Flew up 4400ft, could not descend fast enough. CSC?

[andisblue]

I love the way everyone jumps on the kid for being stupid and reckless, but i have asked this question several times before with no answer.

Can you use CSC to drop safely to a lower altitude and recover?

Let's put it into terms that all you "by the book, never break a rule pilots" will understand.
Lets say you are safely flying at 400 feet and your genuine DJI battery suddenly drops from 50% to 20%. You start to descend and can do the math and there is no way that you will safely reach the ground at the rate the battery is dropping.

Do you let it run out and crash or do you use CSC?
I am sure someone has done it...

It looks as if you need about 100' after the motors have started up to arrest the rate of decent. Some idiot tried this over a residential area after climbing to 6000' on you tube.

Thank you. That is what I have always wondered.

Thanks for the responses - I was just curious about this for a while, but never thought it was worth testing.
Also, apologies for trolling ... and whatever child-abuse, jealous, anger-filled past manifested those reponses. Seriously!

 

[ussvertigo]

Well folks, here is the father and As a long time pilot myself with a good number of time in the seat, you would think even myself would be a conservative drone flyer. And I'm not condoning, but my sons actions in regards to ensuring an extra margin of power for a return from any height, distance, ie, was based on performance before change in the firmware I installed before I sent it to him for use. I informed him the 2/ms limit would have to be accounted for when going up. But I didn't have but one use of the drone in this situation.I told him I almost lost it also due to this new slow descent nearly running out of battery. So he's a kid, he did not violate any FAA rules (that I can find), he was always in visual contact, and acted honorably telling me truthfully what happened and would buy me another right away, which I refused. And that's the other side of the story.
1993 Christmas my son was the one that bought me the first Phantom2 with Zen-2D and Hero3+GOpro. He taught me to fly and operate the thing, and if you had seen me on a video game controller playing my son, then you know the public was in trouble. But I learned slowly, some nice video here and there. Then the crashes, trying to expand my reach of what I could, I could not fly thru water, or a river, the side of my house, number of trees I won't say, and also a 150' freefall on to asphalt. So feeling sorry for thrashing his present to me, I wanted to pay him back so I bought him the Phantom2 with Zen 3D, mini isod, VideoTX, Monitor on DJI TX. So he got some use and good video, but learned a hard lesson on this, and we felt even, so those out there that have never made an error or regretful mistake, you will. Hey and the guy said I ought to kick his ***, he's 6'4 230lb, I'm 5'7" 170lb, I'm tired of get thrown onto the roof. Anyway its been a wonderful father son experience getting into this hobby feet first, we compete with smaller drones and the next Phantom will have strict rules on limits ensuring reserve power. But thanks for all the understanding comments; My thought on the CSC falling rescue is Russian roulette, may or not work cause it most likely will start tumbling. CaptG

 

[Clipper707]

...he was always in visual contact...

How does one maintain visual contact at 4400 feet?

 

[dirkclod]

...he was always in visual contact...

How does one maintain visual contact at 4400 feet?

I don't know Clipper as I sure can't !
So I just read all this for the first time and it looks like dad has been reading all this as it has played out . .. :shock:

 

[andisblue]

...he was always in visual contact...

How does one maintain visual contact at 4400 feet?

At night, you can see the P2 lights from far away, especially if directly overhead.

 

[steveeds]

It's all about comprehension and seeing what you read without bias,it's a good start.

Most threads have a general continuity.

 

[Hughie]

...he was always in visual contact...

How does one maintain visual contact at 4400 feet?

At night, you can see the P2 lights from far away, especially if directly overhead.

I think you are missing the point.

The whole idea of LOS is so that you are in a position to make an informed decision about how best to avoid collisions.

With a few LEDs shining in the dark close to 1 mile up, if another aircraft's light approached yours you would have no clue whether to climb or dive to take avoiding action. I dont think your idea of LOS meets safetly guidelines and I think you are being disingenuous to suggest it does.

 

[ianwood]

I think you are missing the point.

The whole idea of LOS is so that you are in a position to make an informed decision about how best to avoid collisions.

With a few LEDs shining in the dark close to 1 mile up, if another aircraft's light approached yours you would have no clue whether to climb or dive to take avoiding action. I dont think your idea of LOS meets safetly guidelines and I think you are being disingenuous to suggest it does.

+1. At 4,400ft, you have zero capability to avoid oncoming traffic. Even at 1,000ft, it would be close to impossible. Rules or not, common sense needs to prevail.

 

[SteveMann]

My thought on the CSC falling rescue is Russian roulette, may or not work cause it most likely will start tumbling. CaptG

If the Phantom comes alive in GPS or ATTI mode, then it will probably recover quickly. I am not going to risk my Phantom to test this, but here's a video of one being thrown in the air:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8sHoOZ9EbM[/youtube]

 

[jason]

1993 Christmas my son was the one that bought me the first Phantom2 with Zen-2D and Hero3+GOpro. CaptG

Really!! The technology (Phantom2 with Zen-2D and Hero3+GOpro.) wasn't available back in "93". :roll: I guess there's just a tad of embellishment to his story. You think!! :lol: :lol:

 

[rstekeur]

You'll shoot your eye out with that thing. Just what everyone needs another story on the 7 o-clock new. "Delta Pilot spots drone at 4400 feet", and "FAA suspends all hobby drone operations" and guess who were all going to blame.

 

[Marlin009]

1993 Christmas my son was the one that bought me the first Phantom2 with Zen-2D and Hero3+GOpro. CaptG

Really!! The technology (Phantom2 with Zen-2D and Hero3+GOpro.) wasn't available back in "93". :roll: I guess there's just a tad of embellishment to his story. You think!! :lol: :lol:

Runs in the family. :roll:

 

[Clipper707]

1993 Christmas my son was the one that bought me the first Phantom2 with Zen-2D and Hero3+GOpro. CaptG

Really!! The technology (Phantom2 with Zen-2D and Hero3+GOpro.) wasn't available back in "93". :roll: I guess there's just a tad of embellishment to his story. You think!! :lol: :lol:

Typographical error makes more sense.

 

[ussvertigo]

Wrong! Wrong! Well, OK it was a typo, I meant Xmas 2013. I don't look at what I type. But you young guys should know we did have awesome technology back in 1993, cutting edge, totally over you kids head. To fly you had to be extremely careful to slide the thin balsa wood wing into the flimsy balsa wood frame, hold the propeller while being careful not to over wind the rubber band, and there she goes! And we also had RTH. When the neighbor found it in her flower bed, she promptly stomped it into a small pile and threw it back in our yard.
Seriously, as I said before, I don't condone flying drones at extreme heights, or out of sight. My son is a kid (with a degree) that pushed the limits. He paid. He now understands this had potential and eventual consequences (and I had told him so). I'm glad he brought this out on this forum, he took his knocks and from me, but its this shared experience thru this forum, that helps us all to be better, especially in my case. And again as a pilot, when flying under visual rules, your looking for other aircraft to avoid, and most drone can be easily missed because of their size and color, but adding to this, the lights on most drones are focused or aimed toward the ground. And on both sides, the numbers just keep going up. CaptG

 

[flybynight]

I just imagined what would of happened if i borrowed my dads buick and attempted to see how fast it would go.
Probably be my last drive for awhile.

 

[Prophecies]

I'm not in the US, but I was under the impression that it was against the FAA laws to fly above 400 feet?

 

[SteveMann]

I'm not in the US, but I was under the impression that it was against the FAA laws to fly above 400 feet?

No. It's only a recommendation in an advisory circular.

 

[pilsburypie]

Well, your "lad" (doesn't sound much of a kid to me!) has had a bit of a flaming on here and also has bust his /your Phantom. I'm sure he's big enough to take it on the chin and if you both get a new one, lesson learned. Don't let the harsh comments from this foolhardy endeavor dissuade you from saddling up again or posting on here. If it was just pride and the Phantom that was hurt, worse things have happened at sea....

 

[ussvertigo]

This saga has a happy ending (considering). I received box of broken phantom parts from son eager to salvage what I could. It fell far enough that it probably reached terminal velocity, and seemed the GoPro/gimbal took the brunt of the sudden stop. Both were totally destroyed, camera lens was shattered completely with case buckled, gimbal frame severely bent, two front props and one top shell arm broke, and both legs now just nubs. I replaced esc on broke arm, top shell, legs, all from inop P2 (the one my son gave me, which I crashed every way possible) and two new props. A careful test flight blew me away, without even doing a imu calibration it flew as good as new, even the boscam tx still worked sending the iosd info. And I got right up on it while hovering and there was no visible vibration, but this changed after I then removed props and top shell to verify level before doing advanced imu cal. I had marked the props position before the first test flight (not sure why I marked them), but did not installed in same location for second test flight and then it had moderate vibration showing most at bottom of legs. It still performed great, but the vibration was enough to make me worry about the cal method I used, and then I thought about the props. I landed, switched the props to marked positions and wow, back to smoothness I rarely see (no kidding, it was as smooth as a sewing machine). I was lucky on the placement for the 1st flight, and marking them. Otherwise I would have just accepted the vibration as a normal result. I am very aware now on the importance of prop influence, and will definitely get a prop balancer. Even the battery had been ejected and frame broke in several pieces. I used frame from famous early failure battery of 1st P2 and so far works fine. But will only use for close flying due to several dents in two of the six cells. So when you crash, and we all eventually do, there is hope.... these birds are pretty tough.