When to let go of your mavic..

[Sal_recon26]

First flight brought it out 10,000 feet. Just to break my record of 8000 feet with the P3p

 

[SoapyGolem]

It never goes away, and I have over 70 flights... still always scared

 

[Sal_recon26]

I wish I got scared that easy, it adds to the excitement! For me to get that scared rush I have to launch it from point A, then drive to meet it 7 miles away at point B. Talk about getting the blood flowing!!

 

[dewster]

I've watched two of my home built drones fall out of the sky. One had a prop break and the other was a bad cell in a battery. It's not pretty. That fear...or realization of what could happen stays with me every flight. I have DJI care. There are numerous safety features, but stuff happens.

I still fly though. It's just my enjoyment level is not what it used to be.

 

[Bryan Conover]

How long did you go before you got over the fear of losing or crashing your mavic? The first time it flew out of sight or over water. Wondering if it would come back or fall out of the sky. Scary stuff. Owned mine for 2 weeks. About 4 flights, still afraid to let it go and do its thing.

If you love something....set it free.

 

[AlanTheBeast]

First flight brought it out 10,000 feet. Just to break my record of 8000 feet with the P3p

I would break in the system and batteries for at least 5 full flights per battery before ranging very far.

See infant mortality

 

[Gerald Ellis]

How long did you go before you got over the fear of losing or crashing your mavic? The first time it flew out of sight or over water. Wondering if it would come back or fall out of the sky. Scary stuff. Owned mine for 2 weeks. About 4 flights, still afraid to let it go and do its thing.

Just put aside $133 a month for 12 months and that'll pay for two of them not including accessories so if you lose one you can buy another one and the extra batteries and accessories not on the Mavic at the time of the loss can be used on the second one.

If you fly missions like with Litchi sooner or later you are going to get cocky and push it out of range and while it is supposed to complete the mission by returning to your last waypoint it doesn't always work out that way. See my post about how I lost mine (and then stolen) due to a front avoidance sensor malfunction where it used up the battery going up to 961' before it could get back to the home point.

STUFF HAPPENS!

And then you have a period of mourning about it...And then, of course...Go and buy more STUFF.

 

[AirBean]

How long did you go before you got over the fear of losing or crashing your mavic? The first time it flew out of sight or over water. Wondering if it would come back or fall out of the sky. Scary stuff. Owned mine for 2 weeks. About 4 flights, still afraid to let it go and do its thing.

IM 13 days in a scared to death,i have only taken it a half a mile

 

[ceirsik]

Well.... After starting this post and thinking I was being so cautious.. It happened! Crashed it!! Note to self- glue or remove the sport button! Some how Slid it to sport mode and not seeing that I did, hit a tree. So it's off to DJI... So disappointed in my self. 3weeks old and I killed it!

 

[NinjaBlade]

No time at all. I let it fly a mile out during the first flight.

 

[AdventureCity]

... I have just flew it with no video just to concentrate on the controls. Large area no trees or power lines... Will continue to master the controls first. Video will come in time...

Press VIDEO REC even if you do not focus on the images, especially if you have those fears of losing it. Having a video recorded on your phone/tablet in case of a crash might help you when identifying the actual crash site!

Not only for a crash, but reviewing the drone video after flight has been really, really instructive in my learning. There is so much clarity which I cannot see during flight, and it challenges me to be better in "feathering" each change in camera or direction. I vote that you record from start to finish every time. Pressing REC will not interfere with learning to fly.

 

[Glen e]

Save the glue, just disable the switch in the app if you are so inclined.

Just be aware if you do this, then you won't have the ability to cancel a RTH…perhaps a small piece of black duct tape to make sure that you don't switch it accidentally, but could in a pinch remove the tape and use the switch. I don't find the switch is in a place where I would move it anyway… But that's just how I hold it.

 

[Glen e]

You can cancel RTH with the RTH button...

No you can't when it's in auto landing mode, nothing can stop it except moving it to sport. There are several posts here that the only way they were able to regain control in some situations was to move to sport.

 

[Robbyg]

I now have 140 flights under my belt (I'm an addict and not currently seeking help) and I still get sweaty palms depending on where I fly. If it goes down in the middle of the desert or on top of the mountain, no big deal - I'll start hiking. If I crash it and need to replace it, I can get past that too. However, if I were to hurt someone or damage property, that would be difficult for me and is what makes me the most nervous. Even when following the rules and having the best intentions, things can go wrong.

140 flights good God man are you flying 24/7?
I remember when you just joined the forum less than a month ago and you where still wearing your DJI branded Diapers

You do know if you play with that controller stick too much you can go blind

Joking aside, that's one heck of an achievement in such a short time. I am on 45 flights after 3 1/2 months
I can only fly on weekends and on several weekends since I have had the Mavic I have had to take the family out on activities. I have now missed two straight weekends and I am going nuts.

Rob

 

[larkin]

Not till I switched to an iPad 4 mini. My first four flights were on my android phone and all four had either a minor blade strike crash or a signal loss prompting an auto RTH. After switching to iOS I don't experience these kinds of consistent failures and have a healthy amount of confidence when I fly. That said, you always have something to learn which tends to make itself clear to you every now and then but at least those moments are mostly pilot error.

 

[CashCache]

140 flights good God man are you flying 24/7?
I remember when you just joined the forum less than a month ago and you where still wearing your DJI branded Diapers

You do know if you play with that controller stick too much you can go blind

Joking aside, that's one heck of an achievement in such a short time. I am on 45 flights after 3 1/2 months
I can only fly on weekends and on several weekends since I have had the Mavic I have had to take the family out on activities. I have now missed two straight weekends and I am going nuts.

Rob

I laughed out loud when I read the part about going blind.

Yes, I do fly a lot. I fly almost every day. Being that I'm in Arizona, weather never enters into the decision - it's always clear and sunny (although summer should be interesting). I've traded in my DJI diapers for some DJI big boy pants!

I will admit that just because I have flown a lot in a short amount of time, it has not prevented me from making mistakes. I hit a tree when shooting the video below. It was the ONLY tree within 100 yards of where I was flying. In staying with the title of this thread, I guess I let my Mavic go...out of site and into a tree. Maybe this is like golf - right about the time you think you finally understand it, it reaches out and bites you!

-Scott

 

[ceirsik]

I lived in Phoenix back in 91. I should of never left.. Been trying to move back for years, but had 2 boys here in KS. So I'm stuck.. But not for long. I love the video. That was a beautiful building back in the day. Any damage when you hit the tree? I'll have to hit you up next time I'm I town was there last Oct for a few days.

 

[CashCache]

I lived in Phoenix back in 91. I should of never left.. Been trying to move back for years, but had 2 boys here in KS. So I'm stuck.. But not for long. I love the video. That was a beautiful building back in the day. Any damage when you hit the tree? I'll have to hit you up next time I'm I town was there last Oct for a few days.

Unfortunately, yes. I broke two props and one of the rubber bands holding the gimble plate. The props I had, the bands (whole gimble plate) I just ordered from a thread I found in this forum. Let me know when you are in town and we'll get together.

 

[ceirsik]

I laughed out loud when I read the part about going blind.

Yes, I do fly a lot. I fly almost every day. Being that I'm in Arizona, weather never enters into the decision - it's always clear and sunny (although summer should be interesting). I've traded in my DJI diapers for some DJI big boy pants!

I will admit that just because I have flown a lot in a short amount of time, it has not prevented me from making mistakes. I hit a tree when shooting the video below. It was the ONLY tree within 100 yards of where I was flying. In staying with the title of this thread, I guess I let my Mavic go...out of site and into a tree. Maybe this is like golf - right about the time you think you finally understand it, it reaches out and bites you!

-Scott

I found this on the old park. Might be interesting to put new and old photos In a video.
Photo Gallery - Phoenix Trotting Park

 

[Brad Ruff]

Is it just me? Or does anybody else get nervous when flying over thick tall trees in a forest? I think I get more worried about that more than water. And I even have State Farm insurance too!!! I guess I just think some unseen hawk will hit it or some crazy battery problem will send it crashing into the treetops where it will get stuck way before making it to the ground. I always make sure I'm high enough not to hit the trees and that I set RTH high enough. Still gets my heart pumping.
Maybe it's just because I only have 25 flights and a total of 12.5 miles under my belt.