so many sad posts lately

I think in some ways, the fact that these systems can be so easy to fly, this itself can create some problems. It’s kind of ironic really. And in fact, the majority of the incidents that you mention would attest to this. They are weather related, lack of systems knowledge related, or both. It’s been rightly said before that there should be no ‘quick start guide’, and there should not. It tells you just enough to limp the bird off the ground and then the problems begin.

Know thy limits and follow the rules.

A golden rule in scuba diving. Should be the same with drone flying.

Sometimes, I can't help but compare drone flying to scuba diving. Lots of parallelisms here.

What does help is if you have multiple drones.

Never-not be able to fly!

Just sayin

old man mavic said:

I am genuinely saddened ,by the number of posts ,that start with my drone flew away ,or my drone crashed etc
and when our resident experts have delved into the logs ,most of the time it is pilot error that is the cause of the issue
the drones we fly have very complex systems ,that allow them to fly the way they do ,and it does not take much, to cause problems ,if some thought as to what needs to be set up correctly before take off is not considered,and then once in flight, what things need to be considered ,to have a successful outcome
I know how upset I would be if my drones got damaged or lost ,so I have made it my mission to find out as much as I can about what keeps my drones safe and sound

Click to expand...

Yes. My observation is that a brand new drone off the shelf should not be taken out of the box and be ready for takeoff. No matter how DJI thinks it’s drones are for the average Joe without skills or knowledge of the subject, these complex, flying computers need attention and “adjustments”.
I just bought an MPP new in the box. It was a mess. It needed extensive calibration before the first flight. Because I have 2 years at it, I could handle it. But a neophyte would have crashed it first flight.
Sometimes it appears inexperienced pilots plot it down, boot up and hit the throttle before attaining a simple thing like GPS, or making sure the compass is pointing in the right direction.
But other times I think these highly complex circuits fail. I have an unproven theory that IMU’s (not all) can decay with age, causing all kinds of crashes and flyaways.
Like I’ve said before, every flight is a risk. And like all gamblers that only tell of their winnings, by its nature this forum gathers all the bad news seeking help...not the successes.
So to help my friend @old man mavic feel better, I flew my 1551 flight today, and didn’t crash! ?

RadioFlyerMan said:

So to help my friend @old man mavic feel better, I flew my 1551 flight today, and didn’t crash! ?

Click to expand...

Indeed - We should all live long enough to share that experience!

Would be interesting to see a list of which aircraft are presenting the most problems. My guess would lean towards the less expensive product being higher on the list.

The more I dive into and learn in the realm of FPV and flying acro the more I realize how much our DJI' are doing for us in just horizon mode... Understanding the mechanics of what's going on and how they work should be the first things new people look into to really appreciate all that is happening. I have to say, DJI makes some really idiot proof stuff but there is always going to be someone that doesn't respect it and understand it just enough to mess their quad up (hopefully only at a cost to them).

Sad stories are often told by people who misjudged either A) the limits of the technology at play, or B) the limits of their piloting skills. Exceeding either limit is a recipe for disaster. Too often, we see both in one incident. Years ago, I myself backed a drone full-speed into a canyon's cliff wall, because I failed on both counts. A hard lesson, but one learned well.

And while the final responsibility rests with the pilot, I do wish DJI would try more forcefully to dope-slap some sense into giddy new owners. To read the marketing materials, you'd think your new drone is almost a magic carpet, an unerring servant to your aerial whims. What a new owner should see is an enforced software brake on the initial flight, one that is released when you've demonstrated basic drone pilot competency (laws & regs, flight safety, best practices, etc.).

As it is, it's no wonder excited buyers pop a half-charged battery in their new toy and launch it from a boat.

Still ... in the end, it's on the pilot. My sad story was the result of my own mistakes, not DJI's.

But take heart; you don't have to destroy a drone to learn these lessons. Fly with joy, always, yet understand your limits, build your skills incrementally, and learn as much as you can about your drone and how to spot a problem before it becomes an in-flight crisis.

And by the way, MavicPilots is an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to be a safer, better pilot!

The number of posts relating to catastrophic results bothered me for awhile until I started seeing the analysis of the incidents. While sad, I find it very helpful not to make every mistake myself. No tutorial that I have seen gives me. Experience is the best teacher.

It's a learning process. There are rules and procedures. These are not toys as much as they look like them. As complex as they are to make them do remarkable things there can be even more complexitity in flying these technological wonders. It doesn't take much to mess up.

Guilty as charged. As a new pilot i am 100% guilty of all the things
mentioned above. I had no idea what so ever of the complexity's
involved in flying drones. I watched loads of videos on the subject
but they were mostly interested in rating all the different makes
and models out there on the market, not really mentioning that
much the actual knowledge needed to fly it. I joined this forum
( thank ... i did ) took delivery of my MA2 and off i went flying the
thing around completely unaware of the troubles and possible
disasters that lay ahead. After months of reading posts on here
and trying to learn as much as i could it finally dawned on me how
lucky i was to still have my baby in one piece. The thing that worries
and bothers me is how many people have these wonderful devices
that we all get so much pleasure from but aren't on forums like ours
and unlike my lucky self are still completely unaware of the possible
dangers that lay ahead. When i think back to my first flights it was
pure luck nothing happened. Since those first flights it's been down
to all the help and advise i've been giving by all the experienced
pilots on here that has seen me through. Everything you need to know
is out there, you just need to look ?

TreeHugger said:

What does help is if you have multiple drones.

Never-not be able to fly!

Just sayin

Click to expand...

what!?

I look at it as flying my computer. This is not some toy drone like the first one I bought.
You can buy a some what nice laptop for 400 dollars.
There are check list out there to follow.
You should pretend that you are on the drone and your life depends on it while flying it.
I do not know of any pilot that just jumps in a plane and flies it.
Like I said before.... Check all you settings, calibrate it, and test your "return to home" to see if it works before taking off for long flight.
Never depend on the sensors to save your drone and the drone will not save itself.
We at tech support have a saying that most errors occurs between the keyboard and the chair.
I have seen a lot of stupid stuff that operators can do so crashing a computerize drone is no surprise to me.

From some of the questions posted here it is obvious that some never read the manuals.

I do tend to fault DJI for not including the Full 60-70 page manuals, as inadequate as they may be, in the box with the drone.... instead of posting them online only and not providing the URL prominently and with strong cautions. The QuickStart guides by their nature are absent most of the important info.

No worries Old Man Mavic, i think it was a good post/topic
to talk about on here and hopefully remind people including
myself how things can go wrong and unfortunately quite often
do. ????

old man mavic said:

I am genuinely saddened ,by the number of posts ,that start with my drone flew away ,or my drone crashed etc
and when our resident experts have delved into the logs ,most of the time it is pilot error that is the cause of the issue
the drones we fly have very complex systems ,that allow them to fly the way they do ,and it does not take much, to cause problems ,if some thought as to what needs to be set up correctly before take off is not considered,and then once in flight, what things need to be considered ,to have a successful outcome
I know how upset I would be if my drones got damaged or lost ,so I have made it my mission to find out as much as I can about what keeps my drones safe and sound

Click to expand...

While these incidents seem that way they seem to be a necessary part of learning.
Who here has never crashed? Celebrate it as the normal path that we must all walk at one time or another.
He is now moving on the path.
Until you moment of doubt and pain comes you don't really listen to all the advice, so we humans need a bit of pain to learn.