I've said it before and I'll say it again: It's not a matter of if you're going to crash, it's a matter of when.
If you're out there flying an M4E/M3E or M30p/M400 with a P1 and you're treating it like a delicate piece of fine china, you're doing it wrong. Hardware is a tool, an adjustable wrench if you will. Its job is to go out there, turn the nuts and bolts, get the data, and come back. If it breaks while doing its job, that's just the cost of doing business.
I compare it to riding motorcycles. If you ride, you know the risks. You wear the gear, you follow the rules, but you also know that gravity is a patient teacher. Drones are the same way. I've crashed a few of them. It's part of the learning curve.
The mistake people make is getting too attached to the gear. They over-buy for a project they don't have yet, or they refuse to fly in "Colorado weather" because they're afraid of a little wind. Listen, if the drone is sitting in the case because you're scared to scratch it, you're losing bottom line money every hour it's on the ground.
This is why Care Refresh/Hull Insurance is a "voodoo blackmagic" necessity. You have to have it. And you have to manage it. I've seen guys forget to bind the insurance to the serial number in the portal, and then they're the ones grabbing the popcorn while their $6,000 investment becomes a paperweight. Don't be that guy.
Treat your gear with respect, but don't treat it with reverence. If you need a different tool for a different GSD, go get it. If you need a space mouse to speed up your CAD work by 2x, buy it. The hardware is there to serve you, not the other way around.
We're not here to collect drones; we're here to collect data.
Pro tip of the day: Hardware depreciates faster than a pickup truck on a dirt road. Use it hard, insure it well, and don't be afraid to replace the "wrench" when a better one comes along. But don't chase shiny things do your research first. If you don't have a client that requires that new tool, your current adjustable wrench will work just fine.
Burning daylight? Not on my watch.
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