The Forum Ruined Me & My DJI Inspire 1

CCTPREZ · Aug 30, 2015

I received my 1st inspire in Feb, and 2nd In April. I have a combined 320+ hours. One I fly mostly for work projects in underground construction (dusty, windy, and at times tight spaced conditions), and the other for hobby/recreational (better conditions, but harder flying/more speed etc.). I've not had so much as a rough landing with either one, and my worst "issue" was pilot error flying a little too close to the ground over a weeded field, in which I chopped off a few taller dandelions, but only "issue" portion was cleaning it thoroughly after that says flight. I'm SO happy with both my B and C versions, but will admit, some of the horror stories do keep me on my toes, which is probably better than getting too complacent anyway. More than half of the stories I've heard are questionable however, in terms of whether it was user error or not, and another high percentage of the rest have me wondering if we're getting the whole story. Those that do not pay attention to battery charging methods, the manual, the app screen, or LOS, are bound to have issue that they may not have known they were warned about prior to the abrupt crash. People make stuff up and figure the louder they yell, the more attention they'll get from the manufacturers etc. The majority do seem to add a touch of exaggeration I'd say. Just my opinion, but when/if this ever happens, you can be sure I'll do my homework thoroughly before crying foul!

CCTPREZ · Aug 30, 2015

320+ flights, NOT hours, just re-read post after the fact. Didn't want someone to call BS before me, LOL!

Ewan Haggarty · Aug 31, 2015

The I1 is easy to fly both well and badly. It's quite cringewothy reading some posts where the main beef is 'it let me do it' or 'it did something I didn't understand'. Flying something like an I1 takes a bit of brain-on responsibility and if that is not part of the fun then it's not for you. I have only had one issue - a drop into ATTI mode at high altitude due to a sudden increase in the strength of wind gusts had my I1 sailing merrily downwind. That took just a few seconds to figure out - and it was my fault as I was flying in a 20kt wind. Do checks and RTFM.

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

Dave Stanton · Aug 31, 2015

Mpellet, as you can see from the responses, you are clearly not alone. John you make an excellent point, "OCD-like discipline" on craft checks, pre-flight checks. post flight checks and laser-like focus while flying can make a big difference. I too always have that fear in the back of mind of, "will this be the fly-away flight?!" That fear keeps me sharp and focused. If I do everything right and the craft still heads off to never-neverland, well then, there's not much I can do about that. I'm going to try and talk my boss into a GPS tracker. I figure if the I1 goes crazy and takes off, it most certainly will suffer damage but at least I should be able to find it (although it could be quite a hike here in the Piney Woods of Texas!). So far, knock on wood, I've had nothing but good luck with the Inspire 1. It's far more stable in wind than our Phantom and much easier to control so I find flying it much more enjoyable. John, I don't wear a vest but I do tell people who come up to chat about my "drone", "Hold on and I'll talk to you in just a minute after I land." Then, after I land I tell them all they want to know and say, "Now you can watch me fly again if you like but I can't answer questions as I fly because I have to focus on flying safely." I never get an argument or someone calling me rude. Mpellet, keep flying and have fun. If you, God forbid, suffer a fly-away through no fault of your own, I'd say if no one is hurt, consider yourself lucky and decide then if you want to fix or replace your I1.

Mpellet · Aug 31, 2015

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Just to get back to the thread, as I stated in my original post, I fly commercial aircraft for a living and have for nearly 30 years. I am long familiar with preflights, standard operating procedures, aircraft maintenance etc. Additionally I have for years flown RC collective pitch helicopters. Flying something as stable as the DJI Inspire 1 in "Atti" mode in terms of RC flying skills is about on par with removing training wheels from a tricycle. If you need further explanation go fly a 450 sized 3D capable RC helicopter and get back to me.

Many of these "what happened" tales clearly are pilot error and or pilot inexperience. I would go so far as to say, if you need to "train" in order to become proficient flying the DJI Inspire 1 in attitude mode, you should probably buy a $40 mini off Amazon and fly that for quite some time before you even attempt to put the battery in the DJI Inspire 1.

However I read threads here from folks who claim to have flown hundreds of flights, checked and rechecked their DJI Inspire 1 prior to flight and then they post videos shot from the machine apparently flying out of control and on its own. If these posts are legitimate, for me this aircraft/toy/hobby is not worth the liability and if these departures of control are valid, IMO a preflight check of your IMU and or compass calibration prior to flight is not gonna prevent them.

I suspect there may be something badly wrong with at least some of these machines or some sort of interference yet undiscovered is causing these out of control situations.

If my machine malfunctions and flies off on its own uncommanded, loss or damage to my DJI Inspire 1 is not my major concern. Having it hit something or God forbid someone on the ground is and given its weight, speed and potential range, even if flying in a somewhat remote area, unless deep in the wilderness or far out at sea, the machine is capable of traveling for miles and into heavily populated areas before it runs out of juice.

Sadly for me, the DJI Inspire 1, which I purchased strictly for recreation might be too much of a liability to operate, hence my declining enjoyment of ownership and loss of interest in flying it.

BrianG-InspirePH · Sep 1, 2015

Mpellet said:
This Spring I met a guy who had a couple of DJI Inspire 1s and he shared some video taken both of the aircraft flying and from the aircraft. Being a sucker to new hobbies and technology, a few weeks later a rather large box from B&H Camera arrived and I had my own DJI Inspire 1.

A little back ground on me, former Naval Aviator , 20+ year airline pilot and I own and fly a half dozen 3D capable RC helicopters and smaller quads. I am fairly comfortable and somewhat experienced with an RC controler in my hands. My initial reaction to flying the DJI Inspire 1 was "THIS IS AWESOME" and soon I was shooting both video and stills of a myriad of subjects and also launching and recovering the DJI Inspire 1 from my boat having a lot of FUN with the unit. I quickly logged 200+ flights and 15+ hours. Aside from some video signal interuption on my first DJI Inspire 1 performance has been perfect. When I called B&H and told them about the video signal not connecting on start up, they offered me a new unit and that D Model has thus far been perfect in all aspects. I must mention I was hesitant to return my original aircraft because it also flew PERFECTLY but the video conection issue was irritating so I accepted the return offer. YES I occasionaly fly in ATTI mode, which if you are an experienced collective pitch helicopter RC pilot or have flown smaller quads is still outrageously stable and easy to fly.

I have used the propeller lock system on machine one and quick release on machine number two. While the propeller lock system seemed a bit more fool proof, I have had no issue with the quick release and they seem fine.

Ok here is my problem, I can't help but occasionally read this forum and when I do I find myself drawn to the myriad of horror/ "what the fukc happened" stories and threads. Some of the first flight stories are obvious pilot error but the other " I never thought it would happen to me" tales written by folks who seem to have some experience leave me troubled. I used to look at my DJI Inspire 1 as a remarkably sophisticated aircraft that I had a lot of confidence in, now after reading all of this not so much.

Flying entirely over open fields is BORING but the thought of having my machine pull one of these Crazy Ivan's and causing damage to people or property on the ground is totally unacceptable, subsequently I find myself flying my DJI Inspire 1 less and less and am actually contemplating selling it.

Wondering if I am alone in these feelings or is anyone else who has had no flight issues with their machine loosing confidence in it simply from reading all the horror stories here??

Yup, I think we've all been there. What I do is I practice the manouvers that I'll be doing a few days before I do it. We use the Inspire for commercial shoots by the way. And I always fly with a "spotter" beside me who looks out for objects that I might not be aware of and call them out.

The Forum Ruined Me & My DJI Inspire 1

CCTPREZ

CCTPREZ

Ewan Haggarty

Dave Stanton

Mpellet

BrianG-InspirePH

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