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WARRANTY HONORED AFTER ALL Well it finally happened ... Not unexpected using it for while now DO NOT USE OVER WATER PERIOD

Lifeisfun

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Well, yesterday my nervous (almost bipolar) S2 after about 5 minutes of following boat kamikaze it self to the water.
It is shocking that they don't put some serious warning NOT to use it ove water.
The water is not deep in the spot but with the spring thaw its still very muddy so even with side imaging I was unable to retrieve it.
Day before it performed OK with occasional jerkiness but it always corrected fine. 8' minimum height was never disabled.
I uploaded logs to Skydio and contacted them, waiting for reply.
 
Sorry to hear that but let it be a warning to us. It would be nice if Skydio gave us the scoop on flying over water since many of us assume it is okay.
 
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Sorry to hear that but let it be a warning to us. It would be nice if Skydio gave us the scoop on flying over water since many of us assume it is okay.
Yes, I can't believe that after all these reported drownings, and other accidents they don't include large written warning instead of the silly letter from Adam (CEO)
 
Hey guys

First time poster,

I’ve seen this ‘do not fly over water’ topic pop up occasionally on the Facebook group and in YouTube reviews, so just thought I’d chime in with a different experience

I fully appreciate your frustrations and the pain of having one ditch into the drink man. It has also happened to me and don’t get me wrong I’ve had my fair share of issues with the Skydio 2!

I was Day 1 pre-order based out of Perth, Western Australia so I’ve been flying it since January last year and I’ve now logged about ~60 hours over-water flight time, so I thought I’d show some of the capabilities for this use case

I’d dabbled a bit filming riding on a Fliteboard (eFoil) a few times early last year, but this was my first ‘real’ attempt using the drone to film myself kiteboarding on a trip to the Cocos Islands back in August. A bit of guesswork playing with wind and a lot of faith in the obstacle avoidance and fixed tracking abilities on display:

Here’s the subsequent Skydio 2 review based on the edit that I wrote up for Kiteworld magazine with more details on the how-to’s: https://magazine.kiteworldmag.com/issue-106/skydio2-drone-review

And this is one of the more gnarlier flights, shooting a foil surfer with the beacon on a forearm sleeve whilst connected on the beach with the controller. Not officially supported, but very doable. Exceeding the limits of wind speed as this day was a nuking 25+ knots seabreeze!

I have a pretty good level of communication with Skydio, (they often forward people onto me asking for tips etc.) and have sent them a LOT of flight logs which will hopefully improve their AI

And full disclosure I have actually crashed one due to flying in high wind conditions and I suspect sand getting lodged in a motor. The drone flipped at about 4m altitude and couldn’t self correct right in the shore dump. The frame was busted anyway, but it drowned too!

I now occasionally fly with the height floor turned off and regularly in wind conditions nudging the 22kn limit, plus I’ve had many, many close calls, but to say that you should not fly it over water is in my opinion not at all accurate

More than happy to discuss the technicalities. Hopefully Skydio gets back to you with some positive news!

There is a variety of short clips of different water sports I’ve been regularly pumping out over the last few months for anyone interested: https://instagram.com/paularityfromabove
 
Hey guys

First time poster,

I’ve seen this ‘do not fly over water’ topic pop up occasionally on the Facebook group and in YouTube reviews, so just thought I’d chime in with a different experience

I fully appreciate your frustrations and the pain of having one ditch into the drink man. It has also happened to me and don’t get me wrong I’ve had my fair share of issues with the Skydio 2!

I was Day 1 pre-order based out of Perth, Western Australia so I’ve been flying it since January last year and I’ve now logged about ~60 hours over-water flight time, so I thought I’d show some of the capabilities for this use case

I’d dabbled a bit filming riding on a Fliteboard (eFoil) a few times early last year, but this was my first ‘real’ attempt using the drone to film myself kiteboarding on a trip to the Cocos Islands back in August. A bit of guesswork playing with wind and a lot of faith in the obstacle avoidance and fixed tracking abilities on display:

Here’s the subsequent Skydio 2 review based on the edit that I wrote up for Kiteworld magazine with more details on the how-to’s: https://magazine.kiteworldmag.com/issue-106/skydio2-drone-review

And this is one of the more gnarlier flights, shooting a foil surfer with the beacon on a forearm sleeve whilst connected on the beach with the controller. Not officially supported, but very doable. Exceeding the limits of wind speed as this day was a nuking 25+ knots seabreeze!

I have a pretty good level of communication with Skydio, (they often forward people onto me asking for tips etc.) and have sent them a LOT of flight logs which will hopefully improve their AI

And full disclosure I have actually crashed one due to flying in high wind conditions and I suspect sand getting lodged in a motor. The drone flipped at about 4m altitude and couldn’t self correct right in the shore dump. The frame was busted anyway, but it drowned too!

I now occasionally fly with the height floor turned off and regularly in wind conditions nudging the 22kn limit, plus I’ve had many, many close calls, but to say that you should not fly it over water is in my opinion not at all accurate

More than happy to discuss the technicalities. Hopefully Skydio gets back to you with some positive news!

There is a variety of short clips of different water sports I’ve been regularly pumping out over the last few months for anyone interested: https://instagram.com/paularityfromabove
Good for you! Looks like you have lots of fun! :)
Not much to discuss, it symply failed miserably, didn't even do anything wild, sun was at it's back so visibility was also perfect, no glare.
48 hours, no response from Skydio, not even confirmation that support request was received. Logs show as sent OK.
 
We're seeing mixed results over water. I remember Flight Test did a video where they tried to lose the Skydio in the forest and couldn't . Then they used a mirror to confuse the drone and that worked to divert it, a reflective surface. I think some kind of stable texture is required for proper function, DJI had similar issues with VPS. I think it would be fair for Skydio to publish detailed recommendations, they must know more than they are telling.

While I don't think Billy is the most methodical tester out there I remember thinking this was odd behavior for a drone, like the deer in the headlight effect. Remember we have not had a drone with this much AI until now so it's a learning curve.



For the record:
Flying any drone over water presents some unique challenges, so we always advise using caution and common sense guidelines when flying near the water. Unlike solid ground, visual navigation is less reliable over water because of the constant changes in geometry and texture. Although it's not waterproof, Skydio 2 has the ability to safely fly over larger bodies of water and the Skydio 2 app adds additional safeguards to keep the drone securely tethered to your phone.

Pay attention to your battery level​

When flying over water, keep an eye on your Skydio 2 battery level. The Skydio app will tell you that your Skydio 2 is getting low on battery and that it’s time to bring it back for landing, but it’s always best to be situationally aware.

If your Skydio 2 runs out of battery and has to make an emergency landing, you don’t want to touch down in the middle of a lake!

Pay attention to changing flight conditions​

Wind and moisture can, at a minimum, result in less than stable footage, and can often introduce dangerous flying conditions. Keep an eye out for any changes to the flight conditions which could damage your Skydio 2 - check out this article for more details and tips: Where can I fly my Skydio 2?

Use caution around still, reflective surfaces​

Still, calm water is especially unsafe to fly Skydio 2 over, as it can resemble a reflective, mirror-like surface that can confuse the drone's visual obstacle avoidance systems. We do not recommend flying Skydio 2 at lower altitudes over still, reflective water.

  • Low relative-altitude flight over bodies of water may degrade or impair autonomous flight performance. Ensure that you have a strong GPS signal on your controlling device.
 
Good for you! Looks like you have lots of fun! :)
Not much to discuss, it symply failed miserably, didn't even do anything wild, sun was at it's back so visibility was also perfect, no glare.
48 hours, no response from Skydio, not even confirmation that support request was received. Logs show as sent OK.
Cheers!

Seems random! Poor GPS signal or something similar to that Billy Kyle incident maybe?

Just hassle them and hopefully they give you some answers soon!
 
We're seeing mixed results over water. I remember Flight Test did a video where they tried to lose the Skydio in the forest and couldn't . Then they used a mirror to confuse the drone and that worked to divert it, a reflective surface. I think some kind of stable texture is required for proper function, DJI had similar issues with VPS. I think it would be fair for Skydio to publish detailed recommendations, they must know more than they are telling.

While I don't think Billy is the most methodical tester out there I remember thinking this was odd behavior for a drone, like the deer in the headlight effect. Remember we have not had a drone with this much AI until now so it's a learning curve.



For the record:
Flying any drone over water presents some unique challenges, so we always advise using caution and common sense guidelines when flying near the water. Unlike solid ground, visual navigation is less reliable over water because of the constant changes in geometry and texture. Although it's not waterproof, Skydio 2 has the ability to safely fly over larger bodies of water and the Skydio 2 app adds additional safeguards to keep the drone securely tethered to your phone.

Pay attention to your battery level​

When flying over water, keep an eye on your Skydio 2 battery level. The Skydio app will tell you that your Skydio 2 is getting low on battery and that it’s time to bring it back for landing, but it’s always best to be situationally aware.

If your Skydio 2 runs out of battery and has to make an emergency landing, you don’t want to touch down in the middle of a lake!

Pay attention to changing flight conditions​

Wind and moisture can, at a minimum, result in less than stable footage, and can often introduce dangerous flying conditions. Keep an eye out for any changes to the flight conditions which could damage your Skydio 2 - check out this article for more details and tips: Where can I fly my Skydio 2?

Use caution around still, reflective surfaces​

Still, calm water is especially unsafe to fly Skydio 2 over, as it can resemble a reflective, mirror-like surface that can confuse the drone's visual obstacle avoidance systems. We do not recommend flying Skydio 2 at lower altitudes over still, reflective water.

  • Low relative-altitude flight over bodies of water may degrade or impair autonomous flight performance. Ensure that you have a strong GPS signal on your controlling device.
Yeah that video did not really inspire confidence!

You can’t set and forget flying over water and just tuck the beacon in a pouch in your wetsuit like some people are implying. It has to be accessible for you to commandeer and deal with any quirky behaviour

I’ve come across random things like the controller for the eFoil causing interference with the Beacon and the Skydio just acting crazy! Took me a few flights and some testing to realise that was the issue too

If you fire off a Dronie and let it go all the way without cancelling it will lose visual tracking, switch to GPS and take forever to return sometimes requiring manual input to regain it’s position

I’ve range tested the dual beacon / controller connections over land so I know the limitations also
 
Cheers!

Seems random! Poor GPS signal or something similar to that Billy Kyle incident maybe?

Just hassle them and hopefully they give you some answers soon!
No chance, huge open area, no trees Never GPS problems there, incl. the boat GPS/sonar.
Flying there often, it was always jerky, it just took it to the next level this time.
 
Yeah that video did not really inspire confidence!

If you fire off a Dronie and let it go all the way without cancelling it will lose visual tracking, switch to GPS and take forever to return sometimes requiring manual input to regain it’s position
Yup, all the time
 
There, warranty denied ... typical
BTW there was chop on the water around the boat, and the drone was about 15' high before it decided to take the plunge. No input from me whatsoever.

Thanks for your patience. I wanted to reach out with an update on your ticket.

After thorough review from our engineering team, we’ve concluded that the incident falls outside the scope of our Skydio safety guidelines, and thus wouldn't be a crash that is covered under the product warranty.
We advise users to use caution around still, reflective surfaces.
Still, calm water is especially unsafe to fly Skydio 2 over, as it can resemble a reflective, mirror-like surface that can confuse the drone's visual obstacle avoidance systems. We do not recommend flying Skydio 2 at lower altitudes over still, reflective water.
  • Low relative-altitude flight over bodies of water may degrade or impair autonomous flight performance. Ensure that you have a strong GPS signal on your controlling device.

In this case, your Skydio 2's visual system was impacted by the reflective water surface
 
I'm pleased to let you all know that I received email from Skydio today that my S2 will be replaced after all,
since engineers found that the problem was caused by something else NOT reflective water surface.

Thank you for the honesty SKYDIO TEAM and for the great warranty service!
 
I'm pleased to let you all know that I received email from Skydio today that my S2 will be replaced after all,
since engineers found that the problem was caused by something else NOT reflective water surface.

Thank you for the honesty SKYDIO TEAM and for the great warranty service!
That's a really great outcome.... (y)

Could you post Skydio's actual reply as to what they determined the cause to be and what they may be planning to do to avoid a similar recurrence?
 
Last edited:
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Another update, replacement shipped today.
Impressed with the speed of the service now.
 
Good to hear! I've had some great experience with customer service lately. I think they've been working on it. Responding pretty quickly for me. I got one replaced recently when the gimbal was acting up. They got me a replacement in five days which was awesome since I had shoot lined up the following weekend.
 
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There, warranty denied ... typical
BTW there was chop on the water around the boat, and the drone was about 15' high before it decided to take the plunge. No input from me whatsoever.

Thanks for your patience. I wanted to reach out with an update on your ticket.

After thorough review from our engineering team, we’ve concluded that the incident falls outside the scope of our Skydio safety guidelines, and thus wouldn't be a crash that is covered under the product warranty.
We advise users to use caution around still, reflective surfaces.
Still, calm water is especially unsafe to fly Skydio 2 over, as it can resemble a reflective, mirror-like surface that can confuse the drone's visual obstacle avoidance systems. We do not recommend flying Skydio 2 at lower altitudes over still, reflective water.
  • Low relative-altitude flight over bodies of water may degrade or impair autonomous flight performance. Ensure that you have a strong GPS signal on your controlling device.

In this case, your Skydio 2's visual system was impacted by the reflective water surface
I received today the exact answer. Yours had a least an explanation. Mine didn't answer. It sounds almost like the terms of an insurance company trying to avoid to stand up for their mistakes.
 
Hey @Lifeisfun my S2 just went down in the water yesterday :-( we were on a boat trip on a canal in the south of france when it happened. When trying to land the skydio 2 on my hand. It suddenly crashed into the boat itself and fel into the water. i didn't manage te retrieve the drone :(.

I hope i get some feedback from the skydio support team.

any idea's why Skydio did decided to replace it under warranty after all?
 
Catching on moving boat is risky, to many moving pieces on water. Wind, boat rocking, current.. When filming boating I plan out my shot to some extent, looking for spot on land to catch before battery gets to low. I'm sure hindsight is 20/20 here but all good tips for folks to follow and learn from each others experience. Gotta gauge your risk with Skydio and know limitations when it comes to the environment. It's a pretty smart robot, but a robot non the less. Throw it to many curveballs and your margin for error goes up significantly.
 

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