This is the second time my trusty Phantom 4 has tangled with a tree. First was my own inattentiveness, second was a gust of wind during a decent into a tight landing area.
My question/struggle is this: Should I try to fix it yet again, or am I merely throwing good money after bad? I've had it completely apart and back together three or four times: New GPS module, battery connecter, replaced the motors I damaged after driving the screws in too deep, etc. I've enjoyed the time I've had with it, but I've been considering moving to a different platform that will travel better (the P4P is in addition to the rest of my camera gear).
In the latest crash the gimbal was damaged. I've obtained a new gimbal arm but haven't found an OEM cable. I'm not sure if after replacing those parts the camera will produce an image, though it seems rather resilient. An arm broke from the body, and two props were broken. The parts and repairs I've put into this v1 totals somewhere around $1800 including the original purchase price of the bird. I would fully expect to grind through *at least* another $400 to make it airworthy again, possibly more to make it "right".
If you've been here, let me know what you decided to do. If you've got some advice, I'll take that too. I've learned a bunch from this little aircraft, and love what it is capable of doing.
Also, if it's possible to get a waiver on the minimum posting requirements for the classifieds section of the forum, either through a purchase of the subscription or outright bribery of a mod, let me know.
My question/struggle is this: Should I try to fix it yet again, or am I merely throwing good money after bad? I've had it completely apart and back together three or four times: New GPS module, battery connecter, replaced the motors I damaged after driving the screws in too deep, etc. I've enjoyed the time I've had with it, but I've been considering moving to a different platform that will travel better (the P4P is in addition to the rest of my camera gear).
In the latest crash the gimbal was damaged. I've obtained a new gimbal arm but haven't found an OEM cable. I'm not sure if after replacing those parts the camera will produce an image, though it seems rather resilient. An arm broke from the body, and two props were broken. The parts and repairs I've put into this v1 totals somewhere around $1800 including the original purchase price of the bird. I would fully expect to grind through *at least* another $400 to make it airworthy again, possibly more to make it "right".
If you've been here, let me know what you decided to do. If you've got some advice, I'll take that too. I've learned a bunch from this little aircraft, and love what it is capable of doing.
Also, if it's possible to get a waiver on the minimum posting requirements for the classifieds section of the forum, either through a purchase of the subscription or outright bribery of a mod, let me know.
Joking aside, I hope your future flights are not attacked by the Ents. I’ve have several close calls myself.
