Skycat Parachute for drones
- Thread starter Nick F
- Start date
I write here again not to open another tread as the subject is related to this one:
I read everywhere about new cameras/accessories and other expensive items to install on our drones/Solos.
Especially after my Solo's "almost Fly Away", which luckily I managed to recover safely, I am very worried about the safety of my drone and, first of all, about the safety of the people/things I could hit if something goes wrong again.
Now my Solo is back in California as 3DR decided to replace it after having read my flight logs, so I am "grounded" surfing the web to see if a safety device is available.
I have seen a couple of parachutes systems for our UAVs, but, even reading this forum, it seems that nobody is as worried as I am about this safety aspect.
Drones are such a complex and recent technology that it is very easy that something could go wrong... I swear that when I lost control of my Solo I had my legs shaking thinking about what it could have hit if it crashed...
So my final question is: has anyone installed a parachute (or any another device) to fly more relaxed and to save the equipment in case of a crash?
Am I the only one wondering about this issue?
Thanks!
I read everywhere about new cameras/accessories and other expensive items to install on our drones/Solos.
Especially after my Solo's "almost Fly Away", which luckily I managed to recover safely, I am very worried about the safety of my drone and, first of all, about the safety of the people/things I could hit if something goes wrong again.
Now my Solo is back in California as 3DR decided to replace it after having read my flight logs, so I am "grounded" surfing the web to see if a safety device is available.
I have seen a couple of parachutes systems for our UAVs, but, even reading this forum, it seems that nobody is as worried as I am about this safety aspect.
Drones are such a complex and recent technology that it is very easy that something could go wrong... I swear that when I lost control of my Solo I had my legs shaking thinking about what it could have hit if it crashed...
So my final question is: has anyone installed a parachute (or any another device) to fly more relaxed and to save the equipment in case of a crash?
Am I the only one wondering about this issue?
Thanks!
I wonder about this all the time. Ever since un boxing my solo, I quickly realized I had a 4lb, 55mph, knife-twirling weapon. Not to mention $1000+ all in, up in the air.
It may be my age, it may be my wallet, but I'm super cautious when flying. I recently turned down a nice paying gig because it would have been near people (not to mention need for waivers, etc etc etc.)
Point is, we're putting finicky robots that are potentially lethal into the air. Precautions need to be taken. I watch in stunned amazement some of the knuckleheads on YouTube fly their $3k+ drones into the ocean, into walls, and people. Mostly avoidable.
Drones are often marketed as toys but they are anything but.
My "solutions" have been to follow the advice of much more seasoned solo flyers:
1. Read the manual
2. Program A button for manual flight
3. Don't move solo during the full initialization phase.
I would most definitely get a parachute system on anything larger.
I love the idea of a parachute and used to fly as Air Observer in a Cirrus SR20 with a rocket propelled chute. They tell me the airframe would still be destroyed, but it would (and has) save(d) lives. Felt as safe as one could feel in a tiny plastic cocoon.
But living around as much, or more water than land, I'd also like floats for my Solo - even more than a parachute. If you are flying around Venice (The Original), wouldn't floats be attractive as well?
For ROI (Return on Investment) I just don't know where all this add-on weight ends,. Some of these add-ons will certainly reduce flight time through weight and increased aerodynamic drag.
Another I think a reason people aren't really talking about these parachute systems is a lot of the time it wouldn't make much difference since people are flying at lower altitudes and pretty much the only time you'd need this is in a motor/prop/battery failure situation which is uncommon.
Let's say you're flying at 80 ft--it would likely need to be triggered automatically, which would be kinda complicated for the average bear to set up. In addition, those crashes are the ones 3dr supposedly warrants against, so there's not a huge financial incentive (though there is a liability incentive) to set something like this up.
Also, adding any kind of propellant to your chutes means making your flying death trap more dangerous and could even void Solo's warranty since it's extra weight and would likely involve software changes (I'm not certain about this part, but knowing 3dr it seems about right).
Let's say you're flying at 80 ft--it would likely need to be triggered automatically, which would be kinda complicated for the average bear to set up. In addition, those crashes are the ones 3dr supposedly warrants against, so there's not a huge financial incentive (though there is a liability incentive) to set something like this up.
Also, adding any kind of propellant to your chutes means making your flying death trap more dangerous and could even void Solo's warranty since it's extra weight and would likely involve software changes (I'm not certain about this part, but knowing 3dr it seems about right).
According to the statistics it is clear that, especially with the latest drones where the flight is 99% automatic, the causes for a crash are imputables mostly to a technical failure.
Reading the manual and following the right procedures is absolutely ok, but in my opinion it is far from being enough.
We are dealing with a "flying brick" with which anything can go wrong and if something does go wrong, there is virtually nothing we can do.
It is also true that usually our Solos fly at low altitude but still if something would happen I'd like to push a button where everything stop and a nice parachute opens.
According to some web sites the deployment procedure "takes" only 2 meters (7feet) of altitude loss and the drone would slow its descent anyway.
I recon it would be a lot better and less hurting for our Solos than smashing through a window (seen recently in this forum) or knocking against a tree.
Some of you mentioned 3DR policy for a replacement when it is "their fault", I am not sure this policy could last long, especially if the Company is not very healthy like it seems to be lately...
And again, my first worry when my Solo flew away was about a possible crash into something or someone!
So, to get to an end I contacted the site mentioned in the very first post above and they replied very quickly mentioning they have not developed a system specific for 3DR Solo like they have done for the DJI. (they wrote about some connections to the autopilot... bla bla...if you are interested I can copy/paste their answer...)
My next step is going this way now: Drone Parachute - ParaZero SafeAir UAV Safety Systems - Fly Safe
Let' see what they come up with....
Reading the manual and following the right procedures is absolutely ok, but in my opinion it is far from being enough.
We are dealing with a "flying brick" with which anything can go wrong and if something does go wrong, there is virtually nothing we can do.
It is also true that usually our Solos fly at low altitude but still if something would happen I'd like to push a button where everything stop and a nice parachute opens.
According to some web sites the deployment procedure "takes" only 2 meters (7feet) of altitude loss and the drone would slow its descent anyway.
I recon it would be a lot better and less hurting for our Solos than smashing through a window (seen recently in this forum) or knocking against a tree.
Some of you mentioned 3DR policy for a replacement when it is "their fault", I am not sure this policy could last long, especially if the Company is not very healthy like it seems to be lately...
And again, my first worry when my Solo flew away was about a possible crash into something or someone!
So, to get to an end I contacted the site mentioned in the very first post above and they replied very quickly mentioning they have not developed a system specific for 3DR Solo like they have done for the DJI. (they wrote about some connections to the autopilot... bla bla...if you are interested I can copy/paste their answer...)
My next step is going this way now: Drone Parachute - ParaZero SafeAir UAV Safety Systems - Fly Safe
Let' see what they come up with....
Last edited:
ParaZero answered that they are out of stock.
They will contact me when they will have more available in a couple of months time....
They will contact me when they will have more available in a couple of months time....
http://www.marsparachutes.com/product/solo-lite/
Found this system which looks ok and not too expensive...
Anyone of you know about it?
Thanks
Found this system which looks ok and not too expensive...
Anyone of you know about it?
Thanks
Similar threads
- Sticky
New Posts
-
Free Music / SFX Resource for Your Videos - Over 2000 Tracks- Latest: Eric Matyas
-
-
-
-