****EDIT****
As this thread is getting some attention, I thought I'd compile the best tips here at the top for avoiding a flyaway & what to do when it happens.
Before flying:
-
Buy a GPS tracker & attach it. $100 today could save you $1300 tomorrow!
- Calibrate your compass whenever you fly in a new area, after an update, or after a few flights
- Make sure you have GPS lock before taking off (only green lights should be blinking)
- Make sure the transmitter antenna is perpendicular to the ground and the wifi extender is appropriately angled
- Be aware that urban environments have more RF interference, and increase the likelihood of a flyaway
- Avoid firmware 3.0 and 3.2 for now if possible
-
Put your controller in Naza mode.
- Calibrating your IMU every once and a while might help
This will give you a better chance of recovering from a flyaway
On takeoff:
- Did you see a rapidly flashing green light? This indicates that your home position was successfully marked
- Hover for 15-30 seconds after taking off. Is your phantom flying in circles? This may indicate that your compass needs to be calibrated or nearby electromagnetic interference
- If your phantom ever seems to behave oddly, feel less responsive, or start moving without input, LAND IMMEDIATELY.
If your phantom starts flying away ignoring your input, try these steps, only progressing if no success:
1. Immediately switch from GPS to Attitude mode by putting S1 in the middle position (Naza mode)
2. Initiate the Failsafe by putting S1 in the down position (Naza mode)
3. Send the CSC to kill the motors. Trust me, you'd rather have a crash landing than a lost phantom.
You should try Attitude mode before failsafe, as several people including myself have had no luck with failsafe even with a good satellite connection. If the failsafe does not work, kill the motors before your Tx goes out of range. It is unlikely you will be able to search several square miles and find your phantom when it goes in a changing direction at full throttle.
Finally, here's what DJI advises about avoiding flyaways:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bxjL7wFyb8.
Thanks to jwuman, Flighttime, tizzl10 and DrJoe for contributing advice.
***********
I've had my Phantom 2 Vision+ for a couple days now and this is not my first quadcopter. On my third flight today, I experienced a flyaway in GPS Attid. mode with IOC set to off. About 10 min into the flight, the phantom veered off towards the takeoff location while retaining a video connection. I was able to regain control by switching to Attid. mode and then toggling back to GPS Attid. A few minutes later, the phantom started veering back to the takeoff location again. Initially I was able to stabilize it by throttling in the opposite direction, but I was soon overpowered and it started accelerating away. I tried switching to home lock & holding back to no avail. I then moved S2 to failsafe. It did NOT return to home. Finally, I turned off the controller and watched helplessly as it kept flying until I lost vision. The picture below is a screenshot of the final view.
I had 11 satellites and wind was 5-10mph (Interestingly, the phantom accelerated away TOWARDS the wind.) When I looked at Find my Phantom, the app had the home position as its current location. Obviously, it wasn't there.
So why did this happen?? I have no idea. Here are a couple thoughts:
- I updated the firmware last night, and maybe this played a role (although I had no problems until the 3rd flight of the day)
- Maybe the GPS location reading suddenly "teleported" and the quadcopter tried to "fix" its positioning
- There are 2.4GHz wifi networks around, although I flew here earlier with no issues & I believe the transmitter operates on 5.8GHz
I'm really at a loss for what to do. I filed a police report so hopefully someone will turn it in so I can post footage showing what happened.
) Fail safe/RTH is still trying to use satellites, that's why it doesn't rescue your bird.
