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Drone the seventh - The drone flies, but crashes are part of it

14.7.2020

Translation: machine translated

Four weeks after the maiden flight with my drone, it's still buzzing like a kitten. Crashes happen all the time, but cause surprisingly little damage to the stable aircraft. I'm much more afraid of high meadows.

I now fly my racing drone safely through the air - at least that's what I claim. Nevertheless, it keeps landing somewhere on the grass.

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Drone, the first - smells a bit burnt, doesn't it?
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Since my last article, I have completed a few flights and learnt a few lessons. On one of my first flights without professional guidance, I wanted to send the drone into the sky as quickly as possible. The ESC - Electronic Speed Controller - was not particularly happy about this and the drone immediately crashed back to the ground with full force. The ESC was unable to deliver the required power, which ended in a total crash.

Improvements here, improvements there, grass everywhere

Armed with a camping chair and rucksack, I head out into a field with a friend. People out walking, cycling or hiking are bound to wonder what two guys are looking for in the middle of a field with two camping chairs. Normally, we're not looking for anything. Unless the drone crashes into the tall grass. Then it's search, search, search.

On the recommendation of Till, who helped me build the drone, I install a buzzer. It's about the size of a 10-gram rattle, weighs 2 grams and, at around 90 dB, is about as loud as a lorry. I solder it to the flight controller and programme Betaflight so that the buzzer starts beeping loudly as soon as I move a lever on the remote control. I wouldn't want to be without the buzzer. Long searches after a crash are now history. Unless, of course, the battery comes loose in a heavy crash. Then even the loudest buzzer is useless and I have to search for the drone. I would be grateful for any tips to prevent this from happening again.

The beautiful 3D print from Kevin for the antennas had to make way for makeshift tape. The crashes repeatedly caused the antennas on the air unit to come loose. I then had to laboriously unscrew the drone each time to put the antennas back. It's easier without the bulky 3D mount.

Easier access without the 3D-printed antenna mount

My drone is not only a great flying object, but also a great lawnmower. After every crash, some grass gets caught in the housing. I don't know if and how I'll get it out again. As long as it flies, I'm happy.

My favourite place

I've already tried a few places to fly. My favourite is a large field with obstacles arranged in a triangle. It's beautifully situated with a great view of Lake Sihl. I practise flying precisely between the trees there. It has enough space to practise manoeuvres such as loops, power lops and so on.

I sometimes lack the necessary precision when flying and performing tricks. And then again, I don't. When I find the famous "needle in a haystack" - in the form of a wooden post - on the field, that's what I call precision. I certainly wouldn't hit that post a second time. After this very rough landing, I feared the worst. Nothing happened - apart from a dent on the battery. I'm amazed at what the drone can take. My falls were anything but gentle.

The moment before impact (For a moving image, just watch the video above)

No more propellers have broken in my crashes. On my first flight with Till, I broke ten. My cheap megapack is definitely not worth it. I can recommend the HQProps I have on it now.

After 30 minutes of flying fun is over

With consumer drones like the new DJI Mavic Air 2, the batteries keep the drone in the air for around 30 minutes. I fly for the same amount of time with my six batteries. With one battery, I'm done after just two to three minutes. No wonder, given the speed and power of the motors. My practice sessions are pretty short. Battery empty, insert new battery and after three minutes the game repeats itself. Nevertheless, it's an incredible feeling every time I put on the goggles and let the drone soar through the air.

I'll stay tuned. If you want to stay tuned too, then follow my author profile. <p

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Manuel Wenk

Communications Manager

Manuel.Wenk@digitecgalaxus.ch

As a Multimedia Producer, preparing multimedia content and knowing about cutting-edge technology is my business. My main focus at digitec is producing videos. I can’t wait to try out new products such as cameras, drones or smartphones as soon as they’re launched. This is where being at the source comes in rather handy. When I’m not working, I’m probably skiing, biking or hiking – the mountains are my place to be.

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