Prop Guards...Your Thoughts?

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So I was out flying my Solo with a couple of guys that have also been in R/C a long time. They, however, have been long time drone guys, while until recently, I was into Helos and fixed wing R/C units. I mentioned that I thought it would be nice to have prop guards for the drones I would be using in my aerials. They immediately called them "training wheels", saying they were just for beginners, etc.

I countered with the fact that, if a drone were caught by the wind during a shoot close to, say a tree or wall, it could hit said obstacle. If that happened, more than likely the FIRST thing that would hit would be spinning props. IF the props were hit, and damaged, the drone would then possibly crash. It seems sensible to me to use prop guards as additional insurance from things like that. Why not have an additional insurance against that happening? They laughed and said "whatever".

I'm not a super-sensitive dude. I could care less about the "training wheels" label. But it seems to me (remember that I am pretty much a newbie to quads) that props guards are just a common sense addition in tight shoots. I could be missing something here. Thoughts before I buy me some "training wheels" lol???
 
I would think that would be a great idea for real tight shoots next to trees the killer package I purchased has a set of training wheels haven't used them yet.
 
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The only prop guards for Solo are made of material that allows them to flex into the props as the clearance is very tight.
Most confrontations with trees go bad because branches get into the props even with prop guards.
 
Thanks Steviewonder (I am an Ac.Eng. and ex-mix eng. from Nashville, so the Steviewonder thing is cool to me, lol).

Maddog, thanks for that info. I can see that if they are really flexible, it wouldn't be much protection anyway, lol. Well it was a thought anyway. I don't plan on getting that close anyway. I just thought it would be a good "insurance policy". Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it!
 
So I was out flying my Solo with a couple of guys that have also been in R/C a long time. They, however, have been long time drone guys, while until recently, I was into Helos and fixed wing R/C units. I mentioned that I thought it would be nice to have prop guards for the drones I would be using in my aerials. They immediately called them "training wheels", saying they were just for beginners, etc.

I countered with the fact that, if a drone were caught by the wind during a shoot close to, say a tree or wall, it could hit said obstacle. If that happened, more than likely the FIRST thing that would hit would be spinning props. IF the props were hit, and damaged, the drone would then possibly crash. It seems sensible to me to use prop guards as additional insurance from things like that. Why not have an additional insurance against that happening? They laughed and said "whatever".

I'm not a super-sensitive dude. I could care less about the "training wheels" label. But it seems to me (remember that I am pretty much a newbie to quads) that props guards are just a common sense addition in tight shoots. I could be missing something here. Thoughts before I buy me some "training wheels" lol???

When I first got into flying quadcopters I thought a set of prop guards would help if a fella was new and learning to fly a quad in doors. They do seem
to help but you can still mess up a set of props by crashing into things. I tried flying a WlToys 686 outside one morning with a set on the quad and
it wasn't long before I found out that was a big mistake. A gust of wind caught the quad and carried it out of controller range and so the rest of the
story, it crashed into plowed ground about 200 meters away. I never did find it after many searches and even used a X380 to try to locate it which
confirmed my idea that someone saw from the road and got it. Quadcopter 101 comment on prop guards, you don't want to fly with them outdoors
since they act like "sails in the wind". The Solo has plenty of power to handle high winds and adding those sails just would make it less stable.
The best thing to do is know where you are flying and stay away from questionable areas that are not safe for flying.
 
I agree with the above comments. Prop guards are not a good idea outdoors. The wind tends to catch them and if you hit a tree they will likely catch and then you are stuck.
 
I agree with the above comments. Prop guards are not a good idea outdoors. The wind tends to catch them and if you hit a tree they will likely catch and then you are stuck.
Well, I feel that I have received a good education from some good guys, lol! Okay, then, no prop guards for me, lol.

I really haven't considered closing in to the point where I should need them anyway, it was just a newbie thought, lol. Thanks everyone. I see your point about sails in the wind as well. As a fixed wing/helo R/C long timer, I understand aerodynamics and resistance. That makes sense. Shoulda thought of that, lol. Thanks again for the "free education". Maybe someday I can help another "newbie" with the info as well.

Thanks all!
K
 
Well, I feel that I have received a good education from some good guys, lol! Okay, then, no prop guards for me, lol.

I really haven't considered closing in to the point where I should need them anyway, it was just a newbie thought, lol. Thanks everyone. I see your point about sails in the wind as well. As a fixed wing/helo R/C long timer, I understand aerodynamics and resistance. That makes sense. Shoulda thought of that, lol. Thanks again for the "free education". Maybe someday I can help another "newbie" with the info as well.

Thanks all!
K

Well, I hoped we were of some enlightenment on these prop guards and no one needs to suffer a crash because of them. The Solo will literally
fly itself because of the control/electronics on it. You want to learn how to fly it without GPS and altitude control in case there is trouble with
GPS signal loss. RTH is good if you loose orientation but if there is no GPS signal then you are flying manually and FPV if you are lucky to
have a signal. I like to use the Tower app so I know where the quad is and it's location on the map. FPV is great until you lose video then you
are flying blind. You want to go to altitude for FPV re-connection of video.
 

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