Oh Dear !! It had to happen - too far and battery runs out

[Boefinator]

Correct me if I'm wrong, did you begin the descent before the Critical Battery Auto Land started? By the status bar, it looks like you initiated an Auto Land around 10:19 in the video with about 13% battery remaining. The status says "Landing Tap to Cancel" and then switches to Landing at 10% which is what I believe you said you had your Critical Battery setting at. It appears that at the point the first auto land was initiated you had the power to get across to dry land as you weren't in critical territory. Can you clarify if that first Auto Land was pilot initiated?

Thanks for posting the video and sharing your experience, it's helpful to analyze these for lessons learned!

 

[solentlife]

The Auto Land was not initiated by me at any time .. I was doing all I could to avoid it in fact.

The Tap to Cancel did not work - I didn't even get a screen box when I tried ... I tried to wrest control from the limited P3 Standard Auto Land ... which seriously limits your action.

The 10% is my user set Critical ... but problem is the AC was over 1000m away and the Critical battery level determined by P3S was already met .. look at the RED line ... no yellow left at all and its already into red.
This is a no win point as you basically cannot use that last bit as you suggest. Don't forget how high she was as well ... its not only distance out - but height as well ... to control landing whether auto or me - requires power to limit descent speed and keeping stability. That last bit of battery dies extremely fast ... because you have low voltage and its increasing amp demand to maintain the watts. The distance horizontally to safe location would not have been possible - even if the P3S had allowed me to.
I was also losing video feed ... as well as relevant info to know where to go down even if I could get back control.

The P3S literally does not allow you to act like the Pro does.

Please people learn from my mistake ... watch that wind speed and battery level ...

I am not afraid to show the error .. and hope no-one else suffers similar.

Obviously I have gone over it again and again in my mind ... wondering if I had done this or that ... I know that if I had made a better decision earlier and stopped the RTH and directed her to the left of track .. I could have landed in the farm fields...
I watched the battery - I saw the channel of the river and thought with 15% or so - she could make it over to the field ... I was not to know that she would go into landing mode early and also LOCK me out ... even though it said Tap to Cancel.

Please also note - I edited out chunks of the video - especially at end ... repetitive bits ....

Nigel

 

[solentlife]

To Moderators ...

I have tried to find a way to CLOSE this thread but I cannot see where to do it ...

Can you please CLOSE THIS THREAD ?

Nigel

 

[dan84uk]

I landed at 11% the other day with litchi. Skin of my teeth. Took her out to 7500m with the original battery and a multistar. I only got 26mins, im used to 35mins with 2 batteries, something went wrong. Im now testing both batteries independently.

Something i have noticed. litchi starts to descend at 25% low battery warning and it cant be set any lower. However on the version of go im using(2.9 i think) at the 25% warning it doesn't start to descend just warns! it only descends at critical battery. and it can also be set the low than 25%. That along with other issues like it getting stucking in orbit and license validation warning is making me want to drop litchi for GO. I had to root my device and patch it to ge rid of the validation nonsense, ive bloody paid for it, 2 COPIES! , i shouldn't have to keep connecting to the internet to verify it.

 

[Stevo0596]

Like watching an extremely slow (and somewhat sad) car crash.

 

[solentlife]

Dan ... I don't know why you paid twice for Litchi ... as long as you download with your registered ID - you only pay once.

Second I've never had to validate more than once ....

Litchi was the app used when I lost her --- as you see --- Litchi did not crap out at 25% .....
I've flown well past 25% a number of times ....

Nigel

 

[Ramps]

Nigel
Thanks for sharing this
It takes a big man to admit that the mistake is yours and not to blame the equipment (even if it sometimes is a technical glitch)

Yes I've learnt a lot both from your experience and from the questions, answers and comments throughout this thread.

I know you'd like to see the end of this thread, and I can see/understand why but I have seen some good information that has arisen since you first wanted the thread closed. Your call but I ask you to leave it open.

The video is a really powerful learning tool.

Thanks again
Ramps

 

[solentlife]

Where is that time machine !!!! Oh how I wish I could go back in time and redo that flight with a different ending !!

I'm now trying to sort whether I use my salvaged P3S as a donor to a faulty P3S I found ... or bite the bullet and buy a 2nd hand P3P ... putting my P3S up for sale as parts.

I have to admit that the 'novelty' of the P3 has worn off ... and I only use it for video ... the flying of it is 'boring' !! So do I want to spend out so much on a replacement .. I certainly do not like the Mavic - pal of mine has one and he wishes he'd never wasted his money ... I flew it and found less stable than a P3 ... and the Spark ?? What in ***'s name are DJI thinking of with that PoS ? I can only assume that DJI want to grab a piece of the 'Toy' market !!

I like the P4 ... but it uses different batterys ! Which is not an insignificant factor. I have over $300 worth of batterys with my P3 .. which I can use with a replacement P3. I also have the Argtek equipped Controller which works well. This is why I consider another faulty P3S as a donor machine.

Once I sort - I will create a new thread with the full detail of getting back in the air.

For anyone interested I am building this :



93" span, 4 brushless motors, full retracts etc.

The tailplane here is 87cm span alone ..




Cheers
Nigel

 

[dan84uk]

I paid twice as i have it on my phone as a backup and also on a dedicated device, was just easier that way. Both devices ask me regularly to re validate my license, and only lets me use app if i quickly open it when connected to the internet, which is impossible if im in the middle of the countryside, so i removed validation with lucky patcher on the dedicated device. Ive seen a few people moaning in litchi reviews with same error.

No idea why my version of litchi starts to descend on the low battery warning, i have full control but i have to resist altitude dropping until i land. Might be my old firmware versions or extensive mods im using, who knows. ill record it./

 

[solentlife]

Did you validate the P3S with DJI via GO before using Litchi ... then once installed Litchi - validate with DJI ?

It may be you are falling foul of latest FW that DJI require you to login and validate account again if not used for a time. This has caught a few people out who don't use GO ...

As regards the battery % ... I made sure all my battery settings were saved to AC etc., via GO so that LItchi has same .. I never do general flight settings via Litchi.

Nigel

 

[tevek]

Where is that time machine !!!! Oh how I wish I could go back in time and redo that flight with a different ending !!

I'm now trying to sort whether I use my salvaged P3S as a donor to a faulty P3S I found ... or bite the bullet and buy a 2nd hand P3P ... putting my P3S up for sale as parts.

I have to admit that the 'novelty' of the P3 has worn off ... and I only use it for video ... the flying of it is 'boring' !! So do I want to spend out so much on a replacement .. I certainly do not like the Mavic - pal of mine has one and he wishes he'd never wasted his money ... I flew it and found less stable than a P3 ... and the Spark ?? What in ***'s name are DJI thinking of with that PoS ? I can only assume that DJI want to grab a piece of the 'Toy' market !!

I like the P4 ... but it uses different batterys ! Which is not an insignificant factor. I have over $300 worth of batterys with my P3 .. which I can use with a replacement P3. I also have the Argtek equipped Controller which works well. This is why I consider another faulty P3S as a donor machine.

Once I sort - I will create a new thread with the full detail of getting back in the air.

For anyone interested I am building this :



93" span, 4 brushless motors, full retracts etc.

The tailplane here is 87cm span alone ..




Cheers
Nigel

That is a serious bit of kit! Your mancave must have some serous real estate or you have a spare room that you can keep separate from everything else. I used to build much smaller versions of Junkers and Meschersmitt DIY RC but too scared to try a project that big. Be interested in what something like that would cost, how long you think it will take to build and the obvious video of its maiden flight. Pretty wild....

 

[solentlife]

Seeing as its MY thread ... I will answer !!

The Lancaster is a plan build - so materials and so on are all as I wish to use. Chris Golds is a prolific designer and RC modeller in the UK - used to fly RAF ftont line fighters !

The Lancaster he designed - which I am building - was based on hand carved / hot wired foam block with paper / white glue covering. Plywood and balsa in where strength needed. He used 4 Glow engines ... think it was 4 x 25's ... (4.5cc each) with 8" props.

MIne is modified to take account of modern ideas and materials. My fuselage is constructed of strip pine spars and then Depron foam sheet between to create a frame. Plywood formers create the shape. Wings are foam ribs, pine spars and plywood backing to taked motors / retracts / fixing system. The wing will be in 2 or 3 sections.











The gear for it ...

This is one retract sitting on my 15" computer ...



The twin module, four speaker sound system for the engines ...



Power for mine will be 4 x 3548 Brushless with multiple 3S LiPo's ...

She will need 12 or more servos ...

How long to build ? I've been slow at one year so far and expect it will take another year. Total cost, probably in region of about $250 or so ...

I do have a build thread running on other forums if you wish to follow ...

RC Groups :

Chris Golds Lancaster build from plans. - RC Groups

Wattflyer :

Chris Golds 90" Lancaster .... - Page 3 - WattFlyer RC Electric Flight Forums - Discuss radio control eflight

Little bit of explanation :

My Mother during the War was with 619 Sqdn in England with a Repair and Installation team on Lancasters. I want to honour my Mother who passed away some years ago by building and decorating a Lancaster in the scheme of one she worked with.

Here's the photo she received from 'her Boys' when leaving 619 ...



My Mother ...



.... a labour not only that I think the Lancaster a fine aircraft, but also of love.

Nigel

 

[tevek]

Seeing as its MY thread ... I will answer !!

The Lancaster is a plan build - so materials and so on are all as I wish to use. Chris Golds is a prolific designer and RC modeller in the UK - used to fly RAF ftont line fighters !

The Lancaster he designed - which I am building - was based on hand carved / hot wired foam block with paper / white glue covering. Plywood and balsa in where strength needed. He used 4 Glow engines ... think it was 4 x 25's ... (4.5cc each) with 8" props.

MIne is modified to take account of modern ideas and materials. My fuselage is constructed of strip pine spars and then Depron foam sheet between to create a frame. Plywood formers create the shape. Wings are foam ribs, pine spars and plywood backing to taked motors / retracts / fixing system. The wing will be in 2 or 3 sections.











The gear for it ...

This is one retract sitting on my 15" computer ...



The twin module, four speaker sound system for the engines ...



Power for mine will be 4 x 3548 Brushless with multiple 3S LiPo's ...

She will need 12 or more servos ...

How long to build ? I've been slow at one year so far and expect it will take another year. Total cost, probably in region of about $250 or so ...

I do have a build thread running on other forums if you wish to follow ...

RC Groups :

Chris Golds Lancaster build from plans. - RC Groups

Wattflyer :

Chris Golds 90" Lancaster .... - Page 3 - WattFlyer RC Electric Flight Forums - Discuss radio control eflight

Little bit of explanation :

My Mother during the War was with 619 Sqdn in England with a Repair and Installation team on Lancasters. I want to honour my Mother who passed away some years ago by building and decorating a Lancaster in the scheme of one she worked with.

Here's the photo she received from 'her Boys' when leaving 619 ...



My Mother ...



.... a labour not only that I think the Lancaster a fine aircraft, but also of love.

Nigel

Well that is an outstanding dedication to your mum, I'm sure you will do it faithfully to the original design and it will invoke a bunch of emotions when she is up in the air. Not having looked at similar projects for quite some time, I did a quick Google and the cheapest DIY package I could find was well in excess of AUD$2000, so maybe you have spare controllers, servos and batteries sitting around to close out the project. I'll have a look at your links when I'm finished cooking dinner....

 

[solentlife]

I have various of course .... but for this build - the gear is bigger / stronger than I usually use !!

The $250 tag is purely bits and pieces to build it ... most of which comes from Hobby King ...

There is one stumbling block though - the clear plastic parts - canopy, cowls, gun blisters etc. - UK wants crazy money to ship to me ... so I have to find way to fabricate locally.

Nigel

 

[tevek]

I have various of course .... but for this build - the gear is bigger / stronger than I usually use !!

The $250 tag is purely bits and pieces to build it ... most of which comes from Hobby King ...

There is one stumbling block though - the clear plastic parts - canopy, cowls, gun blisters etc. - UK wants crazy money to ship to me ... so I have to find way to fabricate locally.

Nigel

Well looking at your links, you are pretty resourceful and like most things in life, you find a way without donating a kidney. Very impressive.

 

[solentlife]

I'm lucky that I have a big house, large land area round it, reasonable money and various tools to help.

Laser Cutter
3D printer
Bench disc saw
Bench Scroll saw

plus all the usual stuff ...

I strip my own wood for spars, I buy Depron in boxfulls to get good price .... I even accept others crashed models which I then resurrect .. offer back to owners - so far they all tell me to keep !!

I grew up in the stick and tissue days of modelling ... I have just adapted to new materials.

Check out my Youtube .... "solentlifeuk" .... you will see cine films as well as later stuff .. and a good variety of what I fly.

Cheers
Nigel

 

[solentlife]

So I shall be leaving the Standard Section and joining the P3 Pro boys ...

I pick up a near new, flown 3x, bag / Pro set for 650 Euros all in tomorrow.

My dear broken friend - the Standard will be put on web site locally as Spares / Repair ...

So I wish all my friends here with P3S the very best ... and please DO NOT do what I did !!

Nigel

 

[RW-1]

Nigel ....

Now remember this for your P3P Hehehehehe

 

[SteelWarrior]

So I shall be leaving the Standard Section and joining the P3 Pro boys ...

I pick up a near new, flown 3x, bag / Pro set for 650 Euros all in tomorrow.

My dear broken friend - the Standard will be put on web site locally as Spares / Repair ...

So I wish all my friends here with P3S the very best ... and please DO NOT do what I did !!

Nigel

God to hear you have found another bird..as a new pilot here I have appreciated your wisdom and you seem to be a good person. Your knowledge and personality will be missed here..

 

[solentlife]

Thank you Steelwarrior ... much appreciated.

I will drop in at times ... see how things are going .....

I know I am a touch hard at times in comment / posts, but that's not meant as rude. Its just how I was brought up in a family that believed - if you have something to say - out with it !!

I'm always there via PM if anyone thinks I can help. I am learning new everyday same as everyone else - evedn those who think they know it all already !!

The Wife is 'quiet' at moment ... probably thinking up what she can demand I buy her after I spent out on the P3P !!

Good Luck Guys and Gals ...

Nigel