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Scenario: you're drone fails and you cant get it back

ROBANAFI

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Not wanting to tempt fate but where would you stand if your drone had a "none user malfunction" over water(or in a tree) and you couldn't get it back?
 
As a newbie that's just yesterday been told he was definitely in the wrong for going against something written in the Anafi manual, I'm going to guess that you will also be told this too, as it clearly states not to fly over water in the manual.

A good insurance policy might need to be in order there, which is proving hard to find here in Australia, unless you attend a $500 4 hour workshop that is given the tick of approval by an insurance company.
 
Why can't Anafi fly over water?
Anafi can fly over water just fine. However, if it fails, you will not likely be able to recover it and prove it was not a user error.
DJI also says do not fly over water and even if you buy their insurance, they will not cover it if you cannot recover the drone.
If you regularly fly over water, it would be a good idea to get insurance through State Farm or other private insurer.
 
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Not wanting to tempt fate but where would you stand if your drone had a "none user malfunction" over water(or in a tree) and you couldn't get it back?

If you freely place your drone in a hazardous situation and something went wrong, why would you expect it to be replaced by someone other than yourself.
 
Stop worrying - live fast - die young! At least you will have some great memories captured on film...

Both filmed by my 15 year old son - who is a bit more daring than me :unsure:



I'm now in the habit of doing a full reset of the Anafi before doing something risky - so far the Anafi has been reliable.
Also make sure the motors don't feel hot after landing - possible engine failure.
And don't forget to check the propellers for signs of wear and tear.
 
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If you freely place your drone in a hazardous situation and something went wrong, why would you expect it to be replaced by someone other than yourself.

Surely flying in its self is hazardous situation. I was just asking because my drone cut out at 100m elevation and fell to the ground with a bit of damage, i was able to get it back and Parrot replaced it(not me!). I was just curious what would happen if you couldn't get it back. So now i understand if it failed over water its tough luck!

i should clarify, i meant what happens if your drone fails over trees and you cant get it back. not if you crash into a tree, thats your fault obviously.
 
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Surely flying in its self is hazardous situation. I was just asking because my drone cut out at 100m elevation and fell to the ground with a bit of damage, i was able to get it back and Parrot replaced it(not me!). I was just curious what would happen if you couldn't get it back. So now i understand if it failed over water its tough luck!

i should clarify, i meant what happens if your drone fails over trees and you cant get it back. not if you crash into a tree, thats your fault obviously.

After two emails, the second one was filling in their form to the best of knowledge Parrot sent me a RMA and return label for a replacement. Mine decided to go bye bye in the bush behind my house and we could not find it because of deep snow and tall pine trees. I had to send in the remote in the box it came with to get a replacement. Guessing what ever they get back will be refurbished products sometime down the line.
I sent it out on Jan. 15th. They just received it yesterday on Jan. 25th. 10 days from Canada to Parrot in California. I heard it can take up to a week for them to ship the new unit out. They had no problem replacing mine as we both believe it was either mechanical or software failure.

How long have you owned the Drone?

What was the date and time of the incident?

What piloting device was being used?

Were you using a Smartphone/tablet at the time, if YES what model & software version?


Were you using Touch&Fly, follow-me, Magic dronies or Autoshots at the time of the incident?


Were you using Flight Plan at the time, if YES please send a copy of the plan mapping along with the animations screen?


Can you please provide a screen shot for the piloting application showing the drones information screen (Within FreeFlight tap on the drones name)


Were there any error messages displayed at the time on your piloting device?

Did you have the Geoffence within FreeFlight Pro activated at the time? If so, please provide a screen shot of the settings

Do you recall the distance from you at the time?

Approximately what height was the Drone at the time of the incident?

Can you recall how long you had been flying for at the time?

Can you indicate the approximate battery status at the time?

Do you have any video footage or pictures from the day in question?

Have you managed to locate and retrieve your Drone since submitting your inquiry?

Within FreeFlight Pro we have the facility to locate the last known location of the drone, just tap on the Map and your smartphone will guide you to the location. This is the last known location when the two devices were connected.

Kindly Provide us with the following as well to proceed further with your case :

1.Original proof of purchase with :

?A copy of the receipt(Showing the date , place of purchase , as well as items purchased).



2.The Serial number for the Parrot Anafi. This is an 18 digit code starting with the letter "P", located under the battery of the Parrot Anafi or from the application:



3.A picture('s) of the box for the Parrot Anafi .



4.Mailing address:



5.City:



6.State:



7.Zip Code:



Kindly note that parrot's warranty for it's products is 1 year for the product itself , except for consumable parts(like batteries) which are covered for 6 months.



Finally, could you give more details about your observations at the time, circumstances, what happened and what did you do etc?
 
As a drone owner there is 3 things you should have,
Trackimo
Tree climbing equipment (or chainsaw)
Scuba Diving equipment
........i got them all
 
As a drone owner there is 3 things you should have,
Trackimo
Tree climbing equipment (or chainsaw)
Scuba Diving equipment
........i got them all
LOL - and they say this drone is highly portable - which it is because that is the only space you have left in the rucksack after packing the recovery gear :D
 
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The way I see it, every time I launch a drone maybe the last I see it. I ve lost a couple of Sparks and had a close call with my first Anafi the other day when the controller disconnected and the drone RTH’d but 200’ from where i launched it, just hovering about 5’ above water. Yes it was over water and since the controller never reconnected i was lucky to be able to jump in the tender and go grab it before the battery ran out and it slashed down

99% of my use is over water. Unfortunely there are only a handful of waterproof drones. SwellPro is just launching their new Spry, a compact drone that can land on water, but it doesn’t have a stabilized gimbal. Their other model are big and about $1500

I figure considering the amount of pictures and videos I get, as long as get 20 to 30 flights out of a $500 drone the cost per picture or minute of video is not that bad :(
 
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A little off topic here but I just check out Swellpro products, seems nice but, $500 for a power bank? Yikes!
 
The new Spry is about $900 but no stabilized. The splashdrone has a nice waterproof gimbal and 4K cam but about $1500. Pretty nice to be able to land and take off from the water AND take underwater shots too
 
The new Spry is about $900 but no stabilized. The splashdrone has a nice waterproof gimbal and 4K cam but about $1500. Pretty nice to be able to land and take off from the water AND take underwater shots too
The video from the Spry looks pretty bad, hazy and lots of jello. Otherwise the design of the drone looks great.
I just bought a GoPro 7 which has very good electronic stabilization. It is waterproof without a housing. I will be testing it on one of my waterproof/floating quads.
 
I was looking into swellpro last year ,gave up on ot after watching video of calibration and installation of battery.....10 minutes to place batteryinside drone,put cover back on ,screw the cover tightly.....too much work.....i liked the range,i think guy got aprox 4km with it....preaty good for fishing
 
Dream Drone (going from easiest to hardest to achieve): Photography oriented, impact resistant, water proof, wind proof, less than 150g, reliable 4km+ range, at least 60min flight time, fire proof, able to penetrate the sun, and no imposed flight restrictions.
 
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The risk of losing it is just part of the price of admission I think. I don't take excessive risks but do fly mine over trees and water. I watch closely and if anything looks wrong... I fly back. I also have a fairly conservative fence set up on mine. If I do lose mine over water... I have my scuba cert and a boat so would probably go get my wetsuit and gear and try to at least recover it. If I lost it in a tree... I would be for sure getting it as I have a way to recover a drone even in the highest tree.
 
I was just about to buy a climbing equipment, a chain saw, scuba diving stuff, a long carbon pole... but I found a better way : rent a lawyer. It is more expensive, but it sometimes works (though it smells funny sometimes...)
 

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