First crash!

[Wooglin]

I finally had my first crash with my Q500 4K. It happened yesterday. It was a bright sunny day with just a small breeze all day (not much more than 5-7 mph). I was at a park and flying just fine, had already switched to a new battery and was flying about 350 ft out when I noticed the screen starting to flicker and it stating that it wasn't connecting to the camera. I proceeded to turn it around and fly it back to me when I felt the controller vibrate and I look down and it said that it had lost GPS and I was flying manually. I didn't panic as it was about 150 ft from me. What scared me though is that it was drifting over toward a walking trail and there was one person on it. I don't know exactly how close it was to him but I started to land it. I guess I landed it too fast and it hit the ground propeller first flipping the bird and all I saw were parts flying everywhere. When I got to it one of the landing gears had popped off (they aren't screwed on, just for ease of taking them off) and the camera had come off. The gimbal lost one of it's rubber stabilizers which I never found. It also broke two props.

As far as damage goes, it could have been a lot worse but it landed on grass so I got lucky there. I don't know why I lost GPS because I've flown there several times and never had that problem before. It is in town so maybe something just interfered with the signal.

The hardest part it looks to me is putting the gimbal back together. The impact knocked all four rubber stabilizers out of the plate connecting it to the bird but I will have to order more of those if that is possible.

I've read where if you fly drones long enough a crash will happen, I'm just glad this wasn't too bad of one. Like I said, it could've been a lot worse, especially if it would've hit the only person on the walking trail who happened to be the only person within 500 feet of it.

 

[Steve Carr]

I finally had my first crash with my Q500 4K. It happened yesterday. It was a bright sunny day with just a small breeze all day (not much more than 5-7 mph). I was at a park and flying just fine, had already switched to a new battery and was flying about 350 ft out when I noticed the screen starting to flicker and it stating that it wasn't connecting to the camera. I proceeded to turn it around and fly it back to me when I felt the controller vibrate and I look down and it said that it had lost GPS and I was flying manually. I didn't panic as it was about 150 ft from me. What scared me though is that it was drifting over toward a walking trail and there was one person on it. I don't know exactly how close it was to him but I started to land it. I guess I landed it too fast and it hit the ground propeller first flipping the bird and all I saw were parts flying everywhere. When I got to it one of the landing gears had popped off (they aren't screwed on, just for ease of taking them off) and the camera had come off. The gimbal lost one of it's rubber stabilizers which I never found. It also broke two props.

As far as damage goes, it could have been a lot worse but it landed on grass so I got lucky there. I don't know why I lost GPS because I've flown there several times and never had that problem before. It is in town so maybe something just interfered with the signal.

The hardest part it looks to me is putting the gimbal back together. The impact knocked all four rubber stabilizers out of the plate connecting it to the bird but I will have to order more of those if that is possible.

I've read where if you fly drones long enough a crash will happen, I'm just glad this wasn't too bad of one. Like I said, it could've been a lot worse, especially if it would've hit the only person on the walking trail who happened to be the only person within 500 feet of it.

You did manage to avoid a lot more damage by getting it in close. The dampers are available and easily replaced. You can make a loop with dental floss and put it around the rubber neck and then pull it into the gimbal. It's a good idea to put a wire tie through the holes once it's together. Be sure to leave them loose so they don't restrict movement.
Hopefully you have a sd card under the battery in the ST10. The telemetry data is recorded there. You can copy the telemetry file from that flight and email it to Yuneec to see if there is a problem with the GPS module on your Q.
It's also a good idea to learn how to use the Green Arrow if you haven't used it. It will help to get the bird back to you.
After any crash it's a good idea to re-calibrate the compass and accelerometers.

 

[Wingshooter]

How old is your bird? It does sound like to me it had some kind of interference. I would be interested in seeing the telemetry data. If you get it off the card let me know and I will give you an email to send it to me to look at.

 

[Wooglin]

Unfortunately I didn't have an SD card in the ST10+. I forgot all about putting one there. Stupid of me to forget that as I have an extra card in my accessories box that I carry around in the case.

I don't know the exact age of the Q, I bought it used off of eBay. It does have the older white batteries and it was in perfect condition when I bought it.

Steve, thanks for the tips on how to replace the dampers. I was wondering how I was going to get those back in. After I got home I checked everywhere inside the bird for loose wires or anything like that and found none. Where I was flying is near a mall and a bunch of retail areas. It is a public greenway area that has about three football fields worth of flat empty space. The only thing is there are some power lines that I have to look out for but nothing too bad that can't be seen. I thought maybe that it needed re-calibrating before I took off that day but decided against it since I had flown there before. I got lucky that it was only really a hard landing more than a crash into something like a tree or power line or it just falling out of the sky.

I'm going to be extra careful going forward. Do you think it wise to re-calibrate at every new place I fly? I have heard of people on both sides of the fence on that topic.

Thanks for your replies. I'm still new at this but it is a blast to fly this thing! I can't wait to get better at flying. I am going to go sans camera out into a wide open field and fly in full manual mode very soon. I want to get better as a pilot and then work on my videography skills after I'm a more proficient pilot.

 

[Steve Carr]

Unfortunately I didn't have an SD card in the ST10+. I forgot all about putting one there. Stupid of me to forget that as I have an extra card in my accessories box that I carry around in the case.

I don't know the exact age of the Q, I bought it used off of eBay. It does have the older white batteries and it was in perfect condition when I bought it.

Steve, thanks for the tips on how to replace the dampers. I was wondering how I was going to get those back in. After I got home I checked everywhere inside the bird for loose wires or anything like that and found none. Where I was flying is near a mall and a bunch of retail areas. It is a public greenway area that has about three football fields worth of flat empty space. The only thing is there are some power lines that I have to look out for but nothing too bad that can't be seen. I thought maybe that it needed re-calibrating before I took off that day but decided against it since I had flown there before. I got lucky that it was only really a hard landing more than a crash into something like a tree or power line or it just falling out of the sky.

I'm going to be extra careful going forward. Do you think it wise to re-calibrate at every new place I fly? I have heard of people on both sides of the fence on that topic.

Thanks for your replies. I'm still new at this but it is a blast to fly this thing! I can't wait to get better at flying. I am going to go sans camera out into a wide open field and fly in full manual mode very soon. I want to get better as a pilot and then work on my videography skills after I'm a more proficient pilot.

Generally the Q would only need calibrations if you suspect that it is not flying as well as it should. Many people have flown a Q for a couple of years and have never done any calibrations.
When your say you plan to fly in manual mode do you mean with the GPS off or are you referring to Angle Mode?

 

[Wooglin]

I'm going to take it off of GPS. I want to learn to fly with just the sticks. I have a friend who flies RC planes and he says to get to know how the bird reacts and how to fly it. Once I get comfortable with that I'll go back to GPS flying. It won't be anything hard at first, just some turns and altitude changes then work up from there.

 

[Rayray]

I'm going to take it off of GPS. I want to learn to fly with just the sticks. I have a friend who flies RC planes and he says to get to know how the bird reacts and how to fly it. Once I get comfortable with that I'll go back to GPS flying. It won't be anything hard at first, just some turns and altitude changes then work up from there.

Please don't start the learning process in more than a gentle breeze.

 

[Wooglin]

Definitely not. I'm going to wait until the air is still. Thanks for the advice, I need all I can get for a while, then hopefully I can be of some help to other new pilots!

This is a great forum! I try to tell others I know about it whatever they fly. They can find the forum for their birds and get the same good advice that I have gotten.

 

[Jafo]

I'm going to take it off of GPS. I want to learn to fly with just the sticks. I have a friend who flies RC planes and he says to get to know how the bird reacts and how to fly it. Once I get comfortable with that I'll go back to GPS flying. It won't be anything hard at first, just some turns and altitude changes then work up from there.

IMO... your friend has given you some super poor advice.
You want the bird as stable as possible and once your very good at that... then you start thinking about taking it off GPS. Your friend wants you to learn in reverse. If you want to learn how to fly without GPS and save you hundreds when you crash, get a little 250 quad racer and have it. Trust me... you'll be glad you did.
Flying without GPS is unlike any flying you've done so far.

 

[Wooglin]

I see your point. Thanks for the advice. I'm pretty comfortable flying that way but I guess you're right, I need to become an expert pilot WITH the GPS on then go to total manual flying.

 

[skrubol]

When learning to fly without GPS, only fly in a wide open area, keep the drone pretty close (where you can tell what direction it's facing by looking at it,) and keep it pointed away from you until you really get the hang of it.

 

[New Yuneec Q500 +Pilot]

If you wish to keep the camera fully attached to the camera platform, why not go to the Lowe's or Home Depot and purchase a few zip ties, especially the small lengths. Simply thread each one through the rubber dampers and pull each fairly snug. Then snip off the excess length.

Jim
New 4K Pilot

 

[Cort01]

The idea of loose safety ties for the gimbal dampers is an excellent idea. Having already crashed and burned, I am going to take that advice before the next flight. Besides protecting the rubber mounts it should keep the communication wires from getting ripped out.

 

[New Yuneec Q500 +Pilot]

I am glad you think the zip ties are a good idea. Actually, the idea for them was my wife's idea. After having a crash 13 months ago with my Blade Chroma 1080P quad and seeing the camera separate from the mount, I realized something had to be done. Now, I used the ties on my new Q500+4K.

Jim
New 4K Pilot.

 

[Jafo]

Small nylon screws and nuts work well as does fishing line through the holes and tied off.

 

[New Yuneec Q500 +Pilot]

That's a good idea! I never considered small nylon screws or fishing line.

 

[BigHos]

Nylon screws work if the dampers are in compression. The Q500 has them in suspension. Using nylon screws would only server to transfer more vibration to the camera.

The dampers are simple to reinstall, so just use some light string, floss or something very flexible to allow the mount to move all it wants (ie. very loose) and if it separates in a crash, all the parts are still attached ready to be put back together.

Personally, I've seen lots of people talk about zip ties and my fear is that they are too stiff to allow for full freedom of movement and can still transfer vibrations. For that reason, I've never tried it, so keep that in mind. String is cheap and absolutely works. I use black fishing line so it blends in.

 

[Jafo]

The Nylon screws work just fine as this is what I use.
Correct in that you don't want to over tighten whatever method you use and compress the dampers.
Jmo thanks.