so many sad posts lately

[NG Wildman]

Well, while an aggregate amount of mistakes can be disastrous (sorry, I had to), usually it's something small that just reminds me that I need to plan and not be distracted. Not always an easily accomplished feat here where I live.
Wildman
Toruk AP10
Toruk AP11 Pro
DJI Phantom
DJI Mavic Pro 2
DJI Mavic Mini
DJI Mavic Mini 2
Various Toy Grade Models

 

[Steel63]

@Gary.r thanks for your honest answer ,my post was not intended to sound like I was being big headed ,because I have been fortunate not to have damaged any of my drones to date ,i know that each time i take to the air, that apart from a mechanical failure, or electrical malfunction over which i have no control,then as far as humanly possible i have done everything i can to have a successful flight
we get lots of posts on the forum saying our drones are very easy to fly ,but by the same token, they are very easy to destroy or loose as well

The first time I flew my drone I must have read the manual a hundred times watched the beginner's tutorial for the p3s countless times even then I was afraid to fly my first flight was 3 feet off the ground going forward backwards left right practice practice practice but you're rite most people take them out of the box throw in a half charged battery and take off .not good something is bound to happen you should have a check list an follow it every time don't be in a rush to get off the ground and always be aware of you're surroundings stay safe and God bless

 

[KingRat]

The first time I flew my drone I must have read the manual a hundred times watched the beginner's tutorial for the p3s countless times even then I was afraid to fly my first flight was 3 feet off the ground going forward backwards left right practice practice practice but you're rite most people take them out of the box throw in a half charged battery and take off .not good something is bound to happen you should have a check list an follow it every time don't be in a rush to get off the ground and always be aware of you're surroundings stay safe and God bless

I would add to that: keep an eye on the battery level indicator. I could see the % in the top right corner as a number, but couldn't see the green bar graph that runs across the screen - something to do with how it just blended in with all the other clutter on the screen, until it was physically pointed out to me by my professional flyer friend. Now I can see it all the time. The speed at which the 'fuel gauge' goes down is a much better indicator if safe flying time left, for me anyway. I like to land with at least 10% left - more if flying at range - and for me 'range' means about 400 yards! That is plenty for what I do.

 

[Meta4]

I am genuinely saddened ,by the number of posts ,that start with my drone flew away ,or my drone crashed etc
and when our resident experts have delved into the logs ...

As one of those that looks into the flight data from incidents that result in loss of a drone, I can say that there aren't very many of those incidents lately.
There have been very few puzzles to solve.

 

[Cymruflyer]

I would add to that: keep an eye on the battery level indicator. I could see the % in the top right corner as a number, but couldn't see the green bar graph that runs across the screen - something to do with how it just blended in with all the other clutter on the screen, until it was physically pointed out to me by my professional flyer friend. Now I can see it all the time. The speed at which the 'fuel gauge' goes down is a much better indicator if safe flying time left, for me anyway. I like to land with at least 10% left - more if flying at range - and for me 'range' means about 400 yards! That is plenty for what I do.

I would suggest setting your low battery alarm to 35% that gives you plenty of time to think about getting it back to your take off point. If you set it lower, you may sometimes find that last several percent suddenly may drop a lot faster than you expected. Giving yourself the 35% warning will ensure (in most cases) that you have ample power to get back home.

Setting the alarm to sound makes sure that even if you forgot to keep an eye on the battery power because you were having too much fun, you will at least be warned when you still have enough life left not to panic.

 

[KingRat]

I would suggest setting your low battery alarm to 35% that gives you plenty of time to think about getting it back to your take off point. If you set it lower, you may sometimes find that last several percent suddenly may drop a lot faster than you expected. Giving yourself the 35% warning will ensure (in most cases) that you have ample power to get back home.

Setting the alarm to sound makes sure that even if you forgot to keep an eye on the battery power because you were having too much fun, you will at least be warned when you still have enough life left not to panic.

Funnily enough that is exactly what mine is set for and with the alarm activated. I then judge by how long I have been flying and how many pictures I have taken whether to fly straight back or 'do a bit more first'. If I am only 100 yards away and 50 feet up, say, like when photographing our works at the bridge, I can go way beyond that and land with 10%, mostly I am only 30 or 40 feet away from myself and using it as 'a tripod in the sky'. The video thing is still beyond me - yes I can swap to video mode and press the button, but it is when you get home and have to start editing, that is way beyond me at the moment. I don't even understand the tutorials for the video editor! I am going to have to get someone to sit with me and teach me the old fashioned way.