Warning to potential new solo pilots! (Pre-Purchase)

[Marich]

Well worded Tony, I'm a private pilot with about 850 hours of flying experience - that didn't help me when solo lost GPS the wind shifted it right into my camper before I could catch it. I think any good drone owner should practice manual flying often, it certainly would've saved me! We get spoiled by all the fully automatic position holding and aren't prepaired to really fly when needed!

Very well said indeed.
The part that worries me most is described in your last sentence.
With a piece of technology like the Solo, I fear that not only aren't people ready to actually fly when needed....
...but rather that many don't know how.

 

[Planeoldjim]

I have to admit I thought being a private pilot would give me an edge flying drones - it absolutely does nothing from the mechanical flying aspect, where it HAS benefitted me is a good understanding of airspace, TFR,s and what flying activities are frowned on by the FAA.
Drone manufacturers MUST get proactive and incorporate programs similar to hover in to there apps or at a minimum make consumers aware of the apps available to consumers before attempting any flight. Solo should add a video to the training series concerning airspace, TFRs and no fly areas, maybe even make viewing the video a pre condition of first flight. Better to police ourselves than have ridiculous restrictions imposed on a entire drone community because of the actions of a few ignorant drone owners!

 

[Kmd1984]

You should change the title and make it more generic, as what you are saying applied to any beginner, flying any drone. Just saying.

Kmd

 

[Planeoldjim]

Farout,

I use the Marco Polo system on my birds and love them. It's small and compact. You can track to devices with one receiver and there are no monthly or subscription fees. The only caveat is that you have to be within about two miles of the tracker to get a read on it. Once you've got a read it's simply a matter of following arrows. You can read about it here:

RC Model Tracking and Recovery - Pet Tracking Made Easy | Marco Polo The Pet Tracking System

Jerry

Do you have any pictures of the MP mounted on a solo?

 

[Shootn]

If anyone on this board is an administrator please, delete my account. Honestly. I wanted to make a post or two as I saw a couple that like this where talking about the options for a UAV and what to expect. I've done that now and will go back to flying what I build or what I can rely on. Not a White one or Solo.

You don't have an account, you're a guest.

 

[J R]

Plane,

Here you go...

 

[Hank Perritt]

Sounds great I totally agree with areas last post at least,goodbye. Seems like someone who didn't do any of what was mentioned in the op and now wants to throw his fit. If you gave up long ago why are you now here other than to complain about something you no longer have and provide zero value to the forum. McCabe please do what he asked and give him the boot.

I am baffled--well maybe not baffled; just annoyed--by the tendency of many on this forum to attack anyone who comments on the Solo's many defects, at odds with the promotional advertising when DJI put it on the market.

I am an aeronautical engineer and a commercial helicopter pilot. I am not a neophyte, having owned Phantom 2s, Phantom 3s, Cinestar 8 HL, and a Blade Chroma. The objective facts are:

1. The Solo still does not have features that were advertised, such as camera control.

2. It is excruciatingly slow to get GPS lock.

3. Its technical support is worthless most of the time. The personnel respond reasonably promptly, but usually offer nothing but boilerplate cautions to stay away from structures and magnetic fields. Their command of the English language is wanting, and they ignore specifics in reports of problems. I've had at least two dozen exchanges with technical support and all but two were unhelpful.

I haven't given up, yet, however. My Solo is back with 3DR under an RMA, to see if they can determine why the motors won't start after the most recent firmware update, why it won't get a level calibration, why it won't get a GPS lock in the same position where it got one before the firmware update, and why, when it was flying before the update, the gimbal went into a seizure every the vehicle was commanded to yaw.

I registered it with the FAA for use under my section 333 exemption, and it has a tail number on it, so that makes be especially reluctant to scrap it or try to return it for a refund.

The purpose of any forum is to allow participants to report candidly on their experiences. To engage in an ad-hominem attack on everyone who does so is churlish.

Hank Perritt

 

[Planeoldjim]

Plane,

Here you go...

View attachment 1771

Thanks for the photo, is the accessories bay still accessible?

 

[J R]

Thanks for the photo, is the accessories bay still accessible?

Plane,

Yes it is as far as I can tell. If necessary the tracker could easily be moved. Also, I checked carefully and there is no interference by running the zip tie through the slot, it's blank space in there.

Jerry

 

[Planeoldjim]

I am baffled--well maybe not baffled; just annoyed--by the tendency of many on this forum to attack anyone who comments on the Solo's many defects, at odds with the promotional advertising when DJI put it on the market.

I am an aeronautical engineer and a commercial helicopter pilot. I am not a neophyte, having owned Phantom 2s, Phantom 3s, Cinestar 8 HL, and a Blade Chroma. The objective facts are:

1. The Solo still does not have features that were advertised, such as camera control.

2. It is excruciatingly slow to get GPS lock.

3. Its technical support is worthless most of the time. The personnel respond reasonably promptly, but usually offer nothing but boilerplate cautions to stay away from structures and magnetic fields. Their command of the English language is wanting, and they ignore specifics in reports of problems. I've had at least two dozen exchanges with technical support and all but two were unhelpful.

I haven't given up, yet, however. My Solo is back with 3DR under an RMA, to see if they can determine why the motors won't start after the most recent firmware update, why it won't get a level calibration, why it won't get a GPS lock in the same position where it got one before the firmware update, and why, when it was flying before the update, the gimbal went into a seizure every the vehicle was commanded to yaw.

I registered it with the FAA for use under my section 333 exemption, and it has a tail number on it, so that makes be especially reluctant to scrap it or try to return it for a refund.

The purpose of any forum is to allow participants to report candidly on their experiences. To engage in an ad-hominem attack on everyone who does so is churlish.

Hank Perritt

I can only speak to my experience, I have had great luck with my solo, had a few gimbal droops but they went away with the last update, no experience with any other drones so can't speak to them but overall I'm extatic with mine. Sounds like you got a dud...

 

[Jubalr]

I am baffled--well maybe not baffled; just annoyed--by the tendency of many on this forum to attack anyone who comments on the Solo's many defects, at odds with the promotional advertising when DJI put it on the market.

I am an aeronautical engineer and a commercial helicopter pilot. I am not a neophyte, having owned Phantom 2s, Phantom 3s, Cinestar 8 HL, and a Blade Chroma. The objective facts are:

1. The Solo still does not have features that were advertised, such as camera control.

2. It is excruciatingly slow to get GPS lock.

3. Its technical support is worthless most of the time. The personnel respond reasonably promptly, but usually offer nothing but boilerplate cautions to stay away from structures and magnetic fields. Their command of the English language is wanting, and they ignore specifics in reports of problems. I've had at least two dozen exchanges with technical support and all but two were unhelpful.

I haven't given up, yet, however. My Solo is back with 3DR under an RMA, to see if they can determine why the motors won't start after the most recent firmware update, why it won't get a level calibration, why it won't get a GPS lock in the same position where it got one before the firmware update, and why, when it was flying before the update, the gimbal went into a seizure every the vehicle was commanded to yaw.

I registered it with the FAA for use under my section 333 exemption, and it has a tail number on it, so that makes be especially reluctant to scrap it or try to return it for a refund.

The purpose of any forum is to allow participants to report candidly on their experiences. To engage in an ad-hominem attack on everyone who does so is churlish.

Hank Perritt

Well written Hank and I'm sorry to hear your Solo has not been up to par. I certainly have no issues with anyone that comes on here to discuss their issues and legitimately seek help and advise to address their issues.

I only take issue with those that get a bad product and use that and their anecdotal experience to take it upon themselves to believe that the product is obviously flawed and must warn everyone to not purchase that product. All manufacturers have customers that have had a bad experience with their product, from Ford to Apple and DJI. But it doesn't mean that the product it self is fundamentally flawed, just that the one they received was.

My self, I have a great deal of experience with RC for 35 years and MRs for the last 4-5 years and find the Solo to be my favorite. Never an issue, great GPS lock, smooth Gimbal and very reliable. I genuinely hope that they find the issues you have and solve them soon.

Thanks again for the great write up.

Fly Safe..

Jubal

 

[frank agostino]

I agree with jerry people should know all the rules and regulations but 3dr should release this simulation program so people can fly there drone on a computer first let them get their feet wet then going to an open field where there is no one around and get a feel of flying a drone in real time
I made a phone call last week to 3Dr and ask them about their simulation program they had no answer for me we were promise this simulation program when we purchased our solos. Another product we have to wait for

 

[frank agostino]

I agree with jerry people should know all the rules and regulations but 3dr should release this simulation program so people can fly there drone on a computer first let them get their feet wet then going to an open field where there is no one around and get a feel of flying a drone in real time
I made a phone call last week to 3Dr and ask them about their simulation program they had no answer for me we were promise this simulation program when we purchased our solos. Another product we have to wait for

 

[Marich]

I am baffled--well maybe not baffled; just annoyed--by the tendency of many on this forum to attack anyone who comments on the Solo's many defects, at odds with the promotional advertising when DJI put it on the market.

I am an aeronautical engineer and a commercial helicopter pilot. I am not a neophyte, having owned Phantom 2s, Phantom 3s, Cinestar 8 HL, and a Blade Chroma. The objective facts are:

1. The Solo still does not have features that were advertised, such as camera control.

2. It is excruciatingly slow to get GPS lock.

3. Its technical support is worthless most of the time. The personnel respond reasonably promptly, but usually offer nothing but boilerplate cautions to stay away from structures and magnetic fields. Their command of the English language is wanting, and they ignore specifics in reports of problems. I've had at least two dozen exchanges with technical support and all but two were unhelpful.

I haven't given up, yet, however. My Solo is back with 3DR under an RMA, to see if they can determine why the motors won't start after the most recent firmware update, why it won't get a level calibration, why it won't get a GPS lock in the same position where it got one before the firmware update, and why, when it was flying before the update, the gimbal went into a seizure every the vehicle was commanded to yaw.

I registered it with the FAA for use under my section 333 exemption, and it has a tail number on it, so that makes be especially reluctant to scrap it or try to return it for a refund.

The purpose of any forum is to allow participants to report candidly on their experiences. To engage in an ad-hominem attack on everyone who does so is churlish.

Hank Perritt

Well... another very experienced RC pilot, ultralight pilot, class E skydiver and novelist chiming in...
There's a difference between objective fact and empirical fact. Simply put, the Solo is a better quad than any of the Phantoms, empirically.
One reason, I suspect, that you see a defensive attitude on display here is because after being bombarded with endless posts from clueless newbies attacking their drone, we are tired and skeptical. Happens to the best of us.
Now. You've made three posts, the one above, another complaining about the shoddiness of the gimbal, and one about crappy video feed.
I expect most folks here can determine for themselves what your motives may be.
Sorry to appear churlish. But facts are facts.

 

[Bigskyflyer]

I am baffled--well maybe not baffled; just annoyed--by the tendency of many on this forum to attack anyone who comments on the Solo's many defects, at odds with the promotional advertising when DJI put it on the market.

I am an aeronautical engineer and a commercial helicopter pilot. I am not a neophyte, having owned Phantom 2s, Phantom 3s, Cinestar 8 HL, and a Blade Chroma. The objective facts are:

1. The Solo still does not have features that were advertised, such as camera control.

2. It is excruciatingly slow to get GPS lock.

3. Its technical support is worthless most of the time. The personnel respond reasonably promptly, but usually offer nothing but boilerplate cautions to stay away from structures and magnetic fields. Their command of the English language is wanting, and they ignore specifics in reports of problems. I've had at least two dozen exchanges with technical support and all but two were unhelpful.

I haven't given up, yet, however. My Solo is back with 3DR under an RMA, to see if they can determine why the motors won't start after the most recent firmware update, why it won't get a level calibration, why it won't get a GPS lock in the same position where it got one before the firmware update, and why, when it was flying before the update, the gimbal went into a seizure every the vehicle was commanded to yaw.

I registered it with the FAA for use under my section 333 exemption, and it has a tail number on it, so that makes be especially reluctant to scrap it or try to return it for a refund.

The purpose of any forum is to allow participants to report candidly on their experiences. To engage in an ad-hominem attack on everyone who does so is churlish.

Hank Perritt

Maybe some here, especially the ones that tend to defend the solo to the end, are starting to realize it has real issues. No, not all of them but alot of them. Anymore than any other brand, no. The solo is a great quad but has its own set of issues that 3dr needs to work thru. When all is said and done the majority of solos, just like any quad, are flying without problems. If you think this forum is bad you need to visit some others. It will only get worse from here on as the solo's problems are only starting to surface now.

 

[Arthur Burke - N4PJ]

Both Good Posts above Jerry. And the first post would be just as valuable if you substituted 'Solo' for any brand of Multirotor. Having been in RC for years and a member of this forum almost from the beginning, I have to say that I attribute much of the fact that after 4 months of flying Solo and still on the original props to my experience in MRs and RC in general. There is no perfect product out there and many owners even with experience have had troubled machines. But a great deal of crashes and problems can be attributed to a couple of things that you touched on; New pilots expecting too much and 3DR promising too much and marketing to the masses in consumer electronics stores. The latter just gives me the shivers thinking about it! Little Johnny and Sarah asking mom & dad for this neat drone (regardless of brand) they saw in Best Buy or the adult that sees it on an impulse buy. They go home to their crowded neighborhood, charge it up and head out to the yard to fly with no prior experience or study! After all how hard can it be? I've seen the videos. I've played video games. All I have to do is hit the 'Fly' button. If I get in trouble, no problem, I have a pause and a RTH button too! What can go wrong?

The other thing that gets me, that we see every now and then, is people like #Area25. It's unfortunate that they have a bad experience, but they assume their experience is that of the majority of buyers and feel that they should warn people not to buy and make blanket statements about the design and insinuate that all buyers will have the same experience they did. And when you challenge them they will generally say something like 'just look around on the forums at ALL the people with problems! Why just last week, I saw 4 people that had flopping gimbal problems!"

I don't care what the product is, forums are no way to draw a conclusion about any product. You can go to any product forum of any product and find people with problems. Why? Because this is the age of the internet and WHEN people have an issue with any product THEY are the ones that will seek out and post their issue online. The ones that are using and enjoying the product are much less likely to go online looking for answers. Solo purchases are now way up in the 1000s, and many owners like myself are flying them just fine and pleased with the results and have had no issues.

I wish more buyers that have no experience study and buy a simulator program first. For most people this is a major purchase, why risk it so easily. At least read through these forums first and save some headaches. We still see people that get low to the ground, the Solo starts having an issue and they press the Pause key. Why? Because that is what 3DR wants you to believe is your anytime savior! But had you study some and read of others experience, you would know that if the Solo is having a problem in Fly mode, the Pause is not going to do anything as it is still in the same mode. I know many on here get tired of me preaching it so much, but learn and practice to fly in Manual! It's not only more enjoyable, it WILL save you $ and frustration.

The world of the quad-copter is similar to the advancements seen in amateur radio. Novices from the really old days had crystal-controlled transmitters, would send out a call, then have to listen virtually all over the band to see if anyone responded. There isn't really much justification for "...the new ops should have to go through the same process I did...."

Johnny or Susie or mommy or daddy arrives at the big box store, sees the Solo or (fill in the blank) and decides they want that one.

Simulator? DJI delivered a simulator for their P3 - if you use an iOS device. Otherwise, the promised simulator has never been made available for the droid devices. (Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.) Additionally, you may consider yourself lucky if the sales personnel even know there's a simulator (or if you can buy one separately.)

On the one hand, we shouldn't expect that someone learning to drive should be forced to start learning with a manual shift transmission. At the same time, we should recognize that many cars now have a "START" button on the dash. How do you "remove" the mindset that since this quadcopter also has a START button......

I think the OP is more or less spot on, but he's preaching mostly to the choir. How do you deliver those messages to the masses who've not yet spent their money?

Art Burke - N4PJ
Leesburg, FL

 

[Marich]

Well... an interesting comparison, to be sure.
Mindful of the days when the first personal calculators arrived on the scene. They were almost universally banned in classrooms - such as mine - because although they could provide the solution to a complex problem, they couldn't teach you to solve that problem.
Very true - and very much they same rule applies here.