PaulKerry Posted at 2015-12-4 15:50
Somewhere else, I expressed it a little better, more along the lines of understanding the consequen ...

Constructive criticism is good it can help to improve when done correctly. I guess your above comment just did not sit good with me.
That's ok, no big deal.
This post of yours is very good. I do see where your sharp gigs come from. I also agree that the IMU calibration should be in the manual. I had to reread my manual to see that it is not. Crazy! I will bring this up at my next team meeting. I also agree with your other points.

I do remember your first posts here and I remember keeping my mouth shut and not roasting you as others were. Even though I might have agreed some that is just not how I am or who I am.
Long before I started to work for DJI I came up with my method of operation on the RC websites.
1. Share my thoughts with humility.
2. Respect others ideas with courtesy.
3. Share others problems with sympathy & empathy
4. Encourage each other with accountability.
5. Always be motivated by love. Not by ego, pride, or materialism.
I have Bible verses to back those values up, but here is not the appropriate place.

When I saw this thread I held back with my answer and just keep it short and to the point. You can reread it on page one.
But let me expand a bit now. I do get a bit upset as well when I see some not taking the product seriously.
I have been flying RC aircraft and helicopters for 20 years. I am also a real pilot for 22 years. I obtained my private pilots license in 1994 at John Wayne Airport, in Orange County California. I have also done some skydiving.
I take it all seriously and I am thankful.  I started flying in 1996 and stated my aerial photography business in 2007. I have seen a lot of change over the years.
I have build most all my airplanes from scratch.
I currently have 26 flyable airplanes and 14 flyable multirotors.
I could not count how many airplanes and helis I have had over the 20 years.

I was just thinking how thankful I am for the technology that we have at our fingertips when reading this thread.
******** I think some new pilots don't appreciate the blood, sweat, and tears ((and money)) the community has gone through to get good aerial pictures and video. ******

It blows my mind.....
When I think about where I was just a few years ago (2007) flying a homemade RC airplane with a Canon point and shoot camera and no video downlink. Eventually I cobbled together a halfway decent video downlink for it. It was a challenge just to line up a servo over the shutter button to get the camera to take a picture consistently. Eventually I bought a new camera that I could use a (URBI) with. That is a digital interface that would trigger the shutter button. I remember that URBI was like a dream come true and such a luxury.
It was an even bigger challenge trying to line up the shot. Try to take a picture of something while you're flying by it. The plane does not stop you cannot take a break and recompose yourself or compose a certain picture.
That crummy little set up cost 4 times more than the Phantom 3 Standard. And you had to have skill to fly it, and lots of room to take off and land the over loaded, overweight airplane. I remember on takeoffs and landings trying to dodge telephone and electric wires. Trying to dodge trees and other obstacles.
I also think about trying to strap a camera to a regular RC helicopter. That was a major pain also and you had to have a lot of skill to fly that, no GPS enabled autopilot system back then, it was way more expensive than the RC airplane set up. It was big, loud and dangerous, and the vibrations were impossible to deal with. It was a never ending endeavor of maintenance and troubleshooting. I actually preferred my RC airplane over the RC helicopter with all the positives and negatives considered.
Then all the work and troubles with homemade or DIY quads. Just getting one to fly was amazing in the beginning days.
The technology we have now for the price we can get it at is amazing!!! And it is much easier to set up and to use than anything before

Besides the price of the RC airplane costing 4 times more that a P3S
lets look something more recent My DJI F550 from just 3 years ago

DJI F550 ARF kit $322
DJI Naza V1 with GPS $300
DJI Naza PMU V2 $65
DJI Naza V2 LED $10
Spektrum AR8000 $129
Spektrum TM1000 $57
Spektrum Altimeter $49
DJI iOSD mini $69
DJI AVL58 downlink $210
DJI Zenmuse H3-2D $369
H3-2D 3rd-Axis Upgrade kit $225
T-Motors 3110-15 kv780 $68each times 6= $408
T-Motor Carbon Fiber 10x4.5 props $20.50each times 6= $123
AeroXcraft landing gear $169
AeroXcraft isolation kit $43
GoPro 3 Black $400
Power Edge 6600mAh 4S 45C lipo $139

So that comes to $3,087 and that is just what is in the air. Before tax. Add 7.75% Calif sales tax and you have to add $239. So total in the air is $3,326.00
On the ground we have.
DX8 Transmitter $300
Fat Shark Dominator Video Glasses $300
Vista Power Q6320AC battery charger $200
And of course more lipos but we won't get into that.

So add $800 plus another $62 in tax = $862

$3,326 plus $862 = $4188.00
and I never added up the shipping,

That DJI F550 was no where near as good as the Inspire1 or even a Phantom3 Advanced.

So I don't know. What am I trying to say with all this,..... When I see someone throw in the towel. When I see someone complain about this or that.

I guess I just go back to my 5 method of operation....
and some things in life take work and effort, but you know that. I am not saying that to you.


Sincerely,
Dave

As to the main question of this thread. Are you confident in the Inspire.

I fly in a very urban environment where everyone knows a lawyer. If I crash the least of my worries will be the cost of the Inspire. It will be the cost of what I hit and the lawsuit if insurance does not cover it all. ( And mostly the responsibility I will need to take if I hurt someone, that would be horrible.) I also am on the internet everyday in this forum and several others. I read all the horror stories. If anyone should be nervous to fly it should be me!
But I am not because I keep it in perspective. I am confident in the Inspire and my ability to pre flight it, fly it, and do basic things to keep in in top shape. And use good judgment when not to fly!
The other day I had a job to take pictures of a empty lot in the middle of know-where. It was a long drive out but the shoot was so relaxing. It was so different than the cities I normally fly in. I was surprised how much stress  am usually under when flying in the city. That job of the empty lot was a eye opener, to how I had gotten used to the stress of flying in the city. It also made me see how confident I am in the Inspire.
But 100% confidence is hard to come by. Like you said Paul even in a "brand-new 737."  Nothing is perfect. We all know that.

Dave

Also I don't take the things you say to me personally Paul. But thank you for saying that PS at the end of your post.
Please don't take anything I say personally either. I am saying it to all.

Dave

Thanks for the reality check Dave - It is greatly appreciated.
Despite the grumbles from time to time we are thankful for the time you put into the community.

In an ideal world, the concerns and issues raised by the user community would be dealt with and integrated into the engineering cycle in an open and transparent process.
We would have advance knowledge of upcoming firmware release dates and the changes contained within them.
However DJI needs to protect it's IP and has chosen to adopt a closed door strategy to achieve that aim.

That's fine - and for the vast majority of users is of no issue.

For people seeking to adopt the products as commercial tools however, this approach lacks value and undermines the suitability of the hardware for commercial utilisation.
Some may consider this as people just being overly picky and pedantic - but when operation of the UAV must comply with a regulatory framework there is no room for technical failure or poor quality documentation.

The long outstanding list of quality issues and faults, the new issues introduced with firmware updates and ongoing safety issues relating to battery and power management take the Inspire well and truly out of contention for commercial use. The lack of reliability in the longer term renders it usable only as an expensive recreational toy. Why anyone would even consider purchasing the X5 or upcoming X5r variant is beyond me. A bit more cost purchases a lot more capability and reliability.

It's a pity really - I enjoy my inspire and would love to be in a position to recommend it for use at work - but it (along with the firmware and support situation) is just not reliable or safe enough to be used as a productive tool..  

PaulKerry Posted at 2015-12-4 20:50
Before I get the chance to reply properly, I wanted to thank you for sharing some of the guy behin ...

Thanks Paul, take your time.

I hope I didn't sound arrogant to anybody reading this. I just wanted to give a little background on myself so people could better understand where I'm coming from, and a little of who I am.  I try to stay humble.

I don't think I'm better than anybody. I just have some experience in this area that's all.
There's a lot of smart guys here on and on the other forums and I am learning stuff from them all the time.

Dave

PaulKerry Posted at 2015-12-4 22:46
I have a little more constructive criticism whilst you're making notes...

Firstly though, I'm sor ...

Thanks for the great reply Paul. You and I are different that's for sure.  I think if you and I were to talk on the phone we would be able to talk for hours and be amazed and intrigued by our differences, in a good way.
I can answer some of the questions you asked but I will have to give it some more thought, it's 11 PM here in California and I'm getting tired.
I have a busy weekend with my wife and kids, but I will be online some tomorrow.

Dave

Farnk666 Posted at 2015-12-4 21:23
Thanks for the reality check Dave - It is greatly appreciated.
Despite the grumbles from time to tim ...

I always value your opinion. You have made me rethink things as I have read your posts. I am an optimist and I tend to see the good in everything and in everybody.
Like the Inspire and the company DJI.
But I do know there are a lot of things that DJ I can improve on. And there are plenty of times when I need a reality check.
It is good when you guys have constructive criticism.  Lots of times you guys say things I can't.

Dave

DJI-Dave Posted at 2015-12-5 18:21
I always value your opinion. You have made me rethink things as I have read your posts. I am an op ...

And definitely stay that way Dave.

I have learned and gained experience with my Inspire and with the user community - you have been a big part of that process. Thank you!

My commercial use cases require more than the Inspire and DJI is capable of delivering right now. But I'll continue to enjoy it recreationally. It's time for me to move onto other manufacturers and products to find our best fit.

PaulKerry Posted at 2015-12-4 22:46
I have a little more constructive criticism whilst you're making notes...

Firstly though, I'm sor ...

So to answer some of your questions now that I am more awake.

To elaborate on my point #4 Encourage each other with accountability.

I would say it means that as we encourage each other we encourage with sincerity. Say it if your really mean it. Be nice but be sincere!  Also the accountability is that if I say something wrong I am accountable to my peers. If a peer corrects me when I am wrong I will not get upset with the correction or the peer.

As far as the Nav lights, they did not make sense to me at first either. But I got used to it quick. I would not advise changing them, because then you will need to change then on every craft you buy in the future. ( I would not want to do that as I have 6 Phantoms and 1 Inspire I would have to change) Also you will be confused if you borrow or need to fly a business partners drone because his will not be changed.  Just go with it.

Putting wings on an Inspire? Wow that is thinking out of the box. I do not build my own airplanes any more. I just do not have the time or the passion for it like I used to. But I still remember some stuff so maybe I could help you. You could bounce a couple ideas off me.

Well, coming from my perspective. My injuries certainly do not influence my reason to sell this craft. I read the manual and flew as per directed. Seems as though the IMU calibration was probably the reason why it crashed into me, but there was no reference to this in the manual. That was number one, number two, the fact that so many birds were falling from the skies, I am not concerned with losing an Inspire 1,  but I concerned with what would happen if a bird were to fall and injure someone.  I own a company turns over 200 million yearly and if I were sued for something like this it would mean the end of me. I can't take that risk. And until a company has a near fail-safe product I will not jeopardize this. Until DJI or another company can produce a bird that is near fail-safe I am out.
I hope you guys can understand.

https://goo.gl/photos/vsTj5HjSeweXA5Ua6

I just got my Inspire V2 last week and I have 100% confidence in it.

I have now received my 3rd. DOA. They have absolutely NO QUALITY CONTROL. I'm loosing money, time and hair trying to get ONE, only ONE of these things to work right. I would buy more than one if they got their ..... together.

taborproduction Posted at 2016-8-23 00:37
I have now received my 3rd. DOA. They have absolutely NO QUALITY CONTROL. I'm loosing money, time an ...

Please be advised that I responded to you on your own thread:

http://forum.dji.com/thread-60952-1-1.html

I am in the 90% crowd. Nothing is ever 100% and there is always room for improvement in everything.
Personally, I have had no problems with my bird other than a few learning curve encounters. (Pilot error)
But, I also have stopped doing FW updates as my bird functions well and I read a lot of FW related problematic posts. I decided this after a camera FW update made my X5 practically un-useable. I was able to roll it back and have been fine ever since.
I was at the beach flying yesterday morning and saw a newbie fly his Phantom straight out of LOS never to return. One guy working the RC while his buddie was reading the instructions. I suppose they will try to blame the hardware!!!
Always pay attention, preflight gear, pay attention, fly safe and pay attention! That's my method.... and it works!

It still cracks me up that 6 people voted being "out".

Why are they on the forum?!

ericrudd Posted at 2015-11-24 10:33
I've had nothing but positive experiences with my Inspire 1. Any problems I've had are pilot error.  ...

I fully agree with this! The same thing applies to my errors...

I think it's important to differentiate between the Inspire1 and the Inspire1Pro.  To me, these are completely different, and fly completely different.  
The inspire 1 flies IMO a lot better then the Inspire1Pro.  Good tool, no support system

Here is another thread raised from the dead.
The original issue being that the need to perform IMU calibrations was not explicitly and clearly stated in the manual.
This led to an unfortunate outcome for the OP.

There is little to be gained from resurrecting old threads people!

Ive been flying my inspire for a year now and no problems. The phantom 3 pro on the other hand fell out of the sky and DJI sent me a brand new one!!!! it only took 2 months to receive it though lol

I would be very confident with the Inspire 1, probably the best drone that I have ever flown.
I started around around 6 years ago with the Phantom 2 which I modified and customised, it is still flying today with literally thousands of flights under its belt.
Then P3, P4, Mavic Pro, S800, Inspire 1. All very good.

I went and got the Inspire 2 (RAW) thinking that it would continue the legacy of useful and reliable machines, oh boy was I wrong.
It turned out that the Inspire 2 was the worst drone that I have ever owned. It has spend most of its life so far grounded due to numerous issues still not resolved today, or actually it got worse..... I stopped following the progress on it tbh.

Go for the Inspire 1 Pro for sure, great drone. The single battery there is even more reliable then the 2 batteries on the Inspire 2

Agreed, my Inspire 1 is the best drone I have owned/flown.