Flight Anxiety

[Wacker2611]

Hello All
Just thought I'd compare notes with any other relatively new Phantom users out there.
I've had my Advanced for about a month now and have had absolutely no problems with it whatsoever. The only time things got a little sticky was when I foolishly took off after a compass error had appeared to have cleared itself up, then it happened again mid flight so I had to fly it back manually with no gps etc. Anyway, that was more down to the location and my own stupidity and hasn't happened again.
The trouble is, I'm starting to develop tangible anxiety before each flight. Rather than my confidence increasing, I'm finding I'm getting more and more cautious with each flight, to the point where I'm almost too worried about what might happen to my precious bird to enjoy the flight.
I love this forum and check it every day, but I'm starting to realise that this may well be the main reason for the nerves. The nature of any product related forum is that it is bound to be full of posters looking for advice on problems/faults etc which is how it should be, but when your flinging a grands worth of hardware into the sky it does tend to bring on the onset of crash /fault anxiety/paranoia.

Any tips on how I might conquer my nerves (apart from stop reading the forum, obviously!) ?

 

[D4T_PoM]

You will be fine.

I feel the same every time but still love it and end up pushing my nerves lol

 

[zezrum]

Hahah. Thanks for posting because I feel very similar. I'm not as worried about damaging my P3P, but more worried about what damage I could cause on the ground should I crash into something or someone, considering most of my flying so far has been largely suburban. My biggest fear is that I don't want to be "that guy" who gets on the news because he crashed a drone causing all sorts of damage or other problems.

I think the answer is to keep flying and gain confidence in the bird's abilities and our own abilities as pilots. Follow safety checks, regular maintenance, and be smart where you fly.

I only have 42 minutes of airtime so far. And each time I fly I get more and more comfortable with the whole thing. Problem is every minute I'm not in the air I can't think about anything else other than flying my bird and taking cool pictures. I'm an addict already, and it hasn't been two weeks yet.

 

[jeffclear]

I have to say I feel the same. I read this forum daily and take in all the negative possibilities, firmware, OS, hardware issues, etc.. Now owning my unit for two months I have to say I've cut back on flying if weather, location etc. isn't perfect.

I suppose it has to be understood that what we are asking of this bird is simply amazing and with all flight, risk is always a constant. All we can do is educate ourselves and others, practice and be as cautious as possible not to inflict danger to our surrounding as we enjoy a truly amazing piece of modern technology.

I myself practice daily with a low cost unit to hone my piloting skills and allot time with the Phantom weekly to train on distress type flights and protocol, this is where I've found comfort.

 

[Bill Schroeppel]

I've had my P3P for over 5 months and feel the same way. I've never had a problem (other than some small pilot errors) that has caused me any real concern, but still have anxiety before every flight and I've had over 125 flights. I've even had a couple of flights over 2 miles away and am still overprotective of my bird. I know exactly how you feel and I'll bet there are many others in the same boat but won't admit it.

 

[Jeff48920]

Hahah. Thanks for posting because I feel very similar. I'm not as worried about damaging my P3P, but more worried about what damage I could cause on the ground should I crash into something or someone, considering most of my flying so far has been largely suburban. My biggest fear is that I don't want to be "that guy" who gets on the news because he crashed a drone causing all sorts of damage or other problems.

I think the answer is to keep flying and gain confidence in the bird's abilities and our own abilities as pilots. Follow safety checks, regular maintenance, and be smart where you fly.

I only have 42 minutes of airtime so far. And each time I fly I get more and more comfortable with the whole thing. Problem is every minute I'm not in the air I can't think about anything else other than flying my bird and taking cool pictures. I'm an addict already, and it hasn't been two weeks yet.

You said it, the best way to avoid being "that guy" is to fly in safe places, in a safe manner, following checklists, with well maintained equipment. If you follow these guidelines the likelihood of serious screwups are minimal and your anxiety will reduce with experience. It wouldn't hurt to obtain some type of insurance. For instance AMA provides free liability insurance for RC fliers who follow their guidelines.

 

[N017RW]

Caution is a GOOD thing because these toys are prone to malfunctions and have zero redundancy.

Many people here are new to r/c aviation and the risks associated.

Be prepared for every flight to be your last.

Every r/c aircraft has an expiration date. Some are retired before reaching it.

Out of the 50-75 or so r/c aircraft I've owned only 5 are still around hanging in the 'man cave'.

 

[nickyb]

Being cautious is good and means that you prepare your flight, environment and of course the P3.

Take things slowly and progressively, reading the manual is one thing but also use the flight simulator as this will also help your 'muscle memory' in times of things going awry. Also, learn to fly (in a wide open space of course) is Att mode as this is good practice if the GPS for some reason stutters when your P3 is in the air.

Above all have fun!

 

[AHill]

Keep reading this blog. I'm on my third Phantom (Vision, Vision Plus and P3) with no crashes. At least twice could have been potential crashes but from reading this blog I was able to react quickly enough to prevent a problem because I had learned from others mistakes because they were brave enough to post them here.

Years ago three of us would fly RC gliders every Saturday morning and at least one of us would crash every Saturday. You would be holding your breath for the entire flight hoping not to crash. The Phantoms are so easy to fly I am relaxed and thoroughly enjoy every flight even with the knowledge that each flight could be the last. The odds of that happening are so low if you are cautious and don't take chances that I am thinking about getting better video and pictures and improving my flying skills when it is in the air, not about crashing (most of the time).

 

[Oso]

One thing I realized during my pre purchase research was that to really enjoy this hobby, you can't spend money that you are not willing to lose at any moment. Hopefully that doesn't happen, but I have already conditioned myself to expect it eventually so just have fun while it lasts.

The one thing that does worry me however is a negative confrontation with the public. The media has created such an anti-drone phobia that sometimes I feel like I need to hide when I go out so nobody sees me.

 

[AHill]

One thing I realized during my pre purchase research was that to really enjoy this hobby, you can't spend money that you are not willing to lose at any moment. Hopefully that doesn't happen, but I have already conditioned myself to expect it eventually so just have fun while it lasts.

The one thing that does worry me however is a negative confrontation with the public. The media has created such an anti-drone phobia that sometimes I feel like I need to hide when I go out so nobody sees me.

I may have been lucky so far, they do generate a lot of interest but most people were interested because they had never seen one before. I showed them the screen view and answered the usual questions, most walked away happy and a few mentioned looking into buying one. I haven't had a negative comment yet.

 

[Oso]

I may have been lucky so far, they do generate a lot of interest but most people were interested because they had never seen one before. I showed them the screen view and answered the usual questions, most walked away happy and a few mentioned looking into buying one. I haven't had a negative comment yet.

Same for me so far. I always try to be a good ambassador for the hobby, and everyone so far has found the P3 to be impressive. After seeing so many articles and videos about negative confrontations, I still get nervous when someone approaches me.

 

[P3ChinaSkies]

Your anxiety is the smartest emotion to have while flying. As said previously in this thread, a well thought out flight plan helps dilute the anxiety. I "pretend" that I am flying a +million dollar aircraft and try to adopt the same preflight precautions that those pilots do. The more planning and procedure checks, the lighter the ultimate anxiety. I look forward to the day when a global licensing program is adopted that forces us that are serious about safe flying to take classes and complete testing in order to remain flying. The drone of Parrot production times was truly a toy. This drone today is no joke and is a dangerous instrument that can harm a person and destroy property.

 

[dirtybum]

Caution is a GOOD thing because these toys are prone to malfunctions and have zero redundancy.

Many people here are new to r/c aviation and the risks associated.

Be prepared for every flight to be your last.

Every r/c aircraft has an expiration date. Some are retired before reaching it.

Out of the 50-75 or so r/c aircraft I've owned only 5 are still around hanging in the 'man cave'.

I agee with this statement, and have posted this opinion before! The absolute best thing a phantom owner should do is own 2!
I disagee to treat like a million$ but rather like its $20. Ive lost a couple due to learning lessons, a couple due to unknowns,& a couple due to unexpected early machsnical failures! I never morned over the loss more than the time it took me to get the next one off the ground! If your flying one right now buy or start saving for a new one, when one crashes start saving for a new one and keep flying. You wouldnt believe the peace this will bring you. Be safe but expect every flight not to be your last but just one little birdie's!

 

[brianb87]

No biggie! It's fixable or replaceable.

 

[Wacker2611]

No biggie! It's fixable or replaceable.

True, but I've developed an irrational emotional attachment to it.

 

[Garrie]

Hello All
Just thought I'd compare notes with any other relatively new Phantom users out there.
I've had my Advanced for about a month now and have had absolutely no problems with it whatsoever. The only time things got a little sticky was when I foolishly took off after a compass error had appeared to have cleared itself up, then it happened again mid flight so I had to fly it back manually with no gps etc. Anyway, that was more down to the location and my own stupidity and hasn't happened again.
The trouble is, I'm starting to develop tangible anxiety before each flight. Rather than my confidence increasing, I'm finding I'm getting more and more cautious with each flight, to the point where I'm almost too worried about what might happen to my precious bird to enjoy the flight.
I love this forum and check it every day, but I'm starting to realise that this may well be the main reason for the nerves. The nature of any product related forum is that it is bound to be full of posters looking for advice on problems/faults etc which is how it should be, but when your flinging a grands worth of hardware into the sky it does tend to bring on the onset of crash /fault anxiety/paranoia.

Any tips on how I might conquer my nerves (apart from stop reading the forum, obviously!) ?

I crashed my phantom 3 pro on the second day of ownership and had to spend another us$500+ to replace the gimbal camera. I don't think anyone can get over that type of anxiety every time you want to take off.

What I do to reassure myself is to always do some basic fight test after taking off. Hover around your head level and test the front back left right yaw etc controls. Walk near to your drone, see if there are any weird sounds or awkward vibrating noises.

Once the checks are complete, fly away!

You can't really control what happens after, whether your drone is new or old, has crashed or hasn't....

 

[JKDSensei]

True, but I've developed an irrational emotional attachment to it.

You think you have RC anxiety?.....watch THIS...

Flyaways and crashes are part of this hobby I'm afraid. Some more than others.

Is money the reason for the fear? If not, that could be a problem.
Keep the one you're emotionally attached to inside and admire it. Never fly it.
(Until you learn to cope)

Invest in a P1 and add cheap FPV. Total cost around $400.
90% as much fun..... at 30% of the cost.

No fear. Just fun.

 

[Wacker2611]

I was partly joking about the emotional attachment, I do love it though.

 

[JKDSensei]

I was partly joking about the emotional attachment, I do love it though.

I would say it's more of an "addiction". I have this burning craving to get the Phamtom back up in the air all the time.

Hi...my name is JKD and I'm a Phantom-holic.