Phantom Fly-Aways

Now that I have purchased a Phantom, I am doing more searches on the web and have discovered that it looks like a number of these devices appear to simply "fly-away". Based on an unofficial vote on a Phantom forum the number could be as high as 20%. This is a little concerning, because I don't really want to see my new Phantom, with my GoPro attached fly away on its own.

What is even more concerning to me is the almost complete silence from the company on this issue.  If I had found this out before my purchase I am not sure if I would have placed the order. Based on the reading I have done on the forums I have developed some "Newbee" theories:

1. Some of these "Fly-Aways" can be attributed to winds. If you have your device out in the wind it will need to work harder to maintain flight, and thus reduce the battery life/flight time. Once the battery nears the end, if your phantom is on the outer reaches of its signal I believe you run the risk of a "Fly-Away" due to wind.
2. Another theory is that because the Transmitter/Receiver are on the same frequency as WiFi devices, so if the flight is in a built up area, near apartment buildings or homes, you run the risk of the Phantom receiving an erroneous signal from a nearby WiFi device. I believe that the manufacture has some blame here and consider this a design flaw. You will find warnings on various web sites, but I don't remember reading about this on the DJI web site. If this is a real issue, then the manufacture should indicate how far from WiFi signals you can operate the phantom.
3. Another theory is that the "Fly-Away" could be due to the firmware installed on the phantom, and the fact that people are not following the complete instructions on the upgrade process. One step that was not clear to me was how to load the Default Parameters file with the software; which is the cause of numerous flight issues based on forum postings.
4. Another theory is related to the on-board electronics not surviving the rough landings, bumps that the device might experience while a first time pilot learns to fly.
5. My last theory is a true manufacturing defect that causes the "Fly-Away". In at least one video online of the maiden flight, the Phantom lifted off the ground and hovered, based on pilot commands; he then wanted to fly forward and the device simply took off and flew into a pond. He let go of the controls as soon as the Phantom took off, so it should have stopped and hovered, if it was working correctly. This was an example of what clearly looked to me like a true "Fly-Away".

I do want to say that each and every "Fly-Away" I have seen might be what I call "True" Fly-Away, but some are likely related to pilot error. It is unfortunate that the manufacture has not gotten in front of this issue with some kind of official statement. I understand that it would be rather difficult to get to the bottom of this issue because the product is lost, but some have been found, and I am sure that some have been sent back to the manufacture.

DJI needs to step up and own this issue, or they will lose customers.

I have been looking at purchasing the DJI Phantom for a number of months now. I was intrigued by the videos that you can get from the combination of the GoPro and the Phantom. As an amateur photographer/videographer I like the new angles that you could get from this setup. I also liked the fact that this is advertised as "Fly it out of the box", with GPS technology that would prevent it from total loss, due to human/new-be error.

While the price was very reasonable, it was beyond my comfort level for a hobby, and I am always wanting new cameras, and accessories; so I couldn't justify the purchase. Guess what; the price dropped by $200 and it was now within my impulse purchase zone. I found a Canadian distributor that had a very good price and made the purchase.

What did I get you ask:

1. DJI Phantom
2. XB-DJI Phantom Flight Case
3. 2 sets of extra propellers
4. 3 extra batteries
5. 1 set of DJI Phantom Prop Guards

Now the wait begins. I paid for faster shipping, hoping to get the new Phantom quickly. I expected that the day after I placed my order it would be shipped; it took three days before the item was shipped. I am not really happy with the level of service from a store; in there defence, I do have some memory of the web site mentioning that shipping would happen within 7 days. In any even I eventually got my tracking number, and diligently tracked its progress across the country.