seriously in just 72hours of having a drone i got dangerous encounter with birds. in first round it looked like 4 birds are attacking they were flying directly at it but changed to circling around it i droped altitude fast so drone comes close to me luckily it was in LOS  and birds left when drones come close too me.5 minutes latter round 2 most likely same 4 birds again but this time they did not approach it directly but they just started circling around and i was just waiting to go UFO, but they were just circling 1 meter away from it and then they distanced themself and made a few passes at greater distance and then they left.

perhaps they were just examining imposter in their airspace, but i was scared.

Had similar experiences with buzzards.
I noticed that they are keeping more distance  to a Phantom3 than to a Mavic.

My recommendation in a scary situation:
Sport mode and full pitch; straight up at max speed; for at least 30m and than with top speed back to home with progressive lowering altitude.
(Buzzards and a Hawks are fast, faster that the Mavic, but they can't climb with 5m/s.

frankengels Posted at 2018-2-11 02:14
Had similar experiences with buzzards.
I noticed that they are keeping more distance  to a Phantom3 than to a Mavic.

^^ but they can climb more than 500m

lovec1990 Posted at 2018-2-11 02:15
^^ but they can climb more than 500m

That's right, but they need more time to climb and hopefully they will loose interest.
Additionally I would recommend to not fly if bigger birds are around.

It is oyster catchers that go for mine, especially in the spring and they don’t give up! Climbing is the best way to get away from them. There are white tailed sea eagles at my main flying field and they totally ignore them.

Mullheliflier Posted at 2018-2-11 02:57
It is oyster catchers that go for mine, especially in the spring and they don’t give up! Climbing is the best way to get away from them. There are white tailed sea eagles at my main flying field and they totally ignore them.

Sea Eagles: "We don' need no STEEEEENKIN' drones!"

I had a hawk take a curiosity in mine and made a pass at a safe distance before flying off. I also unknowing flew over Canadian geese with no reaction from them at all.

Living in Maine I see large birds a lot and haven't had any issues yet.

Whatever I noticed a good size bird come in at the MP. It goes in sport mode and up i goo. They seem to lose interest pretty fast.

I have a question:

If bird attackes and crashes your drone and you send it for repairs is warranty valid or will you have too pay for damage done too drone?

Bird attacks are unfortunately one of those things that can and do cause the drone to crash and is out of your control to a certain extent. Other than making the decision to fly in areas where there are few birds or more specifically, large, aggressive birds like gulls. You'll find most birds are more inquisitive than threatening unless your drone is near a nest during the mating season and seen as a threat. Just fly with caution and I find putting the drone into Sport mode and actually increasing altitude to 400' soon loses them. Generally, the larger, louder and darker the drone the less the risk of attack though I have seen videos of Inspire's being attacked and crashed after a falcon strike so nothing is guaranteed.

A CW Posted at 2018-2-15 02:48
Bird attacks are unfortunately one of those things that and do cause the drone to crash and is out of your control to a certain extent. Other than making the decision to fly in areas where there are few birds or more specifically, large, aggressive birds like gulls. You'll find most birds are more inquisitive than threatening unless your drone is near a nest during the mating season and seen as a threat. Just fly with caution and I find putting the drone into Sport mode and actually increasing altitude to 400' soon loses them. Generally, the larger, louder and darker the drone the less the risk of attack though I have seen videos of Inspire's being attacked and crashed after a falcon strike so nothing is guaranteed.

So i will have too pay for repairs or dispose the drone and buy new one?

lovec1990 Posted at 2018-2-15 02:55
So i will have too pay for repairs or dispose the drone and buy new one?

That will depend entirely on DJI. Contact support and raise a case to get it shipped back. If you have valid care refresh then this will definitely be covered (providing you still have the drone to return) but the standard warranty only covers manufacturer defects and not pilot error or causes of damage that are not the fault of the drone. They may do something for you in light of the situation like offer a big discount on a new one or repair it for free but do not expect them to do so as they are not legally obligated to under the terms of the warranty.

A CW Posted at 2018-2-15 03:02
That will depend entirely on DJI. Contact support and raise a case to get it shipped back. If you have valid care refresh then this will definitely be covered (providing you still have the drone to return) but the standard warranty only covers manufacturer defects and not pilot error or causes of damage that are not the fault of the drone. They may do something for you in light of the situation like offer a big discount on a new one or repair it for free but do not expect them to do so as they are not legally obligated to under the terms of the warranty.

DJI as I have heard from hundreds of bad experiences will do bugger all. they will laugh it off.

I am dreading for the time I need to get in contact with dji to use care refresh or warranty. I'm praying to get past a year with no problems

Steeevo Posted at 2018-2-15 03:13
DJI as I have heard from hundreds of bad experiences will do bugger all. they will laugh it off.

I am dreading for the time I need to get in contact with dji to use care refresh or warranty. I'm praying to get past a year with no problems

I have seen many examples of where they have offered discounts on this forum alone - they most certainly do not laugh at their customer issues.
If it is that much of a concern to you then you can buy care refresh or arrange private insurance. There is a risk that any tech which flies may crash - even that passenger filled commercial airline on your next holiday. No drone is 100% either. As long as you do everything in your control to prevent a crash then there is nothing more any drone pilot can do. I have never crashed any of the 7 DJI drones I have owned over the past 2-3 years.

A CW Posted at 2018-2-15 03:02
That will depend entirely on DJI. Contact support and raise a case to get it shipped back. If you have valid care refresh then this will definitely be covered (providing you still have the drone to return) but the standard warranty only covers manufacturer defects and not pilot error or causes of damage that are not the fault of the drone. They may do something for you in light of the situation like offer a big discount on a new one or repair it for free but do not expect them to do so as they are not legally obligated to under the terms of the warranty.

offering a discount for new drone is really nice thing becouse i would buy new DJI drone if crashed one is unrepairable or repair bill is too high

lovec1990 Posted at 2018-2-15 03:26
offering a discount for new drone is really nice thing becouse i would buy new DJI drone if crashed one is unrepairable or repair bill is too high

They have been known to do that - even 50%. Again, it will depend on the individual case from what I've seen on here.

Yes I have seen them offer discounts but not from a bird strike!