No more Phantom for me.................unless..........

charlieb4 · Dec 30, 2017

Travels with Yoly said:
It seems to me that the OP's real concern is not the equipment needed to save his drone from crash damage but simply the costs involved in making repairs. This is a simple "no-brainer" ..... drone insurance ! State Farm insures my P3A the same as my Lumix camera and other personal belongings. It costs $60 a year and has no deductible. It covers comprehensively for fire, theft, loss and damage.

$1,000,000 coverage?

Travels with Yoly · Dec 30, 2017

charlieb4 said:
$1,000,000 coverage?

No one said anything about liability insurance ! This is for replacement or repair costs of the Phantom ... roughly $1000.

charlieb4 · Dec 30, 2017

Travels with Yoly said:
No one said anything about liability insurance ! This is for replacement or repair costs of the Phantom ... roughly $1000.

ok

Russ43Phantom · Dec 30, 2017

It definitely sounds like, from what you say of your flying experience, you should find another recreational pursuit. An alternative would be to get insurance. It's very inexpensive.

chrismatthewssr · Dec 30, 2017

With any Drone it’s a game of cards and your cards can come down at any time no mater how good a pilot you are it’s going to happen.

charlieb4 · Dec 30, 2017

chrismatthewssr said:
With any Drone it’s a game of cards and your cards can come down at any time no mater how good a pilot you are it’s going to happen.

Soooo True!!!

JamesRPurdon · Dec 31, 2017

charlieb4 said:
I couldn’t tell it was windy at the time. What I’ve learn that day, is I failed to check one of my Apps, that would have told me the wind speed, before I took on the flight. The way I knew it was windy, is when the drone descent down, it went kinda sideways, not straight down. Failure on my part.

Um, you don't need an app to see that it's windy. Moving tree tops, waving flags, blowing leaves, these are all clues. There's also the trick of throwing grass or bits of paper into the air and watching them come down.

MotorCycle-Man · Dec 31, 2017

Insurance costs ?........if people drove a car safe and never had accidents....Insurance costs would be very very low....same for a Drone....adding a few extra features to protect it from " beyond home repairable damage " and will Help To Keep " Drone Insurance rates down " !....too bad many drivers are so distracted today by cell phones !....BIG SIGHS ! ))))Drone On and Drive Not Distracted !

Flyingpatrick · Dec 31, 2017

I have added 2 Lume Cubes it enables you to see if the P 3SE is coming towards you, I have also added a radio beacon for recovery in case I lose the P3 ! I like being on the safe side !

charlieb4 · Dec 31, 2017

JamesRPurdon said:
Um, you don't need an app to see that it's windy. Moving tree tops, waving flags, blowing leaves, these are all clues. There's also the trick of throwing grass or bits of paper into the air and watching them come down.

There wasn't many trees around. No flag.......grass...yes...but can not throw hi enough to at lease 55'....lol. Even 25' for that matter.
It wasn't until the drone was on the RTH flight, on the way down, is when I notice it waskinda too windy.

MotorCycle-Man · Dec 31, 2017

Flyingpatrick said:
I have added 2 Lume Cubes it enables you to see if the P 3SE is coming towards you, I have also added a radio beacon for recovery in case I lose the P3 ! I like being on the safe side !

Beings i'm in to electronics....i built me a small 3 unit strobe that uses the smd leds....and it helps me on the flights at near dusk to keep it orientated heading back to me on a low level flight....the battery is off a old toy drone and lasts a long time ))))))Drone On ()------>

charlieb4 · Dec 31, 2017

Flyingpatrick said:
I have added 2 Lume Cubes it enables you to see if the P 3SE is coming towards you, I have also added a radio beacon for recovery in case I lose the P3 ! I like being on the safe side !

Yes, I love those Lume Cubes, but have not have, or try them. Do u really like them? I know they not cheap. I have talked to a representative from Lume Cubes company, telling him, that I was very interested in his products, as I wanted to use the Lume Cubes for night flying, sometime after getting the waiver from the FAA. He was kinda ecstatic about that. After much talking, found out there ia an Apps for the Lume Cubes, but it is only for the Android. None for Apple products. That was a kinda disappointed. I told him, that I wasn't going to have the FAA come knocking on my door, because i have to go from one device to another, and that is what I do not want to do. I ask when it can be for the Apple device, and he couldn't answer me, so I said, when u get an Apps for the Apple products, than I'll buy ur Lume Cubes. The Apps, is to help u to change the setting on the light of the Lume Cubes from straight light to flashing, to whatever it else can do. Even turning off the Lume Cubes. Without the Apps, u have to manual fly the drone back down to u, and change the setting, or turn it off. Not kinda happy with that. Flyingpatrick, do u have?

skiptv · Dec 31, 2017

If the FAA ever read these type of Blogs, they would ban drones forever. Before you tar and feather me, I am not referring to everyone here. But there certainly are enough crappy pilots that don't know what the heck they are doing to jeopardize the entire industry for those of us who have common sense and realize that these drones are 'not' toys, and not cheap. I'm a flight instructor, I have been flying for 4 years. I have 500 flights without a crash, I have trained 40 students in the last two years, none of them have crashed. Drones do fail, but 9 times out of 10 on these blogs its pilot error. You just spent 700, 900, 1500, $2000 dollars for a drone. spend another $500 and learn how to fly it, there are plenty of good flight instructors out there. As for wind, here is a trick I learned when learning how to fly an airplane, look at a flag on a flagpole if its standing straight out the wind is blowing between 15mph and 18mph to windy to fly.

JamesRPurdon · Dec 31, 2017

charlieb4 said:
There wasn't many trees around. No flag.......grass...yes...but can not throw hi enough to at lease 55'....lol. Even 25' for that matter.
It wasn't until the drone was on the RTH flight, on the way down, is when I notice it waskinda too windy.

So, without any idea of windspeed, you launched your drone into the sky and flew it about without checking the battery drainage until it was too late. Just so that you know, there aren't probably any apps that will let you know what the windspeed is at altitude - most likely all the apps are using government weather data, which is collected from ground stations located at fairly low altitudes.

If the landscape was as flat and featureless as you indicate, you could have saved the aircraft by overriding the RTH and immediately landing. If there's one thing I've learned, it's better to do the walk of shame to retrieve the aircraft then pay for repairs. There's really no inexpensive mod that's going to protect the aircraft from damage if it falls more than a few feet.

Perhaps you might want to consider one of the brushed motor, GPS-enabled, so-called toy grade quadcoptors. There's no gimbal at all, no part more than $30, and they are generally very light so a fall from altitude onto grass doesn't usually harm them. The other thing, is being very light and relatively low powered, you'll know right away if it is too windy to fly.

MotorCycle-Man · Dec 31, 2017

skiptv said:
If the FAA ever read these type of Blogs, they would ban drones forever. Before you tar and feather me, I am not referring to everyone here. But there certainly are enough crappy pilots that don't know what the heck they are doing to jeopardize the entire industry for those of us who have common sense and realize that these drones are 'not' toys, and not cheap. I'm a flight instructor, I have been flying for 4 years. I have 500 flights without a crash, I have trained 40 students in the last two years, none of them have crashed. Drones do fail, but 9 times out of 10 on these blogs its pilot error. You just spent 700, 900, 1500, $2000 dollars for a drone. spend another $500 and learn how to fly it, there are plenty of good flight instructors out there. As for wind, here is a trick I learned when learning how to fly an airplane, look at a flag on a flagpole if its standing straight out the wind is blowing between 15mph and 18mph to windy to fly.

"Common Sense".....over rides all others and leaves no doubts !

charlieb4 · Dec 31, 2017

skiptv said:
If the FAA ever read these type of Blogs, they would ban drones forever. Before you tar and feather me, I am not referring to everyone here. But there certainly are enough crappy pilots that don't know what the heck they are doing to jeopardize the entire industry for those of us who have common sense and realize that these drones are 'not' toys, and not cheap. I'm a flight instructor, I have been flying for 4 years. I have 500 flights without a crash, I have trained 40 students in the last two years, none of them have crashed. Drones do fail, but 9 times out of 10 on these blogs its pilot error. You just spent 700, 900, 1500, $2000 dollars for a drone. spend another $500 and learn how to fly it, there are plenty of good flight instructors out there. As for wind, here is a trick I learned when learning how to fly an airplane, look at a flag on a flagpole if its standing straight out the wind is blowing between 15mph and 18mph to windy to fly.

Skiptv, Thanks for ur input!
I did mention, and if u look back. That I made some mistake, the wind, even on the battery, in my first post. I fly, so If I make an mistake, I learn from it. I'm not perfect by all means. I'm still learning. What I love about this forum, is that, you never know who will come around. Someone like you who comes around, is great for any of us, who would love to take any constructive criticism. Yes, it is pilot error on my behalf. You fall off a house, you get back on it. With someone like u skiptv, we all can learn from u, and I'm sure I will be one of them. Where are you located? Do you have an website? Are you willing to take me under your arm, and make me the best pilot around? Thanks, Charlie.

P.S. I will disagree about the FAA will ban the Drones because of the Forums.....(smiles)

Flyingpatrick · Jan 1, 2018

charlieb4 said:
Yes, I love those Lume Cubes, but have not have, or try them. Do u really like them? I know they not cheap. I have talked to a representative from Lume Cubes company, telling him, that I was very interested in his products, as I wanted to use the Lume Cubes for night flying, sometime after getting the waiver from the FAA. He was kinda ecstatic about that. After much talking, found out there ia an Apps for the Lume Cubes, but it is only for the Android. None for Apple products. That was a kinda disappointed. I told him, that I wasn't going to have the FAA come knocking on my door, because i have to go from one device to another, and that is what I do not want to do. I ask when it can be for the Apple device, and he couldn't answer me, so I said, when u get an Apps for the Apple products, than I'll buy ur Lume Cubes. The Apps, is to help u to change the setting on the light of the Lume Cubes from straight light to flashing, to whatever it else can do. Even turning off the Lume Cubes. Without the Apps, u have to manual fly the drone back down to u, and change the setting, or turn it off. Not kinda happy with that. Flyingpatrick, do u have?

I have an android phone so no problem. One suggestion I light one Lume cube per flight, enabling me to double the flight time with the Lume Cubes switched on. The Lume Cube company was very helpful in supplying the proper brackets for the P3SE which are not the same on the P3 standard. By the way Happy New Year from France.

charlieb4 · Jan 1, 2018

Flyingpatrick said:
I have an android phone so no problem. One suggestion I light one Lume cube per flight, enabling me to double the flight time with the Lume Cubes switched on. The Lume Cube company was very helpful in supplying the proper brackets for the P3SE which are not the same on the P3 standard. By the way Happy New Year from France.

I figure no issue with ur Android. Do u have two Lume on ur drone at the same time? Or just one? How do u double ur flight time, when u only have about 25 mins with ur battery? Are u saying, that with two Lume Cubes will drain ur battery fast? Please give me more information, as i really the products. Awwwwww, France, hope that u r warm out there.