I've posted about the failures I had with the first two Anafi's I purchased. Both times the controller would not charge and ultimately wouldn't turn on. I contacted Parrot and they asked that I return the 2nd unit to the vendor and get another one. I was reluctant to do this since I didn't want to be the test engineer for Parrot a third time and was about to give up and get an Autel Evo. But the vendor had one more Anafi in stock and when I check the serial number it was a newer unit separated from the last unit by a couple of hundred numbers so I figured I'd give it one last try. I really like some of the features of the Anafi (good camera, quiet, no NFZ internal restrictions, etc.) so I really wanted this tor work but was ready to give it up and go with the Evo.
I got home and plugged both the drone and controller in a phone USB charger. The controller led stayed red which was a good sign (both the other controllers led's turn green almost immediately) so I knew something was different. After about an hour both the drone and controller were charged and to my surprise the controller powered up when I lifted the phone holder. Another good sign. I downloaded FreeFlight 6 to my phone and each step in the process of downloading the latest firmware to the controller and drone went flawlessly.
Of course I wasn't going to be satisfied until I at least saw the drone fly even if it was in the confines of my living room. I turned the drone off and back on again, the controller paired with it and the "Fly" command lite up green (there was a warning that the drone hadn't accessed enough satellites). I punched take-off, the propellers began to turn and the drone lifted up to about a height of three feet. It was stable, steady and with very slight movement of the joysticks followed my commands.
So now I am officially a member of the Anafi pilots club. Of course I'm thrilled this 3rd unit has functioned normally and look forward to really flying it when the weather permits (after I label it with the registration numbers).
I got home and plugged both the drone and controller in a phone USB charger. The controller led stayed red which was a good sign (both the other controllers led's turn green almost immediately) so I knew something was different. After about an hour both the drone and controller were charged and to my surprise the controller powered up when I lifted the phone holder. Another good sign. I downloaded FreeFlight 6 to my phone and each step in the process of downloading the latest firmware to the controller and drone went flawlessly.
Of course I wasn't going to be satisfied until I at least saw the drone fly even if it was in the confines of my living room. I turned the drone off and back on again, the controller paired with it and the "Fly" command lite up green (there was a warning that the drone hadn't accessed enough satellites). I punched take-off, the propellers began to turn and the drone lifted up to about a height of three feet. It was stable, steady and with very slight movement of the joysticks followed my commands.
So now I am officially a member of the Anafi pilots club. Of course I'm thrilled this 3rd unit has functioned normally and look forward to really flying it when the weather permits (after I label it with the registration numbers).
