New owner, needs your confidence building please

[MAndrews]

Hey

I'm a TV presenter who works all over the world, and amongst other things I'm the presenter and commentator for professional drone racing for the Drone Champions League. Bought a Spark as it's light and small enough to carry with me everywhere, for filming locations and venues for my YouTube channel (MattLeeAndrews).

It's TERRIFYING to fly an expensive thing far away! I've read everything, I know all the technicalities of having GPS, home point, got the RC for a bit more range, I feel I know what I'm doing to avoid flyaway yet the moment I'm flying it 50m away and high up or in a breeze I get really nervous!

So please share your experiences of flying a Spark in less than ideal conditions, whether it be windy, cold, amongst buildings, near metal frameworks, high, far away, etc. It'll be ok, right?

I have watched YT vids of Sparks being flown over a mile and autoreturning, or blasted with a leaf blower and still hovering... Just need more examples that it'll come back!

Thank you thank you thank you (as I say to my Spark when it returns)

Matt Andrews

 

[suprPHREAK]

I don't know what to tell you. I waved at mine one day, and it took it to mean fly away....LOL

In all seriousness though, all you need to do is go out and get used to how it works. I've flown my P3 some great distances, and it really just took going out and gradually getting farther and farther. It surely is something to fly out 2km away, can't see the thing, but you just trust your signals.

 

[Sparkbart]

Welcome!

I totally understand where you are coming from. When I first started years ago. I wouldn’t send any of my drones or than a football field away for fear of losing connection or a fly away...

Now I fly further than I ever thought I would. IMO what it takes;

1) Proper preparation. Have a preflight checklist. Make sure you use it EVERYTIME. Make sure EVERYTHING is working as it should. Meaning make sure your GO app works, your remote is connected and working, make sure you Spark is working correctly. Don’t rush!

2) DON’T ignore flight warnings - If your App, Spark or remote are throwing errors, don’t ignore them and fly.

3). Know your surroundings - Even if everything seems good, are you flying in a WiFi dense area? Are there lots of trees or other tall objects around you? Are you flying over water?

4) Practice! Get to know your Spark. When you start flying start pushing how far you go. BUT do it slowly meaning don’t go from 500 ft. To 1 mile... Work your way further out and bring it back. You’ll soon be confident in its ability.

I’ve been flying for years. All kinds of drones. And knock on wood I’ve had not flyaways. That’s not to say it can’t or won’t happen. But I believe with proper preparation you can minimize that possibility!

Hey

I'm a TV presenter who works all over the world, and amongst other things I'm the presenter and commentator for professional drone racing for the Drone Champions League. Bought a Spark as it's light and small enough to carry with me everywhere, for filming locations and venues for my YouTube channel (MattLeeAndrews).

It's TERRIFYING to fly an expensive thing far away! I've read everything, I know all the technicalities of having GPS, home point, got the RC for a bit more range, I feel I know what I'm doing to avoid flyaway yet the moment I'm flying it 50m away and high up or in a breeze I get really nervous!

So please share your experiences of flying a Spark in less than ideal conditions, whether it be windy, cold, amongst buildings, near metal frameworks, high, far away, etc. It'll be ok, right?

I have watched YT vids of Sparks being flown over a mile and autoreturning, or blasted with a leaf blower and still hovering... Just need more examples that it'll come back!

Thank you thank you thank you (as I say to my Spark when it returns)

Matt Andrews

 

[AeroMirage]

I bought my spark so I wouldn't have to risk my Inspire 2 in hazardous areas. (Roof inspections with low hanging trees.)
That bird is $5K and the spark is $600. That makes me very confident in the spark!!
I have had the following and never had any problems with any of them: Phantom 3 standard, Phantom 3 Pro, Phantom 4 Pro +, Inspire 1 (3 different ones), Inspire 2 and now the Spark. I have a Mavic Platinum on the way with delivery scheduled for tomorrow.
Read the manual, take the time to get comfortable with it. There is no substitute for Practice. When we first learned to drive a car, it was scary until we became accustomed to it.
99% of the problems with these devices are due to pilot error.
One thing to keep in mind is that even if the app crashes you still have control. (Flying with remote control) I would never try to fly without a remote. Too much chance of mistakes. Gesture control scares me. What did #2 post say?, he waved at it and it flew away.

 

[MyLittleDrony]

Spark handles wind well and pretty much everything else.
Its biggest weakness in Europe is the CE mode, which luckily can be bypassed and really made me love my little spark.

Why?

It can go everywhere.
Does decent photos and videos.
Is quite cheap so if you lose it, its not the end of the world, if you break it, you can get some decent money for it on ebay.
In FCC mode and stock everything else its good for 1500 meters so more than enough to explore.
Handles wind well.
I crashed mine into a lamp post in sport mode and the only thing which broke was a clip at the bottom of the leg and flew fine, but that's a bit of lottery, my point is, if that was my inspire 1, it would have been new drone/camera and a 4 figure bill.

Before the spark I said for years I miss the phantom 2 days when i flew for fun, and the money in the air was not a small fortune.

The spark, while having obvious room for improvements, the gimble is annoying, it often twitches, but if you fly in straight lines, you can get some decent shots.

The next spark will be amazing.

 

[TedStriker]

A lot of good advice here. I’m still in a learner mode and adding distance and altitude with each flight. I would add get very familiar with the GO4 app and how to read all the information on it.

Also, learn how to fly using the map. When that little Spark goes a distance it’s hard to see. Using the map, you can always know where it’s at and the fastest way to get it back to you.

 

[Haramen]

I fly mine in the city. Gives me 700mts because all the interference in the city. I use 5.8.

 

[BlancoRob]

Fly it close until you're used to how it operates. As you get more comfortable you can fly it farther and farther away.

Always make sure you have at least 10+ satellites locked before taking off.

Always check your IMU and compass before taking off, recalibrate if needed.

Check UAV forecast to make sure the weather is appropriate for flight.

If the spark does anything out of the ordinary fly it back home manually and land as soon as possible.

Don't panic. Flying manually by sight is better than just pressing RTH when you want it to come home.

I regularly fly long distance and I follow these guidelines and haven't had any issues so far. The spark is simple, motors, propellers, GPS, compass, and IMU. These should all be checked before every flight. It only takes 30 seconds.

 

[sparky2525]

Just make sure your home point is set before you take off anywhere. I have lost signal many times (over 1km away) , when ever it happens I just wait 30 seconds and my screen comes back up from where RTH kicks in and the spark is heading back. Never once have I had a fly away with it. Again just make sure it tells you on the screen that the home point has been updated, and your gtg!

 

[Rattydude77]

Just make sure your home point is set before you take off anywhere. I have lost signal many times (over 1km away) , when ever it happens I just wait 30 seconds and my screen comes back up from where RTH kicks in and the spark is heading back. Never once have I had a fly away with it. Again just make sure it tells you on the screen that the home point has been updated, and your gtg!

He might of got a new drone sparky2525 the post was 2017 good look tho.