First wreck....

[Dwilliams35]

Well, after about six months I guess I was due. Put it in a tree about 25’ high, watching the bird from several hundred yards instead of watching the screen, and misjudged just how close I was to the tree line. Dang VLOS attacks again.

Bird stuck in the tree until it started overheating motors and such, I headed over there (gps on the app helped), and just shut everything down there. No good breaking it loose with some pvc, so, I went back to the house, got the saw, and cut the tree down. (It was a youngish hackberry splitting the fence, so it needed to come out anyway). When it hit the ground, I wasn’t POSITIVE it was down with it: I couldn’t see it in adjacent trees, and I couldn’t see it in the pile on the ground. The app said I was 6.5’ away, with the altitude at 0.0, so I guessed “gotta be on the ground”. I finally dug deep enough to see a red light, and extricated it. A bunch of “leaf juice” on the props, and it didn’t like all those overloads, but I did a hard reset/pulled battery, etc., and everything came right back. Flew it up a few feet and let it hover, no vibration or anything... everything working fine. I’d say I dodged a serious bullet.

I’ll get the film up as soon as I edit out 20 minutes of a leaf..

 

[dmiles]

After 3 years, I still panic if I lose VLOS. But there have been times that I've almost flown right in to a tree because the only way I would have been able to see it was watching the video, instead of the bird. I easily admit that on those times, it was pure luck that kept me out of the tree. I know my time is coming.

Will be looking for that video.

 

[ryantrax]

Wooooh Glad you came out unscathed, and you got some firewood now too My only incident about a year ago was between a tree and my Mavic Pro... Tree won. I was doing a reverse and away shot and thought I was clear of the tree line... I wasn't.

 

[Deleted member 109724]

Dude! You're infringing on the trees rights! It wasn't the trees fault!

 

[Deleted member 109724]

(Just kidding...) As a drone Pilot, I hate trees! I wish I lived in Texas.

 

[Deleted member 109724]

I always keep the drone within vlos, but I look at the screen most of the time. I glance at the drone every 20 seconds and listen for other aircraft, but mostly I look at my iPad. It has saved me from some close calls with trees! One other tip. I never fly backwards! I always fly forward and reverse the video on Resolve. Safer for the drone & my pocketbook.

 

[Pharm]

... a I’ll get the film up as soon as I edit out 20 minutes of a leaf..

Okay. You’ve had all day to edit out the leaf. Where’s the video?? I’m getting anxious!

 

[Dwilliams35]

Okay. You’ve had all day to edit out the leaf. Where’s the video?? I’m getting anxious!

Well, I also had to drink a bunch of beer and eat crawfish....

 

[Neon Euc]

Glad you got it back [emoji6] reminds me of the time flying over water... Chatting to the Mrs and the drone was hovering. So I pushed down on the sticks, nothing. Pushed down again... Nothing. Thought my drone controller was damaged. Looking at the drone seeing why it wouldn't come down, then decided to check the tablet for any errors. At that point I nearly had a heart attack. The landing gears of the drone was touching the water. Turns out I was looking at someone else's phantom lol

 

[With The Birds]

Well, I also had to drink a bunch of beer and eat crawfish....

We call them yabbies (I had to google)... yes, beer is a great accompaniment, no question.

 

[Dwilliams35]

Just messing around with the cows for the most part, crash is, of course, at the end....

 

[Neon Euc]

Lol cow karma in the end.[emoji6] Love the way the cows walk back thinking

"Hang on, last time Bobby heard that noise he ended up upside down, chopped in pieces and ended up in a burger down Brooklyn"

 

[umanbean]

Scenery - nice!
Crash - ouch!

Glad your quad came out okay, that looked pretty rough... esp. since you had to cut the tree down with the bird in it!

 

[Pharm]

Well, I also had to drink a bunch of beer and eat crawfish....

Well at least you have a valid excuse!

The crash looks painful.

 

[RunningWithScissors]

Put it in a tree about 25’ high, watching the bird from several hundred yards instead of watching the screen, and misjudged just how close I was to the tree line.

Only 25 feet? Where's the challenge in that? LOL. Glad you could retrieve it and fly another day.

 

[Dwilliams35]

Only 25 feet? Where's the challenge in that? LOL. Glad you could retrieve it and fly another day.

Hey, I successfully cleared all the 20' tall trees in the area..

 

[RunningWithScissors]

Hey, I successfully cleared all the 20' tall trees in the area..

LOL!

 

[mindstorm]

What mode were you flying in? Shouldn’t the drone maintain height if your only flying forward?

 

[Dwilliams35]

What mode were you flying in? Shouldn’t the drone maintain height if your only flying forward?

It did. The system performed admirably and perfectly. Right up until it got to the Ocular/Cerebral/HMI interface module, at which point it experienced an ID 10T error.

In other words, I did it. Can't blame the machine on that one. I was watching the bird instead of the Ipad at the critical moment, and misjudged by about fifty yards just how close I was to that treeline. I was watching it and flying to clear the smaller huisache trees in the pasture, which I successfully did. Yay. I just misjudged how close I was to those taller oaks and hackberries on the fenceline.

 

[RunningWithScissors]

I was watching the bird instead of the Ipad at the critical moment, and misjudged by about fifty yards just how close I was to that treeline.

Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. Got mine stuck in a tree 35' up because I was flying too low and watching the bird instead of watching the screen. Tried to pull up to clear the trees when I realized how close I was and, well, I'll let you guess the rest. I finally got it out of the tree after a couple of hours of effort and my Batman Utility Belt. In hindsight, I shouldn't have tried to clear the trees at the last minute because then it would have been stuck only 15 feet up in the tree and a much easier rescue. Live and learn.