Just after some advice - how often do you tighten and replace the propellers? I have done around 3 to 4 hours flying maybe more in my first week and need to check the screws I reckon. The props look ok but I have noticed some very slight surface marking on the edges.
How often should I change them? They have not touched anything other than a very light slicing of my raspberry bush leaves earlier this week (very thin leaves and minimal impact).
Do the screws loosen at all? And presume when changing it is obvious what blade goes where?
I used to check before each flight. I only check every so often now, or if I ever let the props hit something. Never had a screw come lose, yet. I only change a prop if it has a nick on it.
Just posting about todayās trials and tribulations. Found 30 mins to head out to the local spot with the drone as I have been harboring a video idea for weeks and decided I had to get the footage needed to make it work. Thatās uploading so will post later in the video section.
But I slipped off the landing pad twice today, causing the props to stop as they were winding down having landed. I have flown it and there is no adverse outcome but it happened twice and I wondered how much of an issue it is for the drone when this happens. On each occasion I however over the landing pad and lowered onto it, however when landing it drifted slightly and when it touched down one of the arms went off the mat into the grass. The land was a hill so it caused the props to suddenly stop on each occasion. I have wiped them all off with a damp cloth and canāt see any damage, I presume this is something that they are designed to withstand. What level of marks / change to the props would make you consider swapping them out?
I think landing pads are supposed to be laid out on flat, level, ground, and it may be that the hill is causing your problem. If you canāt get the pad reasonably level, Iād suggest manually landing the drone by coming in from the downhill side at an angle, so that the drone is descending and moving forward as it lands, and shutting off the props with the sticks immediately, as opposed to coming in vertically in an auto-landing.
If the drone still slips of the pad, thatās a nuisance but there will be no damage to your props. You might be able to get the pad reasonably level if it is made of stiff material, couple of stones should do the job. Otherwise, Iād suggest palm landing, but Iāve got a sub-249g drone and might not be so keen with something bigger!
Thanks yes levelling the pad is a good idea. This was manual landing - out of interest how do you stop the props when they are spinning on the ground? I started them up then changed my mind but couldnāt stop them so took off and landed again. Is it the same down and in / out with the sticks?
Well the main reason my thinking is - if your in the way of an emergency ie helicopter - plane or whatever & you canāt get out the way quick enough, you either cut the motors lose your drone & shed a little upset or shed a big upset & never forgive yourself if you brought down manned aircraft ā¦. I know what id rather do !
Sorry to dissappoint, Chris, but Iām quite capable of crashing unintentionally, like normal people do, thank you very much, and Iām not in any rush to do it deliberately!
If you did stop the props in mid-flight and demonstrate Newtonās First Law, how would you restart? Surely, the drone will be at too much of an angle for them to restart as it tumbled downwards; a drone cannot glide like a fixed wing aircraft, and all control is lost irretrievably, isnāt it? I mean, I watched the video but that guy was lucky; no way Iād chance it just to see if it could be done!
Honourable Dronicide in the face of an immediate collision that could cause more harm than a drone crash is the only possible scenario in which Iād ever consider doing this, and hopefully I will never encounter such a situation!
CSC