Watching the comments in the forums after the 1.3 update was released and combined with a spite of bad weather over the last few weeks, I held off updating my Inspire tot he latest firmware. I've had some disconnection issues since the previous update but it had been very intermittent.
So last weekend I decided to update everything. The update of the bird, batteries and Go app went smoothly however the master R/C refused to update despite several tries. No problem I thought, the slave R/C updated fine so I'll make that the master. Outside I go, calibrate the compass and away we go. Hovering in place for a while and testing out the controls, there was no immediate problems.
I climb to about 30 metres and it all seems fine. I do a small semi circle, testing the gimbal control and finally hover about 200 metres from where I'm standing. At this point the app video goes blank and I get a "Disconnected" message. The Inspire is slowly drifting despite being in GPS mode and there being little wind. Trying not to panic, I walk closer to the Inspire but still no connection. I remember reading other posts in this forum about disconnections and I hit the RTH button. The Inspire responds and starts heading back, the app is still showing disconnected. I notice that it is returning much faster than it did in previous versions of the firmware, but phew I'm relieved anyway that it is returning.
It hovers above the home point and starts descending. Then suddenly the Inspire darts off in one direction, I'm still disconnected and have no control. It flies into the top of a large tree, I hear sounds like a sawmill as it tries to cut it's way through the branches (winter here in New Zealand so no leaves on the tree). Eventually the motors cut out and it falls, landing heavily on the grass from about a height of 20 metres. I cross my fingers and hope that the lawn cushioned the impact enough not to cause any damage, however I was wrong. Three of the shock absorbers have completely snapped in half (I'm guessing that's what they should do after that type of impact) but one of the legs is broken off and hanging by the aerial wire. So my Inspire is off to the repair shop, dammit!!
Sorry to make this a rant but I'm gutted that every time DJI puts out firmware updates, it becomes Russian roulette as to whether it's safe to fly or not. As mentioned I haven't had any of the prior issues I've seen in these forums but maybe it was just a matter of time. I'm in IT and I get sick of companies releasing software upgrades and using their users as testers. A software program on my PC is one thing but a flying missile like the Inspire can do some serious damage. I'm trying to be a responsible drone owner but this shows that I really don't have control at all. If our cars did the same thing, we wouldn't put up with it and the manufacturer would quickly go out of business. Maybe the same thing needs to happen to these drone companies. In the meantime, my investment in what I thought was a professional piece of equipment turns out to be nothing more than an expensive toy.
Look back here later for a cheap drone, only smashed once!!!
So last weekend I decided to update everything. The update of the bird, batteries and Go app went smoothly however the master R/C refused to update despite several tries. No problem I thought, the slave R/C updated fine so I'll make that the master. Outside I go, calibrate the compass and away we go. Hovering in place for a while and testing out the controls, there was no immediate problems.
I climb to about 30 metres and it all seems fine. I do a small semi circle, testing the gimbal control and finally hover about 200 metres from where I'm standing. At this point the app video goes blank and I get a "Disconnected" message. The Inspire is slowly drifting despite being in GPS mode and there being little wind. Trying not to panic, I walk closer to the Inspire but still no connection. I remember reading other posts in this forum about disconnections and I hit the RTH button. The Inspire responds and starts heading back, the app is still showing disconnected. I notice that it is returning much faster than it did in previous versions of the firmware, but phew I'm relieved anyway that it is returning.
It hovers above the home point and starts descending. Then suddenly the Inspire darts off in one direction, I'm still disconnected and have no control. It flies into the top of a large tree, I hear sounds like a sawmill as it tries to cut it's way through the branches (winter here in New Zealand so no leaves on the tree). Eventually the motors cut out and it falls, landing heavily on the grass from about a height of 20 metres. I cross my fingers and hope that the lawn cushioned the impact enough not to cause any damage, however I was wrong. Three of the shock absorbers have completely snapped in half (I'm guessing that's what they should do after that type of impact) but one of the legs is broken off and hanging by the aerial wire. So my Inspire is off to the repair shop, dammit!!
Sorry to make this a rant but I'm gutted that every time DJI puts out firmware updates, it becomes Russian roulette as to whether it's safe to fly or not. As mentioned I haven't had any of the prior issues I've seen in these forums but maybe it was just a matter of time. I'm in IT and I get sick of companies releasing software upgrades and using their users as testers. A software program on my PC is one thing but a flying missile like the Inspire can do some serious damage. I'm trying to be a responsible drone owner but this shows that I really don't have control at all. If our cars did the same thing, we wouldn't put up with it and the manufacturer would quickly go out of business. Maybe the same thing needs to happen to these drone companies. In the meantime, my investment in what I thought was a professional piece of equipment turns out to be nothing more than an expensive toy.
Look back here later for a cheap drone, only smashed once!!!