PROBLEM:

This morning I was, I thought, alone in a field (excluding my wife). The bird was on the ground idling. These props spin so fast they are invisible. I know they're there, but...

I had a guy come up from behind me and walk around my left and that the of copter. I was so surprised I didn't have time to say anything. He was in shorts and athletic shoes with those very low socks. Had he walked a few inches closer, he would have gotten his ankle sliced open!  

SUGGESTED FIX:

DJI, could you -- would you, please, color the tips of the propellers with something like safety orange? That way, anyone who approaches the copter (seen or unseen) will see the orange circle and know (hopefully) to stay back a reasonable distance.

This is very common with fixed-wing, propeller-driven aircraft and is a valuable safety feature.

Thank you!

How about stopping the motors when the propellers hit something. Mine crashed and the propellers just kept going, grinding into the ground, we should have a failsafe for the motos just to shut off.

Why on earth would you keep the propellers spinning on the ground? I only start my aircraft after the pre flight check. And as soon as they start I take off full throttle to at least 20 ft. It's also advisable to keep the aircraft at least 10 ft in front of you with the nose pointing away.

I hope they don't add safety options that could somehow affect the abilities of the aircraft. Such as a gust of wind stopping one of the props because of some safety function. Dji did there best with the return home failsafe, auto take off and landing. The rest really is up to the pilot. In the end it's always your responsibility.

Please people, these things are not toys, be aware of your surroundings, if something doesn't feel right, DON'T!
It only takes 1 serious accident to spoil the fun for all of us. It's probably gonna happen sometime (just the way nature works), just try not to be the pilot, when it does!

xzces Posted at 2015-2-1 03:48
Why on earth would you keep the propellers spinning on the ground? I only start my aircraft after th ...

"Why on earth...?"

1. Because it was chilly this morning.
2. I had just fired it up and letting it idle for a few moments.
3. I was making sure I was ready to take off when he walked around me.

Does that meet your approval?

P.S. I seriously doubt orange tipped blades would impair the agility of the copter.

They sell red-tipped ones for the Phantom 2 and the new E800 series props also have coloured tips, so I'd imagine it's on the cards for the Inspire too.

You are the pilot ! Your duty is to keep all pets , children adults clear of your takeoff and landing area !
Colored props isn't the answer , they might prewarn some while not moving that's about it .
Try landing on a low battery with some lady's dog leaping and jumping at your quad suddenly !
Gee sorry lady I didn't meen to slice your dogs nose off , or kid .... next time some one is approaching the aircraft You take control of the situation and shut the motors down , then nicely advise the person of your intention and the danger to them ! Duh. Comprenday ...

Don't get me wrong, I'm into fixed wing rc for quite some time. It doesn't matter what color your blades are, as soon as someone or something else approaches your aircraft, you should shut it off! Shouting might not help, shutting it down would. It's as simple as pulling back the sticks!

Where I fly we have a fence whit a big warning sign that sais pilots only. Onlookers, pets and such should never be in the vicinity of the aircraft. I have 2 kids and a wife and they are never near me or the aircraft when I take off. Just consider this some friendly advice because a whole bunch of things could go wrong, and you don't want anyone other than yourself getting hurt because they weren't at a safe distance.

Also, some waterbased lexan paint could work wonders. You can paint the props to your liking, balance then and have an unique inspire 1.

I just think there are a lot of issues to be solved with the inspire 1 by Dji, I just can't see the propeller color as one of those issues.

Ps the inspire has 4 brushless motors. They don't need warming up.

This post is hilariously funny!

Thanks for the good laugh.

Most every real prop driven aircraft including my own have stripes near the tips of the prop looking from the front of the aircraft, the back has none so the pilot's view through the prop is unimpaired. This helps prevent people from walking into a spinning propeller by making it more visible. People do still walk into them, happens several times a year in the U.S. alone with usually devastating results. This would certainly be applicable to quad-rotors too, a simple and inexpensive preventative measure I would think.

daver/m Posted at 2015-2-1 10:33
You are the pilot ! Your duty is to keep all pets , children adults clear of your takeoff and landin ...

Gee, Daver, where did you get your perfect pills. Obviously I need to get some.

No pills for me , but experience with rc flight yes plenty ! No brag just fact...  And when I hear letting it idle back turned didn't almost notice a guy walk up within inches out of curiosity ... guys don't turn your back on your quad whilst blades are moving , perfect guys never had a bad or dangerous incident yet .... You'll see !  As for the perfect pills you keep em I'll never need em .  Good luck to you then .

daver/m Posted at 2015-2-2 02:36
No pills for me , but experience with rc flight yes plenty ! No brag just fact...  And when I hear l ...

You didn't read my post. Try again. My back wasn't turned to the copter. Try reading it again, Mr. No-brag-just-fact.

Oh you two, just stop it!  Or you'll get kicked out of the sand box.

Very constructive. Just grab a red sharpie and tip your props if you think that'll help.

sekhet Posted at 2015-2-2 08:27
Oh you two, just stop it!  Or you'll get kicked out of the sand box.

You're right, Sekhet. I shouldn't have taken the bait. Mea culpa

You could tape off and spray the tips with a day-glo type paint.  Say orange for the back and green or blue for the front.

talk2t_c Posted at 2015-2-2 21:44
You could tape off and spray the tips with a day-glo type paint.  Say orange for the back and green  ...

I wondered about that, but I'm afraid the paint might throw the blades out of balance.

InspiredOne Posted at 2015-2-2 21:51
I wondered about that, but I'm afraid the paint might throw the blades out of balance.

That could happen, but I'm sure you could re- balance them with the correct kit.  It all depends on how good you are with spray paint.

May be DJI might be considering accessories such as prop guards.

If DJI are anyone else are thinking of manufacturing these, please make them so that they can be snapped on and off for transporting please.  Just a thought, would the guards used for the Phantom machines work ??

Paint them yourself and then reblance.