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Replace props after how many flights?

Gadget Inspector

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As a general rule for any drone, inspecting props during each pre-flight check is important. I'm curious if folks have a set interval for replacing props. Obviously chips and cracks are indicators for immediate replacement, but I'm thinking about setting a hard and fast rule for myself, especially for the Anafi. Those little, thin props.... What do you do, every 100 flights, 200 flights...what?
 
I very much doubt that I would get 200 flights without any nicks, so I don't really think about it. However, my flights are usually 15 minutes or so. If one took 200 3 minutes flights that might be different. Inspecting with a magnifier and bright light is done every other flight, unless a crash or funky landing has happened....then immediately. I just don't think a hard and fast rule based on number of flights as opposed to flight hours makes sense.
 
I very much doubt that I would get 200 flights without any nicks, so I don't really think about it. However, my flights are usually 15 minutes or so. If one took 200 3 minutes flights that might be different. Inspecting with a magnifier and bright light is done every other flight, unless a crash or funky landing has happened....then immediately. I just don't think a hard and fast rule based on number of flights as opposed to flight hours makes sense.
I guess the obvious is not obvious unless it is stated. What I’m getting at here is useful life, so the point is time in the air. 200 3-minute flights in and of itself makes no sense does it? I average about 14-minutes/flight, so number of flights actually can be a way to do it (with a very simple conversion) in my opinion. Better than not doing it at all. Thanks for chiming in.
 
Just from what I have seen on here and on the Facebook groups people that have lost a prop seem to have around 150 - 200 flights. Last winter I had 203 on mine when I lost a prop. I don't remember ever seeing a prop blade break on the blade it self but I have seen lots that give way at the hub. My conclusion is the friction of the blade spinning crates stress cracks at the hub and it just shatters in flight.
 
So basically anything after 100-150 is borrowed time? When you lost that prop, had you crashed or hit any object or is just simply stress from flying them to much?
 
.... I average about 14-minutes/flight, so number of flights actually can be a way to do it (with a very simple conversion) in my opinion.....
Hmm. That's about the same as me. So if I have 75 flights at an average of 15 minutes, that's 1125 minutes or 18.75 hours. It would take me 400 such flights to get to 100 hours of flight time. Therefore I think using number of flights and 150-200 of such makes more sense than 100 hours. Agustine's comment on hub failure as opposed to blade failure got my attention! Hub failures on airplane props are rarer than hen's teeth, but this apparently does not translate to Anafi props. My bad. I replaced the left set of props a few flights ago due to trailing edge nicks before they could propagate across the blade, so perhaps I will replace the right set in a few more flights. $28 as insurance against the usually disastrous result of a prop hub failure is cheap.
 
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So basically anything after 100-150 is borrowed time? When you lost that prop, had you crashed or hit any object or is just simply stress from flying them to much?

No crashes, no damaged props before hand. Was in the winter so colder temps could have had something to do with it. When it happened I was doing a dolly zoom which puts the craft going backwards at a angle and at a high rate of speed. It reached the end of travel and the prop let go causing no control and it sat in a every green tree all winter till I found it in the spring :)
 
No crashes, no damaged props before hand. Was in the winter so colder temps could have had something to do with it. When it happened I was doing a dolly zoom which puts the craft going backwards at a angle and at a high rate of speed. It reached the end of travel and the prop let go causing no control and it sat in a every green tree all winter till I found it in the spring :)
Does it still work? Or is this the spare Anafi?
 
Does it still work? Or is this the spare Anafi?
Works great, even the battery performs as well as my other three. I was keeping it as a spare but lately have been using it more then my new one. Hopefully it keeps on going. The last video I posted was with that one.

 
Works great, even the battery performs as well as my other three. I was keeping it as a spare but lately have been using it more then my new one. Hopefully it keeps on going. The last video I posted was with that one.

Bah! After reading the story from the link you provided, it woke up my itch to get one. I will try to run it pass the Dragon Lady, in hopes that she is sleeping on her bed of gold and says yes without giving it much thought.??

One of these days she is going to read one of my posts and get all my drones smashed.
 
So basically anything after 100-150 is borrowed time? When you lost that prop, had you crashed or hit any object or is just simply stress from flying them to much?

I think much depends on environmental conditions. Obviously crashing is the #1 cause of breakage; I have many unintended landings in bushes/trees and I inspect the props carefully. Usually the leading and trailing edges are dinged up so I take the back of a ball point pen, put the prop against a solid desk a rub out the distortion, it works well.

If the prop is cracked anywhere I throw it away. I notice in the cold the props are more brittle. I also notice the dent from motor start up where the opposing props hub hits the trailing edge, a crack can start here.

So while there may be a total hour use of a prop a lot depends how and where the prop operates. I inspect the props every flight, I flex them to see if there are any cracks or brittleness. I rarely fly when it is over 100* out but lately in Vegas it's hard not too. In the heat I check the motor temps often, the props seem more pliable in the heat.

Props are relatively cheap so I purchased a bunch of them and keep them in my case with extra screws and that funny torx tool. It's so French to not use a standard Allen they had to be different.
 
....It's so French to not use a standard Allen they had to be different.
? Actually the Torx bit and head will take nearly twice the torque of an Allen....perfect for small fasteners. Maybe that's why they named it Torx! ;)

A very good post nonetheless.
 
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I've experienced two suspected prop failures, one at 109 flights and the other at 159 flights. Not fun! I would highly recommend replacement every 100 flights max! I replaced all the props after 109 flights, so my second failure occurred after only 50 flights. Used OEM props from Parrot.
 
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? Actually the Torx bit and head will take nearly twice the torque of an Allen....perfect for small fasteners. Maybe that's why they named it Torx! ;)

A very good post nonetheless.

Yeah, I'm a mechanic by trade and I agree the Torx can take the torque, problem is many times you don't have one:( Then there is the anti-tamper torx which more and more products are coming with so you can't mess with it.
 
Bumping this old post after I just noticed that all props on my Anafi show signs of wear at the point where they touch the "twin" prop...

My Anafi has only a few hours of flight, in any case less than 100 flights.

The photo shows the most badly "damaged" pair, and only the trailing edge is concerned, so I intend to keep this set for the next flights.

Is this normal wear ?
 

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Pretty common problem caused from spin up and the props slap against the others mount. I find if taking off from ground I will let the Anafi go through its start up an then put the trailing edge of the props like this in the photo.Seems to help. By the time they make their first rotation they are centered and don't slam into each other. Also hand launching seems to help for some reason.
2020-03-26 07.04.23.jpg
 
Pretty common problem caused from spin up and the props slap against the others mount. I find if taking off from ground I will let the Anafi go through its start up an then put the trailing edge of the props like this in the photo.Seems to help. By the time they make their first rotation they are centered and don't slam into each other. Also hand launching seems to help for some reason.
View attachment 3753

That position makes sense to minimize the impact. I mostly "hand launch", but I might keep the props in this position with some finesse - and not too much wind !

I find this is premature wear...
 
A lot of us tried different things to try and keep this from happening way back in july\August of 2018. Some even tried slow-mo video to capture what was happening. Others made models from Cad programs. LOL it was getting pretty technical in the posts. A lot of damage comes from sand and actually grass blowing up and hitting the edge of the props. This is why I either use a landing pad or hand launch. I was never a fan of hand launching but now it is my favorite way to launch.
 

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