I posted this earlier but it seems to have diappeared.  I had one flight with a new Phantom 2 and it flew away like it had a mind of its own.  DJI has a complicated phone systen to work through and it might be easier to get through to Obama thean DJI.

I have lost $1500 worth of equipement in 2 minutes on the second day of ownwership

not much quality here

Sorry for the loss but you need to explain the details of the flyaway for us to be able to help.

Did you have GPS lock?
Compass calibrated?
GoPro wifi turned on or off
Any nearby interference?
What mode were you flying in at the time?

Try and post anything that may help work out what went wrong

CineAir Posted at 2014-11-14 11:24
Sorry for the loss but you need to explain the details of the flyaway for us to be able to help.

D ...

How can we help,  Did you get it back?
You have a very long and detailed account to give along with proof of purchase etc.....  serials,  and so on just to get DJI remotely interested in any such claim.
Don't build your hopes up as there are so many people trying to scam the company with bogus flyaways, its an issue they just ignore.... cant say I blame them......
Good luck............
Start preserving all evidence if you want to try and pursue this.....

I had the GPS lock and did the compass calibration.  The gopro was turned off as I was just doing a demo for my neighbour. There are power wires about a 1/2 mile away and I have not got it back.

They have given me a link to start the process but the link does not work.  They then sent me instruction on how to get it to work but the start process did not show on my screen so I sent them a picture of what I see and no reply.  I'll bet they get scammed but in this case one fight is hardly value for the money.  I crashed my first one and instead of waiting weeks or months to get the gimble fixed I bought another Phanton.  I admitted to my first accident which was totally my fault but this one went up and off to no man's land.  It is too much to buy a third.

I tried to reconnect with atti and then turned off the controller to see if it would come back but I had lost sight of it by this point.
I put up my first phantom today and it did the same thing as the lost one and started heading east.  I was able to regain control  by putting it in Atti.  I brought it closer and it had the compass lock on as I could see the green lights and I could hover the phantom above us.  There was a fair bit of wind as well and it held well. I also noticed I got my green lights before I had completed my compass lock at the halfway point.

I am certainly more nervous about flying now

jhughes29@cogec Posted at 2014-11-15 05:54
I tried to reconnect with atti and then turned off the controller to see if it would come back but I ...

Green lights are the gps lock and ideally you should not fly as a novice without good satellite reception....
Check out the youtube vids for beginners and learn the start-up checks and requirements.

Do you use the app? ,  set dynamic home point in app and it will auto update the homepoint to your device (mobile / tablet) in case of RTH.  Make sure you have gps switched on on your mobile device.

Its a great product but its not aimed at complete novice users as much as the marketing makes out, this is why DJI have so many servicing issues, peoples expectations are a fully automated drone that flies itself and returns when told.  Needs some TLC and setup to get this the way you want it in reality.

Practice and experimentation give confidence, don't fall for the noob tricks of,  "lets see how far it can go" because it possibly could just GO, spend time learning to gain control in atti /homelock / manual mode etc...   

get you basics set up and make a checklist in your mind that you will do every flight. (compass calibration / sat locks / etc....

I spent 2 days setting mine up on pc assistant software and general learning before I flew it.  That was hard, but I cant afford for £1000.00 to fly away into oblivion.
Have you set it up on pc?  checked its all calibrated etc??
Worth reading about....

I have an independent gps strapped to mine just for extra peace of mind....  

mixstreme could you provide more details on the "I have an independent gps strapped to mine just for extra peace of mind", would like to have redundancy for piece of mind as well.  I am more of a pilot then engineer.

smcbrearty@roge Posted at 2014-11-16 23:18
mixstreme could you provide more details on the "I have an independent gps strapped to mine just for ...

Hi,  I bought a mini gps tracker off ebay and just connected it via a Velcro strap to the bottom of unit near battery.  The Velcro strap is screwed into the legs connector and thus holds well.
It works with an EE sim and @ £1 per week on PAYG its a great failsafe and works a treat.

I just txt or call it and it sends me back a location with gps coordinates,  open map and hey presto......
With it having its own power supply, in the event of flyaway or crash and phantom battery ejects, the gps will still work...  you can also set up other methods using data, but im happy just txting and calling.

As long as mine stays within the EU I have an enhanced chance of finding it quick.... via a mobile tracker....
Depending on what it hits, will depend on wheter i claim it.......

mixstreme Posted at 2014-11-16 23:26
Hi,  I bought a mini gps tracker off ebay and just connected it via a Velcro strap to the bottom o ...

This is part of my start-up routine, checking the gps trackers working and actually receiving a position relevant to my location every flight.  Then onto the rest......

Its such a great piece of technology and an important confidence booster for those that distrust the area, solar flares, Wi-Fi interference, gps strength etc...., Im surprised they didn't include it into the units themselves as some have..   Would cure all those flyaway claims.......

mixstreme, great idea.  Is there any chance of the after market GPS tracker interfering with the on board equipment of the Phantom?  I had thought of a similar idea in the past but when I found out the something like the bluetooth on my gopro could cause loss of signal and fly away I stopped looking for a backup GPS

smcbrearty@roge Posted at 2014-11-17 09:16
mixstreme, great idea.  Is there any chance of the after market GPS tracker interfering with the on  ...

Never had an issue, there's lots of people using it,  but there's always a chance just as there is from getting struck by lightning, attacked by geese, or spontaneous combustion.