Does anyone know how susceptible are the internal componentsto dust, sand & dirt?

At takeoff and landing the Inspire must kick up a lotof mess around the unit and as hand launch and catch isn’t an option thebiggest potential issue I see is dirt on the gears used to move the carbon fiberarms when transforming from landing to flight position. I’m hoping that thegears will be sealed and shielded from the elements.

I don't take off or land at locations that are dusty, sandy or dirty. Pick a clean location, take off from the roof of your car, or use plastic laid out on the ground. Grass, sidewalks and driveways are all good take off points. Hand catch will work if the arms are up and you grab it by the battery.

I know on my test unit the retract system has boot over the main part of the system, kind of like an off road shock boot.

Chris,  That is good advice.  Unfortunately not always possible.  A piece of plywood or a tarp will work as long as it is anchored to the ground with rocks etc.  You do not want it to rise up into the props.  I do not recommend taking off from a car roof as it will effect the compass.  Not a good thing.  In the same sense sidewalks and concrete driveways present the problem with rebar under the surface.  Same issue with the compass.  I like grass!  All natural and no electromagnetic interference.  That unfortunately is not always available.  

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2014-12-19 03:17
Chris,  That is good advice.  Unfortunately not always possible.  A piece of plywood or a tarp will  ...

i made my own landing pad... you should too...

Great ideas..... Like the landing pad! My thoughts are beach, back country shoots, where possibly you have to hike to get to, so something portable and where concrete won’t be present. Glad that DJI incorporated a boot….my first thought was wear point.

gruprecht Posted at 2014-12-19 04:08
Great ideas..... Like the landing pad! My thoughts are beach, back country shoots, where possibly yo ...

thanks, i have it on plywood and its 4x4 feet... But I also have one thats 2 feet 2 feet thats just the tarp that i roll up and lock it into my northface back pack...

Gorilla Drone - Nice setup..
Now i have a better idea on what mine will look like.
Thanks

If you're close to your vehicle and have a floor mat in there that works good.

I tried the car roof plan with my Phantom.  Ed is correct in that it doesn't work if you want any automatic stabilization in the flight.  Took me three times in a row taking off from my car roof and having no stabilization in the flight before I figured out the take off spot was the problem.   The first time I flew right into some bushes at pretty high speed - my only crash in 200 flights.  No damage.  Taking off from the metal roof seemed to cause permanent atti mode.  Fourth time I resorted to taking off in the sand and all was fine, but sandy.  

I would say that my experience has been rather different. I have absolutely no problems flying from, to or near metal surfaces, objects or vehicles. I do not believe that the compass or GPS have any influence on the controller during takeoff. Once airborne and stable, then the controller begins to accept input from the compass and GPS. I’ve even done a number of flights without the GPS/Compass and it flies just fine too. Here is a link to a shoot I did with a S900 inside a metal building. The shoot was 8 hours long and involved flying from and over all manner of metallic machines for an entire day. Not once did I have any control issues.  

I like the Gorilladrone mat ...and wouldn't it be great if that was part of the DJI package whether it be for the INSPIRE or the Phantom range....needless to say it would need to have some way to tie or hold it down from wind and take off/landings....... moreover if "they" were able to put a locator in the middle so that RTH was exact to that point...wouldn't that be great....minimual dust and a better guarantee on getting home..

regards
Regan

jhannon66@gmail Posted at 2014-12-19 11:29
If you're close to your vehicle and have a floor mat in there that works good.

I tried the car roof ...

I Have a couple of questions for you 'jhannon66'
When the machine took off from the roof, were you applying enough power to keep gaining height?
Or were you just intending to attain a hover position just above the roof of the car?
Because whilst in close to the roof surface the machine will be in ground effect.
But the instant you lose any of the downward thrust over the edge of the platform.
Any remaining ground effect will tip the machine more or less instantly in the direction of loss.
Taking off/landing on a distinctly small raised area, there will be a major difference in ground effect.

ambambcopter@bt Posted at 2014-12-19 16:36
I Have a couple of questions for you 'jhannon66'
When the machine took off from the roof, were you ...

Great point. I have done the same thing with smaller quads and had the same problem with it dropping in altitude. +1

ambambcopter@bt Posted at 2014-12-19 16:36
I Have a couple of questions for you 'jhannon66'
When the machine took off from the roof, were you ...

I launch of my Hot Tub and Land with no issues at all, but that's was with my PV2 from all I read the Inspire 1 has allot more thrust so I would assume it will work better the PV2

ambambcopter@bt Posted at 2014-12-19 16:36
I Have a couple of questions for you 'jhannon66'
When the machine took off from the roof, were you ...

Just checked back on the videos. I went up maybe 6-10 feet above the car and then headed forward without really pausing.  Went forward for ten seconds at a constant elevation of 15 feet or so, for maybe 150 feet and let up on the stick so that it would stop in front of some trees.  It just kept right on going into the trees.  It surprised me and I didn't act fast enough to stop it.  Second flight I did the identical thing but this time I turned in time to avoid the trees.  Third flight headed towards an open area and went up a couple hundred feet.  Same thing.  Just like atti mode in all three flights even though had gps lock indicated by the lights.  

I've taken off from things like picnic tables and edges of cliffs and this was different from that.  Been meaning to try it from my car roof again just to see what happens but haven't done it yet.

Usually when I lift off I'm more hard on the stick as I always making the correction of the orbit  so I really never had the drift issue  making the correction at lift off makes it become pretty stable. I do have to say when I flew it in my living room I was on the stick full time trying to control it.

jhannon66@gmail Posted at 2014-12-20 10:14
Just checked back on the videos. I went up maybe 6-10 feet above the car and then headed forward w ...

That is very interesting.
Is there any chance the car was masking your transmitter?
Or something in the car that could interfere?
I assume from what you say that all the other locations there was no problem.
When you did the Compass calibration were you near the car?
DJI do indicate that the calibration and health of the Compass is as important as the state of the GPS.

ambambcopter@bt Posted at 2014-12-20 16:00
That is very interesting.
Is there any chance the car was masking your transmitter?
Or something i ...

Mann I was going to say exactly the same thing but decided to re word my post. Compass Health was what just what I was thinking.

chrisgeigerphot Posted at 2014-12-19 02:30
I don't take off or land at locations that are dusty, sandy or dirty. Pick a clean location, take of ...

its dangerous because the metal will let your comapss decalibrate, some fly aways happend because of that

I use a piece of heavy canvas, easy to fold up and store and heavy enough to stay put at least for a phantom series.