Paranoid flying :(

[Djrichone]

Ok, I have read countless posts, seen a weeks worth if youtube videos and instead of getting motivated, I'm very paranoid! I haven't flown my bird higher than 180 ft and maybe 100 ft away from me because I'm too nervous. My fingers are literally shaking. Don't get me wrong, I know how to fly quads Helis and planes but this little expensive toy has me worried. I am thinking it is due to all the horror stories and videos I see and read.
Granted that this forum will have more problems than good experiences as it is a source for knowledge to fix things that go wrong.
My thing is I'm still hesitant to fly the way this bird is supposed to fly. I'm still hesitant to use ground station and hesitant to let it go 300' away from me.
Maybe some encouragement on how many successful flights everyone has instead of mishaps will helpe get over it. I have done so much research before I bought and after that my brain is overloaded and convoluted.
Give me some encouragement peeps. Let's hear all the good flights you have under your belt with no problems. But do let me know some VERY importants to do and not to do!

 

[Dirty Bird]

100 flawless fights...zero issues...no crashes...not even a tip over (I land on the ground)...never broken a prop.

 

[Foosy]

I literally had the shaking fingers too. I can tell you that it gets better the more you fly it.
Unfortunately the second time I flew it, it was above a river, and I was so nervous that I didn't wait to get satellite lock. I launched it, and my fingers were shaking all over the joysticks, and then, to make things worse- it started to flyaway, being dragged by a strong wind. I exclaimed "Oh ****!" and panicked... 1 minute later (that felt like eternity) I was able to recover it, but learned my lesson:
Pre-flight check is mandatory! Check everything, be patient: do you have enough battery in the bird?, in the range extender?, do you have at least 6 satellites locked?, is your antenna facing up? Did you lock "home position" where you are? (as opposed to the first place you turned it on); Did you calibrate your compass far away from metals or magnets? Is the wind safe for flying? Do you have a large enough area for landing and a clear return path?

My suggestion is- fly your initial flights far away from other people. Other people increase your stress level, especially when they start asking you questions while you try to concentrate, or worse argue your 'legality' of flying in that area.

Regarding satellite lock- I gave up flying in a beautiful area because it only locked 4 satellites. Doing the right thing will give you confidence. You do not have to fly it in any condition.
And one more tip: check that you are recording video BEFORE launching. Twice already I missed recording because I thought I had pressed record, or I had pressed it twice and then concentrated on the flying only to realize AFTER it landed that it was not recording. As it turned out- both opportunities were critical as I did not have an opportunity to re-fly the same area. :ugeek:

 

[Damon]

100 flawless fights...zero issues...no crashes...not even a tip over (I land on the ground)...never broken a prop.

Please tell me you knocked on wood after that post.

 

[DownunderPhantom]

I have had over 70 flights on the Vision Plus and at least double that with my FC40 (modified). The only problems I have had are the ones caused by myself, except for one which has been fixed under warranty.

The first suggestion from me is if you have not changed from Phantom to Naza mode, do it.

Before each flight do the pre flight checks and ensure you have the required satellites. I like 7 or more before I fly.

if you have not tried the Return to Home feature, try it as per the manual, it should give you a bit of relief knowing that it does work.

Enable IOC, I find the home loc very beneficial. If you loose FPV on the monitor and you are not sure of the orientation, switch to home loc and pull down on the right lever and she will fly home (as long as there is nothing in the way).

Just a couple of suggestions which should ease your mind.

Remember to always make sure Home Location is recorded before flying.

 

[Zinnware]

I have great confidence in my Phantom 2 (non-vision). So much so that I have many flights over water. See the link to some of my videos. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL ... f4CwDGF4Xr

I see the posts of fly-aways and Phantoms going into the drink. It is good to be cautious and aware that things can go wrong. I agree with other posts about insuring a good home location is recorder at start up. Never, ever rush your start-up step sequence. I use the Naza-M mode and I also wait for 7 satellites and the TWO sets of rapidly flashing green lights before lifting off. One for the compass course lock and the other for the home location. I personally believe that fly-aways are caused by taking off before the home location is recorder successfully.

I also believe that some reports of Phantoms going into auto-land mode and going into water is not entirely the fault of those pilots. There are battery issues where they indicate 50% to 92% remaining while at the same time their voltage levels fall below the 10.6V level, thus causing the auto-land. I had two defective batteries replaced. Keep a close eye on your voltage as well as the battery level.

I prefer flying without anyone around. A spotter can help if they do not distract you. Fly in areas your are comfortable. Build up your flying skills and, as others have said, try out all of the features of your craft and get to know it. It will make you feel more comfortable and confident. I believe Dirty-Bird about his never breaking a prop. I am sure he flies well within his comfort level.

When filming in areas less familiar to me, I do get nervous and, at the same time, get a big rush.

 

[Mako79]

I also believe that some reports of Phantoms going into auto-land mode and going into water is not entirely the fault of those pilots. There are battery issues where they indicate 50% to 92% remaining while at the same time their voltage levels fall below the 10.6V level, thus causing the auto-land. I had two defective batteries replaced. Keep a close eye on your voltage as well as the battery level.

+1
If it goes into autoland and you need to keep it up in the air, push the stick up and fly it back. It can't go higher, but It will stay at that altitude with the stick up.
Just careful with catch landings as it will continue to descend if you don't push up on the sticks.

 

[happydays]

From my experience...

You will always be nervous until you realise that these things actually work rather well. When you have that in mind, the flying becomes fun.

I started off in June 2013 with a standard phantom 1 with a GoPro hard attached. I made ALL the newbie mistakes - not getting home position locked, taking off without full sat lock, flying around things WAY above my talent level. I lost it one night when it flew away. Luckily for me it landed in a pile of horse manure in my friend's house and suffered only one broken prop and a broken leg. I eventually lost it in the sea purely down to pilot error (not properly examining it after a crash).

I then got a Vision. (Lovely craft, but the footage without a gimbal is brutal.) I got into a big field with nobody around and practised. Flying in GPS mode, ATTI mode, How does course lock work, how does home lock work. What happens if I turn off the transmitter? I learned how to hand catch. Practice flying around a big tree while pointing the camera at it. I got not-too-bad at it. But the wobbly footage led me to buy a V+. Again I practised with it, getting to know the characteristics of it.

Then, and only then, I flew around some local landmarks, including over water. Total butt clench, but I read on here from somebody that the phantom doesn't know it's over water. That remark alone gave me much confidence.

But for me the real one that got the confidence up was recording an event that was a one off. I live in a small town in Ireland and for the first time ever, we were having a cruise liner (albeit a very small one) coming into port. That HAD to be recorded. And if I got it wrong, there was no chance of a repeat. Once I grew a pair of balls big enough to do that one, I realised that the V+ is a very, very capable machine. With a few exceptions, they are super reliable. I flew it away out into the distance chasing the boat. I lost FPV (Horror!!!) but the telemetry told me that I was 1.2km away - so no surprise there. All over water too. However all I had to do was to switch off the transmitter and wait patiently until I heard that familiar sound of it returning.

These things ARE reliable - read all the stories on here about guys looking for their craft and finding them back at home. In my opinion, the LEAST reliable component of any phantom is the pilot!

I hope you get to enjoy these incredible machines. You can watch my clips on YouTube - the link is below. It also includes the clip of the P1 crashing in the sea, the arrival and departure of the boat and some footage of the local landmarks. Spot which ones were filmed using the P2V and which were filmed using the V+!

 

[smokiespliff]

Nice videos Connor - gives me hope that they don't look half-bad in this gloomy Irish weather we have. I'll be more optimistic about what light I go video in from now on.

As to the OP - many flights, no crashes, no flyaways, no odd behaviour that isn't easily explained afterwards.
If you are worried about pilot-error, you need to practice and gain more confidence. Each day go a little higher, a little farther. Having said that, all mechanical/electrical devices can fail. If that happens to you and it wasn't your fault - well then it wasn't your fault! The chances of it failing are statistically very low, but shouted very loudly when they do happen.

 

[Djrichone]

Thanks for all the encouraging words. Every flight I take I go a little farther and higher. I guess it will take time to get over this.

 

[Catalina36]

...Let's hear all the good flights you have under your belt with no problems. But do let me know some VERY importants to do and not to do!

Have not had any issues when flying my Phantom. I keep the software is up to date and am patient when waiting for satellites to connect and I do a compass calibration before the first flight of the day even though I may not have to. If I land and just swap the battery I do not do the compass dance again.

 

[phantom85]

I get nervous flying my phantom these days but only because of the dodgy battery issues that seem to be occurring and are entirely unpredictable when the bird is in the sky...

 

[Dirty Bird]

Please tell me you knocked on wood after that post.

Nah I trust her after 100 flights. She inspires confidence and has been impressing me from the moment I first opened the box. Sooner or later every RC is likely to go down, but my cost-per-flight is currently down to less than $13.00 per flight.