I saw that good price at Vertigo Drones this morning.
Why you ask?
"Pilot error leads to a beautiful red, white and blue strobe display!"
While catching the local fireworks in the valley below my home last night, I forgot to check the security of the second battery on my beloved H Plus.
1) 8 minutes into the flight, I switched from angle to sport mode to run the battery down for a planned landing at 50 % .
2) However, 23 seconds later, telemetry ceased, 15.3 volts, current 69, flight mode 7, error flags 0
She went into a quiet free fall, with only the 2 landing gear mounted strobes blazing away.
I went full throttle and uttered a calm "oh no" as I watched the descent.
For a second I had hope, because I heard the motors again, they were auto rotating, and unlike the helicopter, there's no aft cyclic to cushion the landing.
She continued vertically into the heavy woods, crashed, and I heard some part rolling down the steep terrain for several seconds.
Thunderstorms were in the forecast for this morning. So last night, armed with a pair of flashlights, my iPhone with the drone scanner app for the H Plus' remote id module, leather gloves and safety specs for the thorns and densely-wooded brush, I went downhill to hunt for my favorite drone.
Using the app, it took me an hour to get within 50 meters of the remote ID . It was still broadcasting.
When I turned off the flashlight, I could see a strobe light. I'd move closer, turn off the flashlight and repeat until I found the H Plus resting against a tree. Once I was within 20 meters, the flashlight's shine would catch the reflective orange YuneecSkins decals. The OEM battery, labeled "002," was approximately 1/4 inch (7mm) dislodged from the body. The other strobe was about 5 meters to side, still flashing and attached to a detached landing gear arm. The remote ID module was about 10 meters further downhill. When I returned home, I put the 2 batteries on the dual charger to place in storage. The battery that experienced the free fall was at 74 %.
The c23 must have been the "some part rolling down the steep terrain...."
I wish I had applied the reflective decals to the c23. I searched twice today, once pre- and once post-thunderstorm, no success.
Anyway, it's great drone, if you need spare parts, batteries or another ST16s for team mode, keep an eye on this forum's classified section. I have plenty of spares, etc.
Note, I will not sell any of the parts from this freefall, I estimate it fell 80 meters.
