How to test multicopter safely?

[flightrobotix]

Hi guys,

after a smaller crash, costing me two 13" carbon props, I wonder how you guys test your copters in a safe way.
Can someone provide a kind of best practice how-to and components/functions to be tested before a copter is ready for real work?

Mainly after configuration change and/or firmware update.

I would appreciate all comments.

Frank

 

[Dewster]

Find an open field and reestablish trust in your craft. I purchased a set of full carbon fiber props and tested it on my Hexa. It flew fine the first day during a four minute flight (hover). The next day I took my craft up flew it for less than a minute and one of the props snapped in flight causing my flat Hexa to drop straight from the sky. Failsafe kicked in when the craft's angle was over 45 degrees and shut the motors off. It was a flurry of activity and then I watched my Hexa just drop straight from the sky.

New firmware, equipment (especially props), or anything electronic that may possible interfere with the radio reception/signal has to be tested away from property/people. My Hexa crashed in a wooded area just after passing by a house. There was a very sick feeling in my stomach and mouth when I watched it drop out of the sky. I heard the snap and then the crunch of the carbon fiber frame. It took me an hour of trekking through the woods to find it.

Testing new features of firmware upgrades can be just scary. You'll need some room to see what your craft can do and how it will react. Open fields are a safe bet and start low enough so that you won't cause too much damage if you have to put it down hard.

I've seen some strap their craft down and do power ups to see if they can find glitches in software or mechanical/electronic issues. I like that idea, although I haven't tried it myself. That might have saved my Hexa from disaster if I put the props to the test with craft being strapped to an unmovable object.

 

[DucktileMedia]

There is no perfect way. If you lock it down it never flies right. If you fly with a tether it will probably get wound up in the props. If you fly in a field with long grass it may fly back to China on its own. So you have to pick your poison. I think if you test without props, then add props and just see if things hover and controls are correct, then go fly in a large open field with long grass you will have th safest results. One clever thing I learned from some folks on here was to bring a beach towel with you incase the motors wont stop spinning and it is twitching on the ground.

 

[Sanderx]

If you have software like mktools for mikrokopter, always test your copter without props attached. Strapping the copter down with props attached is not recommended in my opinion as these are powerful machines and I have read stories of copters burying themselves in ceilings or cutting people severely...

 

[flightrobotix]

thank you guys so far. any other suggestions?