Mid-flight propeller failure - mystery solved....

[Harleydude]

Hey doods!

This is the final in a series of threads regarding my mid-flight propeller failures (yes, plural). If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth 10x that.

Hopefully, this video prevents any of you from experiencing the same problem.

Warning: FAA trolls, save it. Your non-contributing, non-helping comments will be deleted.

D

 

[Stimmy]

Possibly inferior composition of the plastic used in the manufacturing process. Slight deviations to lower overhead expense resulting in flight failure isn't worth saving a dollar.

Buy oem.

 

[tcope]

Aftermarket props failed. Would have never seen that coming. Said no one ever here. You will find post after post stating that aftermarket part simply are not worth the couple of dollars saved.

I feel your pain however, people are saving a couple of dollars on their $1400 drone using aftermarket props. I fail to see the rationale behind this action.

With that said, good video and kudos on putting it online for others to see.

 

[John1960]

Thanks

 

[Cellblock776]

In the video we got a quick peek at your flight control station set up. Is there a video showing in a bit more detail how you set things up when out flying like that?
Thanks,
Steve

 

[Harleydude]

Possibly inferior composition of the plastic used in the manufacturing process. Slight deviations to lower overhead expense resulting in flight failure isn't worth saving a dollar.

Buy oem.

Regarding the P4P propeller offerings, I couldn't agree with you more. It's worth noting that myself and many others have used aftermarket props quite successfully on other birds. I used aftermarket exclusively on my Phantom 1's, but always stuck to OEM on my Inspire 1. And, as of this writing, I haven't experimented with any aftermarket Mavic props. But, yeah, regarding the P4P, it's nothing but OEM for me from now on.

 

[RunningWithScissors]

Been following this saga and greatly appreciate the forensics analysis. Very useful information. Thanks for providing some closure that is helpful to the rest of us. If this whole drone thing doesn't work out for you, you might have a career in movies. Think about it.

 

[Harleydude]

In the video we got a quick peek at your flight control station set up. Is there a video showing in a bit more detail how you set things up when out flying like that?
Thanks,
Steve

I have not made a video regarding my mapping rig...but that's food for thought. I probably have enough raw field footage to make a video.

I'm including a couple photos. The first is of the original mock up, and the second is actual field use. as you can probably guess, this rig allows for multiple birds. And at full extension, the controllers get about 9' high, which really helps with reception. And the wide foot stance is very sturdy. The stand is all aluminum, so it's very lightweight, too.

Ironically, it's a very wind resistant set up. I say "ironically," because we don't fly when it's windy...LOL...

I'll put "video of mapping rig" on my list.

Original mock up in my girlfriend's kitchen...

In the field...

Donnie

 

[Harleydude]

Aftermarket props failed. Would have never seen that coming. Said no one ever here. You will find post after post stating that aftermarket part simply are not worth the couple of dollars saved.

With all due respect, this "prop failure" thread is the FOURTH in a series. Three times I have asked, "Any of you seen aftermarket prop failure???" This is the first time I've seen you reply. Please point out ONE single thread of a mid-flight, NON-COLLISION prop failure (other than mine, of course). Consider it a challenge. I believe I got ONE response of ONE person who saw a non-collision, mid-flight prop failure. His name escapes me.

I feel your pain however, people are saving a couple of dollars on their $1400 drone using aftermarket props. I fail to see the rationale behind this action.

Again, with all due respect, your assumption that people buy aftermarket props for the sole purpose of saving money is erroneous. For my Phantom 1, I purchased them for different lengths and pitch curves. Some purchase aftermarket carbon fiber props (which I don't personally like), which are usually MORE expensive than OEM.

With that said, good video and kudos on putting it online for others to see.

Thank you. Clearly, my objective is to prevent others from making the same mistake I made. And to be clear, I firmly believed that the props that shipped with the bird were OEM. They weren't. I also believed that my subsequent purchase of "DJI props" were OEM. They weren't.

As you can see in the video, the difference between OEM and aftermarket is very minute. And while the packaging is very different, I had never seen DJI OEM P4P prop packaging before. So I had no idea what the OEM packaging looked like.

And, finally, I'll reiterate that I have been using aftermarket props quite literally my entire drone career (5+ years now) with nary an issue.

Some people do stupid things with their drones. You'll get no argument there. But in this case, it was a matter of the imitation prop aesthetically so close to the OEM prop that the naked eye almost can't see the difference. In the past, the aftermarket props were obviously NOT OEM. Hopefully, I've tarted out the differences and have prevented others from being duped as I was.

D

 

[Harleydude]

Been following this saga and greatly appreciate the forensics analysis. Very useful information. Thanks for providing some closure that is helpful to the rest of us. If this whole drone thing doesn't work out for you, you might have a career in movies. Think about it.

Thank you very much. That's kind of you to say.

And actually, my "cinematic sensibilities" have greatly helped forward my aerial career in the film industry. "Film" accounts for roughly 15-20% of my income. So...I kind of, sort of, already have a career in the movies...albeit, NOT as a producer.....<;^)

 

[BigAl07]

So...I kind of, sort of, already have a career in the movies...albeit, NOT as a producer.....<;^)

But Donnie.. porn doesn't count LOL!

(J/K Donnie is a good friend of mine).

 

[sar104]

I have not made a video regarding my mapping rig...but that's food for thought. I probably have enough raw field footage to make a video.

I'm including a couple photos. The first is of the original mock up, and the second is actual field use. as you can probably guess, this rig allows for multiple birds. And at full extension, the controllers get about 9' high, which really helps with reception. And the wide foot stance is very sturdy. The stand is all aluminum, so it's very lightweight, too.

Ironically, it's a very wind resistant set up. I say "ironically," because we don't fly when it's windy...LOL...

I'll put "video of mapping rig" on my list.

Original mock up in my girlfriend's kitchen...
View attachment 99016


In the field...
View attachment 99017

Donnie

I recognize that terrain.

 

[RunningWithScissors]

And, finally, I'll reiterate that I have been using aftermarket props quite literally my entire drone career (5+ years now) with nary an issue.

I get that. Unfortunately, it takes only one incident like this to change your entire perspective. Sucks that you experienced this catastrophe twice.

 

[tcope]

With all due respect, this "prop failure" thread is the FOURTH in a series. Three times I have asked, "Any of you seen aftermarket prop failure???" This is the first time I've seen you reply. Please point out ONE single thread of a mid-flight, NON-COLLISION prop failure (other than mine, of course). Consider it a challenge. I believe I got ONE response of ONE person who saw a non-collision, mid-flight prop failure. His name escapes me.

I mentioned seeing an issue down the road, not an actual collision (I think you mean failure). The overwhelming response is that AM props should not be used as 1) they save next to no money and 2) because if the potential issues considering #1. After all, what is better... telling someone that they should not take the risk or telling them so once there is an issue? Obviously, a warning not to do something is the only thing that is of value and served a purpose. A search on aftermarket props should show a _lot_ of threads with this information.

Again, with all due respect, your assumption that people buy aftermarket props for the sole purpose of saving money is erroneous. For my Phantom 1, I purchased them for different lengths and pitch curves. Some purchase aftermarket carbon fiber props (which I don't personally like), which are usually MORE expensive than OEM.

I was only addressing the props that you mentioned in this post. You confirmed that they were at a less cost and pointed out (from your experience) that people should not buy them to save money. So my "assumption" was 100% correct. If you want to change this to carbon fiber... I can comment on that as well.

Thank you. Clearly, my objective is to prevent others from making the same mistake I made. And to be clear, I firmly believed that the props that shipped with the bird were OEM. They weren't. I also believed that my subsequent purchase of "DJI props" were OEM. They weren't.

I'm not really aiming my prior comments at you... I'm more so aiming them at other people reading this. Aftermarket props simpley are not worth the cost savings. I say it like I did as this has been posted time and time again. Perhaps hundres of times. I wanted to go on and point out that you stepped up to the plate and really put yourself out there by making this video. Kudo's for having something go wrong and putting it so others can learn from it.

I screwed up a few months ago and launched at a beach were a lot of kites were being flown (I knew all of the people). I started out with a low battery (1st mistake), flew to 30% and then started to come back (2nd mistake) and then realized that I needed extra time to make sure I flew around the lines (3rd mistake). Short version... I made a lot of mistakes and I knew better about every since one. I _might_ have posted about this (in the Mavic forum) but I might not have. Most people would rather hide mistakes. The few people who share them do others a favor.

Plus, it _is_ a very well made video. I'm certainly going to call that as I see it.

 

[Harleydude]

But Donnie.. porn doesn't count LOL!

(J/K Donnie is a good friend of mine).

HA! Aerial porn? You have me thinking, my friend. HA!

 

[Harleydude]

I get that. Unfortunately, it takes only one incident like this to change your entire perspective. Sucks that you experienced this catastrophe twice.

Agreed. It could have been worse. DJI flat-out warranted the first drone (which was only under warranty until May 10th).

Second stroke of luck...fearing the worst...I decided to push DJI to see if the would allow me to purchase the Care Refresh™ insurance (companies like DJI are ALWAYS anxious to sell "extended warranties"). In my mind, this was the only way to sort of re-insure myself in the unlikely event that this kind of random failure happened again. Good thing I did. Care Refresh™ for the P4P costs $150 with a $100 "deductible." So the second replacement (not a repair, but complete replacement) cost $250. Care Refresh™ gives the user up to TWO drones, so I have one more left. I honestly believe that I will NOT need the second replacement, as I believe this prop issue is a freak issue. Other than this prop BS, the P4P's have been rock solid. It's a good bird. I can attest to this, as BOTH birds post-crash fired up! Amazing!

D

 

[RunningWithScissors]

Agreed. It could have been worse.

An understatement, to say the least. Well played, sir. Glad to hear that your out-of-pocket expense was far less than it might have been.

 

[athearnsd45]

Your second drone was a DJI replacement - did they ship the drone with aftermarket props or did you swap the ones that came with the replacement with another set at some point?

 

[Dpanetta]

I want to thank you for the explanation and the video. I have flown close to 700 hours on the same props, never having a single impact and only having to clean the occasional bug smear off them. The leading edges are still very clean and scratch free, but wth the hours getting up there, I am considering getting new props. Plastic only stays flexible for so long. The props on my drone now are marked with the DJI logo exactly as you showed in the video. I will look for that in my next set of props.

 

[Stimmy]

I want to thank you for the explanation and the video. I have flown close to 700 hours on the same props, never having a single impact and only having to clean the occasional bug smear off them. The leading edges are still very clean and scratch free, but wth the hours getting up there, I am considering getting new props. Plastic only stays flexible for so long. The props on my drone now are marked with the DJI logo exactly as you showed in the video. I will look for that in my next set of props.

You're only CONSIDERING new props after 700 hours?! Go play the lotto today. You're a lucky person.