Altitude from ground not starting point

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How can I set the altitude to tell me distance to ground real time versus distance to ground at home? I live on a mountain so the "flat" earth assumption isn't helpful.


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How can I set the altitude to tell me distance to ground real time versus distance to ground at home?
It's only possible to see the altitude above the takeoff point.
 
How can I set the altitude to tell me distance to ground real time versus distance to ground at home? I live on a mountain so the "flat" earth assumption isn't helpful.
Flying a Cessna, there are no sensors that can tell how far you are above the ground below your aircraft.
It's the same with your Phantom.
There's no flat earth assumption.
 
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I also fly on uneven mountainous terrain a lot and wish there was an MSL & AGL altitude reading not just takeoff point. Saw negative #'s the other day taking off on a hill and flying down to water and was like uh how high above crashing am I really? Hehe maybe ina future update.
 
The best you can do is understand what the relative distances are between your launch point and the terrain and perform manual calculations. We won't see the phantom reading AGL any time soon. Required hardware is too heavy for airframe and or too costly to implement.
 
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Flying a Cessna, there are no sensors that can tell how far you are above the ground below your aircraft.
It's the same with your Phantom.
There's no flat earth assumption.
Actually, DJI makes a flat earth assumption, in only reading out elevation above the launch point, and basing it's software imposed altitude restrictions upon the Home Point being 0 feet. To exceed the 400' above your launch point elevation, you have to acknowledge that the FAA guidelines are 400 feet AGL, and you wish to exceed them, even though you may not be, if ascending up a hillside or mountain. Most DJI owners think that they are in breach of the 400 foot AGL guideline by exceeding 400 feet in the DJI GO app, even if they are ascending a hill. Even the ultimate maximum DJI ceiling of 500m is flat earth based! I tried to ascend a nearby mountain top from the base and could not orbit over the top because I reached 500m above my launch point 100 feet below the summit! :eek: The earth is not flat, DJI! :rolleyes:
 
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Flying a Cessna, there are no sensors that can tell how far you are above the ground below your aircraft.
It's the same with your Phantom.
There's no flat earth assumption.

Most helicopters have a Radar-Altimeter which basically does pretty much the same as the Ultrasonic sensor, just with a bigger range.

I found to get quite an accurate altitude reading close to the ground (<2m) with 0.1m accuracy.
 
Most helicopters have a Radar-Altimeter which basically does pretty much the same as the Ultrasonic sensor, just with a bigger range.
Here's one described as affordable (in relation to a million dollar helicopter)
GRA™ 55
Only $6300 and weighs 3.5 lbs. It might be a while before these are standard for Phantoms.
 
Here's one described as affordable (in relation to a million dollar helicopter)
GRA™ 55
Only $6300 and weighs 3.5 lbs. It might be a while before these are standard for Phantoms.

No need for that big thing, the ultrasonic sensor does just fine if you ask me.
 
When you are within 3 feet of the ground (or an object) below your drone, it will show this height on the VPS on your screen, in case you never noticed it before.
 
When you are within 3 feet of the ground (or an object) below your drone, it will show this height on the VPS on your screen, in case you never noticed it before.
Within 10 meters on the P4P! :cool: Very useful, if you can't see your aircraft, and want to prevent taking on water, over the surf! Just leave room for big waves and surf spray, and stay out of the troughs! :eek:
 

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