Sand in Motors—What to do?

[SpitFire]

Welcome to the Forum from Chicago the Windy City.
You received quite a bit of advice from other pilots.
FLY SAFE

 

[Steve Amerson]

So I got overconfident a few minutes ago and tried to hand launch my Air 2S for the 4th time ever on the beach today.

I thought I installed the props correctly but obviously didn’t—it flipped and gave my hand some NASTY gashes and fell into the sand.

Thankfully my hand appears OK (these things are not toys! ****.

However some sand got into the joints of the two rear rotating feet and at least one of the motors (three can rotate by hand but one is stuck).

Theres a little sand around the obstacle cameras but afaik nothing in the gimbal or main cam, miraculously..

When I shake the drone I also hear some sand bouncing around.

What should I do? Is there a reliable way to remove sand from the motors and joints? Or is this a smart time to use Care Refresh? (I did buy the one year plan) Not sure if theres other damage or how to know really..

Whats the best course of action?

Update: I vacuumed and blew air in the motors and leg joints. The motors now all rotate smoothly and the legs rotate more or less smoothly. I ran the motors without props and so far have no errors or weird sounds afaik.

Is a test flight appropriate?

Hello dronerat, I had a similar incident with my Air 2S and the problem was with one of my props. It looked just fine but the drone kept trying to turn over if I tried to launch manually until I put a new prop on the drone. If you use the TAKE OFF Button It Will Warn You if there is a problem before any damage is done. My Air 2S still flies great so yes I think it is time for a test flight if everything checks out.

 

[dronerat]

Hello dronerat, I had a similar incident with my Air 2S and the problem was with one of my props. It looked just fine but the drone kept trying to turn over if I tried to launch manually until I put a new prop on the drone. If you use the TAKE OFF Button It Will Warn You if there is a problem before any damage is done. My Air 2S still flies great so yes I think it is time for a test flight if everything checks out.

Ah thanks. I have since given it a few flights. It seems to be flying OK, tho I have had the drone for such a brief time that I wouldn't know if something subtle was off.

Any tests I should do/things I should pay close attention to to be extra sure it doesn't need to be sent in?

 

[Steve Amerson]

Ah thanks. I have since given it a few flights. It seems to be flying OK, tho I have had the drone for such a brief time that I wouldn't know if something subtle was off.

Any tests I should do/things I should pay close attention to to be extra sure it doesn't need to be sent in?

Check all your Settings occasionally and be sure to Calibrate the Compass, IMU and Gimbal if needed. One user had trouble with the drone just hovering or moving in an odd way, so he recalibrated everything and the drone worked great. Reinstalling apps is also a good way to fix problems if none of the typical fixes work. (cleaning the drone like you did and planning your flights carefully so there are no mishaps) Happy Flying!