Frank's Story

[TheLightSpeedz]

Mine would not even start up. I had to remove the battery and stick it in my pocket. Nothing quite as refreshing as a block of ice on your leg.

First off Frank... I was kidding. I love your car! I was just kidding!

I keep getting the battery warning here too... I started putting my battery on my heated seats in my Infiniti. Seems to get them just right.

It's weird I never got that warning until recently.


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[Frankc]

I wonder what the min temp is for it not to start up then?

Looks like there is a temp setting for the heli itself and another for the battery. If either are too cold then it warns you. Managed to have both so far. It's literally freezing out there at the moment.

 

[Frankc]

First off Frank... I was kidding. I love your car! I was just kidding!

I keep getting the battery warning here too... I started putting my battery on my heated seats in my Infiniti. Seems to get them just right.

It's weird I never got that warning until recently.


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Good idea about the heated seats. Unfortunately though I do not have heated seats in my daily drive. Will just have to keep the rucksack with the phantom in it in the footwell of the car with the heater blasting it.

 

[Frankc]

Franks Tip

Now this will sound counter intuitive but I promise its true. I got all set up to fly today and I got the "Remote Signal Weak", or what ever it usually says when its getting a week signal between the Heli and the remote. I have found that when you walk away from the Heli the message disappears and your good to fly. Obviously its not the case every time but if you do get that message try moving further away from the heli. I am sure there is a good reason for this but I have tried it once or twice now and it works every time. As I said its counter intuitive but it worked for me.

 

[John Locke]

Franks Tip

Now this will sound counter intuitive but I promise its true. I got all set up to fly today and I got the "Remote Signal Weak", or what ever it usually says when its getting a week signal between the Heli and the remote. I have found that when you walk away from the Heli the message disappears and your good to fly. Obviously its not the case every time but if you do get that message try moving further away from the heli. I am sure there is a good reason for this but I have tried it once or twice now and it works every time. As I said its counter intuitive but it worked for me.

Yes, sometimes the RC can be finicky. Sometimes I get no signal after waiting a couple minutes so I unplug the USB and reinsert, sometimes that works. Other times I've had to reboot the Go app. This doesn't happen very often, and I have no clue why it happens, but it's part of the quirks of the system I guess. I always make a habit of being 25'+ from the craft on take-off, just a habit.

 

[John Locke]

Good idea about the heated seats. Unfortunately though I do not have heated seats in my daily drive. Will just have to keep the rucksack with the phantom in it in the footwell of the car with the heater blasting it.

You could try one of these bad boys.

 

[Frankc]

Its, official. I have an addiction.

Today it was a biting freezing wind. Gusting quite hard. So I thought no flying today. Hmmm but I might be tempted anyway. So I left my tablet at home so I could not use the Heli which is in the car. Off I went to "walk the dog".

The dog and I ended up at our favourite flying, sorry I mean walking spot. Wind had died down a little, but not much. Shame its so windy.......... So I drove off to a less windy spot, don't want the dog catching a chill do we? Yes it was a little less windy. Shame I did not bring the tablet. I had the phone though. Perhaps I could fly it on that like I used to? Just to keep my hand in of course. So off we walked. Crunching our way across the frozen ground. I put the heli together. RC warned that the battery was too cold. Out it comes and into a warm pocket. One foot on the rucksack to stop it blowing away. Warm battery into the heli.

I will just fly it over there and back. It does very well in the gusts. Gets blown off track but soon comes back. I flew it away and brought it back. I wonder how it copes with winds higher up? I sent it up 300 feet. Coped well. Wonder what its like a bit further up? 600 feet, 800 feet, may as well go for the 1000. Nice view from up there...... up a bit more perhaps. Got to 1500 feet and got the message along the lines drones performance limited to preserve the battery. Ohhh dear I had better bring it down. Even with the lever fully down it still seems to take an age. Eventually I landed. One bar left on the battery. Will see if I can upload the video from today's flight.

Just can't leave it alone.

Terrible broadband where we are so instead of the video I am just going to put up a photo taken a 1,500 feet instead.

 

[Frankc]

First Crash.

Well I thought to myself its a beautiful day today. Light breeze, sun shining. Best day so far since I got the drone for actually flying.

Got to the flying/dog walking spot. Batteries in. Props on. SD Card in. App start up. Calibrated compass. Checked position on map. All settings ok. Took off. Rose 10 feet or so. Looking good. Started to fly away. Was about to press record and the heli starts flying wild. To say it was erratic was an understatement. Then it did a couple of somersaults and plunged props first in to the ground on its back. Sugar! (or words to that effect)

I walked over and quickly stopped the motors. What the farmers had just happened? Then I noticed it. One of the props was missing. No wonder it was jiggling around like a man with a big wasp in his trousers.

This is my poor downed Heli, after I had righted it.

Of course it had to come down and loose the prop in the biggest bramble bush around.

So I hunted around an in. No sign of the prop. So I packed up but decided to put my old job skills to the test, I was in S & R for some years, and no thats not like S & M .

My search got wider and wider. I found it. The prop must have gone wizzing past my head. It landed in the opposite direction to where I was flying.

The down arrow far right is where I took off from. Out of sight of the general public.
The arrow far left is the direction I took off in.
The arrow pointing to the right in the middle is the crash site, did not get very far thankfully. A battery is marking the spot.
The nearest arrow is my rucksack I put at a marker and you can just see the prop peeking out.
The dog is to give you a sense of scale. From crash point to prop landing is easily 40/50 feet in the opposite direction to what I was flying. At least it did not fly into the brambles!

Franks Tip.

Really make sure your props are on tight. I really thought mine were. Before anyone says the black props were on the black markers etc.

 

[Frankc]

Can only get better?

I got home. Cleaned up the props etc. Had a cuppa. Re-charged batteries. This was not going to beat me.

Got it assembled again only this time I notice that the prop that flew off would not screw back on again. It was a silver one so it had to go clockwise. I found I had to push down firmly as I turned the prop. It caught the threads and fitted. I don't think this was from the accident though it could have caused it. spinning it around and not actually fitting.

So I took off and decided to do what I tried to do this morning. Fly up to the hill. Locate the footpath that runs along the top. Fly along side it for a while and return. I did it no problem.

My head is getting into the auto function of flying the way the camera is pointing. It sounds obvious and easy but its not. Esp on the return trip where in theory anyway everything is the other way around. All in all a good flight.

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[Toddzilla]

Looks like there is a temp setting for the heli itself and another for the battery. If either are too cold then it warns you. Managed to have both so far. It's literally freezing out there at the moment.

Not aware that there is a minimum temperature trigger (ie a no fly temp) for the P3 itself, rather just for the P3 battery. Is Frankc's statement re minimum temp for "heli itself" true??
Comments/thoughts/reference(s) appreciated.

 

[Frankc]

Not aware that there is a minimum temperature trigger (ie a no fly temp) for the P3 itself, rather just for the P3 battery. Is Frankc's statement re minimum temp for "heli itself" true??
Comments/thoughts/reference(s) appreciated.

You mean you have never had the message that the aircraft is warming up? I get it almost every time. If there was no min flying temp then why would the heli have to warm up?

 

[Toddzilla]

You mean you have never had the message that the aircraft is warming up? I get it almost every time. If there was no min flying temp then why would the heli have to warm up?

I guess that I phrased my question poorly.... I meant to ask: "Is there an critical outside air temperature below which the P3 will not turn on AND which is not related to the battery temperature OR to the initial "warming up" the internal components need when first turned on.

 

[Frankc]

I doubt that the phantom has an external thermometer. Also there are some flyers out there in Alaska, and some are members on here too. So I doubt if there is a "critical outside temperature" factor. Except of course in that if the outside temperature is cold then the actual drone will be cold. If the drone is extra cold then you obviously take longer for the aircraft itself to warm up.
Battery temperature is independent. Initial warming up is what it says. I am sure some of the members in Alaska or colder climes with confirm or reject this hypothesis.

I have also noticed when I flew through the icy fog the drone sounded like it was struggling, brought it down quick. The props were iced up. Any aircraft no matter what its size does not like icing up.

 

[fastsmiles]

Can only get better?

I got home. Cleaned up the props etc. Had a cuppa. Re-charged batteries. This was not going to beat me.

Got it assembled again only this time I notice that the prop that flew off would not screw back on again. It was a silver one so it had to go clockwise. I found I had to push down firmly as I turned the prop. It caught the threads and fitted. I don't think this was from the accident though it could have caused it. spinning it around and not actually fitting.

So I took off and decided to do what I tried to do this morning. Fly up to the hill. Locate the footpath that runs along the top. Fly along side it for a while and return. I did it no problem.

My head is getting into the auto function of flying the way the camera is pointing. It sounds obvious and easy but its not. Esp on the return trip where in theory anyway everything is the other way around. All in all a good flight.

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Glad you're up and flying again.

 

[Frankc]

Thank you. Nice of you to say

 

[LSZ1318]

Really make sure your props are on tight.

Just started to finally use the motor wrench. I'll never tighten again without it...

 

[Frankc]

Must dig mine out of the box it came in If for nothing else than getting the props off after flying.

 

[TheLightSpeedz]

Must dig mine out of the box it came in If for nothing else than getting the props off after flying.

You don't need the wrench. They're supposed to be hand tightened. But do as you please.


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[LSZ1318]

You don't need the wrench. They're supposed to be hand tightened. But do as you please.

Yes but I have really greasy fingers. haha.

 

[Frankc]

Must dig mine out of the box it came in If for nothing else than getting the props off after flying.

No need to be touchy I have never yet fitted the props with the wrench. Thats why its still in the box, Always tightened by hand but aren't yours sometimes difficult to get off after flying?

Its all a question of common sense really. I was sure all my props were on tight this morning but all it takes is a lapse of concentration when your fitting them. Luckily mine flew off close to take off.