I've had my new Spark for about 6 six weeks.  Ever since I started flying it, I've noticed that Palm Launch doesn't work as described.  My drone lifts off from my hand a few inches and then maneuvers (violently) to its left three or four feet.   It doesn't hover calmly in front of my face.  Has anyone else see this before?

Let the drone lift fro, the hand - many make the mistake of pushing the drone up with their palm - many vids on how to launch properly on YT.

A J Posted at 9-20 12:02
Let the drone lift fro, the hand - many make the mistake of pushing the drone up with their palm - many vids on how to launch properly on YT.

Hi AJ.  This palm launch issue has happened many times, so I've  become very careful about how I hold my hand during lift off.  I definitely don't push the drone upward.  Have you actually seen the abrupt maneuver I mentioned in my initial post?

Hi, thank you for reaching out and we're sorry for the inconvenience. Can you please clarify if this hover issue only happens when you are using the palm launch? or even in normal use? Also, can you please try to calibrate your IMU to see if the problem persist? Please keep us posted. Thank you for your understanding!

DJI Gamora Posted at 9-20 13:17
Hi, thank you for reaching out and we're sorry for the inconvenience. Can you please clarify if this hover issue only happens when you are using the palm launch? or even in normal use? Also, can you please try to calibrate your IMU to see if the problem persist? Please keep us posted. Thank you for your understanding!

Yes, this is only a palm launch issue.  I've never had any problems when using the controller/app.  What is the IMU?  I'm not familiar.

Chris A. Posted at 9-20 13:44
Yes, this is only a palm launch issue.  I've never had any problems when using the controller/app.  What is the IMU?  I'm not familiar.

Hi, thank you for your prompt response. IMU means: inertial measurement unit, it is an electronic device that measures and reports a body's specific force, angular rate, and sometimes the magnetic field. On a drone and responsible for bringing all the parts to work together. You may refer to the link below on how to calibrate the IMU for the DJI Spark. Please keep us posted. Thank you!

DJI Gamora Posted at 9-20 14:25
Hi, thank you for your prompt response. IMU means: inertial measurement unit, it is an electronic device that measures and reports a body's specific force, angular rate, and sometimes the magnetic field. On a drone and responsible for bringing all the parts to work together. You may refer to the link below on how to calibrate the IMU for the DJI Spark. Please keep us posted. Thank you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_pfcHyHFm8

Thanks.  I'm getting a new drone through the DJI Refresh account and it will arrive on Tuesday.  I'll keep this IMU calibration in mind if the new drone exhibits the same flight behavior as the original one.  On three occasions when the drone maneuvered violently after palm launch, the motors shut off and it fell 3-4 feet to the ground.  I never received a satisfactory answer from the repair team about why this might have happened.  You're the first person to mention a possible IMU problem.  

You obviously think the IMU could have caused the sudden maneuver after takeoff.  Do you think an improperly calibrated IMU could also cause the motors to shut off?  There was no way for me to supply any flight data because I wasn't using the DJI Go app at the time.  Because of this, the company denied my warranty claim and insisted I use one of my DJI Refresh replacements.

Chris A. Posted at 9-21 09:25
Thanks.  I'm getting a new drone through the DJI Refresh account and it will arrive on Tuesday.  I'll keep this IMU calibration in mind if the new drone exhibits the same flight behavior as the original one.  On three occasions when the drone maneuvered violently after palm launch, the motors shut off and it fell 3-4 feet to the ground.  I never received a satisfactory answer from the repair team about why this might have happened.  You're the first person to mention a possible IMU problem.  

You obviously think the IMU could have caused the sudden maneuver after takeoff.  Do you think an improperly calibrated IMU could also cause the motors to shut off?  There was no way for me to supply any flight data because I wasn't using the DJI Go app at the time.  Because of this, the company denied my warranty claim and insisted I use one of my DJI Refresh replacements.

Hi, Chris. Thank you for the additional information and we're sorry for the trouble. I can't say that the problem would be the IMU if your motor shuts off when in flight since we need a further investigation before we can provide you the reason of this incident, however, if your problem is stability when you are flying or motor failure as long as the drone did not crash, the best thing and the first troubleshooting that we can provide to the customer would be the IMU calibration. Also, hope that you will receive your replacement drone as soon as possible for you to fly it again. Please feel free to reach us if you have any inquiries or concern. Thank you for your understanding.

Hi Gamora.  Last question on this topic:  can violent maneuvering, regardless of the reason, cause the motors to stop?  I thought I read somewhere that some drones have this feature for safety reasons.  thanks-