I'm officially "that guy".

[Lord Kristine]

So I won a DX3 drone at a carnival and I decided to do some light testing. Unfortunately, what I anticipated to be a ten foot hover ended up being a fly-into-the horizon kind of thing. This was made worse when I panicked and turned off the remote, which in hindsight was the stupidest response possible. Anyway, no one was hurt, and I managed to somewhat use the auto landing feature, though I found the drone on its back. I want more practice, but I'm scared something bad will happen. Is there any way to guarantee an emergency landing with this model?

 

[Rick M]

Ideally, you want to start slow and small and avoid needing an emergency landing. If you start off trying to keep it within 10-20' of you, an emergency landing becomes cutting the throttle and letting it fall in the grass (or onto the carpet). Start by learning to hover close, with the nose away from you. MAstering little fine movements early are what will make you a great drone pilot later on.

 

[Lord Kristine]

Ideally, you want to start slow and small and avoid needing an emergency landing. If you start off trying to keep it within 10-20' of you, an emergency landing becomes cutting the throttle and letting it fall in the grass (or onto the carpet). Start by learning to hover close, with the nose away from you. MAstering little fine movements early are what will make you a great drone pilot later on.

There's an automatic landing program, which is what I put on before I found the drone. I think the drone did not land properly because I found it on its back. I tried the down button on the first crash, and I had to switch off the propellers manually. Is there a button to just shut off the thing entirely before it gets too far on this model?

 

[mozquito1]

Noob + grass = lots of fun
Noob + hard ground = £ & time.
Keep it low, be ready to use the failsafe or turn the Tx controller off.

 

[Chuck]

Noob + grass = lots of fun
Noob + hard ground = £ & time.
Keep it low, be ready to use the failsafe or turn the Tx controller off.

That's one thing that is rarely stressed when it is recommended to "find a wide open space to practice". A wide open GRASSY space. I found out through trial and experience, that wide open unoccupied parking lots paved with asphalt and/or concrete are very punishing on drone landing struts, and sometimes the lower fuselage too.

 

[mozquito1]

30% of the time I still bounce & flip on landings. I think you did right just turning it off. If you feel like you lost control or orientation. Try not to panic, if near roads or ppl get some height. Give a little roll to the right, if it goes left, you are nose in. So push forward to come back. If push right & you go right then nose out. Simple I know but it's remembering in a panic.
So the quad is still working. If it floated down then the failsafe worked. It may have been uneven ground that flipped it.
Dont be scared. as Bruce says, fly it like you stole it or your not having fun.

 

[dragger201]

Simple I know but it's remembering in a panic.

Yeah, mozquito, that's been a hard one for me to overcome. Things go sideways and I lose my mind. I'm getting better, but not there yet. Last week it happened on my first FPV with googles flight and my QX90 is in a tree and I can't find it.......................

 

[mozquito1]

Wait til winter & no leaves. No beepy esc's or rssi to go off.

 

[pdmike]

Be sure to calibrate your quad before each takeoff. Mine was going wild on takeoff until Rick pointed out that you must calibrate after each time you crash it (which I of course was doing on each attempted flight). Once I began calibrating prior to each takeoff, things got a lot better very quickly.

 

[Lord Kristine]

I actually figured it out not too bad on my second try.

 

[mozquito1]

If you got the option to calibrate on every take off, that's dandy but. I find not necessary. Maybe after a heavy crash if nothing is broke. Should be more concerned with bolts & props. I find it's easier to go out with a few drones if you have that option also saves time.
Did you find it yet.
I spent nearly 3 hrs kicking through nettles looking for my quad.
It wasn't till I give up & was walking away saying ill be back in the morning, when I saw the led's on the fcb. It was about 20' from the acre I was kicking through.
That was back when simonk had no beeps like blheli did. I upgraded just for the beeps as adding a buzzer to the fcb was a bit daunting, as only having a 6channel Tx, which needed a firmware flash to get 18 channels on ibus so I had an extra switch to put the buzzer on. But found blheli where a more smoother experience. I since got round to all the rest. The grey matter maybe slow but sets like concrete. Research Liverpool docklands in the 80'-90's that's where I was dragged up. Left school with nothing basically. But worked since I left @ 15.
If I can pick this up anyone can. Stick at it.

 

[pdmike]

Spotting led's on the fcb. Simonk had no beeps like blheli did. Adding a buzzer to the feb. 6channel Tx. Needed a firmware flash to get 18 channels on the ibus. Found blheli.

Got it!

 

[pdmike]

If you got the option to calibrate on every take off, that's dandy but. I find not necessary. Maybe after a heavy crash if nothing is broke

But seriously - I know what you are saying, but is there any harm in calibration prior to every flight?

 

[mozquito1]

But seriously - I know what you are saying, but is there any harm in calibration prior to every flight?

Absolutely not. Nothing wrong with being tiptop. I just find it a hassle. Hence upto 3 quads. If I crash heavy & it doesn't feel right. I'll pick another. Then make sure all quads are tiptop for next time I go out.

 

[Rick M]

You don't have to calibrate the gyros every flight, but if it takes 10 seconds, I don't see a downside. I do this on the Symas because why not? I'm the same way withe my Phantom. I check the IMU, gyro and compass calibration every flight. I know if will give me an error if any of those are too far out of calibration, but if they're not spot on when I check, I re-calibrate anyway. "Don't cost nuthin'"