nearly 3000 flight logs from my drones and I have lost a few logs.
I still have all the drones that flew those flights and both the Mini and a Phantom 3 have suffered temporary blow aways, I was getting set to literally ditch the Phantom in the sea when the gust dropped and it was able to regain ground.
Flyaways are not that common, they pop up 'frequently' on here because people do not seek assistance when things go correctly.
However such threads do offer learning experiences for those who heed them, there are often wonderful little tricks mentioned in passing in some answers.

 

[Skwirl]

You can upload your flights to AirData without a computer if you first sync them to the DJI server and then use the AirData UAV app.

It was your tutorial that is a sticky thread on here that allowed me to upload my flight logs to airdata.
Very well done and thanks.

 

[sar104]

It was your tutorial that is a sticky thread on here that allowed me to upload my flight logs to airdata.
Very well done and thanks.

I'm glad that it was helpful.

 

[Skwirl]

To perhaps put you mind at rest, I have nearly 3000 flight logs from my drones and I have lost a few logs.
I still have all the drones that flew those flights and both the Mini and a Phantom 3 have suffered temporary blow aways, I was getting set to literally ditch the Phantom in the sea when the gust dropped and it was able to regain ground.
Flyaways are not that common, they pop up 'frequently' on here because people do not seek assistance when things go correctly.
However such threads do offer learning experiences for those who heed them, there are often wonderful little tricks mentioned in passing in some answers.

I'm not to worried about losing my drone. I'm trying to keep my flights relatively short in distance.
My worry stemmed from not knowing how or what these flight logs contained or how to access/view them.
Found the the thread posted by sar104 and now all is good.
I also saw the PH flight record you mention and I may invest in that in the future. But, i spent enough money in the last 2 weeks, lol.
I've learned several things from reading these types of threads. Its an unfortunate way to learn, by others misfortune.
The 1 thing that seems much to common, is this happens cause the pilot is flying bvlos.
Even this incident can be attributed to that.

 

[Meta4]

I also saw the PH flight record you mention and I may invest in that in the future. But, i spent enough money in the last 2 weeks, lol.

The Phantomhelp log viewer is free. lol

The 1 thing that seems much to common, is this happens cause the pilot is flying bvlos.

Even if a lost drone incident happens BVLOS, it would be uncommon for that to be the cause of the incident

Even this incident can be attributed to that.

So far there's nothing to say what caused this incident.

 

[Skwirl]

The Phantomhelp log viewer is free. lol

Even if a lost drone incident happens BVLOS, it would be uncommon for that to be the cause of the incident

So far there's nothing to say what caused this incident.

Then I didnt understand the directions on that site. The main issue for me is, I don't have the correct cable to connect my phone to my pc. So I clicked the link on PH which brought up program that has a subscription for it.

As for your 2nd & 3rd points, Ive read several of these threads and my opinion is bvlos played a role.
My opinion here;
This incident is a direct result of flying bvlos. The pilot admits to flying into the sun which caused bvlos. The reason he lost communications has yet to be determined. But the end result happened because he couldnt locate his drone visually.

But, thank you for pointing out my lack reading comprehension.

 

[Meta4]

As for your 2nd & 3rd points, Ive read several of these threads and my opinion is bvlos played a role.
My opinion here;
This incident is a direct result of flying bvlos. The pilot admits to flying into the sun which caused bvlos. The reason he lost communications has yet to be determined. But the end result happened because he couldnt locate his drone visually.

The most likely reason he lost communication with the drone is that it suffered a power loss and fell from the sky.
We don't know if that was what actually happened (would need to see data to confirm), but if it was, the incident could just as easily have happened 20 feet away.
There is no evidence to suggest that not being able to see the drone had anything to do with its loss.

Not having visual on the drone might add extra complications for the flyer, but it is rarely the cause of a lost drone incident.

 

[GadgetGuy]

You can upload your flights to AirData without a computer if you first sync them to the DJI server and then use the AirData UAV app.

Actually, one can now directly upload one's flights to AirData without first syncing them to the DJI server. Just log onto the AirData website from the tablet, select Upload at AirData and "select file" and look under Documents on Android or the DJI folder on an iPad. All done without any cable over Wifi. I do that after every flight, using my iPhone as a Hot Spot in the field for my tablet.

 

[GadgetGuy]

@Chris Rees i am not trying to be critical but the first thing i would have done given your situation would have been to press and hold the RTH button on the RC and if it had started bleeping then i would know that it was at least connected to the RC and trying to get home ,then i would have tried to reboot the screen device while this was happening and then once the drone was overhead and descending then just cancel RTH and land manually

This assumes that no GEO issue was involved, as even RTH cannot penetrate a GEO zone. However, when GEO will prevent RTH, the line between the drone and the Home Point on the map is red, rather than blue or green.