According to a news release this morning ParaZero will be offering a new Parachute system for the Phantom and Mavic this summer...


ParaZero Story

The story goes on to say that the ParaZero system will not only activate during free-fall but will shut-off motors and deploy when severe angles are reached.  They suggest that the system may cost a few-hundred dollars and is re-packable by the end user.  With this in mind I will still be interested in buying one because it will likely save having to swap out a damaged drone through the warranty process.

Unless they have made some very clever things you would loose your GPS reception using that thing!
Just a few fingers on the top of a Phantom and it get in trouble (P4P).

According to their publicity it says it will not have any effect on the GPS

kmss1 Posted at 2018-5-22 07:49
According to their publicity it says it will not have any effect on the GPS

Yeah i also think they said it was developed in cooperation with DJI, i would check that out too, we have before seen products advertised like that but it seem to be just a guy with wet dreams!

For sure i could be wrong but i don't trust that thing and the claims from just a YT commercial promo video.

i heard 700 us, but its several hundred dollars, can the dude be more vage about the cost, geez

I'll wait to see the proof and the final price.  If it is just somebody's pipe-dream maybe they need to find another source for their "tobacco"....

Hi, kmss1. DJI is not recommending using a third party accessories for your Phantom and Mavic aircraft. But, we are not stopping the idea to upgrade or developing our drones with other accessories. Just keep on checking our website for further updates. Thank you.

kmss1 Posted at 2018-5-22 06:48
The story goes on to say that the ParaZero system will not only activate during free-fall but will shut-off motors and deploy when severe angles are reached.  They suggest that the system may cost a few-hundred dollars and is re-packable by the end user.  With this in mind I will still be interested in buying one because it will likely save having to swap out a damaged drone through the warranty process.

So I make a sharp turn and my drone parachutes into the river below?

Looks like the perfect solution to a problem that doesn't exist and something that will always be a handicap because of the weight and wind resistance.

Labroides Posted at 2018-5-22 13:48
Looks like the perfect solution to a problem that doesn't exist and something that will always be a handicap because of the weight and wind resistance.

Exactly! As it may be affecting  the functionality of the drones that may lead to crashed. We greatly appreciate your positive feedback. We’re always striving to provide the best service possible and working to improve. Customer satisfaction is important to us.

Can't wait to not get one.

Seems like a lot of "negative Nellie's" around here, on this story.  Okay, you folks have me skeptical now too!  We'll wait and see what they develop and what its functions and price point are...  I certainly am not interested in being a beta-tester now

kmss1 Posted at 2018-5-22 19:39
Seems like a lot of "negative Nellie's" around here, on this story.  Okay, you folks have me skeptical now too!  We'll wait and see what they develop and what its functions and price point are...  I certainly am not interested in being a beta-tester now

Ahh come on, don't let other people with a little sense kill your dreams, just promise to have videos taken both from ground and aircraft posted when you test it out.

Another thing that just quite seem not right, it is said to be easy to fold back and reuse (not the Phantom/Mavic models), but from the video it look like it shoot the top away so in order to reuse the thing you would first have to find the top, hope it survived and did not itself cause any damage when falling from the sky.
They can't tell what the weight is, and in general it look to me like they're fighting not to break into a hysterical laughter, perhaps even the name gives a clue of the value.

Labroides Posted at 2018-5-22 13:48
Looks like the perfect solution to a problem that doesn't exist and something that will always be a handicap because of the weight and wind resistance.

Have to agree.  If you do the pre-flight things you're supposed to do, the chance of dropping out of the sky is less than 1% - probably significantly less.  

And if you're unfortunate enough to hit a tree during flight, you're drone is stuck in the tree.  Yes, it may have less damage, but now you have to figure out how to get it out of the tree.  Plus, you're more likely to attract undesireable attention.  

You also have a potential sail problem.  If it opens at 400' in strong winds, how far is it going to sail?  What if it sails onto the highway?  Are you liable?  Of course you are.

I suppose the sail might make the drone easier to find, so that could be a plus.  But it will also make it easier for strangers to find.

kmss1 Posted at 2018-5-22 19:39
Seems like a lot of "negative Nellie's" around here, on this story.  Okay, you folks have me skeptical now too!  We'll wait and see what they develop and what its functions and price point are...  I certainly am not interested in being a beta-tester now

It's just that things like parachutes and floats are cashing on on irrational fears and nervous new flyers.
After lots of flying experience you realise that Phantoms don't generally just fall from the sky while in flight.
And that floats are unlikely to actually save anything but come at a substantial performance handicap that could contribute to losing the Phantom.

And most of the ones that do fall from the sky are either as a result of a crash into a tree or wall, in which the parachute probably wont help/have time to open or they happen due to a failure in the first few test flights in which case they are covered by warrantee, as long as you haven't made any non-DJI approved modifications such as adding a parachute!

For the few instances where a parachute may help to avoid damage from hitting the ground hard, there must a significant risk that it will land in water and be lost/written off anyway!

And what about the few instances where you have a week GPS signal and having a parachute directly on top of the receiver results in the aircraft getting lost instead of autonomously returning home?

How much less does insurance cost?  And you get some extra benefits from that such as covering third party damage/injuries...

Labroides Posted at 2018-5-23 02:24
It's just that things like parachutes and floats are cashing on on irrational fears and nervous new flyers.
After lots of flying experience you realise that Phantoms don't generally just fall from the sky while in flight.
And that floats are unlikely to actually save anything but come at a substantial performance handicap that could contribute to losing the Phantom.

Yes, I agree with Labroides statement. Adding extra load on the drone makes everything worse. More current required from battery i.e. higher battery temperature. Higher motor revolution speed (to keep it in the air) i.e higher probability of failure, etc.

kmss1 Posted at 2018-5-22 06:48
The story goes on to say that the ParaZero system will not only activate during free-fall but will shut-off motors and deploy when severe angles are reached.  They suggest that the system may cost a few-hundred dollars and is re-packable by the end user.  With this in mind I will still be interested in buying one because it will likely save having to swap out a damaged drone through the warranty process.

I think it will cause more problems than it will solve. Disruption o the GPS Signal and degrading the Aerodynamics of the Drone are just a couple of thoughts.

kykphantom Posted at 2018-5-23 03:21
Yes, I agree with Labroides statement. Adding extra load on the drone makes everything worse. More current required from battery i.e. higher battery temperature. Higher motor revolution speed (to keep it in the air) i.e higher probability of failure, etc.

Thinking about the extra weight, I suspect that it would have prevented my Phantom returning home in a couple of recent flights where the strong winds required most of the spare power and if an RTH had been required due to signal loss it was already marginal.  I think we are far more likely to get into trouble due to strong winds than through the Phantom falling out of the sky, I would rather have that power available.  

There is also a question of if the auto low power return to home is clever enough to take into account the increased power consumption due the parachute, it is a significant increase in weight for something that flies.

I have to admit that all you "nervous Nellies" do make a lot of sense...  As my level shows I am new to this but not to flight, thank you for all the responses and feedback!

KedDK Posted at 2018-5-22 22:31
Ahh come on, don't let other people with a little sense kill your dreams, just promise to have videos taken both from ground and aircraft posted when you test it out.

Another thing that just quite seem not right, it is said to be easy to fold back and reuse (not the Phantom/Mavic models), but from the video it look like it shoot the top away so in order to reuse the thing you would first have to find the top, hope it survived and did not itself cause any damage when falling from the sky.

The weight is around 100 grams.

kmss1 Posted at 2018-5-23 06:41
I have to admit that all you "nervous Nellies" do make a lot of sense...  As my level shows I am new to this but not to flight, thank you for all the responses and feedback!

I liked the furry microphone!  Snappy uniform as well.  

It looks fugly anyways, I aint putting that hat like thing over The Black sheep

Alternatively, I could buy over a decade worth of State Farm coverage for the same price. No. Thanks.I'd probably pay $100 for this, max. Anything more and insurance has better coverage.