Order Number: UT-702771
Product Name: Betafpv Aquila16 Fpv Drone Starter Kit : B01020011_3
Brand: BetaFPV
After a successful indoor test, on the 1st outdoor flight, from a stable hover 1m in front of me the Aquila gained altitude suddenly and shot off with no stick input from me. After that during normal outdoor testing anything from 5m to 20m in front of me it randomly falls out of the sky. Motors are still spinning as if it has just been armed. Im flying in N mode and have tried the S,M and F speeds all with the same result. It just randomly drops to the ground. I’ve also tried different locations to rule out any interference. Indoors, with the limited area I have it seems fine but it has dropped at lesser distance outdoors. The longest it has been in the air without falling is around 2mins and the issue happens on both supplied batteries…
I have recalibrated everything according to the manual and as I have said there doesnt seem to be an issue inside so far but that is very slow indoor flying. I have made sure it is on a level surface and properly connected to the controller before take off…
I cant upload a video as I have no one to help me at present and I cannot control the drone and operate my phone at the same time… and I cannot photograph the issue…
Sorry to hear about this issue, its a strange one and would suggest there is some strange signal issue going on.
Would you possibly have a video or DVR from the goggles of this happening so we can check, when it freaks out like this, is there any warning on thee OSD menu to indicate what thee issue is. We can then pass this onto BetaFPV to confirm if there is any settings that can be done to solve this issue, or if they confirm its defective.
Otherwise if we don’t hear back form them soon enough we can arrange for it to be returned back to us for testing/replacement. Just let me know so we can get this resolved for you!
How would you rate our customer service?
Kind Regards
Alex
Unmanned Tech Support
Join our community at dronetrest.com, or on Discord.
Hi Alex
Thanks for getting back to me… Strange for sure. I tried 2 different locations the day after with the same result. Had it in the air for almost 2mins on one occasion then it dropped like the power had been cut but the motors were still spinning (idling). Unfortunately I didn’t have a SD card installed. I’ve barely flown it with the goggles just line of sight (not that I’ve got far lol…) but I have tried with the goggles switched on as well. I fitted a card last night in work (large hotel) and stranger still it behaved perfectly around quite a large lobby may be 40m away from me through an open plan bar and dining area with lots of pilers, corners and low level stud walls…
Weathers foul here today but I’ll try it with an SD card 1st chance I get. I doubt soaking wet grass would be good for it and I dont want to do any damage flying over concrete because I’m quite certain it will drop. Unless you give me the go ahead to try it and still consider it under warranty? I assume the warranty on it is good for 30 days?
Kind regards
Stephen
Warranty is usualy good for 180 days assuming its a factory fault, and not something caused by crashing etc…
However if you are not comfortable with testing again, I think its best to return it back to us and we can test it here and get it replaced/repaired depending on the issue.
It could also have something to do with a faulty optic flow sensor, or altitude sensor that is causing it to freak out. I will send you an email to the email you used when you placed the order with return instructions!
Kind Regards
Alex
Unmanned Tech Support
Join our community at dronetrest.com, or on Discord.
Hi Alex…
Just worried about damaging it before returning it lol… but the rains off and got it on the SD. OSD shows nothing unfortunately but you can see from the footage yourself. It fell right after a turn but that was coincidence, it falls in a straight line as well…
As much as I hate to admit it I’m an older man now Alex and have never used one drive before but hopefully this works. Get back to me if it doesn’t and I’ll see if I can shrink the file size in some way…
Kind regards
Stephen
PICT0001.AVI
Thanks for the video, its still difficult to see what exactly went wrong in that flight to cause the issue, but if you prefer it may be easier to return the kit back to us so we can check/test it all and replace anything that is faulty.
Kind Regards
Alex
Unmanned Tech Support
Join our community at dronetrest.com, or on Discord.
Hi Alex
At this point I think its the only option… I’ve tested in different areas to rule out interference so its an internal fault somewhere… But not indoors which is the weird bit. Been digging online and seen the same issue in some of the few unsponsored reviews I can find. Even with the Pavo20 Pocket which has the same sensors?
I work shifts so will get this back to you at the start of next week I already have the RMA details sorted out its just a matter of getting to the Post Office…
Kind regards
Stephen
Hi Alex
Just had a look at the product reviews on the BetaFPV web site. 2 out of the 8 reviews listed state the exact same problem…
Kind regards
Stephen
Sometimes the optic flow sensor doesnt work properly either through bad initial calibration, or just due to some other issue, usualy i disable it when flying outdoors. But I think its best to return it back so we can check and replace the drone if its got a faulty sensor on it.
Kind Regards
Alex
Unmanned Tech Support
Join our community at dronetrest.com, or on Discord.
We hope this email finds you well.
We wanted to provide you with an update on the Aquila16 drone you recently sent in for testing.
After thorough testing, we have been unable to reproduce the issue you reported. It’s important to note that the optic flow and altitude sensor on this drone are relatively basic and may not perform as well as those found on higher-end drones like DJI models. While these sensors seem to function adequately indoors, we recommend flying the Aquila16 in a more manual mode when outdoors to ensure optimal control.
Given our findings, we have two options for moving forward:
Return the Drone: We can send the Aquila16 back to you as is.
Refund: We can provide you with a full refund for your purchase.
Please let us know which option you prefer. We are committed to ensuring your satisfaction and would be happy to assist you further.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Sincerely,
Unmanned Tech Support
Important Note: We are currently working on a complete overhaul of our back-end support and IT systems to provide faster and better services. Please be aware support may be slower at present as a result - we sincerely apologise for any inconvenience!
We will respond to all emails ASAP.
All the best,
AJ
Unmanned Tech
Hi Alex
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly…
I understand that the product isn’t on the same level as DJI, I didn’t expect it to be… but not being able to even fly it in outside in N mode without it falling for no reason defeats the purpose. As a beginner product it simply doesn’t do what it is supposed to. In all honestly I cant understand how it hasn’t behaved in the same manner in your testing because I am 100% certain its not through user error on my part and I have even contacted BetaFPV and been told it should not behave in this manner.
I am reluctantly going to ask for a refund Alex as a replacement product may behave in the same way as it will be from the same batch.
I really appreciate the customer service on this…
Kind regards
Stephen
Sure no problem, I will get this arranged for you. Hope you have a nice weekend ahead!
You will get an email from our store once the refund is procesed!
Kind Regards
Alex
Unmanned Tech Support
Join our community at dronetrest.com, or on Discord.
Hi Alex…
Hope you are well… Received the notification of the refund but it doesn’t seem to have been processed yet. Could you take a look into it for me please?
Many thanks
Stephen
Thank you for reaching out to us. I apologize for the inconvenience you’ve experienced regarding your refund.
It appears there was a glitch in our system that prevented the refund from being processed through our payment gateway. I have manually issued the refund for you, and you should see it reflected in your account shortly.
We are sorry for the delays and any hassle this may have caused. If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Kind Regards
Alex
Unmanned Tech Support
Join our community at dronetrest.com, or on Discord.
Hi Alex
Not a problem Sir. Thank you for sorting that out…
Kind regards
Stephen