I have lost two P3P's due to flyaways in the last two weeks.  I've been traveling so one is somewhere in a Kansas corn field and
one (today) in a tropical Kauai isolated private property.  Both are gone.  I should have prefaced this by saying I'm a safe
"pilot".  I don't take risks, or so I thought.  Neither was a wind issue.  While staying within my limits my video feed froze,
there was not response to controls and then the video/app went dark.  Both are gone, lost.
  I know there are issues with the p3 but after taking advice from the forum and being conservative on my flying it still
happened.....twice.
  I know the likelyhood of getting a refund is a reach but THIS IS A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT..... It will fail, it happened to me
twice, it can happen to you, the question is when.  I know some of you will dismiss this, that some of you think that with
your knowledge and experience this won't happen to you.  But the reality is they shouldn't sell a defective
product, one they know had issues from the start.
  What would you recommend, get another one or switch to another brand?

In my opinion a 3DR Solo equipped with the optional gimbal and a Gopro 4 Black camera is better than a Phantom 3 Professional. It is also a better bang for your buck, and is an excellent deal if you already have a GoPro.

After losing 2 already, and given your belief that they were both defective, I can't imaging you getting another one! Sorry to hear about your problems with them. I can only tell you that I've flown over 200 miles on my P3P without any problems. Firmware version 1.2.6, with the VPS turned off.  I would say good luck, but it looks like you don't have any!

Hello there,
say did you sync your flight records to the cloud...I would like to look them over to see if I can help you...or you could post them here so all the pilots could see your flight data to better help you...I think if I lost two p3p I would not trust them any more...can you say...inspir 1...upload your flight records in equipment view so I can see the serial numbers of each p3p...it will help us a lot with the numbers so we can help you...!!! ;-(

tspray52106 Posted at 2015-7-27 12:19
In my opinion a 3DR Solo equipped with the optional gimbal and a Gopro 4 Black camera is better than ...

Hello there,
Peter over at acesdeals.biz has the new  4k q500 ready to ship way more bang for your buck comes with a really nice hard case, two batteries and its own monitor for FPV....a hand mount for the 4k cam so you can use it off the bird and this thing breaks down in 15 sec. With no tools....has a 30_min flight time x 2 with the extra battery...just-say-in...!!! ;-)

Link: http://www.acesdeals.biz/
Link: http://www.acesdeals.biz/apps/webstore/products/show/5835402
email: peter@acesdeals.biz

mdazel Posted at 2015-7-27 13:20
Hello there,
say did you syink your flight records to the cloud...I would like to look them over to  ...

mdazel, I don't know if I'd trust anything DJI puts out now.
But, you never know.  When it worked it made some beautiful
images...

joel@zwink.com Posted at 2015-7-27 13:49
mdazel, I don't know if I'd trust anything DJI puts out now.
But, you never know.  When it worked i ...

Hello there,

Say I don`t know if you saw my reply to tspray52106 but I will make it easy for you and past the post to you ... not a re-post a bit of help for a downed pilot...!!! ;-)



Hello there,
Peter over at acesdeals.biz has the new  4k q500 ready to ship way more bang for your buck comes with a really nice hard case, two batteries and its own monitor for FPV....a hand mount for the 4k cam so you can use it off the bird and this thing breaks down in 15 sec. With no tools....has a 30_min flight time x 2 with the extra battery...just-say-in...!!! ;-)

Link: http://www.acesdeals.biz/
Link: http://www.acesdeals.biz/apps/webstore/products/show/5835402
email: peter@acesdeals.biz

Where in Ks?

Trilithon Posted at 2015-7-28 01:11
Where in Ks?

Farm town west of Wichita..... Was flying over some irrigation in a corn field.  Made some beautiful video, sent it back up.  Controls froze and it disappeared on both instances.  Tried to enact RTH but nothing happened either time.  Hard to prove a problem when you have no drone.

Question already asked.;) I find my flight-record in the DJI-app accurate.

mdazel Posted at 2015-7-27 22:38
Hello there,

Say I don`t know if you saw my reply to tspray52106 but I will make it easy for you a ...

The Q500 4K has the problem with the out of focus edges which is a no go but i agree from everything i read its a stable platform. Does the 4K model still have the awful video latency from the older Q500 and the very poor range?

This screen went black thing must be a power loss in the air, otherwise the P3 should have returned to the home point. Its impossible that it cant find the home point twice,very unlikely. So i guess your P3 had contact problems.

joel@zwink.com Posted at 2015-7-28 15:52
Farm town west of Wichita..... Was flying over some irrigation in a corn field.  Made some beautif ...

"Farm town west of Wichita" describes every town West of Wichita.... Just wondering if I should go out looking and get some spare parts.

mdazel Posted at 2015-7-27 13:20
Hello there,
say did you sync your flight records to the cloud...I would like to look them over to s ...

Yesterday I had a nearly identical situation as Joel described. Flying from houseboat in the middle of a 200+ feet deep lake. P3 was in line of sight within 100' when picture froze, I stopped any control inputs waiting for it to come back. Instead the app crashed and black screened for a few seconds. When it came back on line it was screaming "low battery" (when I was at 50% before it started going haywire) and I heard an autible, either an Auto-land or RTH function had kicked it. Couldn't see the app at that point due to glare and wasn't going to take me eyes off P3. Somehow I stopped it from going anywhere and it was "responding" to manual control. Now that I think more on it, the response to control inputs acted if they were delayed, maybe by a second or two. Frankly, I'm not sure what was going on. I did manage to get it close enough to crash into the boat where it stopped, hanging over the gunwales. A VERY close call.
I've read some old post to see how to access, sync or upload my flight records, but if I can figure out how to get them to you, I'd appreciate your thoughts.

P3P
Firmware 1.1.9
Nexus 7

Fingerlaker Posted at 2015-7-29 03:45
Yesterday I had a nearly identical situation as Joel described. Flying from houseboat in the middle ...

if you get the info to recover the data let me know please.

With 150K sold it's hard to imagine 2 defective units going to one person.
There is unlikely any brand you will be able to keep.

Have you flown for years or were these your first quadcopters?

Anything is possible but the reports of losing P3's (which are not the pilots fault) are pretty rare. Two of them? Almost impossible.

App is known to freeze - video is known to stutter or freeze (most can be fixed or at least mitigated with some adjustment).

NEITHER affect your R/C control of the quadcopter. I flew for 5 minutes yesterday after the app crashed....it even kept recording video.

Had you enabled multiple flight modes and tried the ATTI setting?

Sorry for your loss - but I fear getting any other model will result in a similar situation. Only suggestion I can give is that you can buy a SquareTrade warranty if you buy from B&H.

Good Luck

tspray52106 Posted at 2015-7-27 12:19
In my opinion a 3DR Solo equipped with the optional gimbal and a Gopro 4 Black camera is better than ...

Have you not been following the statistics of that copter?

3DR is in panic mode - the investors are reeling and heads are about to roll. They have massive failures and design defects!

Buy one if you want - but suggesting it as a reliable machine is just crazy considering the 100's of problem and returns (and that's based on just a few thousands sold....).

droneflyers.com Posted at 2015-7-29 06:01
With 150K sold it's hard to imagine 2 defective units going to one person.
There is unlikely any br ...

With 150K sold it's hard to imagine 2 defective units going to one person.
There is unlikely any brand you will be able to keep.

But they did.  Bought one from dji and one from amazon

Have you flown for years or were these your first quadcopters?

Been flying since first Phantoms. About 3 years.

Anything is possible but the reports of losing P3's (which are not the pilots fault) are pretty rare. Two of them? Almost impossible.  

It happened. Followed protocols and procedures.  Flew perfectly in the mornings, no wind at time of incidents,

App is known to freeze - video is known to stutter or freeze (most can be fixed or at least mitigated with some adjustment).

NEITHER affect your R/C control of the quadcopter. I flew for 5 minutes yesterday after the app crashed....it even kept recording video.

Mine was non responsive and the screen went blank, then came on and said no signal.

Had you enabled multiple flight modes and tried the ATTI setting?   No

Sorry for your loss - but I fear getting any other model will result in a similar situation. Only suggestion I can give is that you can buy a SquareTrade warranty if you buy from B&H.  

I probably will but unless they fix the problems soon I may migrate to the Solo.

Fingerlaker Posted at 2015-7-29 03:45
Yesterday I had a nearly identical situation as Joel described. Flying from houseboat in the middle ...

Hello there,

From the pilot app in the upper right corner click the gear icon then sync your records... by clicking the cloud icon...you have two views...craft view...pilot view...the difference is they focus on either pilot log or id of the craft log...this is what you need to focus on to look over the flight in question...you will be able to email your records from there...it would be most helpful to know what device was used for that flight ...!!! ;-)

Daninho Posted at 2015-7-28 21:38
The Q500 4K has the problem with the out of focus edges which is a no go but i agree from everythi ...

Hello there;
say take a look at this link PLEASE and tell us what you think...!!! ;-)

Link:

mdazel Posted at 2015-7-29 07:09
Hello there,

From the pilot app in the upper right corner click the gear icon then sync your reco ...

it was a P3P
iOS
iphone6+

mdazel Posted at 2015-7-27 22:38
Hello there,

Say I don`t know if you saw my reply to tspray52106 but I will make it easy for you a ...

Nothing wrong with the Q machines - but if anyone thinks it is more reliable over the long run than the P3, I think they are mistaken.
Many of the users are not happy with the image quality - and they have had their share of crashes and losses.

If Yuneec sold 100's of thousands of birds there would be 100's of report of them malfunctioning. Yuneec makes all of Blades stuff and the 350qx models (and now the Chroma) don't have a glowing record (not real bad, but not real good either).

The grass is definitely not greener on many other sides. The Solo doesn't even have a gimbal and has massive software and hardware defects....

I'd say that the B&H SquareTrade warranty and a P3A is still the best deal. But B&H sells those other models too - and they are the only company authorized to sell the true ST warranty (as far as I know).

Note that I have no reason to push B&H - they offered me an affiliate but I turned it down. It's just that the squaretrade warranty is pretty cool for some people!

Joel,
PLEASE post any flight data / logs you can as others have requested.
It seems if you are sincere in your belief that it was the Phantom's fault you would have no reservations doing so.  In fact, you'd be anxious.

From what I gather, losing video is no cause for panic.  Select Home Lock and simply bring it back or hit RTH...or heck, just turn off the transmitter.

I have a feeling you are doing something wrong with your batteries.   Just a gut feeling that certainly could be wrong.
But it sounds as though you are having recurring power loss issues like another already said.
It could be related to something going wrong with your charging or battery maintenance.
Even I agree it's odd you would lose TWO Phantom 3's like that.
Silence they naysayers man.....POST THAT DATA

mdazel Posted at 2015-7-29 07:09
Hello there,

From the pilot app in the upper right corner click the gear icon then sync your reco ...

Thanks. I will give that a shot and  try to get data posted by the weekend. My device is a 2013 Nexus 7 tablet.

mdazel Posted at 2015-7-29 07:09
Hello there,

From the pilot app in the upper right corner click the gear icon then sync your reco ...

Excuse my ignorance but does the device need to be internet enabled to sync with the cloud? I've a Ipad mini that is not unless I am near a WiFi... which i turn off when flying anyway.

Butch

mdazel Posted at 2015-7-29 07:16
Hello there;
say take a look at this link PLEASE and tell us what you think...!!! ;-)

what spec do you mean in particular? The yuneec seems to be a relibale product. The cons about the yuneec are for me personally : -

The edges are always blurred as you can see in any youtube video
- somehow cheaper look of the quad and remote controller, the plastics are more shiny and the shape resamples an UFO or spacecraft which is not liked at all. I like more serious shapes, more like a tool.

- has problems with latency and range compared to Phantom3

I noticed poor connectivity between the iPad and RC. After I switched to an apple usb cord  I didn't have that issue again. The return to home should've worked even if it was the usb but something to consider. I've been getting 500-700m range only out of my P3, nowhere near 2km but could be due to terrain.

daviskw2004 Posted at 2015-7-30 00:19
Excuse my ignorance but does the device need to be internet enabled to sync with the cloud? I've a ...

Hello there,
only to sync to the cloud...your flight record info syncs from your p3p...p3a...i1 to your mobile device inflight and stays there...you can sync your flight record with the cloud when ever you get back on line...that's how you up your stats and save all your flight records and pilot logs...!!! ;-)      ===========================================================================================
Now about the pilot app...you need to do all your online work for your flight before you load the pilot app...or on your apple device (not Andriod) you can muti task out of the pilot app to do your online work if you have been flying already...BUT you must manually re-load your wi-fi in settings first to use YOUR ONLINE sevices...if you need to update your flight maps...location...or anything else...BECAUSE once you load the pilot app it will KILL your wi-fi...so it WILL NOT auto load...now here is my opinion or point on that and how you are working with your wi-fi...I belive that if you let the pilot app kill your wi-fi for you...as it is in the code to do so...your flight data that you fly with will have a better chance of being ACCURATE...becauce your pilot app will only kill the wi-fi once it is done updating its data...like maps...weather...windspeed...your location...if you reliy only on the aircraft for this info you will and may want to hone your A.T.T.I. flight skills and put your remote in mode A before your flight...and just stop using all the GREAT auto pilot fetures that DJI have put into the pilot app with the remote mode switch in the P mode that alows the...pilot app...remote...aircraft...to comunicate and sync with the satellites data for p3p...p3a...i1 with the use of G.P.S. mode switch in P mode Just-say-in...!!! ;-)
  ============================================================================================

Now for the Andriod device pilots...YOU MUST take all the time nessasary to load and kill the multi tasking capabilaties so your device can handle the pilot app...if you are on the same page that I am on how we need to let the pilot app...the software that we are using do its job...that being said this is ONLY MY OPINION on how to do all you can to have a safe flight...and how I fly and the pre-fight protocol...check-list...I preform to do all I can to have a SAFE FLIGHT...!!! ;-)

my recommendation i had 2 flyaway with luck, flyaway within 20ft away from me first time it landed almost 1 mile in a house and the second time i put the M-Atti switch i was able to take the control in manual, i guess this last firmware have problem with the gps satellite i dont know, because now i fly in manual mode and no problem of flyaway only it happen in gps mode.

Got to ask yourself... What did you do to lose 2? You seem very unlucky... Maybe you should look to another hobby... Basket weaving maybe?

joel@zwink.com Posted at 2015-7-27 13:49
mdazel, I don't know if I'd trust anything DJI puts out now.
But, you never know.  When it worked i ...

I think this is a good line of thinking. You most likely shouldn't own a DJI product...

Spankybear Posted at 2015-7-30 22:57
I think this is a good line of thinking. You most likely shouldn't own a DJI product...

I apologize for expressing my feelings.  I like the product, I just want it to work right.  If you're honest you'd acknowledge there is a glitch withe the firmware which makes it an unstable product.  Even if you do everything right you may have a problem.  I need a firmware fix, not a new product.

joel@zwink.com Posted at 2015-7-31 01:25
I think your an idiot and should reply just to hear yourself talk.  I've seen several of your post ...

Hello there,
I was thinking the same thing...I have noticed this user is NOT on the same page that most of the pilots that try to help or post here on the site...that being said...that the first word in THIS user name is what he or she is all about and is trying there best to give to who ever....BUT needs if you drop the y and add ing...(spanking) ...don`t want to be judgmental or bite on his or her batting of your post...But hope that the mediator of the site looks at all spankybears post and takes ACTION so we can stay on topic...!!! ;-0

joel@zwink.com Posted at 2015-7-31 01:25
I apologize for expressing my feelings.  I like the product, I just want it to work right.  If you' ...

Hello there,
Did you see my reply to daviskw2004...I will make it easy on you and paste it here not a repost just being a help...!!! ;-)
==============================================================================

Hello there,
only to sync to the cloud...your flight record info syncs from your p3p...p3a...i1 to your mobile device inflight and stays there...you can sync your flight record with the cloud when ever you get back on line...that's how you up your stats and save all your flight records and pilot logs...!!! ;-)      ===========================================================================================
Now about the pilot app...you need to do all your online work for your flight before you load the pilot app...or on your apple device (not Andriod) you can muti task out of the pilot app to do your online work if you have been flying already...BUT you must manually re-load your wi-fi in settings first to use YOUR ONLINE sevices...if you need to update your flight maps...location...or anything else...BECAUSE once you load the pilot app it will KILL your wi-fi...so it WILL NOT auto load...now here is my opinion or point on that and how you are working with your wi-fi...I belive that if you let the pilot app kill your wi-fi for you...as it is in the code to do so...your flight data that you fly with will have a better chance of being ACCURATE...becauce your pilot app will only kill the wi-fi once it is done updating its data...like maps...weather...windspeed...your location...if you reliy only on the aircraft for this info you will and may want to hone your A.T.T.I. flight skills and put your remote in mode A before your flight...and just stop using all the GREAT auto pilot fetures that DJI have put into the pilot app with the remote mode switch in the P mode that alows the...pilot app...remote...aircraft...to comunicate and sync with the satellites data for p3p...p3a...i1 with the use of G.P.S. mode switch in P mode Just-say-in...!!! ;-)
  ============================================================================================

Now for the Andriod device pilots...YOU MUST take all the time nessasary to load and kill the multi tasking capabilaties so your device can handle the pilot app...if you are on the same page that I am on how we need to let the pilot app...the software that we are using do its job...that being said this is ONLY MY OPINION on how to do all you can to have a safe flight...and how I fly and the pre-fight protocol...check-list...I preform to do all I can to have a SAFE FLIGHT...!!! ;-)

joel@zwink.com Posted at 2015-7-31 01:25
I apologize for expressing my feelings.  I like the product, I just want it to work right.  If you' ...

I have not had any issues with my quad on the latest firmware  that I couldn't work with. It has been flawless in the air. I will aggree there's a glitch with your two lost quads... I am just not willing to say it's the quad itself. There are more elements involved and one is the operator. I repair test equipment for aircraft and when there's a problem I look at all things involved... The test equipment, the aircraft and the operator of the test equipment... Where there is an issue,  In my findings is that it's even through all three that cause the issue. When I find two if the same issue with 2 different pieces of test equipment and the same operator... well... to be honest most of the time it is the operator.

Cessna172 Posted at 2015-7-29 21:48
Joel,
PLEASE post any flight data / logs you can as others have requested.
It seems if you are since ...

Been traveling for a couple weeks.  I just looked at the logs.  I'll post it separately.  Look at the
Macksville one.  It seems stuck in one spot, then it jumps a distance and
then it finally says it lands.  We searched about a quarter mile grid but
couldn't find it.  If I did something wrong please let me know.  I'm ready
to get another on.

If you get another Phantom, perhaps you should attach a GPS tracker to it -- just in case. It's a fairly inexpensive way to ensure you'll always be able to locate your Phantom. If interested, here's a list of trackers commonly used with Phantoms:

http://www.PhantomHelp.com/#TrackersP3

---

www.PhantomHelp.com
Find the latest must-haves, fixes, mods, how-tos, guides, and accessories for your Phantom.
Phantoms in stock and ready to ship worldwide! (see availability)

Spankybear Posted at 2015-8-1 23:52
I have not had any issues with my quad on the latest firmware  that I couldn't work with. It has b ...

I think you have to remember that a lot of people don't find this forum until after they have their Phantom. Probably not until after they take their first flight and have gotten into trouble. Some of us found the forum weeks before ordering a Phantom, and read all we could, good and bad, before we even saw one. Forums like these are for users to help each other, so that they have a fighting chance. Slick advertising drew them in, but is up to us users to try to  guide them and make their experience as good as possible, because we all know that support is otherwise very limited.

Bill

Snerd Posted at 2015-7-27 13:04
After losing 2 already, and given your belief that they were both defective, I can't imaging you get ...

What's VPS?

to avoid flyaway you better install additional remote controller, which will allow you to stop phantom and activate parachute module and land the drone.

mdazel Posted at 2015-7-29 07:16
Hello there;
say take a look at this link PLEASE and tell us what you think...!!! ;-)

the cal steps almost got the man a heart attackl