Phantom Phantom in the Sky how I wonder which is mine ?

[PhantomWetSuits]

As more and more drones are making there way to the sky, it is just a matter of time before another drone sweeps in to your view that is a mirror image of yours , be it the all white phantom 4 drone or the all black Phantom obsidian.

Now you flying your drone with another drone in the sky, but you have been looking at the camera and when you look up you see your drone and start brining it back. However its not responding correctly and your starting to panic, and the drone you have been watching takes off on it own.

Turns out you were piloting the wrong drone, so what are the chances of that happening to you.

As certain drones become more popular , there is a good chance that one day you are going to see another bogey in the sky.

Believe me it can get real, really quick.
Visual line of sight can play a part, having a way to determine which phantom is your can help , making erratic movements is the panic side of the coin but may be your only option.

Approved Vendor
Phantomrain.org

FYI: Recently someone blogged that two Mavic Pro Zooms got crossed and each pilot was flying the others drone , the drones were lost into the cliffs.


So how many drones do u see in the sky: Thankfully the ORCA saved me.

 

[Karl D]

I have strobes on mine and that is one of the reasons. I normally fly with others and its great.

 

[John Locke]

I use a vinyl wrap on my P4, however I don't fly with others around very often, maybe 3 or 4 times a year.

 

[Mr. T's Drones]

I have strobes. It really helps.

 

[Matchlock]

Ha ha!! You're kidding, right?

As more and more drones are making there way to the sky, it is just a matter of time before another drone sweeps in to your view that is a mirror image of yours , be it the all white phantom 4 drone or the all black Phantom obsidian.

Now you flying your drone with another drone in the sky, but you have been looking at the camera and when you look up you see your drone and start brining it back. However its not responding correctly and your starting to panic, and the drone you have been watching takes off on it own.

Turns out you were piloting the wrong drone, so what are the chances of that happening to you.

As certain drones become more popular , there is a good chance that one day you are going to see another bogey in the sky.

Believe me it can get real, really quick.
Visual line of sight can play a part, having a way to determine which phantom is your can help , making erratic movements is the panic side of the coin but may be your only option.

Approved Vendor
Phantomrain.org

FYI: Recently someone blogged that two Mavic Pro Zooms got crossed and each pilot was flying the others drone , the drones were lost into the cliffs.


So how many drones do u see in the sky: Thankfully the ORCA saved me.

View attachment 103758

 

[drvrbobob]

I have strobes too, fly with my drone group 1x a month (30 plus drones flying at 1 time) but now as before you have to look at your display headings,altitude etc..it helps.

 

[Matchlock]

I live up here in south central Ontario, Canada and the chances of me seeing another drone where I fly is about ZERO. I've never, ever seen a drone being flown around here, PERIOD so I don't think I'm going to run into that "which drone is which" issue anytime soon.

Ha Ha!! Real funny thought though.

Bud

I have strobes too, fly with my drone group 1x a month (30 plus drones flying at 1 time) but now as before you have to look at your display headings,altitude etc..it helps.

 

[pe9999]

If the drone in your sight is moving, you put your stick in neutral. If the done in your sight still moving, that is not yours. Then pull the stick back, if the drone moves back, then it is yours.

 

[andre renaud]

I use a vinyl wrap on my P4, however I don't fly with others around very often, maybe 3 or 4 times a year.

 

[andre renaud]

Mr Locke,what are strobes?Does it interfere with footage?

 

[PhantomWetSuits]

I live up here in south central Ontario, Canada and the chances of me seeing another drone where I fly is about ZERO. I've never, ever seen a drone being flown around here, PERIOD so I don't think I'm going to run into that "which drone is which" issue anytime soon.

Ha Ha!! Real funny thought though.

Bud

So here is what happened to me, I had flown the Phantom 4 Pro out over the lake as the sun was making it final settling , I had gathered a small crowd watching me fly the drone and answering a few questions and noticed the drone was pretty far out so I hit the RTH button and lost sight of the drone for a few minutes , Than out of the corner of my eye I saw a drone that looked like it was landing on a faraway sidewalk near some people , this is where things go wrong.

This is where things went wrong, I immediately stopped the RTH and tried to lift the drone to stop it from landing on top of a baby stroller.
The drone lifted a few ft higher and so I thought it was my drone and started to try and fly it back.

Keep in mind this is all happening pretty fast, realizing I have no control of this drone , my mind just starting to spin, a woman than spots my drone over the lake and without anyone knowing there was my mind melting, I hit the RTH again and caught the drone in one hand as if nothing went wrong.

The other drone of course belonged to the stroller couple. lol
Shaking my head I ended the night.

The entire event took place over about 45 seconds .

Moral of the adventure: Be aware of other Motorcycles and Drones

So I found this guy that it happened to:

 

[Russ43Phantom]

If you can't talk to the pilot and coordinate the use of common air space ... don't fly! Recently I heard of a case where a pilot got confused which drone was his. He saw, what he thought was his going up. He threw his joy stick to hard down. He thought he was loosing control because the drone he was looking at did not respond. Then his screen went black. You guessed it. He crashed his drone into rocks below a cliff along the ocean. Lesson learned.

 

[D0CT0R]

Mr Locke,what are strobes?Does it interfere with footage?

I use these stuck to a modded Gimbal Protector. They're outstandingly bright, even in bright daylight: Drone UAS UAV Quadcopter LED Strobe Light

 

[With The Birds]

So here is what happened to me, I had flown the Phantom 4 Pro out over the lake as the sun was making it final settling , I had gathered a small crowd watching me fly the drone and answering a few questions and noticed the drone was pretty far out so I hit the RTH button and lost sight of the drone for a few minutes , Than out of the corner of my eye I saw a drone that looked like it was landing on a faraway sidewalk near some people , this is where things go wrong.

This is where things went wrong, I immediately stopped the RTH and tried to lift the drone to stop it from landing on top of a baby stroller.
The drone lifted a few ft higher and so I thought it was my drone and started to try and fly it back.

Keep in mind this is all happening pretty fast, realizing I have no control of this drone , my mind just starting to spin, a woman than spots my drone over the lake and without anyone knowing there was my mind melting, I hit the RTH again and caught the drone in one hand as if nothing went wrong.

The other drone of course belonged to the stroller couple. lol
Shaking my head I ended the night.

The entire event took place over about 45 seconds .

Moral of the adventure: Be aware of other Motorcycles and Drones

So I found this guy that it happened to:

You couldn’t see your drone on the map or camera view? Oh- I got it- you were signing up wetsuit orders from the crowd while RTH did it’s thing ‘-)....

 

[bsartist]

... I had gathered a small crowd watching me fly the drone and answering a few questions and noticed the drone was pretty far out so I hit the RTH button and lost sight of the drone for a few minutes ...

Moral of the adventure: Be aware of other Motorcycles and Drones

Another moral: Beware of allowing curious bystanders to distract and disrupt your situational awareness.

 

[Stonerriflefan44]

As more and more drones are making there way to the sky, it is just a matter of time before another drone sweeps in to your view that is a mirror image of yours , be it the all white phantom 4 drone or the all black Phantom obsidian.

Now you flying your drone with another drone in the sky, but you have been looking at the camera and when you look up you see your drone and start brining it back. However its not responding correctly and your starting to panic, and the drone you have been watching takes off on it own.

Turns out you were piloting the wrong drone, so what are the chances of that happening to you.

As certain drones become more popular , there is a good chance that one day you are going to see another bogey in the sky.

Believe me it can get real, really quick.
Visual line of sight can play a part, having a way to determine which phantom is your can help , making erratic movements is the panic side of the coin but may be your only option.

Approved Vendor
Phantomrain.org

FYI: Recently someone blogged that two Mavic Pro Zooms got crossed and each pilot was flying the others drone , the drones were lost into the cliffs.


So how many drones do u see in the sky: Thankfully the ORCA saved me.

View attachment 103758

Ha ha!! You're kidding, right?

As more and more drones are making there way to the sky, it is just a matter of time before another drone sweeps in to your view that is a mirror image of yours , be it the all white phantom 4 drone or the all black Phantom obsidian.

Now you flying your drone with another drone in the sky, but you have been looking at the camera and when you look up you see your drone and start brining it back. However its not responding correctly and your starting to panic, and the drone you have been watching takes off on it own.

Turns out you were piloting the wrong drone, so what are the chances of that happening to you.

As certain drones become more popular , there is a good chance that one day you are going to see another bogey in the sky.

Believe me it can get real, really quick.
Visual line of sight can play a part, having a way to determine which phantom is your can help , making erratic movements is the panic side of the coin but may be your only option.

Approved Vendor
Phantomrain.org

FYI: Recently someone blogged that two Mavic Pro Zooms got crossed and each pilot was flying the others drone , the drones were lost into the cliffs.


So how many drones do u see in the sky: Thankfully the ORCA saved me.

View attachment 103758

Actually the blogger hates to admit it but it was completely 100% pilot error. He even stated it in the follow up blog a few days after the incident. His friend was piloting the Mavic 2 Zoom, when the other Mavic came into his field of view he lost sight of the Mavic he was piloting. This was a case of poor situational awareness, had the pilot of the Mavic been completely focused on the aircraft he would've noticed the other aircraft entering the adjacent airspace. Also the girlfriend screaming "Drone! Drone! Drone!" didn't help matters as that led to more panic and confusion.

Having flown model aircraft for many years it has trained me to keep an eye on my aircraft at all times. I quickly glance at my screen when I'm setting up at shot, but I return my focus back the aircraft. I see many UAV pilots solely rely on the video feed to their mobile device, staring straight down at the screen for the entire flight. When inexperienced pilots are faced with a scenario they panic and have no idea where their drone is in relation to their location. That's why most people crash into trees and obstacles that are so easily avoidable if you have eyes on your aircraft (Reminds me of people who walk into walls or fall into fountains because they were glued to their phone screen and not paying attention to their surroundings).

 

[go fast]

You couldn’t see your drone on the map or camera view? Oh- I got it- you were signing up wetsuit orders from the crowd while RTH did it’s thing ‘-)....

That's what I was wondering just look at your FPV to see where you are...

 

[John Locke]

Having flown model aircraft for many years it has trained me to keep an eye on my aircraft at all times. I quickly glance at my screen when I'm setting up at shot, but I return my focus back the aircraft. I see many UAV pilots solely rely on the video feed to their mobile device, staring straight down at the screen for the entire flight.

I agree with this, however the confusion occurs when you're flying VLOS (visual line of sight) and another craft enters your airspace. Flying VLOS contributes to the confusion of surprise when unbeknownst to you, another guy flies into your airspace, something you would never expect, especially if it's a Phantom like yours. This confusion never occurs when flying FPV (first person view) since seeing other craft is rare via FPV. And if you do see one via FPV, you simply think to yourself, "oh wow, another Phantom is in my airspace". The downside of flying FPV 100% is you don't see other drones or manned craft as easily (and you're not following FAA guidelines). 100% FPV increases the risk of collision, especially when another surprise craft is behind your craft, where it can't be seen. A combination of VLOS and FPV is best, and depending on the distance the craft is from home, the split ratio of using VLOS and FPV will change to maximize safety. When you're nearby, say less than 250' away, VLOS is the best way, such as coming in for landings. It's way easier and safer to land VLOS versus FPV, so 100% VLOS is advised, unless you're trying to capture something on camera, then it would be 75% FPV and 25% VLOS, IMO. As you fly more than 1000' away, although you can see the craft, you lose depth of field perception. When flying close to a POI to get video at 1000' it cannot safely be done via VLOS, so FPV is more reliable, flying 95% FPV and 5% VLOS would be advised, IMO. The percentages of VLOS and FPV are debatable, and each pilot will figure that out on his own. Although most of us realize the virtues of FPV and VLOS, I didn't want a newbie thinking he should always be flying 95% VLOS at distances beyond 1000'. Even 50-50 is too much VLOS at 1000' IMO. The circumstance of each flight is different, and judgement needs to be made which flying method is best for each flight situation. Listening to your airspace is important too, as you can usually hear a helicopter or fix wing craft from more than a mile away in rural flight areas.

Most pilots fly FPV for the thrill of the crystal clear view from high above, as if you are flying an airplane. Looking up at the craft VLOS isn't very interesting, boring and a strain on the eyes at distance, not to mention potentially confusing. VLOS is work. FPV is fun (Fun Point of View). The entertainment comes from FPV, because that's where the action is, providing the joy of flying these amazing craft. However, flying VLOS is always essential to some degree to augment safety and aid situational awareness.

 

[Melvoid]

I have strobes on mine and that is one of the reasons. I normally fly with others and its great.

Just let go of the controls for a moment. The one that's hovering is yours.

 

[Karl D]

Just let go of the controls for a moment. The one that's hovering is yours.

Dont need to stop, I can see the strobes