Hi forum. I'm an advertising photographer and have been using a Phantom (unsuccessfully, as you'll see) mostly for sharing and learning, and a DJI s1000 with 5d3 for work. I feel I've got to share my story so hopefully someone can shed some light on what's happened with my P2V+ experiences. As the topic states, I've had three separate Phantom 2 Vision pluses each fly themselves, each time into a left-diving crash.
The first one was preordered directly from DJI when they first were announced. I had months of successful flights, had updated firmware a few times along the way, and setup in NAZA mode. Its demise I chocked up as my own fault, as the bird had been in the water (due to my own stupidity) some weeks earlier although I had seemingly revive it and it had flown numerous times successfully in the meantime. I initially and I suppose still do attribute this crash to a possible delayed effect from that submersion. Or a user error involving GPS setting. Anyway, here's how the fatal flight occurred. I was flying in a heavily treed area near a lake cottage and was therefore unable to get GPS signal. My intention was to fly it out of the trees and over the water then allow a friend to fly after it picked up GPS. I had done the compass calibration dance. Took off and within 30 seconds the app requested compass calibration. So I flew it back and recalibrated. Took off again. Seemed okay so I flew it out of the trees and over the water. My friend was watching the phone and could see it pick up satellites on the app. I watched the phantom blink green and immediately dive to the left at full speed and about a 30 degree falling angle straight into the lake. Tried unsuccessfully to find it. I blamed myself also for having flown it in GPS mode when it didn't have satellites. I figure I should been flying in ATTI while without signal and then more carefully switched to GPS. Nevertheless, it's almost like it behaved as an iPhone does sometimes when it first tries to locate itself on maps and the blue dot jumps a mile or two as it picks up satellites. It decided it wanted to be a mile to the left and a hundred feet lower and nothing was going to stop it. Splash and lost forever.
So I kicked myself and bought another. Again many successful flights. Until I was flying for a client at a motorsports event. Had food flights with it that day. Took off to shoot a quick video of an area of the event's vendor area. Relevant or not, it so happens that where I took off was somewhat near the GoPro display trailer, and also near some relatively small residential style overhead power lines. I had done the calibration dance nearby that day, so I didn't start by calibrating, but a few seconds after takeoff the app requested compass calibration. So I landed and calibrated. Took off again and while flying the controls seemed imperfect. I had been flying in ATTI and it was pretty calm but it was behaving like I had underestimated a swirling wind. So I decided to get out of the somewhat congested area I was in and gained altitude to get above the trees, power lines, etc, and switch to GPS to see if that would work better. As soon as I switched up to GPS, I had the same dive to the left as I described in the last crash. To the left and slightly away, 30 degree 25 mph powered dive straight into trees a few hundred yards away. On this one I had time to try different stick positions to no effect, and after that tried switching back to ATTI with no change. Couldn't believe it. People were nearby and I had been flying over crowds earlier, and in fact I had to fly the s1000 over people later that afternoon. And of course couldn't use the phantom for the rest of the shoot. I was mad. I had bought this one on Amazon, so I exchanged it for a new one citing faulty product as a reason. Was the crash due to wifi interference from GoPros or a small power line? Maybe, but why only immediately when I switched to GPS?
Amazon sent me a new one so I humbly and cautiously proceeded. Same story - updated and implemented NAZA mode. Maybe 50-100 successful flights over a month's time. Then on a fateful mission, this one in the desert (sand dunes actually, as far away from 2.4 or 5.8 interference or power lines as you can get), I had the same left-diving uncontrollable flyaway. Because I was on the top of a sand dune I had time to try nearly everything in the four or five seconds as it dove a few hundred yards away. Even turned off the transmitter and the whine of the propellers never changed a bit. It was on a mission. Conditions were low winds and early morning, I had actually flown it in nearly the same location the day before in much windier conditions. Dive to the left. Third one.
I searched the internet for similar stories, talked to the far-smarter-than-I-am fella who built my big bird, and a dealer who has sold hundreds of phantoms and can't find anyone to relate to my recurring dilemma. After some deliberation I returned this one to Amazon for a refund and purchased a Phantom 2 and had it set up for GoPro. Figured I had to try something different or I'd be even more mad if I didn't change anything and it happened again. I'm about a dozen flights into this one and all seems fine, for now.
Would sure appreciate the insight anyone can give. Best regards, JL
The first one was preordered directly from DJI when they first were announced. I had months of successful flights, had updated firmware a few times along the way, and setup in NAZA mode. Its demise I chocked up as my own fault, as the bird had been in the water (due to my own stupidity) some weeks earlier although I had seemingly revive it and it had flown numerous times successfully in the meantime. I initially and I suppose still do attribute this crash to a possible delayed effect from that submersion. Or a user error involving GPS setting. Anyway, here's how the fatal flight occurred. I was flying in a heavily treed area near a lake cottage and was therefore unable to get GPS signal. My intention was to fly it out of the trees and over the water then allow a friend to fly after it picked up GPS. I had done the compass calibration dance. Took off and within 30 seconds the app requested compass calibration. So I flew it back and recalibrated. Took off again. Seemed okay so I flew it out of the trees and over the water. My friend was watching the phone and could see it pick up satellites on the app. I watched the phantom blink green and immediately dive to the left at full speed and about a 30 degree falling angle straight into the lake. Tried unsuccessfully to find it. I blamed myself also for having flown it in GPS mode when it didn't have satellites. I figure I should been flying in ATTI while without signal and then more carefully switched to GPS. Nevertheless, it's almost like it behaved as an iPhone does sometimes when it first tries to locate itself on maps and the blue dot jumps a mile or two as it picks up satellites. It decided it wanted to be a mile to the left and a hundred feet lower and nothing was going to stop it. Splash and lost forever.
So I kicked myself and bought another. Again many successful flights. Until I was flying for a client at a motorsports event. Had food flights with it that day. Took off to shoot a quick video of an area of the event's vendor area. Relevant or not, it so happens that where I took off was somewhat near the GoPro display trailer, and also near some relatively small residential style overhead power lines. I had done the calibration dance nearby that day, so I didn't start by calibrating, but a few seconds after takeoff the app requested compass calibration. So I landed and calibrated. Took off again and while flying the controls seemed imperfect. I had been flying in ATTI and it was pretty calm but it was behaving like I had underestimated a swirling wind. So I decided to get out of the somewhat congested area I was in and gained altitude to get above the trees, power lines, etc, and switch to GPS to see if that would work better. As soon as I switched up to GPS, I had the same dive to the left as I described in the last crash. To the left and slightly away, 30 degree 25 mph powered dive straight into trees a few hundred yards away. On this one I had time to try different stick positions to no effect, and after that tried switching back to ATTI with no change. Couldn't believe it. People were nearby and I had been flying over crowds earlier, and in fact I had to fly the s1000 over people later that afternoon. And of course couldn't use the phantom for the rest of the shoot. I was mad. I had bought this one on Amazon, so I exchanged it for a new one citing faulty product as a reason. Was the crash due to wifi interference from GoPros or a small power line? Maybe, but why only immediately when I switched to GPS?
Amazon sent me a new one so I humbly and cautiously proceeded. Same story - updated and implemented NAZA mode. Maybe 50-100 successful flights over a month's time. Then on a fateful mission, this one in the desert (sand dunes actually, as far away from 2.4 or 5.8 interference or power lines as you can get), I had the same left-diving uncontrollable flyaway. Because I was on the top of a sand dune I had time to try nearly everything in the four or five seconds as it dove a few hundred yards away. Even turned off the transmitter and the whine of the propellers never changed a bit. It was on a mission. Conditions were low winds and early morning, I had actually flown it in nearly the same location the day before in much windier conditions. Dive to the left. Third one.
I searched the internet for similar stories, talked to the far-smarter-than-I-am fella who built my big bird, and a dealer who has sold hundreds of phantoms and can't find anyone to relate to my recurring dilemma. After some deliberation I returned this one to Amazon for a refund and purchased a Phantom 2 and had it set up for GoPro. Figured I had to try something different or I'd be even more mad if I didn't change anything and it happened again. I'm about a dozen flights into this one and all seems fine, for now.
Would sure appreciate the insight anyone can give. Best regards, JL
