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My first Phantom 2 Vision flew away but was recovered because I had my contact information on it. It may have been my error and I was flying it in the fog and was a total newbie.  After 6 weeks in repair and a modest $35 she was flying again, only to eventually being lost in The Great Salt Pond in Block Island.   That time I chalked the loss up to high winds aloft (150 feet),  but I was never sure whether that or a fly away was the cause.
I the bought a P2VP and used it successfully for a few months before it too ended up in the drink.  At that point I had learned a few things and so had totally updated firmware,  had calibrated the compass before each flight,  made sure I had 8 satellites, etc.   I flew it on a clear day with next to no wind and away from power lines,  near - but not over the harbor that  I was photographing. Once done shooting, I turned off the TX for auto return.  There was 40% battery left.  The P2VP returned directly overhead and began the descent from 200 feet. At about 50 feet it started to violently wobble and dropped like a stone,  bounced off the promenade and fell in the water. It was recovered by a diver almost immediately and was flushed with fresh water and air dried but is now a paper weight.

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I have heard from a dealer that over 800 Phantoms were in repair in the US alone and that obviously does not count fly a ways. These are great photographic tools, but my wife tells me that this is my last drone (although she said that the last time)  I really don't want to drop another $1300 to 1700 on something that so far has not made me that much money.

[size=20.3000011444092px]

My first Phantom 2 Vision flew away but was recovered because I had my contact information on it. It may have been my error and I was flying it in the fog and was a total newbie.  After 6 weeks in repair and a modest $35 she was flying again, only to eventually being lost in The Great Salt Pond in Block Island.   That time I chalked the loss up to high winds aloft (150 feet),  but I was never sure whether that or a fly away was the cause.
I the bought a P2VP and used it successfully for a few months before it too ended up in the drink.  At that point I had learned a few things and so had totally updated firmware,  had calibrated the compass before each flight,  made sure I had 8 satellites, etc.   I flew it on a clear day with next to no wind and away from power lines,  near - but not over the harbor that  I was photographing. Once done shooting, I turned off the TX for auto return.  There was 40% battery left.  The P2VP returned directly overhead and began the descent from 200 feet. At about 50 feet it started to violently wobble and dropped like a stone,  bounced off the promenade and fell in the water. It was recovered by a diver almost immediately and was flushed with fresh water and air dried but is now a paper weight.

[size=20.3000011444092px]

I have heard from a dealer that over 800 Phantoms were in repair in the US alone and that obviously does not count fly a ways. These are great photographic tools, but my wife tells me that this is my last drone (although she said that the last time)  I really don't want to drop another $1300 to 1700 on something that so far has not made me that much money.