Stupid rookie error !!!

[gunslinger]

I haven't been able to fly for the past two days due to early darkness and weather. I'd only had one day to fly this thing and couldn't wait to get it back in the air. I took it to a golf course and got it off the ground, forgetting to connect it to the iPhone which was still in its holder at my waist.

It was flying a little odd and GPS mode didn't appear to be on. It was also a little too windy to be flying today, really, but... So... It got pretty close to some trees so I got it up in the air quite a bit higher. That's when I realized I didn't have the iPhone connected. In just a matter of 20 seconds I was in trouble. Now I couldn't see which direction it was pointing in. Sheer panic! I very quickly lost sight of it behind a copse of trees, so I ran a few hundred yards trying to get it back in sight. When I got beyond the trees it was nowhere to be seen! I thought for sure it was gone for good and HOPED it would return when it got out of range.

Then I heard a very distant buzzing sound and was able to make out a little speck in the sky. After trying different directions, I was finally sure it was getting bigger and just kept it on that heading. I finally brought it down but was still shaking an hour later. Scary stuff, but a couple of lessons learned...

It WOULD have returned, right???

 

[baja5b-ss]

Not if GPS is not working or on, how would it know where it's home was??
I'd say very lucky indeed.

Sent from a GS4 using tapacrap

 

[Pull_Up]

Why did you think GPS mode was not on? Flashing green = GPS, flashing yellow = no GPS. GPS mode is independent of whether or not you have the phone on. Having said that the "radar" feature is fantastic for at-a-glance orientation and location so it's always worth being connected when flying. Glad you got it back in any event. We've all done something we really shouldn't have with these things at some point - the key is learning from it.

 

[BManCan]

In just a matter of 20 seconds I was in trouble. Now I couldn't see which direction it was pointing in. Sheer panic! I very quickly lost sight of it behind a copse of trees, so I ran a few hundred yards trying to get it back in sight. When I got beyond the trees it was nowhere to be seen! I thought for sure it was gone for good and HOPED it would return when it got out of range.

This is one of the reasons I really hope that IOC with HomeLock becomes available soon for the Phantom Vision. I do not want to rely on waiting for Failsafe to kick in if the Phantom gets out of sight.

 

[Gizmo3000]

Don't be afraid of using Failsafe in a panic.
especially if you've merely lost visual orientation (user error)
>99% of the time it will in fact return to you (or attempt to return provided there's enough juice left in the battery)
usually a better alternative than trying to recover it wherever it might land.

 

[Studiowise]

Don't be afraid of using Failsafe in a panic.

apart from deliberately flying out of range, how do you invoke Failsafe?

 

[gunslinger]

Ummm... When I first got it off the ground, and centered the stick, it kept going in the direction it was traveling in. It didn't hover. I didn't notice the color of the lights... Holy crap. GPS probably wasn't on, even though the switch was set correctly for GPS?
<----------- Getting light headed...

Not if GPS is not working or on, how would it know where it's home was??
I'd say very lucky indeed.

Sent from a GS4 using tapacrap

 

[Pull_Up]

As far as anyone is aware you can't switch off GPS mode, it's the default mode if the Vision picks up satellites. If no sats, then it flies in attitude mode. This isn't user switchable at the moment. Always check for flashing greens before take-off, or fly with yellows but you'll have to be more "hands on". The app is great as it actually reports number of satellites the Vision has locked onto. I think it needs 5 (possibly 4?) or more to fly in GPS mode...

 

[gunslinger]

I've been around long enough not to buy into version 1.00. Yet... Here I am. All things considered, though... The DJI Phantom Vision totally blows me away. I can't even believe that I own this hardware/software with capabilities that I've only dreamed of.

I came very, very, very close to losing my PV today, but it didn't even slow me down. I charged the battery a couple of more times after I was able to regain control and ran her for a few more hours (after charging) into a very strong wind.

Amazing... I can't even imagine what V 3.00 will allow us to do...

DJI!!!! Thank you SO much. This is the most fun I've ever had with my clothes on....

-slinger...

 

[Gizmo3000]

Don't be afraid of using Failsafe in a panic.

apart from deliberately flying out of range, how do you invoke Failsafe?

If it's like flying the Phantom v1.0
.. all you need to do is deliberately turn off the Tx.

(so there's no ATTI/Manual/Failsafe switch option for the Vision?)

 

[Studiowise]

Don't be afraid of using Failsafe in a panic.

apart from deliberately flying out of range, how do you invoke Failsafe?

If it's like flying the Phantom v1.0
.. all you need to do is deliberately turn off the Tx.

(so there's no ATTI/Manual/Failsafe switch option for the Vision?)

Now i did that (deliberately turning off the tx to force a fly home) because i included it in my testing that all was working correctly.
This is before i knew that the vision was shipped with retarded firmware so the S1 switch wasnt working as i'd hoped it would.
All i got was a load of capitalised responses saying DO NOT EVER DO THIS because of something to do with the throttle position should it reconnect?
i just let it come home to prove it was working and using its GPS correctly - haven't done it since though!