Crashed 3 times in one week

Sunday 4 April 2021, 23:32 by Elja Trum | 4,260 views | 7 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

A few years ago, we received a DJI Mavic drone at our office. We were going to use it for an overview shot when recording videos for our courses. It gives you a great view of the surroundings.

I flew it around my office for a bit, landed it on my desk and then called the whole team over to come and look at our cool new toy.

I picked up the controller and let the drone take off slowly.
At least, that was the intention.

What actually happened was that it flew straight into the ceiling at full speed. Broken rotor blades flew around, after which the thing got stuck between two damaged panels of our suspended ceiling.

I crashed our new drone three times in that same week before I had a bit of an idea how the thing worked.

My second crash happened while trying out the drone's automatic tracking feature. It produces great footage, but you do need to keep paying attention, and not fly in the wrong direction when things look like they might go wrong.

You can see that crash in the video below.

After that first week, touch wood, I haven't crashed it again. You can still regularly see footage we make with it in our photography courses on Photofacts Academy.

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About the author

Elja Trum is the founder of Photofacts and online photography course website Photofacts Academy. He has been writing about photography since 2006. Elja is also the author of (Dutch) books on composition, black-and-white photography, flash photography and portrait photography.

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7 comments

Joris vd Maarel wrote on Wednesday 7 April 2021 at 08:58 | reply
The use of the automatic tracking function is not allowed. The legislation has been new since January 1 and if you fly outdoors, you must have passed the mandatory A1/A3 and/or A2 drone certificate. Your drone and certificate must also be registered with the RDW. You are even required to report an outdoor crash. Without a "diploma/certificate" and insurance, that can result in a hefty bill. It is mandatory in the EU for all drones weighing more than 250g or with a camera on board.
Translated from Dutch.

Elja Trum wrote on Wednesday 7 April 2021 at 09:19 | reply
@Joris; I know the rules and I have my pilot's license too.
However, this was in 2017, when different rules still applied.
Translated from Dutch.

guest wrote on Wednesday 7 April 2021 at 16:38 | reply
Elja, you first have to learn to swim before you jump into the deep end. 😛😃
Translated from Dutch.

Dennis Tichelaar wrote on Thursday 8 April 2021 at 09:40 | reply
There are RC model airplane clubs where you can learn to fly drones.
Translated from Dutch.

Elja Trum wrote on Thursday 8 April 2021 at 10:18 | reply
I’ve pretty much got the hang of it by now; haven’t had any problems since that first week.
Translated from Dutch.

guest wrote on Thursday 8 April 2021 at 14:16 | reply
Hi Joris, You write "It is mandatory in the EU for all drones weighing more than 250g or with a camera on board."

Do you mean that one also has to have a diploma/certificate for a drone weighing less than 250 grams, but with a camera on board ?
Translated from Dutch.

Joris vd Maarel wrote on Thursday 8 April 2021 at 17:09 | reply
@gast:
Correct you then fall under subcategory A1 and are therefore required to obtain the diploma/certificate and register your drone/certificate with the RDW.
Translated from Dutch.

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