Please select Into the mobile phone version | Continue to access the computer ver.
Lost Mavic Air
829 10 2019-3-23
Uploading and Loding Picture ...(0/1)
o(^-^)o
wgray105
lvl.1
Flight distance : 61263 ft
United States
Offline

I lost my Mavic Air overnight.  So the drone battery will be dead.  Can anyone suggest how to go about finding it?  Does the red arrow on the screen show its location?
2019-3-23
Use props
wgray105
lvl.1
Flight distance : 61263 ft
United States
Offline

Yes, red arrow does show drone's location.  I found it.
2019-3-23
Use props
Bekaru MP UAV
Captain
Flight distance : 15513100 ft
South Africa
Offline

wgray105 Posted at 3-23 23:39
Yes, red arrow does show drone's location.  I found it.

cool - great to hear you found yr drone - well done :-)
2019-3-24
Use props
AlansDronePics
Captain
Flight distance : 814751 ft
Guernsey
Offline

Glad you got it back. What were the circumstances of the loss? Probably worth mentioning, we all love a bit of drama.
2019-3-24
Use props
maddox
Captain
Malaysia
Offline

wgray105 Posted at 3-23 23:39
Yes, red arrow does show drone's location.  I found it.

Great to know that mate!
Fly safe, be careful next time
2019-3-24
Use props
wgray105
lvl.1
Flight distance : 61263 ft
United States
Offline

AlansDronePics Posted at 3-24 02:32
Glad you got it back. What were the circumstances of the loss? Probably worth mentioning, we all love a bit of drama.

I had flown it a long way away and the battery was getting low.  So, I headed it back toward me at high speed in sport mode.  Well, it wasn't headed exactly toward me but rather off to the side by quite a wide margin.  I was on a flat hill and the drone was off in a direction much below me.  So, the drone was only about 10 feet above my level.  Off to the side were some large gravel piles much higher than where I was standing.  Being in sport mode, the collision avoidance system was inoperable.  The drone crashed into one of the gravel piles and damaged the camera lens. Otherwise it appears OK, but I haven't checked it out yet.  Its still dark here.  Below me were some large vinyards.  I though that was where the drone went down and spent the day looking there.  Somehow I became convinced that the red arrow on the screen was the launch point, not the present location of the drone.  I'm still learing how to use this thing.  I should have pressed the "come home" button rather than try to fly it home myself.  But I knew it would first go at least 100 feet higher before coming home and I was afraid there wasn't enough battery left.  Finally, I decided the red arrow on the screen must be the present location of the drone and thought I knew what had happened.  The "apparent" location was in a place I knew I could find by flashlight in the dark.  So, I went out about midnight last night after recharging the battery in my cell phone so I could follow my progress toward the red arrow.  Sure enough, there the drone lay on the side of the gravel pile.
2019-3-24
Use props
AlansDronePics
Captain
Flight distance : 814751 ft
Guernsey
Offline

wgray105 Posted at 3-24 04:36
I had flown it a long way away and the battery was getting low.  So, I headed it back toward me at high speed in sport mode.  Well, it wasn't headed exactly toward me but rather off to the side by quite a wide margin.  I was on a flat hill and the drone was off in a direction much below me.  So, the drone was only about 10 feet above my level.  Off to the side were some large gravel piles much higher than where I was standing.  Being in sport mode, the collision avoidance system was inoperable.  The drone crashed into one of the gravel piles and damaged the camera lens. Otherwise it appears OK, but I haven't checked it out yet.  Its still dark here.  Below me were some large vinyards.  I though that was where the drone went down and spent the day looking there.  Somehow I became convinced that the red arrow on the screen was the launch point, not the present location of the drone.  I'm still learing how to use this thing.  I should have pressed the "come home" button rather than try to fly it home myself.  But I knew it would first go at least 100 feet higher before coming home and I was afraid there wasn't enough battery left.  Finally, I decided the red arrow on the screen must be the present location of the drone and thought I knew what had happened.  The "apparent" location was in a place I knew I could find by flashlight in the dark.  So, I went out about midnight last night after recharging the battery in my cell phone so I could follow my progress toward the red arrow.  Sure enough, there the drone lay on the side of the gravel pile.

Thanks for the tale of woe, better than just that you lost/found the machine.
A couple of tips to remember, next time you fly and have a low battery.
Sports mode will return the drone faster, but it uses more power overall than the optimum speed which you will find in the specification regarding flight duration. For the Mavic Pro, it is slightly less than full speed in standard mode. This assumes any headwind is less than max standard speed, or you will have to use sports mode.
The time left on your battery is calculated by the drone in relation to how far away it is and assumes you will fly back at optimum speed and in a direct, straight line, not sports mode. HOWEVER, it is unable to account for a headwind or a non-direct route home, so you must allow for that yourself. The wise flyer never flies back into the wind without a very safe reserve of power. When power is very low, there is no guarantee that the drone won't suddenly drop from the sky.
It is always a wise move to rise gently up, vertically, at takeoff, to the max altitude you expect to reach and hover for a moment. watch the lateral movement readout on the device and decide if the wind is too strong. Wind is always much faster the higher you go. If the drone is being swept away, the readout will show movement when it should be stable, bring it down. As I expect you realise, you wont have far to fly the drone back if things are bad.
Another tip to save power on a dicey return is to quickly get below any headwind wind and continue in a gentle decent towards home. Like a plane coming into land.
Hope these thoughts help you.
2019-3-24
Use props
DJI Tony
Administrator

Offline

Hi, we're sorry that you had experience an incident on your previous flight. However, we're glad that you've managed to find your drone using the app. For additional information, if there will be changes on the performance of your drone due to the recent incident, we would recommend contact our support for further evaluation of the unit. If you wish to contact our support, please refer to the link below. Thank you for continued support. May you please always have safe flight.

www.dji.com/support
2019-3-24
Use props
DJI Stephen
DJI team
Offline

Hello and good day wgray105. I am sorry for the trouble that this has caused you and I am glad to know that you found your DJI Mavic Air. Please check the unit carefully and see if there is any damage or malfunction. If in case that there is an issue on your next flight with your DJI Mavic Air. Please feel free to contact \our DJI Support team at https://www.dji.com/support for us to help you further. Have a safe and happy flying always.
2019-3-24
Use props
Picanoc Jack
Captain
Flight distance : 10149541 ft
Canada
Offline

glad you found it!
2019-3-25
Use props
jacksonnai
Captain
Malaysia
Offline

wgray105 Posted at 3-23 23:39
Yes, red arrow does show drone's location.  I found it.

Glad that you found it
2019-3-25
Use props
Advanced
You need to log in before you can reply Login | Register now

Credit Rules