On Easter Saturday I cried as my DJI 450 flew away into oblivion to never be seen again..or so I thought.
I'd been flying just on dusk amidst a heavily treed area just near where I live. Visibility was getting low so I decided it was time to quit so I started to bring my 450 back towards me.
Everything was going fine until I flew behind a tree and came out the other side and hit the overhead power lines. The 450 sort of untangled itself from the upper level wires and descended smack dead into the lower ones.
Once again it disengaged but when I attempted to control it, it just took off in the opposite direction until almost out of site. I have a Naza M Lite fitted so kicked in the failsafe but instead of it rising as it's supposed to do before heading back home, it just continued on it's merry way until I lost sight of it completely.
I couldn't understand what had happened and spent hours that night trying to see the flashing light of the Naza among the trees or on the ground but all in vain as was my search the following day and for several days and weeks after.
In frustration and with a glimmer of hope, I posted notices in obvious places like at the local school and on trees and telegraph post offering a substantial reward for info leading to the recovery of my baby.
At last I gave up after 5 weeks and decided to buy a F550. I ordered it online from a DJI dealer in Melbourne ( I live on the Gold Coast) (They're both in Australia
)
That was on Monday.
As is often the case, (like when you throw something away thinking you'll never need or use it again and then find the following day that you need it) on Tuesday afternoon I had the phone call I'd been waiting for, for 5 weeks. Someone had seen one of the notices at the local school and called me.
He'd found it the very evening I'd lost it when his dog started to bark so he went to investigate. He'd found it upside down under a tree where it must have come down when the batteries went flat.
It must have come down into the tree where it had flipped on descent hitting the bottom plate on a rock or something and breaking a small piece off the corner.
The only other damage was a broken cable tie which held one of the speedies on and the lipo battery wouldn't charge and was swollen.
It was obvious what must have happened as soon as I looked at it. The Naza satellite receiver disc had been spun completely around a full 180 degrees so it was pointing backward instead of forward and must have occurred when it entangled in the power lines.
I took it home, replaced the battery and the cable tie, turned the disc around and took it for a spin in the back yard.
Another happy ending to a true story...but now I have 2 multi-copters..... or I will when the new one arrives probably tomorrow.
I'm wondering now if there are tracking devices which can be fitted and activated with an Iphone?
I'd been flying just on dusk amidst a heavily treed area just near where I live. Visibility was getting low so I decided it was time to quit so I started to bring my 450 back towards me.
Everything was going fine until I flew behind a tree and came out the other side and hit the overhead power lines. The 450 sort of untangled itself from the upper level wires and descended smack dead into the lower ones.
Once again it disengaged but when I attempted to control it, it just took off in the opposite direction until almost out of site. I have a Naza M Lite fitted so kicked in the failsafe but instead of it rising as it's supposed to do before heading back home, it just continued on it's merry way until I lost sight of it completely.
I couldn't understand what had happened and spent hours that night trying to see the flashing light of the Naza among the trees or on the ground but all in vain as was my search the following day and for several days and weeks after.
In frustration and with a glimmer of hope, I posted notices in obvious places like at the local school and on trees and telegraph post offering a substantial reward for info leading to the recovery of my baby.
At last I gave up after 5 weeks and decided to buy a F550. I ordered it online from a DJI dealer in Melbourne ( I live on the Gold Coast) (They're both in Australia
) That was on Monday.
As is often the case, (like when you throw something away thinking you'll never need or use it again and then find the following day that you need it) on Tuesday afternoon I had the phone call I'd been waiting for, for 5 weeks. Someone had seen one of the notices at the local school and called me.
He'd found it the very evening I'd lost it when his dog started to bark so he went to investigate. He'd found it upside down under a tree where it must have come down when the batteries went flat.
It must have come down into the tree where it had flipped on descent hitting the bottom plate on a rock or something and breaking a small piece off the corner.
The only other damage was a broken cable tie which held one of the speedies on and the lipo battery wouldn't charge and was swollen.
It was obvious what must have happened as soon as I looked at it. The Naza satellite receiver disc had been spun completely around a full 180 degrees so it was pointing backward instead of forward and must have occurred when it entangled in the power lines.
I took it home, replaced the battery and the cable tie, turned the disc around and took it for a spin in the back yard.
Another happy ending to a true story...but now I have 2 multi-copters..... or I will when the new one arrives probably tomorrow.
I'm wondering now if there are tracking devices which can be fitted and activated with an Iphone?
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