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Short film about the crash and recovery of my Inspire 2

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Rented a cabin with some friends and decided to get some shots from the back patio. I've actually never flown in sub freezing temps before and unfortunately learned the hard way that iPads do not like the cold. The video goes over the crash and recovery of my I2 from a very tall snow covered tree at the edge of a halfway frozen river. It's mostly a silly video I put together for friends but thought I'd share it here. Warning it's exactly 5mins long.

 
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Exciting with happy ending ... nicely crafted video with a somewhat happy ending. Plus, a very cooling 5 minutes, a respite from heat and humidity of Florida!
 
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Ah yes the flying backwards into tree. This has happened to me on several occasions in all case it came crashing to the ground needing a lot of repair.

Glad you you got it back.
 
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Kewl video. Glad for the happy ending. But I have to comment on your assessment...

The RC talks to the UAS directly - with or without an iPad. The iPad is NOT a necessary part of the signal chain. The iPad only RECEIVES data from the RC UNLESS you're flying an automated (waypoint) flight, then SOME PROGRAMS slave the iPad as a Flight Controller (automated missions only). So if your iPad locks up or is even disconnected from the RC during MANNED flight, there will be no effect on the UAV. BUT....if you're slaving the iPad as a flight controller for AUTOMATED missions, THEN and only then can you run into erroneous flight characteristics up to and including RTH mid mission. I've had iPad lock up before due to heat issues. While this will profoundly effect automated flights, it will not have any effect on manual flights.

Not trying to troll here...but it's my firm belief that this was due to either pilot error OR a failure of another kind. When the RC loses connection to the UAV, it will simply stop in space. If it doesn't regain signal, it will go into RTH. That said... There is also the possibility of ERRONEOUS signal interfering with real-time function, but I haven't seen that kind of issue since the Phantom 1.

You should check your flight records - especially joystick positions. They will tell the whole story.

D
 
Kewl video. Glad for the happy ending. But I have to comment on your assessment...

The RC talks to the UAS directly - with or without an iPad. The iPad is NOT a necessary part of the signal chain. The iPad only RECEIVES data from the RC UNLESS you're flying an automated (waypoint) flight, then SOME PROGRAMS slave the iPad as a Flight Controller (automated missions only). So if your iPad locks up or is even disconnected from the RC during MANNED flight, there will be no effect on the UAV. BUT....if you're slaving the iPad as a flight controller for AUTOMATED missions, THEN and only then can you run into erroneous flight characteristics up to and including RTH mid mission. I've had iPad lock up before due to heat issues. While this will profoundly effect automated flights, it will not have any effect on manual flights.

Not trying to troll here...but it's my firm belief that this was due to either pilot error OR a failure of another kind. When the RC loses connection to the UAV, it will simply stop in space. If it doesn't regain signal, it will go into RTH. That said... There is also the possibility of ERRONEOUS signal interfering with real-time function, but I haven't seen that kind of issue since the Phantom 1.

You should check your flight records - especially joystick positions. They will tell the whole story.

D

I take full responsibility for the crash and you bring up a good point however I cannot explain how the drone accelerates as soon as the ipad looses connectivity. Maybe it was me but the iPad shutting down definitely contributed to the demise of the Inspire. Either way it was a risky shot being that close to the tree but I had filmed the same shot 2 times just before this last one so go figure.

Hey. Why is your Inspire 2 clicking for tree branches? Please explain. Do you not see?

I lost video signal on the iPad and the Inspire accelerated into the tree.

Ah yes the flying backwards into tree. This has happened to me on several occasions in all case it came crashing to the ground needing a lot of repair.

Glad you you got it back.
Yeah I was lucky it stopped right in the tree branch. But even more lucky finding someone to climb the tree the same day.
 
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Bummer on your I2. Looks like pilot error. Whenever I am doing a film project, one of the most potentially crash prone flights are 'fly backs' or 'pull backs'. It is absolutely critical that you have a VO helping. As you know there is zero collision detention from the back. It is too easy to fly backwards and become lulled into 'all is good'. A classic is backing into a power line or power pole. Fly backs need to be carefully planned. It is also easy to misjudge objects that look out of the path but are not. Using course lock and doing some forward flights on the path helps a lot. My 2 bits....
 
Also, as stated by others, locking up the iPad is likely not going to affect flight. I fly with a Crystalsky (w/ Cendence) and there are times it will lock and ask to reboot Go4. The thing you loose is video. Everything else will work. Unless you panic and start trying move joysticks, RTH, etc, it should hover. Where I get nervous is if it locks up with a low battery and I cannot see it very well. You can still fly it home if you can see it, EVEN if the screen is locked up or off.
 
Glad there was a happy ending. My son in law just flew his Mavic pro 2 into a tree while in sport mode. He was flying too fast and misjudged his trajectory. He paid a professional tree service $500 to come out on a Sunday afternoon, climb 60' up in the tree and recover his Mavic. Luckily there wasn't a scratch on it.I suppose it was worth it rather than lose the drone entirely. Its a painful lesson.
 
When I fly in the pines and around power lines I'm right next to the bird as it's launched. Then, altitude is your friend.

I mess around the trees with a toy drone and it's easy to misjudge how close your are. Got it stuck many a time. Luckily not too high up.
 
Rented a cabin with some friends and decided to get some shots from the back patio. I've actually never flown in sub freezing temps before and unfortunately learned the hard way that iPads do not like the cold. The video goes over the crash and recovery of my I2 from a very tall snow covered tree at the edge of a halfway frozen river. It's mostly a silly video I put together for friends but thought I'd share it here. Warning it's exactly 5mins long.


What did the tree climber charge? Hope you gave him a nice tip!
 

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