Flyaway incident data mystery

[Michael610]

Long story, feel free to ignore this but I would LOVE to know how this is possible…

I had a DJI FPV that I was flying, loving it.
There was an sd card in the drone, and a second sd card in the goggles.
There was no DJI Fly app installed on my phone.
There was a “flyaway incident.” It’s in a lake, sort of deep, chances of recovery are not great…
DJI SUpport helped me try to find the flight data app so that they could determine if it was a DJI issue (free replacement) or PilorError (discount replacement). At the instruction of DJI Support, I installed the app on my phone and signed in (AFTER the aircraft was lost). In the app, the Flight Data Center (where flight history is stored) was empty.
The sd card on the aircraft was lost with the aircraft.
The sd card in the goggles only had images on it.
DJI Support kept asked about a folder called “FlightRecord” but I could not find one anywhere, which made sense to me as the app wasn’t installed until AFTER the final flight.
I browsed to the DJI.GO.V5 folder as instructed, but there is no folder in there called FlightRecord.
With no records to prove it was a DJI-caused “flyaway,” I paid the discount replacement price for a new DJI FPV.

When setting up the new drone, there was no sd card in the goggles, but the controller was on.
Just for yucks I used the joy stick on the goggles to go to the menu and selected “Find My Drone.”
I just about fell over dead when the goggles (with no sd card) displayed the lost drone’s final flight!
I then went to the app on my phone and also selected Find My Drone. It showed me a map and the last known lat/long coordinates.
Can someone please explain to me where this data is/was stored: 1) the video from the last flight and 2) the lat/long coordinates and date of the final signal and how that got onto my phone?
Also, when I initialize the new aircraft, am I going to lose this data that is associated with the old aircraft?

Just fyi, the flyaway was, in my opinion, totally a DJI issues, but without any data for support, I had to simply buy the replacement aircraft.

Any information about what is going on here would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Michael


T

 

[BudWalker]

Long story, feel free to ignore this but I would LOVE to know how this is possible…

I had a DJI FPV that I was flying, loving it.
There was an sd card in the drone, and a second sd card in the goggles.
There was no DJI Fly app installed on my phone.
There was a “flyaway incident.” It’s in a lake, sort of deep, chances of recovery are not great…
DJI SUpport helped me try to find the flight data app so that they could determine if it was a DJI issue (free replacement) or PilorError (discount replacement). At the instruction of DJI Support, I installed the app on my phone and signed in (AFTER the aircraft was lost). In the app, the Flight Data Center (where flight history is stored) was empty.
The sd card on the aircraft was lost with the aircraft.
The sd card in the goggles only had images on it.
DJI Support kept asked about a folder called “FlightRecord” but I could not find one anywhere, which made sense to me as the app wasn’t installed until AFTER the final flight.
I browsed to the DJI.GO.V5 folder as instructed, but there is no folder in there called FlightRecord.
With no records to prove it was a DJI-caused “flyaway,” I paid the discount replacement price for a new DJI FPV.

When setting up the new drone, there was no sd card in the goggles, but the controller was on.
Just for yucks I used the joy stick on the goggles to go to the menu and selected “Find My Drone.”
I just about fell over dead when the goggles (with no sd card) displayed the lost drone’s final flight!
I then went to the app on my phone and also selected Find My Drone. It showed me a map and the last known lat/long coordinates.
Can someone please explain to me where this data is/was stored: 1) the video from the last flight and 2) the lat/long coordinates and date of the final signal and how that got onto my phone?
Also, when I initialize the new aircraft, am I going to lose this data that is associated with the old aircraft?

Just fyi, the flyaway was, in my opinion, totally a DJI issues, but without any data for support, I had to simply buy the replacement aircraft.

Any information about what is going on here would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Michael


T

The goggles store two useable log files; the .txt log file and the .DAT log file. They are not on the removable SD card. They can be retrieved using the Fly App. I don't know why you weren't able to retrieve them using DJI's instructions. You could take a look at
.DAT available
to see if you have any better luck. I use mostly the iOS Fly App but I tested using the Android Fly App to retrieve these log files.

 

[Michael610]

The goggles store two useable log files; the .txt log file and the .DAT log file. They are not on the removable SD card. They can be retrieved using the Fly App. I don't know why you weren't able to retrieve them using DJI's instructions. You could take a look at
.DAT available
to see if you have any better luck. I use mostly the iOS Fly App but I tested using the Android Fly App to retrieve these log files.

Thanks, Bud. Yeah, I understand volatile memory from computers, but usually that memory only lasts until you turn the power off, so that was why I was so shocked. Plus, it was pretty easy to do that and at no point did anyone at DJI have me do that to verify that that info was still on the goggles. I'm still trying to figure out how to browse to the goggles to see if I can find that final flight record data...just can't seem to give it up...

 

[BudWalker]

Thanks, Bud. Yeah, I understand volatile memory from computers, but usually that memory only lasts until you turn the power off, so that was why I was so shocked. Plus, it was pretty easy to do that and at no point did anyone at DJI have me do that to verify that that info was still on the goggles. I'm still trying to figure out how to browse to the goggles to see if I can find that final flight record data...just can't seem to give it up...

Sorry, the link I gave you wasn't quite the right one. Try this instead
.DAT available

The procedure is to first transfer the .txt and .DAT log files from the goggles to the Fly App and then, secondly, from the Fly App to a PC. You don't "browse to the goggles". Also, several people have tried using the DJI Assistant 2 to retrieve those log files from the goggles. The result is log files that are encrypted. You have to use the Fly App.

 

[Michael610]

...first transfer the .txt and .DAT log files from the goggles to the Fly App...

The DJI Fly app doesn't really "see" the goggles...from the Profile screen, Device Mgmt shows nothing, connecting from the Connection Guide, it wants an aircraft (which is lost), and it doesn't seem to show anywhere anyhow that it knows that the goggles are plugged into the phone and powered on...sorry for how basic this is, but...
I do have the encrypted exported DAT file, but I'd love to somehow save that last flight video...

 

[BudWalker]

The DJI Fly app doesn't really "see" the goggles...from the Profile screen, Device Mgmt shows nothing, connecting from the Connection Guide, it wants an aircraft (which is lost), and it doesn't seem to show anywhere anyhow that it knows that the goggles are plugged into the phone and powered on...sorry for how basic this is, but...
I do have the encrypted exported DAT file, but I'd love to somehow save that last flight video...

I don't know what you mean by "see" the goggles. When I connect the goggles to an iPad I get this

After you see this wait about 15 minutes for the log files to transfer to the Fly App. You can then disconnect goggles from the mobile device. Then use iTunes if an iPad is being used to copy the contents of the FlightRecords directory to a PC. Take a look at
How to retrieve a V3.DAT from the tablet
to see how it's done with the Go App. It'll be the same except select the Fly App

 

[Michael610]

Yep, I do not have that connection icon...

 

[BudWalker]

Yep, I do not have that connection icon...

You could ask DJI tech support to help you get that connection working. The Fly App is useless unless it can be connected to the goggles.

 

[Chaosrider@brilliantfrogs]

Long story, feel free to ignore this but I would LOVE to know how this is possible…

I had a DJI FPV that I was flying, loving it.
There was an sd card in the drone, and a second sd card in the goggles.
There was no DJI Fly app installed on my phone.
There was a “flyaway incident.” It’s in a lake, sort of deep, chances of recovery are not great…
DJI SUpport helped me try to find the flight data app so that they could determine if it was a DJI issue (free replacement) or PilorError (discount replacement). At the instruction of DJI Support, I installed the app on my phone and signed in (AFTER the aircraft was lost). In the app, the Flight Data Center (where flight history is stored) was empty.
The sd card on the aircraft was lost with the aircraft.
The sd card in the goggles only had images on it.
DJI Support kept asked about a folder called “FlightRecord” but I could not find one anywhere, which made sense to me as the app wasn’t installed until AFTER the final flight.
I browsed to the DJI.GO.V5 folder as instructed, but there is no folder in there called FlightRecord.
With no records to prove it was a DJI-caused “flyaway,” I paid the discount replacement price for a new DJI FPV.

When setting up the new drone, there was no sd card in the goggles, but the controller was on.
Just for yucks I used the joy stick on the goggles to go to the menu and selected “Find My Drone.”
I just about fell over dead when the goggles (with no sd card) displayed the lost drone’s final flight!
I then went to the app on my phone and also selected Find My Drone. It showed me a map and the last known lat/long coordinates.
Can someone please explain to me where this data is/was stored: 1) the video from the last flight and 2) the lat/long coordinates and date of the final signal and how that got onto my phone?
Also, when I initialize the new aircraft, am I going to lose this data that is associated with the old aircraft?

Just fyi, the flyaway was, in my opinion, totally a DJI issues, but without any data for support, I had to simply buy the replacement aircraft.

Any information about what is going on here would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Michael


T

On my second FPV flight in Manual mode, I was slow to make a correction, and it resulted in my one and only FPV crash. It flew backwards into a tree.

There are a lot trees around here, and it wasn't immediately obvious which one it had hit. I knew generally where it was, and I thought I knew which tree it hit, and I played the last few seconds with "Find my drone", but a quick look around that area revealed no drone.

I was worried that I had just lost an expensive drone. I thought it might have gotten stuck in the tree, but if I couldn't actually find it, that wouldn't help.

But then, I decided to upload the file to my video editor, and I looked at it frame-by-frame. It turns out it had fallen through the tree for about 60 feet, and had landed on my neighbor's lawn. It was a bit dinged up, but I put a new prop on it, and it was flying happily the next day.

There is some known flakiness in syncing the FPV flight logs to DJI Fly. Not everything syncs reliably, and there are serious time-stamp problems. The last time I talked to DJI about it, they acknowledged that there was a problem, and said they were working to fix it. I haven't seen any confirmation that the fix has been accomplished.

 

[prz3mk0]

Yep, I do not have that connection icon...

make sure you're using the DJI OTG cable that came with the combo

 

[Michael610]

make sure you're using the DJI OTG cable that came with the combo

oh jeez...because a usb cable is not good enough it has to be THEIR usb cable? Sheesh...reminds me of Garmin...

 

[Michael610]

On my second FPV flight in Manual mode, I was slow to make a correction, and it resulted in my one and only FPV crash. It flew backwards into a tree.

There are a lot trees around here, and it wasn't immediately obvious which one it had hit. I knew generally where it was, and I thought I knew which tree it hit, and I played the last few seconds with "Find my drone", but a quick look around that area revealed no drone.

I was worried that I had just lost an expensive drone. I thought it might have gotten stuck in the tree, but if I couldn't actually find it, that wouldn't help.

But then, I decided to upload the file to my video editor, and I looked at it frame-by-frame. It turns out it had fallen through the tree for about 60 feet, and had landed on my neighbor's lawn. It was a bit dinged up, but I put a new prop on it, and it was flying happily the next day.

There is some known flakiness in syncing the FPV flight logs to DJI Fly. Not everything syncs reliably, and there are serious time-stamp problems. The last time I talked to DJI about it, they acknowledged that there was a problem, and said they were working to fix it. I haven't seen any confirmation that the fix has been accomplished.

Wish I knew how to download that last flight video from the ram in the goggles...I keep trying different things, but no luck...

 

[prz3mk0]

oh jeez...because a usb cable is not good enough it has to be THEIR usb cable? Sheesh...reminds me of Garmin...

As far as I read somewhere (maybe here), it has to be DJI's OTG cable, or in other words, someone tried a different one and it wasn't working. So if you connect goggles to iPhone/iPad with Fly app and nothing happens this might be the reason.

 

[Kilrah]

It doesn't need to be DJI's adapter but any C to A, the thing is that C to C may not always work since C allows either device to be host and they'll sometimes misunderstand each other, using a C to A forces the direction.

The "last 30 seconds" video can't be downloaded AFAIK. Best to always be recording your flights, that way you have everything on the SD.

 

[Curious Nomad]

I've had 2 fly aways. The drone video from the goggles showing the last few seconds of flight can be helpful, but the GPS coordinates shown on the DJI Fly App after connecting the goggles to the phone are a far better way of finding your lost drone. The GPS coordinates will get you to within 10' or so of the drone's last position. That is usually close enough to find the drone. However, that assumes that the drone shut down or disconnected from the goggles upon crashing, storing the last known coordinates. My second fly away resulted when the drone shut down mid flight at 60 mph and 300' up in the air (the drone was close enough for me to hear it shut down in flight and the goggles screen went blank). When this happens the chances of finding the drone can be slim. My DJI Fly app did show the GPS coordinates for where the drone disconnected in flight. But the drone was still traveling at 60 mph and falling 300' so it should have crashed several hundred feet away. Several hours of searching in open desert where it should be visible but was never found. I am certaiin that the crash was the fault of the drone (in other words DJI), but I never got a reply from DJI after explaining this situation to them.
Also, once you connect the goggles to your phone the flight data will be transferred to the DJI Fly App (This can take as long as 10 minutes so give it time). Then open the DJI Fly App, tap Profile then More and your Flight Date Center will be shown. Select the date of the flight and it will bring up the entire flight. Tap on the icon on the right side of the screen on the lower right to bring up Satelite view. Now expand the screen and you can get a pretty good visual of the drones last position. I have a couple videos on my Youtube channel showing how to do this and several people commented that it helped them find their drone. Let me know if you need a link.

 

[BudWalker]

I've had 2 fly aways. The drone video from the goggles showing the last few seconds of flight can be helpful, but the GPS coordinates shown on the DJI Fly App after connecting the goggles to the phone are a far better way of finding your lost drone. The GPS coordinates will get you to within 10' or so of the drone's last position. That is usually close enough to find the drone. However, that assumes that the drone shut down or disconnected from the goggles upon crashing, storing the last known coordinates. My second fly away resulted when the drone shut down mid flight at 60 mph and 300' up in the air (the drone was close enough for me to hear it shut down in flight and the goggles screen went blank). When this happens the chances of finding the drone can be slim. My DJI Fly app did show the GPS coordinates for where the drone disconnected in flight. But the drone was still traveling at 60 mph and falling 300' so it should have crashed several hundred feet away. Several hours of searching in open desert where it should be visible but was never found. I am certaiin that the crash was the fault of the drone (in other words DJI), but I never got a reply from DJI after explaining this situation to them.
Also, once you connect the goggles to your phone the flight data will be transferred to the DJI Fly App (This can take as long as 10 minutes so give it time). Then open the DJI Fly App, tap Profile then More and your Flight Date Center will be shown. Select the date of the flight and it will bring up the entire flight. Tap on the icon on the right side of the screen on the lower right to bring up Satelite view. Now expand the screen and you can get a pretty good visual of the drones last position. I have a couple videos on my Youtube channel showing how to do this and several people commented that it helped them find their drone. Let me know if you need a link.

Yes, please provide that link.

 

[Curious Nomad]

Yes, please provide that link.

Here ya go. 1st video is specific to the DJI FPV drone. 2nd video is an actual find my drone for the Mini 2 when it went down from low battery. Hope this helps.