PunkStar Studios
Member
I've lost 2 DJI copters now.
First one was the quad (F450).
The GPS hold didn't hold so well and it drifted and hit a branch. No big deal - some very basic patch work. A few flights later it looks like either it lost a prop or an arm cracked. I marked that up to my fault - I was too cocky playing chicken with the branched ;-) and obviously missed something that failed a few flights later.
Next I picked up the 550 (hex). Had a hell of a time getting it configured (odd since the first one worked out of the gate) - but in the end I got the GPS and all that stuff working beautifully.
Today I was doing about the 20th flight or so on it, showing off the GPS return home/land feature. So I took it a good distance out and hit a switch that forced it into fail safe mode. It started acting kind loopy - like a toilet bowl effect - and was getting further and further away. Quickly took control again to try and nurse it home. Couldn't do it - it seemed completely out of control as it was swirling around and getting further and further away (and higher by the looks of it). Finally I lost sight of it. Hell - it must have been miles away. I switched the radio off - hoping that the GPS return home (which has worked perfectly many times before this) would do it's job - nope. It's erratic flight makes me think that it lost a prop or something.
So somewhere - miles away from here - there's a $700 pile of equipment somewhere. Hopefully not on the hood of someone's car... but man - it was WAY the hell out there.
Definitely won't be getting another DJI machine.
First one was the quad (F450).
The GPS hold didn't hold so well and it drifted and hit a branch. No big deal - some very basic patch work. A few flights later it looks like either it lost a prop or an arm cracked. I marked that up to my fault - I was too cocky playing chicken with the branched ;-) and obviously missed something that failed a few flights later.
Next I picked up the 550 (hex). Had a hell of a time getting it configured (odd since the first one worked out of the gate) - but in the end I got the GPS and all that stuff working beautifully.
Today I was doing about the 20th flight or so on it, showing off the GPS return home/land feature. So I took it a good distance out and hit a switch that forced it into fail safe mode. It started acting kind loopy - like a toilet bowl effect - and was getting further and further away. Quickly took control again to try and nurse it home. Couldn't do it - it seemed completely out of control as it was swirling around and getting further and further away (and higher by the looks of it). Finally I lost sight of it. Hell - it must have been miles away. I switched the radio off - hoping that the GPS return home (which has worked perfectly many times before this) would do it's job - nope. It's erratic flight makes me think that it lost a prop or something.
So somewhere - miles away from here - there's a $700 pile of equipment somewhere. Hopefully not on the hood of someone's car... but man - it was WAY the hell out there.
Definitely won't be getting another DJI machine.