Prop Check

[Cadbob]

Today went out in backyard for a little flight and after landing I was removing props and noticed a small white piece of plastic fall on motor housing. First think I looked at was the Prop Locks on motor and all seemed good. I then looked at each prop and found the broken piece. This could of been worse than just being out one prop if it had gone UN-noticed. Check the inside of your props, this could cause a prop fly-off in the air.

 

[Deleted member 62848]

Good eyes on that ,,prop locks ok,I assume some wear if been moving like that before you notice,,,made me check mine

 

[Starz]

Do you have an opinion on how that piece was damaged?

 

[Cadbob]

Sheer luck ianzone, lol, But I'm thinking that it was just maybe got sloopy slowly through time and end up with stress breakage as ianzone mentioned above, but also they were the original props for the P4. I even put it back on and would of never noticed a difference and would of flown, if I hadn't seen that small piece fall. It was sheer luck seeing it.That is why I brought it our forum so everyone will check. I've seen post of people claiming the props flew off in flight before and of course crashes, this could be one cause. But only guessing.

 

[Capt KO]

Are you using the original P4 prop locks? The kind with the external spring instead of the new design with the internal spring. If you're using the original, please switch to the pro model prop locks for $10 Amazon. It will save you a lot of grief in the future.

 

[Capt KO]

The original P4 prop locks were a poor design that was quickly dropped in favor of the much better Pro design. A lot of P4’s were lost because of prop failures. Glad you caught yours in time! Stay with OEM props too.
Good luck, fly safe.

PS: Pro mounts allow use of Low Noise props as well. From experience, they will fly off the original P4 mounts.

 

[Capt KO]

Do you have an opinion on how that piece was damaged?

Does it look like 2 different brand props to you? Bad one looks aftermarket? If so, that’s my opinion. Lol
Whatcha think Cadbob, aftermarket 3rd party props maybe?

 

[Deleted member 62848]

Yip I been guilty of 3rd party props ,got a few still ,only cause they coloured unlike boring white,,but have gone back to boring white because they seem to be a different compound of plastic and have more trust in them,,,in saying that I have been impressed with some cheap ones but original always wins me over now

 

[Cadbob]

I’m using the newer spring props locks and they are definitely the original props that came in box. I do still have the extra props in the little black DJI bag and also 2 sets of the newer quite props. This is why I put it out there to check your props. After markets I would of never posted I would of chalked it up as my fault instead of stress wear.

 

[Cadbob]

Are you using the original P4 prop locks? The kind with the external spring instead of the new design with the internal spring. If you're using the original, please switch to the pro model prop locks for $10 Amazon. It will save you a lot of grief in the future.
View attachment 119070

Yes purchased straight from DJI awhile ago. I only buy straight from DJi for parts! You never know what your getting! lol

 

[Cadbob]

In the picture my text on picture is misleading the same prop hub just one of the three locks snapped off

 

[PT7315]

Sheer luck ianzone, lol, But I'm thinking that it was just maybe got sloopy slowly through time and end up with stress breakage as ianzone mentioned above, but also they were the original props for the P4. I even put it back on and would of never noticed a difference and would of flown, if I hadn't seen that small piece fall. It was sheer luck seeing it.That is why I brought it our forum so everyone will check. I've seen post of people claiming the props flew off in flight before and of course crashes, this could be one cause. But only guessing.

Just to confirm, can original P4 props be used with newer Pro mount. Pretty sure they can,just asking for confirmation.

 

[Cadbob]

Yes,the difference is the spring tension mechanism

 

[GeneM]

The best insurance you can get for your drone is a good pre/post flight inspection. Check the prop mounts on the motors for wear and to make sure the locks haven’t cracked. Prop mounts on the motors are cheap and easy to replace. Check the props for wear to the locking tabs and also for cracks or chips in the props. It’s amazing to see a chip out of a prop after it smashed into a bug. If I see even the slightest nick in a prop, all four get replaced. I try to keep all my props the same age. It is not worth risking a prop imbalance or vibration at 6000rpm to save $20, when being paid to overfly a $12 billion dollar facility.
Mitigate your hazards, practice emergency procedures (loss of gps, tablet failure, etc) and fly in full manual occasionally with just the controller and no video to keep your skills sharp.
BE AWARE AT ALL TIMES OF THE ORIENTATION OF YOUR DRONE.
That will save you when you lose GPS or telemetry/video. Knowing which way to move the sticks when everything goes dark might save your aircraft. Short of an electronic failure, you will be able safely recover the drone and live to fly another day.
Sorry to get off topic. We tend to lose the skills we don’t use and rely on the technology. A lot of the flyaway posts I’ve seen could have ended better if the pilot could have reacted faster to the situation or recognized what was happening and been able to change settings to control the aircraft. Maintain the physical parts and practice occasionally for technology failures, so you can focus on some great flying.

Fly safe.

 

[Harleydude]

Today went out in backyard for a little flight and after landing I was removing props and noticed a small white piece of plastic fall on motor housing. First think I looked at was the Prop Locks on motor and all seemed good. I then looked at each prop and found the broken piece. This could of been worse than just being out one prop if it had gone UN-noticed. Check the inside of your props, this could cause a prop fly-off in the air.

Been there. Done that. Got the shirt.

Make sure they are OEM props. Dollars to doughnuts, they are not.

D

 

[bdooley]

Thanks for the insight. I had never thought of this when checking my props - only checked the blades for cracks and nicks.

 

[Harleydude]

Thanks for the insight. I had never thought of this when checking my props - only checked the blades for cracks and nicks.

Yep. And for what it's worth, those blades were nearly brand new. Didn't take them long to fail.

D

 

[Cadbob]

Nice Video Harelydude very informative! I always buy OEM on anything I own as well. None essential things like cases, or tools I will buy generic, but for sure when it comes to flying a prop is pretty darn important! lol But still people need to make **** sure to inspect the props and lock hubs as my DJI Branded prop did fail. Thou I'm sure some non-branded props are just as good as the OEM , but I would need lots of proof. I know DJI does not have a prop factory so whom ever makes them for DJI I'm betting also says the non-branded props.

 

[Harleydude]

Nice Video Harelydude very informative!

Thanx.

I always buy OEM on anything I own as well. None essential things like cases, or tools I will buy generic, but for sure when it comes to flying a prop is pretty darn important! lol

Well, to be clear, I USED to use aftermarket props on all my Phantom 1's and non-DJI vehicles. But as of this latest P4P prop debacle, I no longer use or endorse the use of aftermarket props. And I get that some aftermarket brands are better than others. But I'm not willing to sacrifice a P4P to find out.

But still people need to make **** sure to inspect the props and lock hubs as my DJI Branded prop did fail.

While this is a good idea, keep in mind that both props that failed DID pass ground inspection. Neither prop had any nicks, dents or scratches. They both mounted positively to the hub. So buyer beware that a comprehensive ground inspection does NOT insure an aftermarket prop won't fail. So far, I've not had a single OEM prop failure.

Thou [sic] I'm sure some non-branded props are just as good as the OEM , but I would need lots of proof.

Yep. I would need endorsements from other mappers. As benign as mapping seems, if you think about it, it's like the NASCAR of drone operations. Your drone races around until it's "out of gas," at which time it comes to the pit to get a "fill up" just to be on it's way to run full blast through another battery. Depending on the job, I can be running one or TWO drones simultaneously all day.

Note: My drone is configured so that most mapping missions are conducted @ 26-28 mph, which isn't "full speed" but is respectable.

I know DJI does not have a prop factory so whom ever makes them for DJI I'm betting also says the non-branded props.

Yep. This is why I thought "Chinese props" would be fine. As you eluded to, the OEM props are made in China.

I think we can make one of two assumptions:

* If DJI uses the same manufacturer, clearly the aftermarket props are made to a different spec.
* The aftermarket manufacturer may NOT be the same as the DJI factory.

Either way, I'm avoiding the aftermarket props like the plague.

D