I was surprised to read about this November incident, today.
CRUSHED: DJI Phantom 4 Professional In Hit & Run
CRUNCH.
We heard the sound twice. We saw the truck, driving slowly away. And then…we looked at the ground. A brand new, P4P+ was lying shattered on a dirt road.
TDC has an arrangement with a private landowner to conduct test flights on his large farm. The one road we use is a private road. We have never, during many hours on the site, seen a vehicle on this road except for on one occasion – when the landowner came by to say hello.
On this day, we were planning to shoot a vertical ascension race between the Inspire 2 and the Inspire Pro. (If you missed that story, be sure to check it out here.) Our plan involved hovering the P4P+ a safe distance away, in order to get a tilting gimbal shot of the race.
We popped up the P4P+ and realized the video was set for 4k. The other two machines were set for 1080p, so we brought it down to change settings (and because the other two drones weren’t fully ready to go). We landed – and there’s some foreshadowing here – on the road. To be perfectly clear, I landed on the road. There were no cars (or trucks) anywhere within site (and I checked).
I climbed into my car to make the resolution adjustment, because the temperature was hovering around -2°C. I was in the car about 30 seconds. As I was getting out, a pickup truck came rolling into my field of vision. I jumped out to shout – but as I opened the car door I heard the first “CRUNCH.” Then the second.
All three of us from TDC were stunned. We simply could not believe the guy did not see the drone. (And, judging by the tire tracks, it appears as if he was deliberately heading for the drone.)
It was more than a bit like a hit and run. But instead of an injured pedestrian, we thankfully were dealing only with plastic and electronics. Still, the shock was there.
We were so stunned, in fact, that none of us could agree on the precise color of the truck, even whether it had two or four doors. All we could agree on was that it was a Chevrolet.
We shot some video on the spot, noting that the battery was still on. But it was only afterward, when the shock had worn off, that we had a closer look at the remains of the P4P+. And that’s when we noticed something pretty remarkable: Despite the fact the truck had driven directly over the top of the drone, the magnesium core had retained its shape. The battery had not ruptured or ignited. No flaming pancake.
This was, though unfortunate, an amazing torture test. And, in TDC’s view – an amazing result. You can see our immediate reaction to the aftermath – plus our assessment a few days later, in the video.
If you like what we’re doing, please subscribe to our channel – and spread the word.
And no, we’ll never land a drone on a road again – regardless of how private or remote.
Here's the Inspire race... ;-)The Inspire 2 vs. Inspire Pro: Ascension – See What Will Happen
We’re willing to bet you haven’t seen anything like this.
We put the new DJI Inspire 2 and the venerable Inspire Pro into a hover – then fired them straight up. Full vertical throttle.
The Inspire 2 is rated to climb at 6 meters per second, which is a pretty astonishing rate for a drone of its size. But with its new propulsion system, larger blades (nearly 2.5 cm longer than the Inspire Pro blades) we anticipated an I2 win.
We did not, however, guess that it would be such a clear-cut victory.
We raced them twice, using a Mavic Pro as an aerial platform to capture results on both occasions.
Wow the inspire 2 is much faster nice video! Did you guys do a horizontal race? (I think it's safe to assume the winner but would still be cool). Also you guys look cold hahaha
BentonJoyce Posted at 2017-1-17 15:01
Wow the inspire 2 is much faster nice video! Did you guys do a horizontal race? (I think it's safe to assume the winner but would still be cool). Also you guys look cold hahaha
I think if you reread my first sentence... You'll better understand:
"I was surprised to read about this November incident, today. "
This wasn't my event, I only shared it as I thought it was interesting....
But I'm glad if you found it appealing though. ;-)
Something a little different than the traditional forum fair. Ha
Captain
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Second Officer