Is it just me or do others have this fear?

[Bill22]

I am new to flying quads and have learned many valuable tips on here about operating my P3P. I have been flying now for about 6 weeks with no bad experiences, but I must admit, that I still have a fear of losing my P3P. How long does it take to develop an absolute trust with this machine, I have done extensive reading and watching Youtube videos and feel as though I have a pretty good working knowledge of it. From what I can determine from most crashes, it's been pilot error, but those crash videos still make me over protective of my P3P. Whenever I fly over water or lose site of it, my hands get sweaty and my pulse races until it back to safe ground. The only time I really feel comfortable flying is when I'm in an open field with LOS, I have flown FPV but not without trepidation. I truly want to get past this fear and would love to hear how others have overcome it.

Maybe I shouldn't have given my P3P a name, I feel like she is part of the family now.

 

[N017RW]

You should never trust it completely.
It's an r/c toy. It will fail, and depending on when, it will fall.

Since you don't have absolute control this should temper how, where and when you fly it.

As many Phantom owners have never experienced r/c aviation before they're not prepared for when there's a failure.
Loss of aircraft, even if recovered and repairable, should be something you are prepared for or at least accept it can happen at any time.

Fly safe so that only the Phantom suffers if there's a failure

 

[Bill22]

Maybe absolute trust was a bad choice, maybe flying confidence was a better choice of words.

 

[N017RW]

Listen to the (good ) voices in your head. i.e go with your gut.

If you feel uncomfortable for any reason stop and reevaluate.

 

[dirkclod]

Stole this from someone but my advice is

and if it does come down and been there do as I do !

...........................................................................

NO17RW told ya right ! As far as giving it a name..I have all mine and is a part of me.
But now me just not quite right anyway
Take small steps and it will come to ya
Welcome to the forum Bill !

 

[RoyKron3]

Aside from an incident with a statue, I've not crashed any of the five quadcopters I've flown. The statue mishap was close to ground and from where I was standing, I couldn't see how close I was to the bronze. That said, I've crashed a fixed-wing RC aircraft many times. It seems like every third crash required replacement parts and repair.

I always assume I will have a have a crash when flying a quadcopter. It hasn't happened, but I know it is a possibility. I try to visualize problems I may encounter whenever I'm flying at a new location, before I leave the ground. I never let the quadcopter out of my sight; although I have lost it in the sky for a few moments. For me, FPV is a great way to set a shot, but not for flight navigation.

I've flown many, many times over the Mississippi River knowing that if it goes in the water, it is irrecoverable. You simply have to accept your quadcopter loss as a possible cost of flying it, or pack it up and not fly at all.

 

[Trumple]

As Roy said, you have to get in to the mindset of being okay with losing it. It's an expensive bit of kit, no one wants to wave goodbye to it. But, this is the nature of the hobby. Same with many hobbies - sailing, mountain biking, driving. Except in this hobby, you don't end up with the same fate as the device you're using, if you do happen to crash it.

Accept that you may never see your bird again. Fly safely, and it'll almost always come back. Oh, and don't calibrate your compass near anything. Do it in an open field.

Anyway, this is my favourite quote that applies for this aspect of the hobby:

 

[Josh Curtiss]

Haha love that quote by Einstein...

N017RW said it exactly how I feel... If you're uncomfortable, reevaluate, don't just go ahead anyway.

In new to this stuff too, and I've already had a serious crash despite being a careful person, an R/C car hobbyist in the past, and good with tech. The crash was my fault due to ignorance and a loss of satellite lock (shakes head).

$100 and some elbow grease worth of repairs, and I'm flying again! And more experienced for it!

We gotta roll with the punches.. As long as you don't have a total loss of the bird (gotta admit I get for anxious over bodies of water for this reason).

Josh

 

[Clipper707]

I get anxious over water, too. Yet, we fly at altitudes where a crash over land would result in a total loss, except for maybe the SD card.

 

[MDR]

Just enjoy it. Worrying robs you of that pleasure. It's an expensive hobby, but we'll worth the risk.
I have saved to have two now. If one goes down, I can still fly until I get together the funds to fix the one out of action.
Just don't be reckless with it. When you get over confident.....then you will have problems.

 

[Josh Curtiss]

I wasn't nearly so anxious before having a crash. [emoji6] Part of it honestly is not being 100% sure my phantom is flying optimally now after my repairs, although it does feel about 95%. Maybe the "air brakes" aren't quite as snappy and will have a little vertical drift. But it's honestly pretty good.

I've been tinkering with the idea of getting a damaged phantom 1 or 2 on eBay and fixing it up, and have that be my backup drone.

Anyway, been slowly nursing my confidence back to health.. Monday was my first day flying again. Baby steps. [emoji12]

 

[SteveMann]

I get anxious over water, too. Yet, we fly at altitudes where a crash over land would result in a total loss, except for maybe the SD card.

Private pilots have the same problem. As soon as you are "feet wet", suddenly the engine sounds a bit rough - until we are over land again.

 

[AirborneInPDX]

I took mine out over the river for the first time today and even though I had LOS the entire time, my low battery warning started chiming right as I began to turn back to land. Listening to that bong while trying to navigate back made the stress levels even higher but I survived.

 

[SalterCreek]

I always have Plan B ready=Buy another

 

[izzydrone]

I always have Plan B ready=Buy another

nope im all in, ill try difficult shots through trees slowly... then repeat, and do them smoother over and over again.

today i flew in doors, almost hit the ceiling multiple times. panicked a few times and luckily recovered. just keep pushing yourself within reason, you will get more relaxed. start with the basic moves, and slowly expand. these drones are super smart.

if you go to far it tells you... so head back, if battery low it tells you so head back.... nothing to be scared of . if something freak happens, no way to avoid it. deal with it when it happens.

if i crash i hope its not broken... if it is. i buy another... only time I fly "scared" is if people are around. in those cases i keep it away from them and simple.

 

[sdtrojan]

I am new to flying quads and have learned many valuable tips on here about operating my P3P. I have been flying now for about 6 weeks with no bad experiences, but I must admit, that I still have a fear of losing my P3P. How long does it take to develop an absolute trust with this machine, I have done extensive reading and watching Youtube videos and feel as though I have a pretty good working knowledge of it. From what I can determine from most crashes, it's been pilot error, but those crash videos still make me over protective of my P3P. Whenever I fly over water or lose site of it, my hands get sweaty and my pulse races until it back to safe ground. The only time I really feel comfortable flying is when I'm in an open field with LOS, I have flown FPV but not without trepidation. I truly want to get past this fear and would love to hear how others have overcome it.

Maybe I shouldn't have given my P3P a name, I feel like she is part of the family now.

What find amazing is how quickly I became comfortable with my P2. The first few flights made me a little nervous, but I made sure I had satellite and home lock before taking off. First flight I ever flew I tested the RTH functionality to ensure it worked as advertised in case I got into trouble. It did, and I have not had to use it yet.

The toughest flying conditions I have encountered so far were in Hawaii, where the winds were about 25MPH. Take off and flying in those conditions, no problem. But flying FPV with a gimbal in those condition can cause you to think the conditions are much smoother than they really are, and that your bird isn't working as hard as it really is. Landing, that's a completely different story. You either need to come back with plenty of juice so you can hover until a lull in the wind to land it yourself or plan on hand grabbing the bird. I have never gone out and flown and done my own hand grab, always had a companion snatch it for me.

In the 6+ months I have owned it, I have built up a lot of confidence in that this thing will do what I ask of it and be where I expect it to be. I always temper that with reality though. I had an offer to do some work for a RE agent last week. Not sure whether I will do that or not, but I'm contemplating it. That will bring a whole new set of anxieties with it.

 

[Josh Curtiss]

You know, I think my fear is due mostly to seeing what other people have posted on the Internet. Kind of like if you are sick and research it online, you'll psych yourself out. Seeing death wobbles or battery failures grounding Phantoms adds a little paranoia. I need to stop looking at that stuff.

 

[N017RW]

You know, I think my fear is due mostly to seeing what other people have posted on the Internet. Kind of like if you are sick and research it online, you'll psych yourself out. Seeing death wobbles or battery failures grounding Phantoms adds a little paranoia. I need to stop looking at that stuf.

YUP!

 

[Bill22]

Josh, you are correct, my fears come from watching crashes. I'll venture to say that 95% of those crashes are pilot errors, not P3 errors. I'm like you, I need to quit watching the crashes.

 

[MDR]

Don't watch that negative stuff.
I land my machine, not hand catch, which is fine also. The point is, refine your piloting skills. The auto everything is great, but you must learn to fly the bird by yourself. Once you master those skills, you can engage the automatic features.
They have made this so simple. Mechanical failures will happen......save your $ for that.
Let us know if you master your fears.
This is supposed to be fun !