I’m an experienced DJI Drone pilot (Phantom Pro) with a brand new MINI 2.
Everything looks good on the app but, when I start the drone using the joystick, it sits & hums along quite nicely - for about 10 seconds then it tries to take off no input from me!!
I’m indoors. Thanks goodness, the first time this happened I was holding it firmly!
I have to RTH or stop it with the Joystick to get is to shut down.
What am I missing??
I am sorry to hear that. I also have a mini 2 and I am very fond of her, (she even has a name…).
I have flown a friend’s Phantom and know that it responds and reacts differently, so perhaps, and I’m being presumptuous, but let’s go back to ghe basics and don’t expect you M2 to act like your Phantom.
I’ve never left my M2 to just idle. After the preflight checks (info to follow…), I start the motors, let them idle for a few seconds (nowhere 10-seconds…) and then lift off…
You know, the M2 can launch using the Take Off Button (it will idle for a bit and then take off…) and maybe the M2 will also take off if you leave it idling too long…
Any case, as I wrote, “More Info to Follow…”, here is the gist of what I write to newbie pilots and perhaps you may need to change up your tried and proved routine that you developed for the Phantom.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Link to User Manual at end of Note… =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
You paid a lot of money for that Drone, put your phone number on it. If your drone gets lost or stuck in a tree and it finally comes down when you are not around, give the finders an opportunity to contact you so it can be returned.
Now, for the Fun Part, But do not let the excitement of the moment get the best of you. When you are going out to fly, do it slowly and deliberately. Get used to a set procedure and even practice it.
There are so many things I could write but these are the highlights that I feel need mentioning.
Plug in your phone/tablet into your controller; turn on the Controller and DJI Fly App (if it does not start on its own…). On the Drone, open the front legs, then open the back legs, then remove the Gimbal Cover.
The Gimbal is the most delicate item on the Drone and banging or bumping can damage it. I also fastened a short “Remove Before Flight” ribbon to the cover so it’s more noticeable and I do not forget to remove it…
Turn on the drone and watch it come to “life.” Watching the Gimbal go through its self-check is almost like watching a puppy or kitten opening its eyes for the first time…
Place the drone down (preferably on a Landing Pad) while it finishes its self-test (collecting satellites, etc…).
Check your battery status (Phone, Drone, and Controller), check the Signal Strength, by now the Controller should have reported it updated the Home Point.
Lift off, 6- feet (2-meters) or so, hover a bit, check the controls (move the drone a bit forward, back, left, right, yaw left and right). By now, your Controller will probably report again, Home point Updated.
If you go out in a rush and race thru your start up and take off before the drone has finished it prep, it may update its Home Point over that pond or that old tree you are flying over and in your excitement, you’ll fly the drone long past it Low Battery point and when it engages Return to Home and lands in the pond or in a tree; it will be all on you…
Now go have fun, learn to fly the drone by sight before you try to fly it out a distance depending on the video feed, FPV.
I would also advise you to use YouTube and watch a lot of the Videos on flying and setting up the Drone. When it is too dark, too cold, or too wet, you can “fly it vicariously” through YouTube. Also watch some of the Blooper Drone Videos and learn how not to fly your “New Baby.”
Below is the link to all of the downloads offered by DJI for the Mini 2, including the User Manual.
After you read the Manual, read it again, you will be surprised what you missed the first time and you will be better prepared for that first “scary moment…”
Fly On and Fly Safe…
When the motors start the flight has actually started. Without stick input the M2 will “hover”. If the Flight Controller thinks the M2 has descended the FC will command more thrust. In your incident I suspect the FC mistakenly thinks the M2 is descending. There are, at least, a couple of reasons this could happen;1) the barometric pressure is rising causing a decrease in indicated altitude, and 2) the IMU wasn’t calibrated starting in a cold state and is still in the warmup phase.
If you want to pursue this you will need to provide the .DAT log file found on the mobile device. Look here
https://mavicpilots.com/threads/mavic-flight-log-retrieval-and-analysis-guide.78627/
Section 3,
sub section Mobile device DAT files (DJI GO 4 & DJI Fly)
And, you will need to turn off automatic synching with DJI. If synching is on then the .DAT will be deleted once it has been uploaded to DJI.
EDIT: It’s also possible the controller has a small bias and is actually sending an altitude increase when the sticks are neutral.
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