MY FIRST REAL CRASH!!

Written by Ben Cashell

So I'm fairly new to the whole flying of UAV’S, drones etc. Probably flying for 18 months or so? Anyway it was fairly clear to me from the start, that at some point or another I was going to, let's say have a little mid-air drama of sorts? I've had my fair share of minor (oh crap that was close!) and (bugger me where the flaming hell did that come from?) so I guess I shouldn't have been overly surprised that one of these days the moment would come?

Well, I was very bloody surprised let me tell you!! There I am minding my own business flying over a beautiful creek running through the rain-forest near to where I live. Quite a new experience for me really as it's very limited space to fly in. Low lying branches hanging down from incredibly old trees, massive big boulders protruding from the creek and what seems like endless kilometres of vines dangling down through it all. Just a beautiful place! While trying to navigate my drone through all of this, I'm being constantly attacked by swarms of blood thirsty mozzies! (Mosquitoes)

I had spent probably 20 mins or so flying a similar pattern up and down the creek through branches around the boulders and nice and low to the water. (Well not that nice really, completely out of my comfort zone at only a few inches above the surface) All to get that one photo, that one video. It was all going well, I was getting slightly faster and more fluent each time.

Then, as if to be right on que, I had a little hick-up (mid-air drama) which really wasn't that bad, but because I was over water at the time, I panicked! There is only one end result to panicking… Before I knew it I was like black hawk down, mucking up all the controls on my controller doing all sorts of weird maneuvers!

Somehow I ended up over the pebbles on the side of the creek before I sent that drone at full noise straight into a tree!! Bloody hell I thought, what have you done you Muppet?? As I ran tripping and falling all the way to my downed bird, all I could see in my mind was $$$ signs.

Arriving at the crash scene, I see firsthand the magnitude of my little hick-up (Not a pretty sight!!). Its lifeless body lying upside down with the camera gimbal torn from its undercarriage. I fell to my knees with my arms in the air like a scene out of platoon or something?!? After composing myself, I gathered the remains together and set off home.

Lots of time to reflect on why did you panic?? Never. Ever. Freak out it just makes things so much worse!!

After some time, $$$ and effort she was rebuilt and ready to fly again! Let me tell you, that first flight after the rebuild I was in the BIGGEST open area I could find! It still took me about ten minutes before take-off to sort myself out and say, righto Muppet let’s not have a repeat of last time!! It was a great flight in the end and rebuilt some much needed confidence.

Happy flying all…

Please feel free to comment below! Have you ever had a terrible crash?