Should I wait to fly?

[Richard-Inspire]

Ironic timing that my Inspire arrives today - the day after the official iOS app arrives (great) but coinciding with a real surge in people reporting erratic behaviour and serious near misses (not great).

My question is - is this a very serious issue, or are we just seeing only the unlucky small % of reported 'bad cases' (given that one migrates to forums to share grief)?

I have sold all my quadcopter gear from the last few years to invest in this Inspire, and one of the main reasons is for a system that works, out of the box, that I can trust. My last copter became a bit of a frankenstein with all the things I put on it, and I lost confidence after a few compenent failures.

I've flown in Atti mode plenty (although on a less powerful copter with Naza speed limitations), so I'm not scared of doing that - but it does rather defeat the point of the Inspire. So much of the Inspire is marketed on its superior GPS and position holding etc, that to only fly it Atti is a bit defeatist. It eliminates many of the features of the system, including dynamic home point etc.

So far, all I've read is - don't use auto take off, don't use auto land, don't trust GPS mode. It's not very inspiring, to be perfectly honest.

Are these problems, on the whole, down to people not being careful enough in GPS mode (flying super fast and then panicking when it doesn't stop - ie it randomly dropped into ATTI mode) or perhaps down to not calibrating or doing proper pre-flight checks? Or are they a genuine BUG - in which case I'd have expected a bit more communication from DJI to tell us what to do.

I don't mind if my Inspire floats off in the wind a bit in the first few flights - I understand that that is just physics (in atti mode) But I don't want it doing 360 backflips or flying off at 50mph/45 degrees towards my face or people's property. I've spent enough time rebuilding broken quads and climbing trees, and this next stage in my hobby is about trusting the equipment to the point where I can actually enjoy the videography.

It will pain me to keep her grounded for any longer than is necessary, but I will be inconsolable if it smashes to pieces on its first flight.

 

[kilowonghk]

i believe only affecting those "unlucky small %", many still enjoying the awesome i1 like my included.

 

[The Editor]

Ironic timing that my Inspire arrives today - the day after the official iOS app arrives (great) but coinciding with a real surge in people reporting erratic behaviour and serious near misses (not great).

My question is - is this a very serious issue, or are we just seeing only the unlucky small % of reported 'bad cases' (given that one migrates to forums to share grief)?

I have sold all my quadcopter gear from the last few years to invest in this Inspire, and one of the main reasons is for a system that works, out of the box, that I can trust. My last copter became a bit of a frankenstein with all the things I put on it, and I lost confidence after a few compenent failures.

I've flown in Atti mode plenty (although on a less powerful copter with Naza speed limitations), so I'm not scared of doing that - but it does rather defeat the point of the Inspire. So much of the Inspire is marketed on its superior GPS and position holding etc, that to only fly it Atti is a bit defeatist. It eliminates many of the features of the system, including dynamic home point etc.

So far, all I've read is - don't use auto take off, don't use auto land, don't trust GPS mode. It's not very inspiring, to be perfectly honest.

Are these problems, on the whole, down to people not being careful enough in GPS mode (flying super fast and then panicking when it doesn't stop - ie it randomly dropped into ATTI mode) or perhaps down to not calibrating or doing proper pre-flight checks? Or are they a genuine BUG - in which case I'd have expected a bit more communication from DJI to tell us what to do.

I don't mind if my Inspire floats off in the wind a bit in the first few flights - I understand that that is just physics (in atti mode) But I don't want it doing 360 backflips or flying off at 50mph/45 degrees towards my face or people's property. I've spent enough time rebuilding broken quads and climbing trees, and this next stage in my hobby is about trusting the equipment to the point where I can actually enjoy the videography.

It will pain me to keep her grounded for any longer than is necessary, but I will be inconsolable if it smashes to pieces on its first flight.

Very well said !

I too do not have confidence in the current firmware. There are far too many erratic GPS issues for my liking. One of the things the Inspire is great for is its stability in windy conditions and the ability to get usable footage in those conditions. Unfortunately those same windy conditions are not the environment you really want your craft to drop into Atti mode just at the point you are framing your shot and concentrating on your app!

25mph winds will quickly see the Inspire disappear into the distance if one suffers a loss of orientation. Probably made even worse by the fact that we do not have a working IOC at the moment.

Although I am flying, I do not have the confidence in the craft as yet to say I can pop it up there and it will hover all day in one spot like my other multi rotors! I am in the process of becoming CAA certified, I have been flying collective pitch helis for years so am quite happy flying in Atti (or manual which the Inspire doesn;t give you anyway) and the Inspire is supposed to be going in my Ops manual.... At this stage, I'm not so sure!
It's not about whether I'm confident flying in Atti (which I am) it's about having confidence in your aircraft..... which at the moment I DON'T !

 

[Kilrah]

I tend to follow my own experience more than what I read... And as I now have about 15 flights without a single drop into ATTI or any other problem or abnormal behavior I'm personally feeling perfectly good about it.

Why "no working IOC"? Been flying with it several times.

 

[Richard-Inspire]

that's fair. having opened it and found no prop locks (which i had been told would be included) - is that another reason to keep her grounded, or provided I tighten then, and then check each time, should I be ok?

i can see that the huge disclaimer that appears on the v.10 iOS app about prop locks, DJI are not going to be accepting any liability for loss with this going forward.

 

[lrwskyfilms]

found no prop locks (which i had been told would be included) - is that another reason to keep her grounded, or provided I tighten then, and then check each time, should I be ok

Props locks should be additional safety, I've flown many times with no props locks just make sure you tighten the props by hand and don't do any rapid moves until you get them.

 

[AlexanderAF]

that's fair. having opened it and found no prop locks (which i had been told would be included) - is that another reason to keep her grounded, or provided I tighten then, and then check each time, should I be ok?

i can see that the huge disclaimer that appears on the v.10 iOS app about prop locks, DJI are not going to be accepting any liability for loss with this going forward.

I took the risk before my dealer sent me my prop locks. 5 of my 7 flights were without prop locks, most in windy conditions. I just ensured they were hand-tight and didn't have any issues. I can understand the consequence of losing a propeller would be high, but the probability of that happening is low.

In fact I do not recall seeing a single post of someone losing a propeller mid-air.

 

[Richard-Inspire]

presumably as they are self tightening, it is any movements that result in the motors slowing rapidy (and the props therefore keep spinning - off the thread) that will cause it. It seems unlikely to me, but it obviously has happened.

so no handbreak turns in other words?

 

[Kilrah]

To each his own again of course. I still don't have prop locks, but check tightening before every flight. I think I won't even bother with them.
The props are so light the probability of them having enough inertia to unscrew themselves even with hard dynamic braking seems quite low if they are properly tightened in the first place.

BTW braking effect isn't necessarily related to how hard you are on the controls. A nice wind gust can do a lot more than what you'll do at full stick.

 

[lrwskyfilms]

but it obviously has happened.

so no handbreak turns in other words?

Correct with the braking ESC's on the I1 you've got to be careful, less so the P2.

 

[AlexanderAF]

Still, have you heard of one single person report their props coming off during flight? I sure haven't...

 

[Tahoejmfc]

When you put on your props, make sure you hand tighten them on pretty darn snug and you should not have a issue unless the motors do any sort of braking due to high winds or very fast movements.

 

[lrwskyfilms]

Still, have you heard of one single person report their props coming off during flight? I sure haven't...

There has been cases and I doubt they turn the gains down, which meant flying out of the box the controls were very sensitive IMHO, this is why myself and others on here have turned the gains down.

 

[SloMo]

Not all successful pilots visit or post on this forum. All successful pilots are out there flying. I've got three Inspire 1's and currently flying them. I'd say......fly it!

 

[Airwolf13]

Just curious, why would you need THREE of them?

 

[Tahoe Ed]

He loves them??? I have two and fly them regularly. I would not be afraid to fly. If you are concerned use the prop locks, if not snug the props down and fly. I have not used prop locks and I have been flying an Inspire since the introduction in November. No prop loss. There have been two reports of the props coming off to my knowledge. You assess the risk and make your own decision.

 

[Richard-Inspire]

thanks guys that's all really helpful. one can get paralysed with paranoia. So long as my first few flights are very gentle, and I can check that there's no obvious errors, I feel like I will start to enjoy using it. for the moment, even seeing the size of the props brings me out in a small sweat compared with my old quad. those things could hack off a leg.

 

[Black Sky]

I was worried to fly as well in the beginning for the same reasons.
I now have prop locks but flew about 15 times without them, I was just told not to drop down to fast. I have a crew cab truck so when I put my props on tight I transported my inspire in the back seat and did not take the props on and off. You will have the prop locks soon,BnH sent mine the other day. As for your pilot system just do small flights in big open areas and see how it all goes.As you learn how it will react you can get more bold. The inspire amazes me every time I fly it. I bought an I pad then had to buy a nexus7 android to fly mine early. This craft has a ton of power and is way more stable than most,it makes flying fun not scary.

 

[Kilrah]

Just curious, why would you need THREE of them?

If you want to do any kind of work with them you'd want backup...