Hi .*,
I thought I might as well start my saying “hi” here with an account of my arguably brightest moment flying my new P3S, which I just had received on Monday. I had never flown anything (except one of those $15 infrared-controlled coaxial mini indoor helicopters, which doesn’t really count), but thought myself reasonably adept at picking things up (“what can possibly go wrong?”).
Turns out flying this thing really is simpler than I thought. I started out with all the precautions (read the manual, followed the checklists, found a wide open space to practice), but on the second battery into my P3S’s maiden flight I started having too much fun and got a bit carried away.
Let’s just say that I experimentally verified that just because the camera can clear an obstacle doesn’t mean the entire quadcopter can.
So while I may not be setting the record with a crash after 30 minutes of flight time, I must be close.
Don’t get me wrong, this was no one’s fault but mine alone for not being careful enough (and there was no one except me within a hundred yards that could have gotten hurt). Knowing myself I had also outfitted the P3 with prop guards - and made sure I start trying out this new hobby with a refurbished unit instead of splurging for the high-end model (we get wiser with age, don’t we?).
The damage from the circa-six-foot-fall onto concrete (*wince*) was a broken prop guard, four scratched propellers (from turning while upside down on the concrete floor), an unclipped section of the body (which snapped right back in), a small scratch on one of the motors, and what I think is a slightly bent roll motor axis on the gimbal which means that the roll arm points ever so slightly downwards. The gimbal calibrates fine, and the image is as good as before - I guess, the slightly bent axis either doesn’t show or is compensated by the gimbal’s pitch motor. No shaking or rattling, either, just the regular high-pitched noise the gimbal always makes. The motors also turn without unusual vibrations or noise (tried without props).
Guess I was lucky.
My only question would be: is there anything else besides what I’ve tested (and obviously replacing the propellers) that I could do to be sure within reason that the thing is still safe to fly? And should I worry about trying to repair the motor axis, or just live with it (as I said, camera operation does not seem to be affected)?
Thanks in advance for you help, tips, or affirmations of my boundless stupidity.
I thought I might as well start my saying “hi” here with an account of my arguably brightest moment flying my new P3S, which I just had received on Monday. I had never flown anything (except one of those $15 infrared-controlled coaxial mini indoor helicopters, which doesn’t really count), but thought myself reasonably adept at picking things up (“what can possibly go wrong?”).
Turns out flying this thing really is simpler than I thought. I started out with all the precautions (read the manual, followed the checklists, found a wide open space to practice), but on the second battery into my P3S’s maiden flight I started having too much fun and got a bit carried away.
Let’s just say that I experimentally verified that just because the camera can clear an obstacle doesn’t mean the entire quadcopter can.
So while I may not be setting the record with a crash after 30 minutes of flight time, I must be close.
Don’t get me wrong, this was no one’s fault but mine alone for not being careful enough (and there was no one except me within a hundred yards that could have gotten hurt). Knowing myself I had also outfitted the P3 with prop guards - and made sure I start trying out this new hobby with a refurbished unit instead of splurging for the high-end model (we get wiser with age, don’t we?).
The damage from the circa-six-foot-fall onto concrete (*wince*) was a broken prop guard, four scratched propellers (from turning while upside down on the concrete floor), an unclipped section of the body (which snapped right back in), a small scratch on one of the motors, and what I think is a slightly bent roll motor axis on the gimbal which means that the roll arm points ever so slightly downwards. The gimbal calibrates fine, and the image is as good as before - I guess, the slightly bent axis either doesn’t show or is compensated by the gimbal’s pitch motor. No shaking or rattling, either, just the regular high-pitched noise the gimbal always makes. The motors also turn without unusual vibrations or noise (tried without props).
Guess I was lucky.
My only question would be: is there anything else besides what I’ve tested (and obviously replacing the propellers) that I could do to be sure within reason that the thing is still safe to fly? And should I worry about trying to repair the motor axis, or just live with it (as I said, camera operation does not seem to be affected)?
Thanks in advance for you help, tips, or affirmations of my boundless stupidity.
