Did you flip the switch into manual mode?  That makes them drop like a rock unless you're ready for it.  Also a lot of fun.

mswall@mac.com Posted at 2015-5-29 13:38
Sigh.  Finally.

I agree with the part about learning to control your aircraft gradually...not the part about being able to kill the motors with flight control sticks   ;)

mswall@mac.com Posted at 2015-5-29 13:38
Sigh.  Finally.

mswall, I have to agree with everything you've said here dude. Why would anyone be holding their sticks in either of the CSC positions for 3 seconds in flight? This is not a problem that any experienced flier of RC would have, it is clearly only an issue for inexperienced pilots fearing scenarios that would never happen. Similarly, did you know that in a car on a road doing 60mph, if you turn the wheel to full lock for 3 seconds, the vehicle will engage in an act that will likely cause a crash? Why would car manufacturers make such a glaring oversight in their designs? Nguyen, you should also complain to them as their controls are of similar bad design. I'm being obtuse because you have shown little respect for someone trying to help you understand the answer to your question. You are clearly new to this, so perhaps when engaging with people in discussions like this, you shouldn't assume that your knee jerk reaction to something you don't understand trumps years of design and forethought.

If you're unaware of, or incapable of understanding the need to be able to override and kill the machine, then you don't know enough to be able to deem it a bad design. Similarly, if you're flying involves either CSC toggle action for 3 seconds then you shouldn't be on a Phantom, get a more agile machine for trick flying and stay away from people. To be clear, both sticks have to be fully cornered for 3 seconds to do this. One person suggested a button on the controller to shut it down?! Just NO. Learn to fly within your comfort zone, READ THE MANUALS, and most importantly, don't fly near me please. To ask the question and then argue your point against experienced pilots AND a DJI poster just shows pure lack of understanding of flight controls and immaturity.

Swiss Tony Posted at 2015-5-31 11:07
mswall, I have to agree with everything you've said here dude. Why would anyone be holding their s ...

"If you're unaware of, or incapable of understanding the need to be able to override and kill the machine, then you don't know enough to be able to deem it a bad design. Similarly, if you're flying involves either CSC toggle action for 3 seconds then you shouldn't be on a Phantom, get a more agile machine for trick flying and stay away from people. To be clear, both sticks have to be fully cornered for 3 seconds to do this. One person suggested a button on the controller to shut it down?! Just NO. Learn to fly within your comfort zone, READ THE MANUALS, and most importantly, don't fly near me please. To ask the question and then argue your point against experienced pilots AND a DJI poster just shows pure lack of understanding of flight controls and immaturity. "

Umm....no. I understand it just fine. Your car example does not map to the situation here, even in basic terms. So that was a Straw Man. I can guarantee you that if a Phantom *does* drop on someone's head and injure them as a result of this "feature" being in the software, that the drone company will be successfully sued.

Perhaps this is why their own documentation says "never do this in flight, you will crash."  ;)

lightpanther Posted at 2015-5-31 11:18
"If you're unaware of, or incapable of understanding the need to be able to override and kill the m ...

As has been pointed out a couple of times in this thread, there may be a time when you absolutely need to shut it down, because you have exhausted all other options and it's on a path to something bad. If you're worried about doing this and it landing on someone's head, then A) you shouldn't be flying over people and attempting to get video whilst fully descending and rotating, and simultaneously flying backwards and to the left at full speed, and B) Show me a post from any decent pilot who has crashed due to this feature.

Swiss Tony Posted at 2015-5-31 11:27
As has been pointed out a couple of times in this thread, there may be a time when you absolutely  ...

And no, DJI won't be sued. They've stated the feature in the manual as a last resort, and any judge would deem it pilot error to engage in such a manoeuvre while flying over people.

Swiss Tony Posted at 2015-5-31 11:27
As has been pointed out a couple of times in this thread, there may be a time when you absolutely  ...

"As has been pointed out a couple of times in this thread, there may be a time when you absolutely need to shut it down, because you have exhausted all other options and it's on a path to something bad. If you're worried about doing this and it landing on someone's head, then A) you shouldn't be flying over people and attempting to get video whilst fully descending and rotating, and simultaneously flying backwards and to the left at full speed, and B) Show me a post from any decent pilot who has crashed due to this feature."

Imo, it is bad design if a feature can cause a new pilot to crash as a result of potential confusion. It's not really satisfactory to design based on what a learner pilot "should" do over what they might ACTUALLY do.,  Although I think crashing by such a mistake is unlikely, overall, I don't think it is impossible, and it may have already happened to the OP.  Whether they hit someone or not, they might panic and do the wrong thing with the controls. At the very least, if it is supposed to be an "experienced pilot feature" then have it disabled in beginner mode so that experienced pilots can use it if they see fit (though if they really are experienced, I can't imagine why they would want to).

Swiss Tony Posted at 2015-5-31 11:32
And no, DJI won't be sued. They've stated the feature in the manual as a last resort, and any judg ...

"And no, DJI won't be sued. They've stated the feature in the manual as a last resort, and any judge would deem it pilot error to engage in such a manoeuvre while flying over people."

Regardless of whether the pilot was ill advised to fly over people, a successful case could certainly be brought if the cause of the crash was the aircraft killing the motors (against the will of the pilot).

lightpanther Posted at 2015-5-31 12:06

That really needs a double, or perhaps, a triple facepalm.  There's no other explanation for that.

mixthemix@hotma Posted at 2015-5-28 01:34
I don't agree, the position of these sticks to shut down is included in the full flight control ra ...

"whilst"!!!!! I love the brits.

eeek Posted at 2015-5-31 22:09
That really needs a double, or perhaps, a triple facepalm.  There's no other explanation for that.

Ah yes, argument without content. That's always persuasive   

I've read your entire thread.  I've read your point of view.  It's completely 100% off base.  It makes no sense.  Many people here have pointed this out to you, yet you still don't get it.  The CSC is clearly known.  If some one performs it, for three seconds, and their quad falls out of the sky, that is completely their fault.  In fact, if you google 'CSC' and 'phantom' there are thousands and thousands of pages explain it.  The fact that you possibly believe that any legal system would consider a case based on this is completely laughable.

There is no emoticon to express my feelings about this.

l've read this thread with interest.
Obviously we need the ability to CSC instantaneously in emergencies, and yes this should be on the sticks. l can't see a valid argument against that.

l'm not sure where the 3 second CSC shutdown came from, l'm pretty sure it's instant. lt takes 3 seconds to shut off once landed with throttle held down, but if you accidentally do a CSC in mid-air and release, l think you're toast. With that in mind, l can understand a brand new pilot should maybe have more than a split second to change their mind. Someone totally uncoordinated (they sell to everyone) who's flying for the first time ... who knows what configuration they're going to toggle. Maybe in beginner mode they should make CSC kick in only after 2 or 3 seconds.

ln Naza Mode (not beginner l believe) on the P2 there are 4 CSC configurations, none of which would be used within normal flight. But as a newbie who had flown a Syma for months, l was still so afraid of messing up my beloved new Phantom that l cut down guitar picks and placed them in the lower corners of the throttle stick so l couldn't do one by accident ...  if it slipped in my hands, or l sneezed, or swatted the remote at a mosquito, or anything. lt's one of those things that isn't really highlighted in the manual, but should be forefront as a potential reaction scheme in our mind while flying.

For anyone who may still have this question.  YES, the combo stick command during flight DOES SHUT THE AIRCRAFT DOWN INSTANTLY.  I have had 2 instances in which my P3P's have crashed due to this.  I was using down and out in a controlled maneuver and boom.  The first time I wondered what happened but the second time I knew it.  I personally think it is BS that it works this way but it could easily be fixed with a firmware update.  But, I'm currently on my 3rd P3P because of this.  After reading all the stories of guys not getting warranty due to this I never tried to pursue.  I do have the SD cards from both aircraft.   Maybe I'll send them to DJI for review.  DO NOT DO IT!  IT WILL FALL OUT OF THE SKY.  

knichefilms@gma Posted at 2016-2-10 03:37
For anyone who may still have this question.  YES, the combo stick command during flight DOES SHUT T ...

"But, I'm currently on my 3rd P3P because of this.  After reading all the stories of guys not getting warranty due to this I never tried to pursue.  I do have the SD cards from both aircraft.   Maybe I'll send them to DJI for review.  DO NOT DO IT!  IT WILL FALL OUT OF THE SKY.  "

Maybe it's time to read the manual.  Look at the starting and stopping the motors section.

I have always believed the more options the better.  It is obvious that a CSC feature is needed and in the right situation, useful.  Personally I like the ability to enable or disable features like this.  I am new to drones and I am taking my time.  I doubt I would accidentally make this mistake.  But at this point, I do wish there was one extra step like requiring the S1 switch to be in the down position.  But hey, it is DJI's design and they do have the warning in the documentation.  

If you are worried about accidentally performing CSC take a look here.  CSC Safety

It would be nice if A DJI Rep entered this thread and provided some feedback on this matter.  I think that there are some interesting points on both sides of the argument.

I would be nice to have an official explanation of this from DJI.

uxo22ak Posted at 2016-2-17 08:34
It would be nice if A DJI Rep entered this thread and provided some feedback on this matter.  I thin ...

A DJI rep has already stepped into this discussion: http://forum.dji.com/forum.php?m ... 6&fromuid=84967

It is a safety feature designed into the aircraft and is NOT going to be changed.

I can confirm that the rotor-shutdown does work regardless of the altitude of the craft.

On Saturday, May 16, 2016, I thought I had lost my craft. Thinking it had automatically landed without returning home I panicked and did the rotor-shutdown manuever on my controller. Needless to say the GPS showed me where the craft was and when I recovered the craft it had plummeted into a concrete parking lot 3 blocks from my home.

Although it was 100% user error I believe that the rotor-shutdown should have a safety feature and not allow you to do that if the craft is over a certain altitude or should have the ability to turn the function on or off.

labroides@yahoo Posted at 2016-2-9 15:52
"But, I'm currently on my 3rd P3P because of this.  After reading all the stories of guys not getting warranty due to this I never tried to pursue.  I do have the SD cards from both aircraft.   Maybe I'll send them to DJI for review.  DO NOT DO IT!  IT WILL FALL OUT OF THE SKY.  "

Maybe it's time to read the manual.  Look at the starting and stopping the motors section.

No kidding troller.  But if you actually flew something other than a DJI you would know that stick combo is common.  It was a controlled maneuver and my mind wasn't on whether or not I was going to shut the thing down.  And I should never have had to worry about that because it is stupid to have a shut down command on the sticks you use to fly.

mswall@mac.com Posted at 2015-5-27 09:18
You are the pilot.  It's your responsibility - learn the craft.   IT IS NOT EASY TO DO THIS.  If it is easy for you to do things like this by mistake - then find something else to do.

It’s easier than you think to do this. I’ve been flying my P3 advanced professional for 2 years (yes I have an FAA airman certificate) and I recently had a crash due to this maneuver.  I was fighting a cross wind and trying to land the craft from 300+ feet when the craft lost power. I managed to get it restarted just before it hit a tree and basically shattered-all props and prop guards, the legs, gimbal and main housing all cracked or bent.

I think the inclusion of this combination is asinine. You can kill the motors once on the ground by full down left stick only and take off right from the app with no stick movement at all.  

I can’t imagine a reason to kill the motors in flight at altitude.  

I can confirm that CSC of both sticks down and IN ... DOES stop the motors but needs to be held for a few seconds. It is not instant.

If you watch this video of my crash yesterday ... the P3P clipped the tree, it was impossible to fly out and so I CSC'd the motors ... they stopped during the tumble through the branches.



With regard to accidently incurring CSC during flight ... think about the stick movement to do it ... full down and in ... that means :

Full down and in left stick = max descent and rotate right fast.
Full down and in right stick = max left flight and max backward flight

IF they didn't kick CSC after 2 - 3 seconds ... it would be a very violent and deadly combo indeed.

I don't think anyone in their right mind would hold such a combo for more than a fraction of a second ...

Nigel