M2Z OccuSync Glitch = Lost Drone

[sar104]

Note also that the wind speed was just about at the limit of what the aircraft will hold against in P mode, so if it had just lost connection and hovered, then it would, eventually, have landed close to its last recorded position. I don't think that's what happened though.

 

[Meta4]

but I did check FlightRadar to make extra sure I was out of the way of any aircraft...

FlightRadar is great ... for getting a false sense of security.
It's going to show lots of planes, particularly passenger jets and other commercial aircraft.
But it's not going to show all aircraft - just the ones with an ADSB transponder.
That leaves out a lot of small planes which are the ones more likely to be down low and thus much more likely to be a risk for high drone flights.

 

[tmtwomey]

You are confusing different laws. Your understanding is correct in terms of Part 107 but, if a pilot is flying recreationally under Part 101, there is no fixed altitude limit.

I think that used to be the case, but per the current FAA page for recreational drone pilots,
"Fly at or below 400 feet when in uncontrolled airspace (Class G)"

 

[Kazzaaz]

If you find it - please don't do that again.

 

[sar104]

I think that used to be the case, but per the current FAA page for recreational drone pilots,
"Fly at or below 400 feet when in uncontrolled airspace (Class G)"

It does, but 14 CFR has not yet changed - we are in the transition period while they figure out how to implement the new laws.

14 CFR Part 101 subpart E: eCFR — Code of Federal Regulations

 

[Chip]

Wow. That image of lines going into residential yard is graphic and sobering. Excellent forensic work sar. I hope drone is recovered but gosh that was risky.

 

[MichiganMavic]

There’s a lot of air traffic for DTW that could be in that area, let alone that’s highly populated for debris fallout (as already mentioned). News stations with Helo traffic too.
All to get Speed records!?[emoji35]
Sorry for the rant, but when I hear or see this kind of stuff, I just see stricter flight rules....
Then I read it’s only a few miles from me
If you look at OP’s previous posts, it was inevitable...

 

[AnzacJack]

Yes, just looked at his previous posts. Seems like someone with more money than sense

 

[JAW]

For the OP, the loss of his drone is unfortunate. For the rest of us, it's a blessing.

 

[Willbilly]

For the OP, the loss of his drone is unfortunate. For the rest of us, it's a blessing.

 

[Talmon Murphy]

I lost connection for no reason which resulted in what I could only assume was an erratic spiral towards my M2Z's death in some unknown location.
Luckily I was attempting to break some speed records and was recording my phone screen as this happened.
The rest of the details are in the video.

I spent about 30 minutes at that location in case the drone was hovering and was landing. (Lost connection mode set to "Hover")
And hours looking in the area with no success.

WTF happened here!? Feeling pretty unlucky especially after buying DJI care just hours earlier (thinking, I'll definitely crash again but there's no way I'll lose it).
Trying not to be too upset but... I have a hard time not pointing a finger at DJI.

Why we ( myself included) don’t install a “Tile” or similar tracking device on our expensive tools I can’t figure out! I’m usually blaming it on not knowing which one would be the best tracker but you would think I would then install a couple different ones. Sheesh, as many times as I’ve nearly lost mine what am I waiting for? Lol!

Hope you find it soon.

 

[Tom Watson]

Admitting your mistakes is always a good thing, hope you find it. If not, take a deep breath, and being an M2 pilot, go and buy another, as after owning a Mavic, nothing else comes close.

 

[sar104]

View attachment 67396

No luck finding it?

 

[BD0G]

I really wanted to be a silent hater of the OP Kazzaaz for flying in the manner in which he did, but I must say that revisiting the topic and not hiding under the blankets or just replying with a selfish childish statement like "thats the way I fly - get over it" is commendable!

Reckless flying can and will endanger people and property and things tend to go wrong at the most inopportune times. The quote "risk versus reward" that was used to reply aptly sums up why one should never fly in full manual at high altitudes and push the envelope of what is possible with the Mavic.

Please update us on if you were successful at finding your lost Mavic. SAR104 is a pro with interpreting flight logs and extrapolation of the data. Usually he quotes a radius that is many feet in circumference , but he must be getting even better as he is now providing house numbers! LOL

Next it will be House numbers with a descriptor indicating 14 feet from the porch and 11 feet from the driveway. It never ceases to amaze me and I am a fan!?

 

[Chip]

I really wanted to be a silent hater of the OP Kazzaaz for flying in the manner in which he did, but I must say that revisiting the topic and not hiding under the blankets or just replying with a selfish childish statement like "thats the way I fly - get over it" is commendable!

Reckless flying can and will endanger people and property and things tend to go wrong at the most inopportune times. The quote "risk versus reward" that was used to reply aptly sums up why one should never fly in full manual at high altitudes and push the envelope of what is possible with the Mavic.

Please update us on if you were successful at finding your lost Mavic. SAR104 is a pro with interpreting flight logs and extrapolation of the data. Usually he quotes a radius that is many feet in circumference , but he must be getting even better as he is now providing house numbers! LOL

Next it will be House numbers with a descriptor indicating 14 feet from the porch and 11 feet from the driveway. It never ceases to amaze me and I am a fan!?

? Well said! I liked Kazz's post #20 also. I was wondering whether sar updated his software or something because his charts and graphics seem to pop more than ever!

 

[sar104]

I really wanted to be a silent hater of the OP Kazzaaz for flying in the manner in which he did, but I must say that revisiting the topic and not hiding under the blankets or just replying with a selfish childish statement like "thats the way I fly - get over it" is commendable!

Reckless flying can and will endanger people and property and things tend to go wrong at the most inopportune times. The quote "risk versus reward" that was used to reply aptly sums up why one should never fly in full manual at high altitudes and push the envelope of what is possible with the Mavic.

Please update us on if you were successful at finding your lost Mavic. SAR104 is a pro with interpreting flight logs and extrapolation of the data. Usually he quotes a radius that is many feet in circumference , but he must be getting even better as he is now providing house numbers! LOL

Next it will be House numbers with a descriptor indicating 14 feet from the porch and 11 feet from the driveway. It never ceases to amaze me and I am a fan!?

? Well said! I liked Kazz's post #20 also. I was wondering whether sar updated his software or something because his charts and graphics seem to pop more than ever!

Thanks. I did try to improve the numerical simulation of falling drones by adding altitude-dependent wind speeds, and I added some code to the simulation to write the resulting trajectories directly to kml files, making it easier to display them in Google Earth. It may look prettier, but it's yet to be seen if it's any more accurate.

 

[MichiganMavic]

Thanks to Sar, I’m able to somewhat get an idea how Blackbox info on planes are interpreted.
W/o guys like him, we’d be chasing our tails searching, not knowing what went wrong, and have unsafe planes. I’m sad that we need people like him, but glad that we do.
Great work Sar[emoji106][emoji106]

 

[Kazzaaz]

Hi all,

I feel like I need to start this post off with another apology. This thread has been a huge wake up call as to how... immature my flying style has been. This has been on my mind all week and now every time I see a plane my heart skips a beat thinking about how high my drone was.

This is a great community and I am sad to have already made such a negative impression. I hope that whenever I'm flying again I'll be able to prove my dedication to preventing anything like this from happening again.

No luck finding it in the area, but by the time I was out there it almost certainly would have been found and picked up so I can't say I spent too many hours searching. I have yet to ask the neighbors there but plan to do that this weekend.

Another word of thanks to @sar104 and to the rest of the comments that has made this a true eye-opener

 

[MichiganMavic]

Glad that you took this thread in a mature manner.
Knowing what you did wrong, and then improving on that is all that anyone can hope for. We all make mistakes, that’s how we become wiser[emoji6].

 

[Bryman]

I'm glad you lost your drone. People that fly outside of FFA regulations are going to ruin it for others.