Irrational fear?

[SultanGris]

Thanks for all the input so far! Mike, I currently fly a P2 with fpv set up and just looking to upgrade. I'm confident in my flying and am a cautious pilot.

JoffaDan, I see your point about being in a certain financial position to invest in the inspire but I don't know if I agree with your mindset. To me the only reason it should not come back would be due to my own negligence on any part. What scares me is the stories I've read where the problem supposidly lies in the firmware. So even though the appropriate checks have been done it results in a failure/crash. Someone did however make a good point that this is only a very small percentage of the inspires out there

most problems nowdays are due to user error, moving the inspire during the power on self test while the camera is spinning being a common issue causing "unexplained" flyaway/crashes. DJI documentation doesnt warn of this problem so lots of people dont realize it. Improper imu/compass calibrations, failure to calibrate imu/compass after installing new firmware, being unfamiliar with atti mode when gps signal is lost and forces you to it, using auto flight functions with obstacles in the flight path and not knowing how to cancel it or use manual control to avoid them and so on.

Allowing a battery to enter the self discharge phase and then flying with said battery without charging it first is/was the cause of the sudden battery percent drop from 50%-6% or whatever which could cause a crash if you werent close to the ground when it occurred. They claim to have fixed this problem in the newer firmware, and most if not all of the other crash causing firmware bugs im aware of are fixed in the latest version as well. They are actually beta testing their new firmware before release now, so that should lessen the likelihood of future major crash causing bugs to slip through.

If youre familiar/proficient with the phantom 2 you shouldnt have any problems with the inspire, they are very similar. You definitely do not want to crash an inspire however, phantoms can crash with only prop damage but inspires rip camera gimbles in half and break the flimsy carbon fiber arms costing around $1000 to fix. Youll want to be extra careful when flying the inspire, its much faster and quicker to respond to control inputs than the phantom.

 

[Ezookiel]

It definitely handles some scary winds. I had 30kmh winds with some pretty big gusts on a shoot yesterday. The P2 may have managed that, but I was very glad I had the Inspire.


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[Dallasfreak]

Stability for one. Cool factor for another

and helllllo 360 view.......

 

[JoffaDan]

Thanks for all the input so far! Mike, I currently fly a P2 with fpv set up and just looking to upgrade. I'm confident in my flying and am a cautious pilot.

JoffaDan, I see your point about being in a certain financial position to invest in the inspire but I don't know if I agree with your mindset. To me the only reason it should not come back would be due to my own negligence on any part. What scares me is the stories I've read where the problem supposidly lies in the firmware. So even though the appropriate checks have been done it results in a failure/crash. Someone did however make a good point that this is only a very small percentage of the inspires out there

OldBlue, unfortunately I don't like having that mind set either, but whether you like it or not, it's a reality. In a perfect world, the catastrophes would only happen due to pilot negligence, but it's just not the case. You have a right to be nervous about all the stories you have read. Whilst a lot may be due to negligence like bad compass cals and not fully charging batteries- like anything mechanical and software faults happen and can result in you losing your bird. What I'm trying to say is that you need to be mentally and financially prepared for the fact that if you choose to partake in this activity, one day you may be watching your $3K inspire fly off forever or fall into the ocean, at no fault of your own.

This is by no means limited to the inspire 1 and can happen with anything you choose to fly and this is the risk we all take upon take off. I must also add, the odds are highly in your favour if you follow proper flight preparation and protocol. I'm at 300+ smooth flights now on my inspire, no crashes or glitches whatsoever. It is an absolute pleasure to fly.

In summary, if you are not willing to risk that much money in the air, buy something cheaper like a P3 (which may also fly away- but will cost you a lot less).

Having said that, when I fly my P3 in favour of my inspire, the difference is comparable to driving a Datsun bluebird, over a Ferrari.

Who am I kidding, I never fly my P3 in favour of my Inspire.

 

[SultanGris]

OldBlue, unfortunately I don't like having that mind set either, but whether you like it or not, it's a reality. In a perfect world, the catastrophes would only happen due to pilot negligence, but it's just not the case. You have a right to be nervous about all the stories you have read. Whilst a lot may be due to negligence like bad compass cals and not fully charging batteries- like anything mechanical and software faults happen and can result in you losing your bird. What I'm trying to say is that you need to be mentally and financially prepared for the fact that if you choose to partake in this activity, one day you may be watching your $3K inspire fly off forever or fall into the ocean, at no fault of your own.

This is by no means limited to the inspire 1 and can happen with anything you choose to fly and this is the risk we all take upon take off. I must also add, the odds are highly in your favour if you follow proper flight preparation and protocol. I'm at 300+ smooth flights now on my inspire, no crashes or glitches whatsoever. It is an absolute pleasure to fly.

In summary, if you are not willing to risk that much money in the air, buy something cheaper like a P3 (which may also fly away- but will cost you a lot less).

Having said that, when I fly my P3 in favour of my inspire, the difference is comparable to driving a Datsun bluebird, over a Ferrari.

Who am I kidding, I never fly my P3 in favour of my Inspire.

Very true, I flew my inspire for around 4 months trouble free and careful and flew a phantom 2v+ for about 3-4 months before that and thought i was a pretty **** good pilot with very little risk of crashing due to user error, then i crashed my inspire and caused $1000 in damage. I was flying FPV without visual line of sight eyes on the inspire. The crash was due partly to a firmware bug which caused random loss of GPS signal and aircraft altitude drop. Sometimes the app played a voice message that said gps signal lost, switching to atti mode and sometimes it didnt play this message when it happened. In this case there was no warning and that plus the slight video feed delay of the live view but mostly from taking my eyes off the screen for a few seconds which i though was safe since nothing was close to me in the view screen caused my crash. Not a good feeling when you find your inspire in multiple pieces with a broken arm and camera gimble. not a cheap fix either.

I had crashed my phantom hard at full speed a few times early in my learning phase and nothing broke but the props, inspires however are a bad design as far as handling a crash goes, they use cheap paper thin carbon fiber arms which will often break even in a light crash/hard landing which then causes the camera gimble to hit the ground and it cannot withstand such an event without major damage. mine physically broke the metal arm between the rotating points completely in half. You would think the joint would be the weakest point but the thin metal of the arms between them are apparently much weaker probably due to weight saving attempts. Im confident this metal and the carbon fiber arms could be much thicker/stronger without causing any significant flight/weight changes and would then be able to handle these hard landings and light crashes with little to no damage much better.

 

[Ezookiel]

Owning any major quad, not just the Inspire, is a possible financial hit.
I owned a P2 with H3-3D under it, and that was a $600 repair after one simple crash - a vertical drop of 2 metres in my lounge room onto a carpeted floor - and then looked like being another $600 to replace after a much harder and larger drop when my spotter quipped, "Oops, sorry, I didn't see that branch" ... *rolls eyes* but luckily the gimbal that time kept working, but just sits at an angle with a bent arm.

Owning any of these things can cost a lot. They're using some pretty sensitive technology, travelling at height, and often at speed, and Gravity is a hard taskmaster.

Needless to say I don't use that same spotter, but I'm also extraordinarily careful when using the Inspire, because the bills above will easily double and then some if she ever comes down unexpectedly.

I actually chose not to get some shots I'd have liked to get for a client, just because they would need me to be too close to the trees, and working alone meant no way to fly it LOS most safely and still do the photos.

 

[Iceboxvideo]

So I have been thinking about gettin an inspire 1 but the more I read the more worrisome I get with the two main concerning being a fly away and the battery voltage drop. Can anyone shine some light as to how frequent this actually does happen? I want to be confident in making this type of investment . Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

Without sounding patronising...
Generally the mentioned issues are due to poor pre flight and post flight checks. Many issues can be avoided by reading the manual. Battery maintenance is crucial and discharging to 0%, remembering not to set your drone up near obstacles and metal such as garage doors, cars etc, most is common sense. Fly always are due to poor GPS / magnetic interference, always test or check in open spaces well away from people wildlife and roads.
It's worth paying a professional organisation for lessons on how to operate it safely, worth every penny ! Remember that motors and electronics will eventually fail, remember to keep flight records etc as you can gauge when maintenance is required. Safety is paramount, Read The CAA air law. Hope this helps

 

[John]

Neither has happened to me.

I fly very conservatively, am aware of obstructions between the RC and the AC, and land when the battery is at 30%.

Edit to add: It's expensive, it's not a toy, but it is easier to fly than any cheaper quadcopter I've flown, practice, build your skills, don't get cocky, and you will be fine.

I echo each of these points.

 

[Phillip Darlington]

I've an Inspire and a Phantom 3 pro. I can do exactly the same thing except speed.

Why pay so expensive for an Inspire when you can do the same job at the end with a phantom 3 without any concern?

Yes. Stability. I do pro inspections and pro level video. Sometimes I have to fly in high winds. Phantom won't handle that. Phantom also won't handle in-flight camera adjustments, i.e.: ISO, aperture and gaming for exposure sweet-spots.

 

[Mr Phantom]

I had the exact same worries that made me abstain from buying the Inspire for a very long time because of what i had read online. But then i realized that these things can happen to all expensive items, i will never buy anything if i think like that.
For example my car costs much more than the inspire 1 but i wasn't worried if its going to break down and i will have to pay expensive repair costs, which can be very expensive at times. And the risk of a car breaking down is not too small either.

But of course, if and when it happens it will not be a pleasant and fun experience, its a horrible experience.

Anyway, the things i like better with the P3 is the longer flight time and also the more easy transport and faster set up time, and of course the cheaper price.

I would say that if you don´t need an Inspire then buy the P3 Professional instead, but as mentioned earlier the inspire 1 has some advantages, if you need those then buy the Inspire 1.

 

[Wind Ward]

From my recent experience with DJI customer service there are worse things then a fly away or battery problems. DJI customers service is the worst I have ever encountered. If you have a repair problem, you can't even speak with the repair department. When you call all you get is the sales office.

Two of the motors on my Inspire1 developed bearing noise. I called DJI California and was told I could buy replacement motors, E800's. I placed the order for 4 of them. A day later I was online in the DJI forms and I was told the the E800 motors will not work in my Inspire!. I called DJI in California again. I was told again the E800 motors were the exact same motor and they would work. He said who ever I was getting my information from was wrong. I went back to the form and and the person I was chatting with took photos and posted them online showing the mounting of the E800 motors was completely different.

I called back to DJI for the third time and spoke with a different person and he confirmd that the E800 motors would not work. He told me they are the same motor but have completely different mounting brackets. He asked me for the name of the other employee that told me to buy the motors, which I could not remember. When the motors arrived by Fed EX I refused the order. It took me almost 7 weeks for me to get my $319.00 back after many e-mail and telephone requesting them to do so.

So now I still have a Inspire! with noisy motors. DJI refuses to just sell you the motors. They would rather run the reputation into the dirt then lose out on a few bucks installing motors. The fact is they would make more money by just selling me motors.

I sent in my Inspire and began my 8 weeks in purgatory. These repairs were to be done under warranty. I asked if I could pay to have the two good motors replaced as well. I wanted all motors to have the same amount of hours on them and I didn't want to go through waiting another 2 months in the near future If and when they went bad. My request was denied. I asked why and sales department can't even give you a straight answer. They just keep playing the "it's policy" card.

When I sent in my Inspire I was told it would take 7 to 8 weeks. If you sent one in today I am told the wait time is only 4 weeks. After waiting 7 weeks I called to see if my repair might be getting close to being finished. I was told it might be another 2 to 3 weeks. The next day I received a e-mail saying my Inspire was shipped the day before. The words "customer service incompidence" don''t even come close.

If you are considering buying anything from DJI I would only recomend you exhaust all other options first.

 

[Charles Limberg]

I recommend carrying collision/theft insurance. This will cover you in a fly away situation. It is not just the basic model liability insurance. That will only cover other property that may be damaged by your hobby flying. It will not cover your broken drone. It will definitely not cover a lost drone.

You want the collision insurance coverage for your drone. Sometimes it is insurance classified for commercial use drones. You can find some commercial insurance that do not require FAA 333 exemption requirements either.This will take some of the fear away, but will also put fear back into your wallet every month!

Oh and there is no comparison for the Phantom 3 and Inspire 1, other than they are drones. It is like comparing an Audi A3 with a Porsche Twin Turbo 993, other than they are cars.