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Posted: 8/23/2014 10:10:46 PM EDT
[#1]
I was flying about 150 feet to keep it above the trees near sunset which makes orientation very easy to see with the Phantoms bright LEDs. Zero wind just flying circles above me with unobstructed view. Just took off with a mind of it's own and did not respond to the remote in any way including turning it off in hopes of a return to home after it was getting far away and out of site behind the trees. Only about 2 minutes in with a fully charged battery so this thing likely went a long way off considering it will fly 12 minutes or more on a full battery.
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Posted: 8/23/2014 10:58:17 PM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I was flying about 150 feet to keep it above the trees near sunset which makes orientation very easy to see with the Phantoms bright LEDs. Zero wind just flying circles above me with unobstructed view. Just took off with a mind of it's own and did not respond to the remote in any way including turning it off in hopes of a return to home after it was getting far away and out of site behind the trees. Only about 2 minutes in with a fully charged battery so this thing likely went a long way off considering it will fly 12 minutes or more on a full battery. What model was this again? I'd be pissed if the P2V+ would do that when I get it. |
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Posted: 8/23/2014 11:13:15 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
What model was this again? I'd be pissed if the P2V+ would do that when I get it. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I was flying about 150 feet to keep it above the trees near sunset which makes orientation very easy to see with the Phantoms bright LEDs. Zero wind just flying circles above me with unobstructed view. Just took off with a mind of it's own and did not respond to the remote in any way including turning it off in hopes of a return to home after it was getting far away and out of site behind the trees. Only about 2 minutes in with a fully charged battery so this thing likely went a long way off considering it will fly 12 minutes or more on a full battery. What model was this again? I'd be pissed if the P2V+ would do that when I get it. FC40, the early predecessor of the P2V. I did not fly this quad very often. Mainly use the Phantom V1 for my videoing. Really losing faith in this technology after this loss. I thought I had found the perfect platform with the Phantoms and currently owning 4 Naza controlled quads with out having any flight control issues unlike my Blade 350Qxs. |
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Posted: 8/23/2014 11:17:00 PM EDT
[#4]
I keep hearing about "Phantom flyaways". That's a big scare I have regarding this model. Sounds like something like this will be a mandatory addition:
https://www.multicopters.co.uk/mini-gps-tracker-locator-lost-model-finder.html |
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Posted: 8/23/2014 11:20:12 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I keep hearing about "Phantom flyaways". That's a big scare I have regarding this model. I really thought the latest firmware DJI put out would put an end to this. If my quad did try RTH however it most likely went into a treetop since most of the trees around here are 100ft + and I think RTH altitude is around 60 feet. I will search a little in the morning when it gets daylight but I have little hope of recovering this one. |
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Posted: 8/23/2014 11:22:07 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I keep hearing about "Phantom flyaways". That's a big scare I have regarding this model. Sounds like something like this will be a mandatory addition: https://www.multicopters.co.uk/mini-gps-tracker-locator-lost-model-finder.html And yes the GPS trackers are a worthwhile investment on an expensive quad. Fortunately I only had a little over $400 in this one. Not pocket change for me but not a huge loss like some of my other quads. |
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Posted: 8/23/2014 11:24:40 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I really thought the latest firmware DJI put out would put an end to this. If my quad did try RTH however it most likely went into a treetop since most of the trees around here are 100ft + and I think RTH altitude is around 60 feet. I will search a little in the morning when it gets daylight but I have little hope of recovering this one. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: I keep hearing about "Phantom flyaways". That's a big scare I have regarding this model. I really thought the latest firmware DJI put out would put an end to this. If my quad did try RTH however it most likely went into a treetop since most of the trees around here are 100ft + and I think RTH altitude is around 60 feet. I will search a little in the morning when it gets daylight but I have little hope of recovering this one. Another software concern: I read that the battery recognition circuit (or software) can glitch on the P2, resulting in the quad dropping from the sky...even with OEM DJI batts. Those are my two big concerns with the Phantom. |
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Posted: 8/23/2014 11:30:36 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Another software concern: I read that the battery recognition circuit (or software) can glitch on the P2, resulting in the quad dropping from the sky...even with OEM DJI batts. Those are my two big concerns with the Phantom. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I keep hearing about "Phantom flyaways". That's a big scare I have regarding this model. I really thought the latest firmware DJI put out would put an end to this. If my quad did try RTH however it most likely went into a treetop since most of the trees around here are 100ft + and I think RTH altitude is around 60 feet. I will search a little in the morning when it gets daylight but I have little hope of recovering this one. Another software concern: I read that the battery recognition circuit (or software) can glitch on the P2, resulting in the quad dropping from the sky...even with OEM DJI batts. Those are my two big concerns with the Phantom. The battery issues along with the cost of replacement batteries is what kept me from purchasing the P2 over the original Phantom when I bought these. Those batteries were nearly $300 in the very beginning and have come down quite a bit in price but I keep reading about problems with them. Many are modding the quads to use normal 5400 mah batteries instead with good results. |
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Posted: 8/23/2014 11:33:17 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Another software concern: I read that the battery recognition circuit (or software) can glitch on the P2, resulting in the quad dropping from the sky...even with OEM DJI batts. Those are my two big concerns with the Phantom. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I keep hearing about "Phantom flyaways". That's a big scare I have regarding this model. I really thought the latest firmware DJI put out would put an end to this. If my quad did try RTH however it most likely went into a treetop since most of the trees around here are 100ft + and I think RTH altitude is around 60 feet. I will search a little in the morning when it gets daylight but I have little hope of recovering this one. Another software concern: I read that the battery recognition circuit (or software) can glitch on the P2, resulting in the quad dropping from the sky...even with OEM DJI batts. Those are my two big concerns with the Phantom. So sounds like these things need both a GPS tracker and remotely deployed parachute. How common are these problems? |
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Posted: 8/23/2014 11:34:12 PM EDT
[#10]
I'm just kinda at a loss currently on which direction I want to go after this. I hate the thought of my v1 flying away with my GoPro and gimbal in the future.
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Posted: 8/24/2014 9:06:58 AM EDT
[#11]
Recovered about a 1/2 mile behind my house!!!!
 Black guy said he came in drunk around 3 A.M. and nearly shot it laying out in his back yard still lit up Appears to all still be in one piece except for a bend prop and a minor frame separation near one motor but nothing appears to be broken. Will examine closer later.
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Posted: 8/24/2014 9:22:44 AM EDT
[#12]
Great news! Last night, this thread (and your post) sent me off on a more thorough search for "DJI flyaway".
Holy Cow...page after page, video after video, and apparently DJI 1) says it's the customer's fault, and 2) has the shittiest customer service ever. I really, really wanted to get a P2 w/ gimbal, and stick a GP on there. At this point, I don't think I can do it. Or run a Naza, for that matter (sounds like people using this FC on other birds have experienced similar flyaways). I really, really wanted the P2 for it's near plug-n-play operation, but I don't think it's worth the risk. The Blade 350QX seems to be the obvious alternative, however it is apparently much more fragile. I want a quad for FPV/video/photos only, not aerobatics, so the additional agility of the Blade doesn't offset it's fragile nature (for me). Damn. Sounds like I want the Blade FC in the P2 body. I was hoping to NOT have to build one (due to all the time researching components), but I guess I'll have to. I've got a FPV Spectre in my shop, which is ~3 years old, and never been flown. Hell, never been powered up. I've got a Hobbyzone Champ outfitted with a 5.8 micro FPV setup...I've got a couple of flights on it, but that's all. I still haven't had time to troubleshoot/perfect my setup, and the planes require more space than I'd need for a quad. That's part of the attraction of the quad. I'm planning on pulling the 5.8 micro setup off the Champ, and moving it to one of my Syma X1's in the next week or two. I'd rather fly FPV around the yard/house, than not be able to fly at all.
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Posted: 8/24/2014 9:31:37 AM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Great news! Last night, this thread (and your post) sent me off on a more thorough search for "DJI flyaway". Holy Cow...page after page, video after video, and apparently DJI 1) says it's the customer's fault, and 2) has the shittiest customer service ever. I really, really wanted to get a P2 w/ gimbal, and stick a GP on there. At this point, I don't think I can do it. Or run a Naza, for that matter (sounds like people using this FC on other birds have experienced similar flyaways). I really, really wanted the P2 for it's near plug-n-play operation, but I don't think it's worth the risk. The Blade 350QX seems to be the obvious alternative, however it is apparently much more fragile. I want a quad for FPV/video/photos only, not aerobatics, so the additional agility of the Blade doesn't offset it's fragile nature (for me). Damn. Sounds like I want the Blade FC in the P2 body. I was hoping to NOT have to build one (due to all the time researching components), but I guess I'll have to. I've got a FPV Spectre in my shop, which is ~3 years old, and never been flown. Hell, never been powered up. I've got a Hobbyzone Champ outfitted with a 5.8 micro FPV setup...I've got a couple of flights on it, but that's all. I still haven't had time to troubleshoot/perfect my setup, and the planes require more space than I'd need for a quad. That's part of the attraction of the quad. I'm planning on pulling the 5.8 micro setup off the Champ, and moving it to one of my Syma X1's in the next week or two. I'd rather fly FPV around the yard/house, than not be able to fly at all. DO NOT BUY THE BLADE!!!!!! Read all my earlier post and go onto the RC boards and read about the blade. Nothing but headaches and it is not a true camera platform. They used very misleading advertising about being GoPro compatible when truth is the GoPro interference will knock it out of the air!!!! I have a couple of hundred flights on my 2 Phantoms combined not counting my other 2 Naza controlled birds and this is the first issue I have had. My Blades (2) have never flown properly since day one with crash after crash from unexplained crap and several broken frames as a result. The Blade body is very brittle and even the slightest hard landing results in a broken arm and or landing gear. Blades are also very likely to flyaway just as the Phantom. At least on my Phantoms I have never experienced any GoPro issues and run them completely unshielded. |
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Posted: 8/24/2014 10:37:52 AM EDT
[#14]
I've read a few times here to start off with a cheap quad to learn how to fly before flying the more expensive models.
Any recomendations on what to start with? I have an IRIS 3DR on the way to my work where I'll attemp to teach high school JROTC students how to fly it. I've never flown these, so I'll need to learn myself. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. |
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Posted: 8/24/2014 10:45:44 AM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Recovered about a 1/2 mile behind my house!!!! Black guy said he came in drunk around 3 A.M. and nearly shot it laying out in his back yard still lit up Appears to all still be in one piece except for a bend prop and a minor frame separation near one motor but nothing appears to be broken. Will examine closer later.Cool! You have a "In case I am found Call" label on it or something? Was playing with my Nano the other day and it got away from me, was walking the perimeter of my yard blipping the throttle hoping to hear it. Was about to give up on it when I saw it rise out of my neighbors yard almost an acre away. Had just enough juice left to fly it back across the yard and over the fence. |
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Posted: 8/24/2014 10:46:58 AM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Cool! You have a "In case I am found Call" label on it or something? Was playing with my Nano the other day and it got away from me, was walking the perimeter of my yard blipping the throttle hoping to hear it. Was about to give up on it when I saw it rise out of my neighbors yard almost an acre away. Had just enough juice left to fly it back across the yard and over the fence. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Recovered about a 1/2 mile behind my house!!!! Black guy said he came in drunk around 3 A.M. and nearly shot it laying out in his back yard still lit up Appears to all still be in one piece except for a bend prop and a minor frame separation near one motor but nothing appears to be broken. Will examine closer later.Cool! You have a "In case I am found Call" label on it or something? Was playing with my Nano the other day and it got away from me, was walking the perimeter of my yard blipping the throttle hoping to hear it. Was about to give up on it when I saw it rise out of my neighbors yard almost an acre away. Had just enough juice left to fly it back across the yard and over the fence. I have them on some other quads but not this one since I had barely ever flown it. |
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Posted: 8/24/2014 10:51:16 AM EDT
[#17]
Another update on the flyaway!
After tearing it apart and carefully checking everything only a screw head had pulled through on the arm. No broken or disconnected wires, just straightened the prop by hand, put it all back together. Flies perfect this morning. Only problem is the fully drained battery where it ran itself down to 5.4 volts last night. Don't know if it can be saved or not but I can live with that. If this had been one of my 350QXs I would have just had a pile of broken plastic to bring home I am sure. The Phantoms are a tough little quad!!!! I have the battery on a charger out on my garage floor just to see if I can bring it back. |
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Posted: 8/24/2014 10:54:47 AM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I've read a few times here to start off with a cheap quad to learn how to fly before flying the more expensive models. Any recomendations on what to start with? I have an IRIS 3DR on the way to my work where I'll attemp to teach high school JROTC students how to fly it. I've never flown these, so I'll need to learn myself. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Doesn't get much cheaper and more durable than this!
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Posted: 8/24/2014 10:54:54 AM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I've read a few times here to start off with a cheap quad to learn how to fly before flying the more expensive models. Any recomendations on what to start with? I have an IRIS 3DR on the way to my work where I'll attemp to teach high school JROTC students how to fly it. I've never flown these, so I'll need to learn myself. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. tnriverluver:
How do you like your waterproof quads? I want something for winter flying and the waterproof frames seems like a decent option against snow and would keep the batt above freezing with ESC heat. |
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Posted: 8/24/2014 10:56:44 AM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Another update on the flyaway! After tearing it apart and carefully checking everything only a screw head had pulled through on the arm. No broken or disconnected wires, just straightened the prop by hand, put it all back together. Flies perfect this morning. Only problem is the fully drained battery where it ran itself down to 5.4 volts last night. Don't know if it can be saved or not but I can live with that. If this had been one of my 350QXs I would have just had a pile of broken plastic to bring home I am sure. The Phantoms are a tough little quad!!!! I have the battery on a charger out on my garage floor just to see if I can bring it back. I wouldn't use that prop again, I've had one snap in flight on me.
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Posted: 8/24/2014 11:00:15 AM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I wouldn't use that prop again, I've had one snap in flight on me. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Another update on the flyaway! After tearing it apart and carefully checking everything only a screw head had pulled through on the arm. No broken or disconnected wires, just straightened the prop by hand, put it all back together. Flies perfect this morning. Only problem is the fully drained battery where it ran itself down to 5.4 volts last night. Don't know if it can be saved or not but I can live with that. If this had been one of my 350QXs I would have just had a pile of broken plastic to bring home I am sure. The Phantoms are a tough little quad!!!! I have the battery on a charger out on my garage floor just to see if I can bring it back. I wouldn't use that prop again, I've had one snap in flight on me. I plan to replace it but just wanted to see how it worked. I didn't feel like digging out my spares at the moment. |
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Posted: 8/24/2014 11:27:46 AM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Blade nano QX and Syma X1 are good starters... tnriverluver: How do you like your waterproof quads? I want something for winter flying and the waterproof frames seems like a decent option against snow and would keep the batt above freezing with ESC heat. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I've read a few times here to start off with a cheap quad to learn how to fly before flying the more expensive models. Any recomendations on what to start with? I have an IRIS 3DR on the way to my work where I'll attemp to teach high school JROTC students how to fly it. I've never flown these, so I'll need to learn myself. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. tnriverluver: How do you like your waterproof quads? I want something for winter flying and the waterproof frames seems like a decent option against snow and would keep the batt above freezing with ESC heat. Very happy with my AquaCopter ARF version using NazaLite flight controller. It is pretty waterproof. My Liftoff UAV is not close to water tight and I don't have powerful enough motors (DJI920kv) on it currently. I have new 1000kv motors to install one of these days that will also give me a better prop selection over the DJI's. Both are very very tough durable frames however that can crash very hard and not break or even scratch for that matter. My nod goes to the AquaCopter because of the even motor layout where the LiftOff is more of a rectangular platform motor layout wise. The Liftoff has a tremendous amount of interior room though unlike the cramped space provided in the AquaCopter. And yes they get quite warm inside. Freezing would not be an issue  I don't fly these quads during the hot summer weather just because of the heat. They stay pretty cool in the weather months.
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Posted: 8/24/2014 12:59:05 PM EDT
[#23]
This is a boring video I shot earlier in the heat of the day just testing to make sure the camera and WIFI features still worked since it hadn't been used in a while. I was even standing back in the garage durinfg this to block the sunlight from me and my phone so I could see it. I was out in the driveway during the flyaway since it was nearly dark during that flight. Really wish I had had the camera going the last flight
 As you can see with all the tall trees I was very lucky to get this thing back!!!!
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Posted: 8/24/2014 3:36:26 PM EDT
[#24]
Very very interesting Quad/Airplane combo http://www.birdseyeview.aero/
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Posted: 8/24/2014 8:39:33 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
This is a boring video I shot earlier in the heat of the day just testing to make sure the camera and WIFI features still worked since it hadn't been used in a while. I was even standing back in the garage durinfg this to block the sunlight from me and my phone so I could see it. I was out in the driveway during the flyaway since it was nearly dark during that flight. Really wish I had had the camera going the last flight As you can see with all the tall trees I was very lucky to get this thing back!!!!
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txsBVHkr27E&list=UUwQYEn9IDPJOagBqt6A70VwIs that thing insanely easy to control? My only experience with quadcopters and RC aircraft in general so far has been the Nano I bought a week or so ago. Each time I see videos where the quad was precisely maneuvered around trees and other obstacles, I figure either they must be much easier to control or I have a hell of a lot of learning to do. I'm getting better with the Nano, but I can't fly it with that level of precision. Although the last few days I've had it out it has been kind of windy. |
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Posted: 8/24/2014 9:15:02 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Is that thing insanely easy to control? My only experience with quadcopters and RC aircraft in general so far has been the Nano I bought a week or so ago. Each time I see videos where the quad was precisely maneuvered around trees and other obstacles, I figure either they must be much easier to control or I have a hell of a lot of learning to do. I'm getting better with the Nano, but I can't fly it with that level of precision. Although the last few days I've had it out it has been kind of windy. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
This is a boring video I shot earlier in the heat of the day just testing to make sure the camera and WIFI features still worked since it hadn't been used in a while. I was even standing back in the garage durinfg this to block the sunlight from me and my phone so I could see it. I was out in the driveway during the flyaway since it was nearly dark during that flight. Really wish I had had the camera going the last flight As you can see with all the tall trees I was very lucky to get this thing back!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txsBVHkr27E&list=UUwQYEn9IDPJOagBqt6A70VwIs that thing insanely easy to control? My only experience with quadcopters and RC aircraft in general so far has been the Nano I bought a week or so ago. Each time I see videos where the quad was precisely maneuvered around trees and other obstacles, I figure either they must be much easier to control or I have a hell of a lot of learning to do. I'm getting better with the Nano, but I can't fly it with that level of precision. Although the last few days I've had it out it has been kind of windy. The huge advantage I have found with the Phantom and Naza Flight controlled quads in general is they have excellent altitude hold (almost hands free) and the same thing with position hold. Makes for much easier control in general, I got out one of my Blade 350QXs today to fly for the first time in months and the precise holds on it just suck compared to the Phantom"s. The Blade takes continuous input to keep from crashing even in smart mode which I no longer like to fly in. I now just use stability mode on the Blade which has no altitude hold but is suppose to hold position but really doesn't do well at it. |
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Posted: 8/24/2014 9:20:33 PM EDT
[#27]
I just ordered a couple of Lectron Pro 3000Mah batteries which are the same physical size as the Phantom and Blade 2200 batteries to try out. Supposedly work well in these quads and give 10-11 minutes flight with camera and gimbal on board. Currently I get just over 6 minutes with the stock batteries before I need to start getting the quad out of the air. Will actually gently fly or hover a couple more minutes but I don't like taking chances plus 2200's are currently the largest I own and my Aquacopter and Liftoff UAV will benefit from a larger battery.
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Posted: 8/24/2014 10:28:52 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Is that thing insanely easy to control? My only experience with quadcopters and RC aircraft in general so far has been the Nano I bought a week or so ago. Each time I see videos where the quad was precisely maneuvered around trees and other obstacles, I figure either they must be much easier to control or I have a hell of a lot of learning to do. I'm getting better with the Nano, but I can't fly it with that level of precision. Although the last few days I've had it out it has been kind of windy. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
This is a boring video I shot earlier in the heat of the day just testing to make sure the camera and WIFI features still worked since it hadn't been used in a while. I was even standing back in the garage durinfg this to block the sunlight from me and my phone so I could see it. I was out in the driveway during the flyaway since it was nearly dark during that flight. Really wish I had had the camera going the last flight As you can see with all the tall trees I was very lucky to get this thing back!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txsBVHkr27E&list=UUwQYEn9IDPJOagBqt6A70VwIs that thing insanely easy to control? My only experience with quadcopters and RC aircraft in general so far has been the Nano I bought a week or so ago. Each time I see videos where the quad was precisely maneuvered around trees and other obstacles, I figure either they must be much easier to control or I have a hell of a lot of learning to do. I'm getting better with the Nano, but I can't fly it with that level of precision. Although the last few days I've had it out it has been kind of windy. If you watch this video you can see where I can just set the remote on the ground and the Phantom just basically stays put while I put a few rounds down range.
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Posted: 8/24/2014 10:41:37 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I've read a few times here to start off with a cheap quad to learn how to fly before flying the more expensive models. Any recomendations on what to start with? I have an IRIS 3DR on the way to my work where I'll attemp to teach high school JROTC students how to fly it. I've never flown these, so I'll need to learn myself. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I cut my teeth on the Helimax SQ1 which is $99 and shoots video and stills with a very cheap camera and then moved to the RC EYE One Xtreme $130 which though small can lift a GoPro. Just one bit of advice - there are two primary types of controllers with their joysticks set up differently. I like the type 2 which seems to be most common and switching between the two types is ... not fun. Waiting on a full sized one now. Looking hard at the Phantom 2. |
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Posted: 8/25/2014 6:34:06 PM EDT
[#30]
Been doing more flying trying to get a little practice in before my camping/fishing trip this weekend. Phantom, Phantom FC40, one of my Blades, and today working with the Aquacopter which is the quad I will most likely take for flying out on the lake. Changed props on it back to the original Gemfan 10.50's that came on it after I was finally able to scrounge a few sets off EBay. Don't know why these are so hard to find but I ordered many sets and yet when they came in almost all were for one direction of rotation
 Out of nearly 2 dozen only 4 prop were counter the others. Getting so much jello in my videos with these I'm not sure if any video will be fit to post 
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Posted: 8/27/2014 6:28:22 PM EDT
[#31]
With the larger props my flight time using my many 2200 mah batteries dropped by almost 2 minutes down to just 5 1/2 minutes of safe flight. I ordered two Lectron 3000 mah batteries which are the same physical size as the Phantom and Eflite 2200's but heavier. First test flight got me back to 7 1/2 minutes of safe flight so pretty happy buying these. With the smaller props I should be able to get 10 minutes and this is carrying the GoPro in the waterproof case. Looking forward to trying these in the Phantom and Blade to see what kind of increased flight time I get in them. 7 minutes is probably the longest I should really push the Aquacopter with the heat issues these quads have but at least I have a margin of safety getting this quad back down while still having enough time to film what I'm wanting to.
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Posted: 8/28/2014 1:44:03 PM EDT
[#32]
Hey tnriverluver, this is a truly novice question coming from someone who once was an avionics technician, but do you suspect a Blade 350 would be a total loss if crashed into fresh water without an aquacopter housing, or would much of the copter be salvageable?
The reason I ask is, I'm wanting to stick my toe in the water, so to speak, with filming springs with my GoPros and a copter. I've got SCUBA gear, so retrieval wouldn't be an issue if the copter crashed into the spring. I've had good luck with electronics surviving fresh water immersion but don't know about the electronics contained in copters. Thanks in advance. |
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Posted: 8/28/2014 2:05:47 PM EDT
[#33]
It'd probably be toast. I had a piece of copper shielding tape touch the main board and fry the whole thing on mine, so I wouldn't expect it to handle water too great.
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Posted: 8/28/2014 2:21:01 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Hey tnriverluver, this is a truly novice question coming from someone who once was an avionics technician, but do you suspect a Blade 350 would be a total loss if crashed into fresh water without an aquacopter housing, or would much of the copter be salvageable? The reason I ask is, I'm wanting to stick my toe in the water, so to speak, with filming springs with my GoPros and a copter. I've got SCUBA gear, so retrieval wouldn't be an issue if the copter crashed into the spring. I've had good luck with electronics surviving fresh water immersion but don't know about the electronics contained in copters. Thanks in advance. There are a few that have been able to revive Blades and others that crashed into fresh water but I would never trust one again. Salt water crash and they are toast!!!! The brushless motors on these things are fine getting wet but everything else especially the ESC's are ruined once wet. I am a nervous wreck flying my non waterproof quads over water. The above video in Key Largo was my Phantom and I was shaking so bad by the end I could barely stand up. Even a tiny amount of water or dampness will screw up most of the electronics so I would advise building a waterproof quad of some sort to do what you are planning. There are several makers now of affordable waterproof quad frames. One of the latest and fast to deliver is this one. Stealth H2O |
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Posted: 8/29/2014 9:51:33 PM EDT
[#35]
Ordered a P2V+ today, should be here Thursday. Lot of money, I had to psyche myself into it. But it's the type of thing I've wanted for many years and you only live once. I just hope I don't get it and have problems after a month or land it too hard and damage the gimbal or camera. I'm going to be wide awake on that first flight. My only RC flight experience so far is a few weeks with a Blade Nano QX.
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Posted: 8/30/2014 7:48:48 AM EDT
[#36]
I may have to try that Stealth H2O. I just picked up a used Blade 350 with the 2.0 revision off of eBay for $350 with controller.
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Posted: 8/30/2014 8:01:45 AM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
This video is by the same guy with the one mentioned above! He has some mad flying skills if you watch his five videos. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtiDPmjde94Florida Power Boat guys make me feel like a chump. |
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Posted: 8/30/2014 7:48:28 PM EDT
[#38]
I posted a video a few months back flying over the campground I'm currently staying In and suddenly there are Phantoms flying all over this place
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Posted: 8/30/2014 11:21:10 PM EDT
[#39]
Anyone know of any good GPS tracker options for RC aircraft?
I wouldn't be that worried but with all the talk of fly-aways I'd like to have at least some potential recovery measure available. |
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Posted: 8/31/2014 4:07:38 AM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Hey tnriverluver, this is a truly novice question coming from someone who once was an avionics technician, but do you suspect a Blade 350 would be a total loss if crashed into fresh water without an aquacopter housing, or would much of the copter be salvageable? The reason I ask is, I'm wanting to stick my toe in the water, so to speak, with filming springs with my GoPros and a copter. I've got SCUBA gear, so retrieval wouldn't be an issue if the copter crashed into the spring. I've had good luck with electronics surviving fresh water immersion but don't know about the electronics contained in copters. Thanks in advance. I have a microquad - a Hubsan s107l - that has survived at least three dunks in a swimming pool. One of those dunks I didn't cut power in time, and it pulled itself through 6" or water or so and got right back up in the air. I burnt out a motor on it at the beach (I'm 90% sure due to getting sand in the air holes), and ordered a set of Chaoli motors for it. I've put dozens of batteries through it since and everything seems to be doing fine still. |
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Posted: 8/31/2014 9:19:06 AM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Ordered a P2V+ today, should be here Thursday. Lot of money, I had to psyche myself into it. But it's the type of thing I've wanted for many years and you only live once. I just hope I don't get it and have problems after a month or land it too hard and damage the gimbal or camera. I'm going to be wide awake on that first flight. My only RC flight experience so far is a few weeks with a Blade Nano QX. I use a nano qx for orientation practice. Quads are easy to fly. The qx will prep you for the larger stuff. |
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Posted: 8/31/2014 10:47:22 AM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Ordered a P2V+ today, should be here Thursday. Lot of money, I had to psyche myself into it. But it's the type of thing I've wanted for many years and you only live once. I just hope I don't get it and have problems after a month or land it too hard and damage the gimbal or camera. I'm going to be wide awake on that first flight. My only RC flight experience so far is a few weeks with a Blade Nano QX. Don't fret you will enjoy it and its a great quad. I have about 150 hours or so of flight time on mine so far. |
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Posted: 8/31/2014 11:32:32 AM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Ordered a P2V+ today, should be here Thursday. Lot of money, I had to psyche myself into it. But it's the type of thing I've wanted for many years and you only live once. I just hope I don't get it and have problems after a month or land it too hard and damage the gimbal or camera. I'm going to be wide awake on that first flight. My only RC flight experience so far is a few weeks with a Blade Nano QX. If you are comfortable flying the Nano you will find the Phantom is a piece of cake to fly in comparison. Learning the control and orientation aspects are the hard part of flying these birds. |
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Posted: 8/31/2014 11:51:13 AM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Don't fret you will enjoy it and its a great quad. I have about 150 hours or so of flight time on mine so far. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Ordered a P2V+ today, should be here Thursday. Lot of money, I had to psyche myself into it. But it's the type of thing I've wanted for many years and you only live once. I just hope I don't get it and have problems after a month or land it too hard and damage the gimbal or camera. I'm going to be wide awake on that first flight. My only RC flight experience so far is a few weeks with a Blade Nano QX. Don't fret you will enjoy it and its a great quad. I have about 150 hours or so of flight time on mine so far. And then I read shit like this, which makes me think I need to buy a P2 w/ 3d gimbal and GP Hero, the small DJI OSD, slap an FPV transmitter/antenna on it, and go to town. This would have me in the air, flying, in hours. As opposed to building one, to optimize for the $ spent...which means I'll most likely never have one. lol FPV is the only use I have for a quad. For "fun" flying, I'd like to fly fixed wing, or maybe a traditional helicopter.
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Posted: 8/31/2014 12:14:21 PM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
And then I read shit like this, which makes me think I need to buy a P2 w/ 3d gimbal and GP Hero, the small DJI OSD, slap an FPV transmitter/antenna on it, and go to town. This would have me in the air, flying, in hours. As opposed to building one, to optimize for the $ spent...which means I'll most likely never have one. lol FPV is the only use I have for a quad. For "fun" flying, I'd like to fly fixed wing, or maybe a traditional helicopter. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Ordered a P2V+ today, should be here Thursday. Lot of money, I had to psyche myself into it. But it's the type of thing I've wanted for many years and you only live once. I just hope I don't get it and have problems after a month or land it too hard and damage the gimbal or camera. I'm going to be wide awake on that first flight. My only RC flight experience so far is a few weeks with a Blade Nano QX. Don't fret you will enjoy it and its a great quad. I have about 150 hours or so of flight time on mine so far. And then I read shit like this, which makes me think I need to buy a P2 w/ 3d gimbal and GP Hero, the small DJI OSD, slap an FPV transmitter/antenna on it, and go to town. This would have me in the air, flying, in hours. As opposed to building one, to optimize for the $ spent...which means I'll most likely never have one. lol FPV is the only use I have for a quad. For "fun" flying, I'd like to fly fixed wing, or maybe a traditional helicopter. 
Trex500 during rebuild: 
Goblin 500 
Gaui X5 
I own one quad (nano qx) for orientation practice. "Fun" flying with it or any other quad gets boring after a couple batteries. |
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Posted: 8/31/2014 12:18:54 PM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I own one quad (nano qx) for orientation practice. "Fun" flying with it or any other quad gets boring after a couple batteries. Do traditional helis and quads fly similarly? Do the actual flight mechanics transfer well, or are they not comparable? Coming from fixed wing, the quad was kind of a bitch to figure out at first. Kind of like flying a pendulum, which is always wanting to swing or sway, compared to the more stable (and often self correcting) planes. I'm curious if flying a quad will prepare me for a traditional heli (aside from orientation), or if they're two different beasts. I also have RealFlight 6.5 with helis, so I can train there as well. I'm just curious if the stick time on the quad is beneficial.
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Posted: 8/31/2014 12:59:26 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Do traditional helis and quads fly similarly? Do the actual flight mechanics transfer well, or are they not comparable? Coming from fixed wing, the quad was kind of a bitch to figure out at first. Kind of like flying a pendulum, which is always wanting to swing or sway, compared to the more stable (and often self correcting) planes. I'm curious if flying a quad will prepare me for a traditional heli (aside from orientation), or if they're two different beasts. I also have RealFlight 6.5 with helis, so I can train there as well. I'm just curious if the stick time on the quad is beneficial. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I own one quad (nano qx) for orientation practice. "Fun" flying with it or any other quad gets boring after a couple batteries. Do traditional helis and quads fly similarly? Do the actual flight mechanics transfer well, or are they not comparable? Coming from fixed wing, the quad was kind of a bitch to figure out at first. Kind of like flying a pendulum, which is always wanting to swing or sway, compared to the more stable (and often self correcting) planes. I'm curious if flying a quad will prepare me for a traditional heli (aside from orientation), or if they're two different beasts. I also have RealFlight 6.5 with helis, so I can train there as well. I'm just curious if the stick time on the quad is beneficial. The closest helicopter analogy would be a Fixed Pitch helicopter. Your collective (left stick) is throttle and rudder, the cyclic (right stick) tilts the model. The FP heli is more nimble usually, but controls are the same. Once hover is mastered, the only thing you've got left is orientation practice. Unfortunately, not much (other than orientation) translates to Collective Pitch helicopters from quads. Collective is pitch (+ or -) and rudder, cyclic tilts the model. A quad kinda hovers itself. I would start with a cheapish fixed pitch heli to learn to hover in different orientations. Progress to forward flight. A quad would be useful at this time too. Practice on Sim with collective pitch heli. I started with a flybar-equipped collective pitch heli. The only electronic stabilizing was a tail gyro. The new flybarless controllers are getting better an better. Assuming your mechanics are good to go, you can hands-off hover a collective pitch heli these days. |
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Posted: 8/31/2014 1:09:50 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The closest helicopter analogy would be a Fixed Pitch helicopter. Your collective (left stick) is throttle and rudder, the cyclic (right stick) tilts the model. The FP heli is more nimble usually, but controls are the same. Once hover is mastered, the only thing you've got left is orientation practice. Unfortunately, not much (other than orientation) translates to Collective Pitch helicopters from quads. Collective is pitch (+ or -) and rudder, cyclic tilts the model. A quad kinda hovers itself. I would start with a cheapish fixed pitch heli to learn to hover in different orientations. Progress to forward flight. A quad would be useful at this time too. Practice on Sim with collective pitch heli. I started with a flybar-equipped collective pitch heli. The only electronic stabilizing was a tail gyro. The new flybarless controllers are getting better an better. Assuming your mechanics are good to go, you can hands-off hover a collective pitch heli these days. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: I own one quad (nano qx) for orientation practice. "Fun" flying with it or any other quad gets boring after a couple batteries. Do traditional helis and quads fly similarly? Do the actual flight mechanics transfer well, or are they not comparable? Coming from fixed wing, the quad was kind of a bitch to figure out at first. Kind of like flying a pendulum, which is always wanting to swing or sway, compared to the more stable (and often self correcting) planes. I'm curious if flying a quad will prepare me for a traditional heli (aside from orientation), or if they're two different beasts. I also have RealFlight 6.5 with helis, so I can train there as well. I'm just curious if the stick time on the quad is beneficial. The closest helicopter analogy would be a Fixed Pitch helicopter. Your collective (left stick) is throttle and rudder, the cyclic (right stick) tilts the model. The FP heli is more nimble usually, but controls are the same. Once hover is mastered, the only thing you've got left is orientation practice. Unfortunately, not much (other than orientation) translates to Collective Pitch helicopters from quads. Collective is pitch (+ or -) and rudder, cyclic tilts the model. A quad kinda hovers itself. I would start with a cheapish fixed pitch heli to learn to hover in different orientations. Progress to forward flight. A quad would be useful at this time too. Practice on Sim with collective pitch heli. I started with a flybar-equipped collective pitch heli. The only electronic stabilizing was a tail gyro. The new flybarless controllers are getting better an better. Assuming your mechanics are good to go, you can hands-off hover a collective pitch heli these days. Am I correct in assuming that a fixed pitch heli and a collective pitch heli w/ throttle hold fly much the same? Granted, you can fly a CP heli inverted and such, but a FP and a CP in the upper 1/2 of the stick travel (or wherever it's set) would fly much the same, correct? Left stick is ultimately blade thrust, whether that's created via increased engine rpm (FP) or blade AOA (CP). |
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Posted: 8/31/2014 1:25:48 PM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Am I correct in assuming that a fixed pitch heli and a collective pitch heli w/ throttle hold fly much the same? Granted, you can fly a CP heli inverted and such, but a FP and a CP in the upper 1/2 of the stick travel (or wherever it's set) would fly much the same, correct? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I own one quad (nano qx) for orientation practice. "Fun" flying with it or any other quad gets boring after a couple batteries. Do traditional helis and quads fly similarly? Do the actual flight mechanics transfer well, or are they not comparable? Coming from fixed wing, the quad was kind of a bitch to figure out at first. Kind of like flying a pendulum, which is always wanting to swing or sway, compared to the more stable (and often self correcting) planes. I'm curious if flying a quad will prepare me for a traditional heli (aside from orientation), or if they're two different beasts. I also have RealFlight 6.5 with helis, so I can train there as well. I'm just curious if the stick time on the quad is beneficial. The closest helicopter analogy would be a Fixed Pitch helicopter. Your collective (left stick) is throttle and rudder, the cyclic (right stick) tilts the model. The FP heli is more nimble usually, but controls are the same. Once hover is mastered, the only thing you've got left is orientation practice. Unfortunately, not much (other than orientation) translates to Collective Pitch helicopters from quads. Collective is pitch (+ or -) and rudder, cyclic tilts the model. A quad kinda hovers itself. I would start with a cheapish fixed pitch heli to learn to hover in different orientations. Progress to forward flight. A quad would be useful at this time too. Practice on Sim with collective pitch heli. I started with a flybar-equipped collective pitch heli. The only electronic stabilizing was a tail gyro. The new flybarless controllers are getting better an better. Assuming your mechanics are good to go, you can hands-off hover a collective pitch heli these days. Am I correct in assuming that a fixed pitch heli and a collective pitch heli w/ throttle hold fly much the same? Granted, you can fly a CP heli inverted and such, but a FP and a CP in the upper 1/2 of the stick travel (or wherever it's set) would fly much the same, correct? Generally, yes. Once your collective is at mid stick (0 or 1* pitch), the controls will behave similarly to an FP helicopter. Obviously, the blades will spin at the same RPM on the CP bird regardless of stick position, whereas an FP bird throttle increases as you raise the collective stick. When just learning, I set my collective to be 1*+ at mid stick with a max of 7*+ pitch (high stick). BUT, low stick was only -2.5* pitch. A common move with FP helis or quadcopters is to cut the throttle when in trouble...usually by slamming the collective down. This would be disastrous on a CP bird with full pitch range. So, as I described above, you can somewhat eliminate that mistake by limiting - pitch range. A CP heli generally has +11*/-11* cyclic pitch too. You can dial out some of the twitchiness (in the beginning) by adding expo in the transmitter. IMO, an FP heli is a great place to start before getting a cp bird. Some say FP flight instills bad habits (throttle chopping, stick banging), but it's how I and many others learned. FP heli=moped CP heli= race bike |
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Posted: 9/1/2014 9:43:58 AM EDT
[#50]
Cottonmouth trying to eat the remains of a 5 lb bass I hooked in the gills and had to keep and fillet. I had thrown this out in the water from my campsite the next morning because the remains were stinking bad in the 95 degree heat and I walked out into the water to toss this one further out when I saw this bastard high tailing it out towards me and the fish. I did not know I could still move as fast as I did getting back out of the water.
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