After practice for about a month of up and down,side to side in the dirt lot near my home it was time to set my drone out on it's first journey.
Sent it out to the lake nearby. Harveston Lake,Temecula CA.

To the Lake!

please check your prop guards religiously after and before each flight, i have heard of numerous cases where the guard has broken and jammed itself in the motor causing the p3 to drop out of the sky. also check for screw holes for cracks,  as there is a theory out there that because of the extra stress the guards cause on the arms it adds to the crack possibility.
good job

rayrokni Posted at 2015-9-14 07:02
please check your prop guards religiously after and before each flight, i have heard of numerous cas ...

whoah, good point ray!

i have tossed the idea of prop guards around in my head a zillion times & this never crossed my mind...

i already worry about her enough when she is up and cruising the skies, i certainly don't want to add any more potential points of failure.

thanks for that.

Flyhigh7887 Posted at 2015-9-14 15:34
whoah, good point ray!

i have tossed the idea of prop guards around in my head a zillion times &  ...

MY honest unbiased feeling about prop guardsBTW i dont use them on mine but i put a set on my 11yr old kid'sP3 as it looks cool he says)

they really only work if hitting a solid object that can not squeeze through the gaps, unfortunately trees will squeeze thru the gaps

the only place i can see them being useful is inside the house, and i just dont fly mine inside a house

gives the user a false sense of security

it does cause drag and stress on the arms

i fly pretty aggressively, so i can see with a person like me it would put a lot of stress on the arms.

most people ive heard saying: "i fly near tress alot so the guards will protect"===WRONG

i just am not sure that they are of any real life use!!! just for inside a house and again against solid objects that cant get thru the gaps
Just think: if you fly in open spaces what is a prop guard going to do?
if you have a crash, which i hope you never do, the propguard is not going to save the most valuable part, the Gimble/camera

rayrokni Posted at 2015-9-14 09:45
MY honest unbiased feeling about prop guardsBTW i dont use them on mine but i put a set on my 11y ...

my thoughts exactly on prop guards. the only reason i have considered them is that i do fly inside.

i have at least told myself that this is practice for hopefully one day getting permission to fly inside of some different cathedrals & castles throughout my travels. i do not want the discussion to take place "how will you be paying for this X century, irreplaceable stained glass window that you just flew through, sir?" etc etc.

the practice has helped a few times in tight situations whilst flying outdoors also. to be honest, i am getting pretty good at landing on my coffee table, navigating down the hallways, flying through door frames (although that is extremely nerve racking). no crashes yet. fingers crossed.

Flyhigh7887 Posted at 2015-9-14 16:00
my thoughts exactly on prop guards. the only reason i have considered them is that i do fly inside ...

oh i never tell people they shouldnt do something because of IFs. otherwise we may all just go back to the stone ages.
in your case i would say they would be more good than bad. u wont be flying at high rates of speed to cause that much stress. just an opinion

A lot of good points Ray.   I have yet to see any cracks on my 3 DJI's that have never flown with prop guards and never will...........

rayrokni Posted at 2015-9-13 22:02
please check your prop guards religiously after and before each flight, i have heard of numerous cas ...

I do check often all around the bird for cracks and loose screws. So far no issues.
Besides giving protection to the props and objects and or people my guards are bright red in the back and white in front. This helps me keep the bird going in the correct direction.

rayrokni Posted at 2015-9-14 02:45
MY honest unbiased feeling about prop guardsBTW i dont use them on mine but i put a set on my 11y ...

I agree.  I used them the 1st flight.  Noticed the darn things always getting in my videos / pictures.  Next Flight tilted camera down a bit do get them out of the way but it was windier than the first flight and the wind kept pushing them into view.  I brought it back in took them off (left on the quick release mounts) and took it back up and it flew like a dream in that wind.   They HAVE to add to the Stress of the arms.  I will not fly with them again.

Sir Edward K Posted at 2015-9-14 07:40
I agree.  I used them the 1st flight.  Noticed the darn things always getting in my videos / pictu ...

Mine are the quick release type of prop guards.
As I get more proficient and confident in flying my bird I will remove them and keep them
handy for use if I need them. I do feel that the brackets that are attached to each arm will help
stop stress cracks.

EL SID Posted at 2015-9-14 09:51
Mine are the quick release type of prop guards.
As I get more proficient and confident in flying m ...

Yes, I left the quick release brackets attached to mine as well.  But I don't think I will ever put the guards on it again.   Even if they did not pose extra stress (Which I very much believe they do) they just keep getting in the field of view and ruining great shots.

EL SID Posted at 2015-9-14 22:20
I do check often all around the bird for cracks and loose screws. So far no issues.
Besides givin ...

that is one thing i have to agree with on prop guards, they make it so much easier at a glance to tell which way the heading is, and in tight situations that in itself can be a life saver

Sir Edward K Posted at 2015-9-14 22:40
I agree.  I used them the 1st flight.  Noticed the darn things always getting in my videos / pictu ...

wise decision in my opinion. the only place i can see them being useful is flying indoor in tight spaces, maybe.
outside, i just cant see where and how they would save the most expensive part,Camera, in case of a crash.
obviously i know some people have had a good experience in a crash, but it would be interesting to know the %

EL SID Posted at 2015-9-14 22:51
Mine are the quick release type of prop guards.
As I get more proficient and confident in flying m ...

very good idea, just remember to check them regularly and yes the brackets, IMO, would spread the stress load.
have fun

rayrokni Posted at 2015-9-14 11:08
very good idea, just remember to check them regularly and yes the brackets, IMO, would spread the  ...

I have the removal prop guards.  I used them the first few flights and a couple times in strange locations but pretty much do not use any longer.  I thought the brackets would help reduce stress and they probably do on the motor screw points but not for the point where the two screws hold the top and bottom together.  Even with the prop guard brackets I'm beginning to see small stress cracks at those screws on the rear motor arms as many others have reported.  I ordered the reinforcements from uavbits and also ordered some Bondic to repair the cracks.

I live just a few miles from there