- Joined
- Sep 19, 2015
- Messages
- 731
- Reaction score
- 403
- Age
- 61
OK, I'm a damned good pilot of RC planes and copters that far precedes my dealing with quads and Solo in particular.
So, I got the living s##t scared outta me yesterday. I'd charged 5 batteries and was going to do an informal examination of our local Middle and High schools. They're leaking during heavy rain and no one seems to know why.
Now, I've been getting a good 18 minutes from all my batteries. It never occurred to me to be careful about my first battery, the one included with Solo.
Picture this : I took it straight up like the Space Shuttle to get shots of the roof. At launch, my battery showed 92 percent. Pretty good!
I headed way upstairs, reaching 340 feet danged quickly. I took Solo a about a quarter mile away to get these shots.
Now, get this: when i got directly over my target the battery was around 85 percent. Plenty of time, right?
Things were going well indeed - I was getting some good video, and since I'd gotten my shots I just goofed around up there awhile. The battery was about 60 percent.
Well. Suddenly and without warning, my phone hollered that the battery was at 30 percent. I'd paid absolutely no attention to it - I've made far, far more risky flights.
Now ponder this for a second. If you're flying an RC plane, you simply glide gently down.
If you're flying a copter it's almost the same - you autorotate your way back to safety - no big deal.
With a drone? A quad copter? Well.... Lose power and it's all over, gentlemen,
Well, I immediately turned around for home. I'm 300 feet up, pretty far away - and my phone was screaming that I now had 5% power.
I was standing on a sea of blacktop and plain cement. 5% power, and I needed to drop down over 300 feet and simultaneously fly back to my position.
I saw it in my mind: the props simply stopping dead, Solo dropping like a rock, destroying itself and one of my now fairly rare GoPros.
Remember : I really did have only 5 percent. There was absolutely no way that I could get home safely. As I was hauling butt home, it dropped to 4%... 3%... And then, 2 %.
I was now directly over myself but still damned high: 140 feet. And then my battery dropped to zero. Absolutely, totally dead.
I was thinking about what a pain it'd be to replace my GoPro. Solo was coming down, but nowhere near fast enough. It shouldn't have still been flying at all. I figured it was at least 100 feet up. Not good.
Well - those props kept running with apparently zero power. I ended up having a pretty normal landing. Except for the fact my battery was dead.
Damn. Talk about dodging a bullet, and some great luck thrown in.
But here's the thing : I was absolutely terrified I'd see my Solo basically nuking itself on the pavement. There was no way on Earth I should have been able to land at all. There should have been Solo and GoPro parts scattered around all the way to the horizon. But remember, always when flying any where near the presence of people - double and quadruple check your gear and remind yourself why you're doing something this dangerous in the first place.
I suppose I'm trying to say that:
1 - Be damned careful. Don't fly over people, no exceptions.
2 - Pay very, very close attention to practical mods... in this case being a parachute. Get one immediately. If you can invent a good one I'll be your first customer.
Still though: I did get some great video!
So, I got the living s##t scared outta me yesterday. I'd charged 5 batteries and was going to do an informal examination of our local Middle and High schools. They're leaking during heavy rain and no one seems to know why.
Now, I've been getting a good 18 minutes from all my batteries. It never occurred to me to be careful about my first battery, the one included with Solo.
Picture this : I took it straight up like the Space Shuttle to get shots of the roof. At launch, my battery showed 92 percent. Pretty good!
I headed way upstairs, reaching 340 feet danged quickly. I took Solo a about a quarter mile away to get these shots.
Now, get this: when i got directly over my target the battery was around 85 percent. Plenty of time, right?
Things were going well indeed - I was getting some good video, and since I'd gotten my shots I just goofed around up there awhile. The battery was about 60 percent.
Well. Suddenly and without warning, my phone hollered that the battery was at 30 percent. I'd paid absolutely no attention to it - I've made far, far more risky flights.
Now ponder this for a second. If you're flying an RC plane, you simply glide gently down.
If you're flying a copter it's almost the same - you autorotate your way back to safety - no big deal.
With a drone? A quad copter? Well.... Lose power and it's all over, gentlemen,
Well, I immediately turned around for home. I'm 300 feet up, pretty far away - and my phone was screaming that I now had 5% power.
I was standing on a sea of blacktop and plain cement. 5% power, and I needed to drop down over 300 feet and simultaneously fly back to my position.
I saw it in my mind: the props simply stopping dead, Solo dropping like a rock, destroying itself and one of my now fairly rare GoPros.
Remember : I really did have only 5 percent. There was absolutely no way that I could get home safely. As I was hauling butt home, it dropped to 4%... 3%... And then, 2 %.
I was now directly over myself but still damned high: 140 feet. And then my battery dropped to zero. Absolutely, totally dead.
I was thinking about what a pain it'd be to replace my GoPro. Solo was coming down, but nowhere near fast enough. It shouldn't have still been flying at all. I figured it was at least 100 feet up. Not good.
Well - those props kept running with apparently zero power. I ended up having a pretty normal landing. Except for the fact my battery was dead.
Damn. Talk about dodging a bullet, and some great luck thrown in.
But here's the thing : I was absolutely terrified I'd see my Solo basically nuking itself on the pavement. There was no way on Earth I should have been able to land at all. There should have been Solo and GoPro parts scattered around all the way to the horizon. But remember, always when flying any where near the presence of people - double and quadruple check your gear and remind yourself why you're doing something this dangerous in the first place.
I suppose I'm trying to say that:
1 - Be damned careful. Don't fly over people, no exceptions.
2 - Pay very, very close attention to practical mods... in this case being a parachute. Get one immediately. If you can invent a good one I'll be your first customer.
Still though: I did get some great video!
