500 meter limit altitude hack

[Dronebow]

I agree with the poster. If you are doing videos of mountain ranges you need to be able to have higher limits. You will get blasted by some for posting about it but the logic makes sense. Anyone with a brain can understand why we have 400' limits and that should be respected but seriously if you are flying in mountain ranges and want to be able to climb to the peaks to get video or photos, 400' just isn't going to cut it. Neither is 500m in many circumstances. To me, the hack is fine for uses like this. After all I don't even have to hack to go to 500m which is much higher than FAA allows.

All that said.. How do you hack with iOS. More curious than anything but I will be flying mountains sometime next year so...

 

[Chris Vedeler]

I agree with the poster. If you are doing videos of mountain ranges you need to be able to have higher limits. You will get blasted by some for posting about it but the logic makes sense. Anyone with a brain can understand why we have 400' limits and that should be respected but seriously if you are flying in mountain ranges and want to be able to climb to the peaks to get video or photos, 400' just isn't going to cut it. Neither is 500m in many circumstances. To me, the hack is fine for uses like this. After all I don't even have to hack to go to 500m which is much higher than FAA allows.

All that said.. How do you hack with iOS. More curious than anything but I will be flying mountains sometime next year so...

My sentiments exactly. I fly very safe. I prefer nature scenes and mountain scenes and so pose essentially no risk to property or people or privacy. When I am flying high I am over mountains so I pose essentially no risk to aircraft. If you don't fly near steep mountains you don't get how limiting the 500 meter limit can be and so I understand and appreciate the concern.

Unfortunately I'm not aware of a hack for iOS as Litchi is only on the Android.

 

[nhoover]

I do flights very similar to this from time to time. Not sure if I'll try this "hack" while the Litchi app is still in testing, but definitely would be happy to have this capability for some flights.

 

[JBalcius]

I agree with the poster. If you are doing videos of mountain ranges you need to be able to have higher limits. You will get blasted by some for posting about it but the logic makes sense. Anyone with a brain can understand why we have 400' limits and that should be respected but seriously if you are flying in mountain ranges and want to be able to climb to the peaks to get video or photos, 400' just isn't going to cut it. Neither is 500m in many circumstances. To me, the hack is fine for uses like this. After all I don't even have to hack to go to 500m which is much higher than FAA allows.

The legal limit is set in AGL not sea level. So if you are flying above a 5000' ridgeline, you should be ok to fly at 5400' above sea level.

 

[wincrasher]

The legal limit is set in AGL not sea level. So if you are flying above a 5000' ridgeline, you should be ok to fly at 5400' above sea level.

Thanks for the kind response. I thought that was the case.

 

[blue_goose]

The altitude limit is AGL (above ground level ). That video wasn't braking any FAA rules. As long as you are not more than 400 ft above the ground you are fine. If you are in the valley and fly up the mountain as long as you are not more than 400 ft above the ground you are fine.

 

[PVFlyer]

This hack is likely been fixed in next/future firmware update. In fact. it's fixed in the developer firmware.

 

[Chris Vedeler]

This hack is likely been fixed in next/future firmware update. In fact. it's fixed in the developer firmware.

Which version of the developer firmware?

 

[PVFlyer]

Which version of the developer firmware?

The latest developer FW 1.04.05

 

[phuocsandiego]

The altitude limit is AGL (above ground level ). That video wasn't braking any FAA rules. As long as you are not more than 400 ft above the ground you are fine. If you are in the valley and fly up the mountain as long as you are not more than 400 ft above the ground you are fine.

But I think that's exactly the problem the OP is having. He's taking off from the valley floor and the limit prevents him from approaching the ridgeline of the mountain. You're right that the limit is AGL but from where you took off. I'm pretty sure the Phantom is not continuously updating the limit based on where it's going.

 

[acherman]

For reference, this short clip was taken from about 304m/997' higher than where I took off. Until I went over the edge I wasn't more than 50' above the ground. No aircraft there, I can promise you that. And behind the camera was a glacier and peak that were probably another couple hundred meters higher that I couldn't get as high as.

So, while many of us want the limit raised/removed, we are probably the responsible ones that won't fly more than 300-400' above the ground level, but there are always a$$holes that will do whatever they want, and F everyone else (including flying over wildfires and causing firefight aircraft to be grounded). I don't like the limit, but I can see why it's there - not everyone is a decent person.

 

[phuocsandiego]

For reference, this short clip was taken from about 304m/997' higher than where I took off. Until I went over the edge I wasn't more than 50' above the ground. No aircraft there, I can promise you that. And behind the camera was a glacier and peak that were probably another couple hundred meters higher that I couldn't get as high as.

So, while many of us want the limit raised/removed, we are probably the responsible ones that won't fly more than 300-400' above the ground level, but there are always a$$holes that will do whatever they want, and F everyone else (including flying over wildfires and causing firefight aircraft to be grounded). I don't like the limit, but I can see why it's there - not everyone is a decent person.

Nice clip to illustrate the issue. Quick question... the video did something weird as it went over the edge... kind of a jellowy wiggle. Do you have any idea what happened there?

 

[acherman]

Nice clip to illustrate the issue. Quick question... the video did something weird as it went over the edge... kind of a jellowy wiggle. Do you have any idea what happened there?

I actually have no idea what caused that jello. It was pretty windy - may a gust came up off the falls and bumped the camera? Weird though. At first I thought it was just on the crappy, slow PC I was viewing it on, so I'm not sure. I will check the original clip when I can, but I'm sure it will be there.

Here is another example - this clip is at the 500m limit, I was probably 150-200' above the ground during the flight. I wanted to get to the falls seen at the top when the video starts, this is as close as it gets. Yes, I do like chasing waterfalls. PS - the music makes this way better than it is. haha

 

[Chris Vedeler]

I actually have no idea what caused that jello. It was pretty windy - may a gust came up off the falls and bumped the camera? Weird though. At first I thought it was just on the crappy, slow PC I was viewing it on, so I'm not sure. I will check the original clip when I can, but I'm sure it will be there.

Here is another example - this clip is at the 500m limit, I was probably 150-200' above the ground during the flight. I wanted to get to the falls seen at the top when the video starts, this is as close as it gets. Yes, I do like chasing waterfalls. PS - the music makes this way better than it is. haha

Holy cow! Your mountains make mine look like hills! Nice video.

 

[P3ChinaSkies]

I've watched countless cinematic style landscape videos with envy since I became a drone owner about one year ago and can state that your capture of those two waterfalls is hands down, the best I've seen to date! Well done Acherman!

 

[acherman]

I've watched countless cinematic style landscape videos with envy since I became a drone owner about one year ago and can state that your capture of those two waterfalls is hands down, the best I've seen to date! Well done Acherman!

Well, you are far too kind. Thank you. Here is another. This is just raw video from a flight up following these falls. I was hoping to find a lake or glacier at the top, but it looks like just glacier fed springs supply these. At the top, when I stop ascending, this is where I hit the 500m limit, yet only a little above the ground. At the end I turned around to show the takeoff point (parking lot) and the rise in terrain.

 

[Chris Vedeler]

acherman, do you have problems with GPS or losing signal with all those trees and in those narrow canyons?

Here in Arizona we have an abundance of wide open spaces and no trees to worry about (at least down here in the desert). Here is my latest video. The 500 meter limit wasn't an issue with this particular mountain as it was only 1200 vertical feet up from the parking lot.

 

[acherman]

acherman, do you have problems with GPS or losing signal with all those trees and in those narrow canyons?

Here in Arizona we have an abundance of wide open spaces and no trees to worry about (at least down here in the desert). Here is my latest video. The 500 meter limit wasn't an issue with this particular mountain as it was only 1200 vertical feet up from the parking lot.

Those are awesome shots man. It always fascinates me how some of this stuff is formed. We have one row of mountains that looks like a big wedge - for probably 50+ kms, the West face looks like it's so smooth up a couple thousand feet. I'll see if I have a photo somewhere.

Never had a GPS issue in these mountains, but there are a few more canyons I want to explore that could be a little tight. The only time I had GPS issues was on a ridge above one lake on this shot. I think I was around 7 or 8 satellites when I took off, but obviously got more as I flew out, then dropped a couple when I cam in to land at the end. Fast forward to 3:50.

 

[nhoover]

Yeah those are really nice shots. I love that type of thing. I was flying a P2V+ earlier this year in Nepal and had lots of problems with GPS. Those gorges are so deep (more than 10,000' sometimes) that there were quite a few locations I could never get more than 4 or 5 satellites. P3 is better in that regard it seems to me. I had 20 satellites once flying in Scotland.

 

[rickeyfitts]

I have an Inspire, but I also have a P3 on order. I was thinking about going to this spot that I know that is on a ridgeline. Where I'd stand (as well as park) is around 5200' elevation. Thought it would be cool to fly along the ridgeline and dip into the valley. Is this possible, or would my craft not even be able to get off the ground? Or do I just have to go into the settings and increase/release the elevation limits?

The height limit is based on your take-off location. If you take-off from the top of the ridge, you should be able to go 500m up from there, and down as far as you want/can in the valley (although I've not done anything quite like that -- it would be kinda cool to see the altitude displayed in negative numbers when dropping below the take-off altitude, if that's how the Go app 'do).