Autopilot - tips?

[joe21]

Quick update.

I finally had a chance to fly with Autopilot. Everything makes much more sense when you actually use it, as opposed to reading the manual and preparing to use it.

I did start up in DJI GO. Tried taking off with GO, then tried taking off with AP. After a few flights I became comfortable with AP. There are options to have considerably more data on screen with AP. I just took me a few minutes to figure out where everything is.

When flying in camera view (which I prefer) I do miss the "radar" in GO. It provides a good reference on aircraft orientation. Not sure if AP has a similar feature - I didn't have a chance to look for it.

Flew a few waypoint missions. Everything worked as expected. At first I was concerned about the altitude being too high. Then I read more about the altitude selection. I selected the aircraft position as the reference point, which was about 40ft at the time. After some reading I decided to select the take off point and attitude was as expected. I can see how both choices would come in handy in different situations.

Only had a chance to do about eight waypoint flights. After two batteries of flight time I could't feel my hands - it was really cold. It warmed up a bit on Sunday, but by then I was running short of room on my SD card.

Still tweaking my main flight path. Ability to create/edit offline is fantastic. I still need to ability to edit while in flight using the P3 current position. Will have to learn more about that ability and how to use it.

Really impressed with this app and the possibilities. I have some ideas on how I will use some of these features, which will have to wait for warmer weather to fully explore. Hard to get someone on an ATV for "follow" when temp is below freezing and it "feels like" 5F with the wind chill.

Great job on the app. Very much enjoying it so far.

 

[With The Birds]

Quick update.

I finally had a chance to fly with Autopilot. Everything makes much more sense when you actually use it, as opposed to reading the manual and preparing to use it.

I did start up in DJI GO. Tried taking off with GO, then tried taking off with AP. After a few flights I became comfortable with AP. There are options to have considerably more data on screen with AP. I just took me a few minutes to figure out where everything is.

When flying in camera view (which I prefer) I do miss the "radar" in GO. It provides a good reference on aircraft orientation. Not sure if AP has a similar feature - I didn't have a chance to look for it.

Flew a few waypoint missions. Everything worked as expected. At first I was concerned about the altitude being too high. Then I read more about the altitude selection. I selected the aircraft position as the reference point, which was about 40ft at the time. After some reading I decided to select the take off point and attitude was as expected. I can see how both choices would come in handy in different situations.

Only had a chance to do about eight waypoint flights. After two batteries of flight time I could't feel my hands - it was really cold. It warmed up a bit on Sunday, but by then I was running short of room on my SD card.

Still tweaking my main flight path. Ability to create/edit offline is fantastic. I still need to ability to edit while in flight using the P3 current position. Will have to learn more about that ability and how to use it.

Really impressed with this app and the possibilities. I have some ideas on how I will use some of these features, which will have to wait for warmer weather to fully explore. Hard to get someone on an ATV for "follow" when temp is below freezing and it "feels like" 5F with the wind chill.

Great job on the app. Very much enjoying it so far.

good..... you got there.

I was just about to post and express my view that I would rather auto flight logic invest their resources in further flight controller developments and app feature enhancement than stuff around with flight school edits. Flight school is already a very good resource. I can happily ignore any redundant text that doesn't apply to the current app release. The point is what is in the app is explained well and supported by a fantastic suite of video tutorials.

Pleased you are enjoying it. Have fun!!!

 

[Tenly]

good..... you got there.

I was just about to post and express my view that I would rather auto flight logic invest their resources in further flight controller developments and app feature enhancement than stuff around with flight school edits. Flight school is already a very good resource. I can happily ignore any redundant text that doesn't apply to the current app release. The point is what is in the app is explained well and supported by a fantastic suite of video tutorials.

Pleased you are enjoying it. Have fun!!!

I see both of your points. I *do* want more and enhanced features - but i would hate to waste time searching the interface for a feature that Flight School said was available only to eventually find out it's a beta feature and not available in the software I'm running. I like Joes idea of putting (beta) in brackets when the update is initially being made - and then a global find and delete when the beta becomes the released version.

I suppose another solution would be to join the beta.

@autoflightlogic - Are your liability compensation promises all still valid while using the beta software?

 

[J&L]

"Still tweaking my main flight path. Ability to create/edit offline is fantastic. I still need to ability to edit while in flight using the P3 current position. Will have to learn more about that ability and how to use it."

You can edit your flight while in flight in real time. Just adjust the sliders and move waypoints as you feel fit and the AC will respond immediately. Makes for good shots when switching from forward to behind in follow mode and from left to right. Here are 2 flight plans I flew yesterday.

 

[Tenly]

"Still tweaking my main flight path. Ability to create/edit offline is fantastic. I still need to ability to edit while in flight using the P3 current position. Will have to learn more about that ability and how to use it."

You can edit your flight while in flight in real time. Just adjust the sliders and move waypoints as you feel fit and the AC will respond immediately. Makes for good shots when switching from forward to behind in follow mode and from left to right. Here are 2 flight plans I flew yesterday.

View attachment 50237


View attachment 50238

View attachment 50241

Cool - the green markers represent focus changes, right?

Do you have a matching video for the 3rd, most complicated mission that you can share? It's cool to see your waypoint mission configuration, but would be even cooler for people to see how that mission translates into smooth video - captured 100% automatically!

 

[J&L]

Cool - the green markers represent focus changes, right?

Do you have a matching video for the 3rd, most complicated mission that you can share? It's cool to see your waypoint mission configuration, but would be even cooler for people to see how that mission translates into smooth video - captured 100% automatically!

Here is a modified video of a few months ago. The one I did yesterday was photos.

And here is a video I did using follow mode

 

[Tenly]

Here is a modified video of a few months ago. The one I did yesterday was photos.

And here is a video I did using follow mode

Nice to see follow mode doing what it's supposed to! Using the orbit feature to follow would have been cool for some of the longer boat stretches.

What was the setup for the video? Did you had the RC in the boat? Connected to what? IPad/iPhone? What was being followed? The RC or an Airspace device? Where was your home point and how did you handle take off and landing?

Were you doing anything with the controls during the flight? Ie Changing altitude or radius?

Excellent quality video with nice transitions and music! The only thing that detracted from the professional look and feel were those portrait mode photos. You'll have to remind people shooting with iPhones to use landscape mode whenever possible so it's easier to use their pics in a video. It should also be possible to use zoom in your editor to zoom in on a portrait mode photo so that it fills the screen and then you may need to add a "Ken Burns effect" to pan the photo in order to see all of it and maintain a sense of motion!

All in all - a great effort and a ballsy flight out over water! Thanks for sharing!

Oh - I was unable to get the first video to play....

 

[joe21]

You can edit your flight while in flight in real time. Just adjust the sliders and move waypoints as you feel fit and the AC will respond immediately.

I will try that.

What I would prefer is the be able to position the bird using the RC/flight controls and then set that as my waypoint. Position the aircraft and looking at the camera due is (IMO) a much better way to get the exact camera view you want. Playing around with the map controls is more cumbersome. This seems to be available in the beta version and will hopefully appear in the next release.

 

[joe21]

good..... you got there.

I was just about to post and express my view that I would rather auto flight logic invest their resources in further flight controller developments and app feature enhancement than stuff around with flight school edits. Flight school is already a very good resource. I can happily ignore any redundant text that doesn't apply to the current app release. The point is what is in the app is explained well and supported by a fantastic suite of video tutorials.

Pleased you are enjoying it. Have fun!!!

I see your point, but concur with Tenly's post.

AP has many options and features. A manual is essential to understanding it all. Looking through a manual and seeing a feature listed/explained and then not finding it in the software is not a good thing. You spend time and effort looking for a listed feature... only to later learn is isn't really in the (release version) software. Not good.

If this was a simple app with a few options, it wouldn't matter as much. Most people would skip the manual and figure it out. However, by the company's own admission, they are redefining the paradigm. That approach requires detailed and accurate documentation.

The manual, overall, is very good. In retrospect, it is the approach taken that threw me off.

The manual is more of a dictionary of terms than a how-to guide. Using waypoints as an example, it tells you what each setting it, but doesn't give a step by step on using it or "how to get there." The manual would have been more useful _ for me_ if there was more attention paid to the exact process (1. Quit DJI app, 2. Launch AP 3. Switch to "P" mode 4. Take off 5. Switch to F mode, 6. Load flight path, etc.). Considering the nature of the activity, it's not something you want to figure out by trial and error.

But these are minor issues. It's easy to find fault with any software manual. Prior to purchase I looked at another option and it was the manual that scared me away (didn't seem very polished). The AP manual looked very professional and the developers obviously put a lot of thought into it. That made me feel more confident about the app itself.

For the points I didn't grasp immediately, support - both via email and on this thread - was quick and answered m y questions. Any comments about the manual should be considered "constructive criticism" and not a complaint.

 

[With The Birds]

I see your point, but concur with Tenly's post.

AP has many options and features. A manual is essential to understanding it all. Looking through a manual and seeing a feature listed/explained and then not finding it in the software is not a good thing. You spend time and effort looking for a listed feature... only to later learn is isn't really in the (release version) software. Not good.

If this was a simple app with a few options, it wouldn't matter as much. Most people would skip the manual and figure it out. However, by the company's own admission, they are redefining the paradigm. That approach requires detailed and accurate documentation.

The manual, overall, is very good. In retrospect, it is the approach taken that threw me off.

The manual is more of a dictionary of terms than a how-to guide. Using waypoints as an example, it tells you what each setting it, but doesn't give a step by step on using it or "how to get there." The manual would have been more useful _ for me_ if there was more attention paid to the exact process (1. Quit DJI app, 2. Launch AP 3. Switch to "P" mode 4. Take off 5. Switch to F mode, 6. Load flight path, etc.). Considering the nature of the activity, it's not something you want to figure out by trial and error.

But these are minor issues. It's easy to find fault with any software manual. Prior to purchase I looked at another option and it was the manual that scared me away (didn't seem very polished). The AP manual looked very professional and the developers obviously put a lot of thought into it. That made me feel more confident about the app itself.

For the points I didn't grasp immediately, support - both via email and on this thread - was quick and answered m y questions. Any comments about the manual should be considered "constructive criticism" and not a complaint.

You didn't see my point then.

Tenly worked it out first time he flew a mission. The manual doesn't assist you in developing your creativity or exploring the limits of your imagination. Flying does.

Get through the basics then go to the manual if you need to.

 

[J&L]

Nice to see follow mode doing what it's supposed to! Using the orbit feature to follow would have been cool for some of the longer boat stretches.

What was the setup for the video? Did you had the RC in the boat? Connected to what? IPad/iPhone? What was being followed? The RC or an Airspace device? Where was your home point and how did you handle take off and landing?

Were you doing anything with the controls during the flight? Ie Changing altitude or radius?

Excellent quality video with nice transitions and music! The only thing that detracted from the professional look and feel were those portrait mode photos. You'll have to remind people shooting with iPhones to use landscape mode whenever possible so it's easier to use their pics in a video. It should also be possible to use zoom in your editor to zoom in on a portrait mode photo so that it fills the screen and then you may need to add a "Ken Burns effect" to pan the photo in order to see all of it and maintain a sense of motion!

All in all - a great effort and a ballsy flight out over water! Thanks for sharing!

Oh - I was unable to get the first video to play....

I don't think orbit mode would be a good option for a moving object IMO.

I filmed in 1089p 60fps. I had the RC in my hand and my buddy was driving the boat. I used my iPad mini 2. The focus strategy was the device. I had my it set to hover if I lost signal. I took off by hand and hand caught it for landing.

I was changing altitude and where it would be following me from. I.e. Front back left or right.

I threw the photos in there at the last second and didn't think any of it at the time but point taken. This was my first time using follow mode over water. And I was very nervous as it was very windy that day.

I will post the first video again it played for me.

 

[With The Birds]

@J&L

Its your take so entirely your call as to what sequences you go with. I wouldnt rule out orbit while following as an option though. Imagine having some closer in follows with various offsets to fromt back and side of subject and the luxury of editing in an orbit from futher out giving the viewer a greater sense of the surroundings. Including a few fly pasts and reveals would add further interest.

 

[joe21]

You didn't see my point then.

Tenly worked it out first time he flew a mission. The manual doesn't assist you in developing your creativity or exploring the limits of your imagination. Flying does.

Get through the basics then go to the manual if you need to.

I thought your point was spending more time in developing features vs documenting them. I guess we missed each other's points.

My point is somewhat moot because you CAN "work it out" when you fly a mission. However, the manual didn't make that clear.

A third party solution is an unknown. As a user, I have no idea what limitations or restrictions may be in place, either from the SDK or developer. To me, it wasn't readily apparent that you could "just fly" with the AP app running. For all I knew, not having a switch in the correct position or pressing the wrong button could have had disastrous consequences. As it turns out, things were much simpler than they first appeared.

As far as developing creativity, etc... You have a point, but I'm not sure I agree completely.

If I was selling a rubber ball... absolutely. Your imagination of possible uses would only be limited by a manual.

This, however, is a highly complex piece of software with a multitude of options. It is controlling an equally complex piece of hardware that can injure people, damage property and is one small crash away from becoming a worthless pile of plastic. A clear and concise description of all features is essential in opening up the possibilities and uses. If you don't know a feature exists, or its function isn't properly documented, that becomes a limitation on your creative possibilities. When you understand what all the buttons do, you are better able to create uses for those buttons.

If (extreme example to illustrate) you could only fly to 50ft high and a 100ft radius, your "creativity" is limited by those parameters. If, however, the manual explained those limits could be removed by flicking some switch three levels into a setting menu, then the manual becomes essential to expand your horizons.

My 1.2.3. list wasn't meant as a "you must use a feature like this" guide. I meant more of a "quick start" to get airborne so you could activate the features in the app.

Regardless, I was merely responding to your comments on features vs documentation. I certainly appreciate more features, but believe it is equally important to properly document those features (and not document features not yet in the software).

All IMO. YMMV.

 

[Tenly]

@autoflightlogic has stated that they treat their beta versions as if they were release candidates.

My biggest concern about joining the beta program would be whether or not the full autoflightlogic warranty was still in effect. For example - if I experienced a crash because I was using a beta feature and the crash was clearly caused by the malfunction of that feature (due to a software bug)....is Auto Flight Logic still going to step up and pay for my repair? Or are they going to say - sorry, that feature was in beta and you knew it was in beta and you do so at your own risk!

If I'm still fully covered when using the beta, I'll sign up tonight! Just waiting for @autoflightlogic to show up and answer the question!

 

[With The Birds]

@autoflightlogic has stated that they treat their beta versions as if they were release candidates.

My biggest concern about joining the beta program would be whether or not the full autoflightlogic warranty was still in effect. For example - if I experienced a crash because I was using a beta feature and the crash was clearly caused by the malfunction of that feature (due to a software bug)....is Auto Flight Logic still going to step up and pay for my repair? Or are they going to say - sorry, that feature was in beta and you knew it was in beta and you do so at your own risk!

If I'm still fully covered when using the beta, I'll sign up tonight! Just waiting for @autoflightlogic to show up and answer the question!

Given your concerns, regardless of what comfort may be afforded by autoflight logic's response, it might be you arent a preffered candidate to participate in the beta test programme.

The expectation likely is that you are prepared to fully explore and test all options, preferably to the point where you can create an unintended outcome. Feedback of these incidents allows the developer to produce a better product.

You always have the option to switch out of F mode and recover when you encounter a problem. To the extent this function is demonstrated to be working as expected it is unlikley autoflight logic should be accountable. Just my take.

 

[Hangar]

@autoflightlogic has stated that they treat their beta versions as if they were release candidates.

Exactly

If I'm still fully covered when using the beta, I'll sign up tonight! Just waiting for [USER=22511]@autoflightlogic to show up and answer the question![/USER]

We stand by our code, beta or production, so yes you are covered.

 

[Tenly]

Given your concerns, regardless of what comfort may be afforded by autoflight logic's response, it might be you arent a preffered candidate to participate in the beta test programme.

The expectation likely is that you are prepared to fully explore and test all options, preferably to the point where you can create an unintended outcome. Feedback of these incidents allows the developer to produce a better product.

You always have the option to switch out of F mode and recover when you encounter a problem. To the extent this function is demonstrated to be working as expected it is unlikley autoflight logic should be accountable. Just my take.

(1:52am EDT). Made significant edits to tone down he content from my original reply.

Seems like you need to get over yourself a lot!

I didn't ask for your opinion.
I don't want your opinion.
Your opinion is incorrect.
You assumed many things that are all wrong.
The tone of your post was arrogant.
The tone of your post was condescending.

I work for a software company.
I know more about alpha programs than you
I know more about beta programs than you
I know why both types of programs exist
I know how to participate in alphas and betas
I know how to run a beta program
My knowledge is practical as well as theoretical

Here's some unsolicited advice for you. The differ next between my advice and yours is that mine has value and is based on actual observations - not incorrect assumptions:

- lose the arrogance, you haven't earned the right and even if you had, it's rude and unbecoming
- don't be condescending or rude to people that have been polite to you - no matter how wrong you think they are
- most people do not want your advice. Those that do, will ask for it directly. Keep your thoughts on what other people should do to yourself unless the person has specifically asked for advice and directed the request to you or to the public
- judge not lest ye be judged! (Don't be judgemental)
- if you're not posting something constructive, positive or answering a question directed at you or the public - don't post at all
- do not present your opinion as if it were a fact
- don't make assumptions about people. Ask questions and find out the truth
- if someone else is bullying another member or being arrogant, condescending and/or judgemental - call them on it and stick up for the person being bullied. Don't join in on the attack.

Basically - deal with everyone here as if they are your spouses employer and you're having a casual, face to face conversation at a dinner party. You'll be very successful and people will like you.

Having said all that - if someone attacks you unprovoked - don't let them get away with it. Report them or fight back (within the rules.). You can't call somebody a name directly but there are a lot indirect ways of getting your point across.

 

[Tenly]

Exactly

We stand by our code, beta or production, so yes you are covered.

Thanks for your reply. I was certain that's what you were going to say - but I'm glad to see you confirm it.

Do you have a target for the number of new releases you put out per year? When you release a version and begin working on the next release - do you announce the full feature list of what will be included in the next version all at once - or do you just update us in pieces as each new feature becomes beta-ready?

 

[Zigs]

Exactly

We stand by our code, beta or production, so yes you are covered.

I'm willing to be patient, but the ability to assign views to the RC keys sounds really good. If I could encourage one thing with Autoflight it would be streamlining the user interface. This feature will be really helpful. Will it be hitting a release version anytime soon?

-- zigs

btw, I fly both Autoflight and Litchi. Both have their strengths. Glad I invested in both of them.

 

[Tenly]

I'm willing to be patient, but the ability to assign views to the RC keys sounds really good. If I could encourage one thing with Autoflight it would be streamlining the user interface. This feature will be really helpful. Will it be hitting a release version anytime soon?

-- zigs

btw, I fly both Autoflight and Litchi. Both have their strengths. Glad I invested in both of them.

This is an Autopilot thread and we've been asked not to discuss the other 3rd party products here because there are other threads dedicated to them

...but since you brought it up - I think that attention should be called to the fact that AutoPilot is iOS only and Litchi might as well be Android only at this point. They advertise compatibility with iOS and Android - and they'll happily take money from iOS users - but 80% of their functionality is NOT available on iOS.

[ UPDATE!!! UPDATE!!! After posting this - it was brought to my attention that Litchi released an update on April 5th increasing iOS feature support. Their are still significant differences between its iOS and Android capabilities but not 80% as I suggested above. Bottom line is that if you're an iOS user - you can't take the word of an Android user regarding what you'll be able to do with the product. Just be aware that their are differences and do your own research. Many iOS uses are happy with the product and own it as well as Autopilot.
END OF UPDATE!!! ]

Since Autopilot is iOS only - most of the readers of this thread will be iOS users and I'd hate to see one of them go out and spend money on another 3rd party software because it was spoken highly of here without realizing how extremely limited it is on iOS. For iOS users, it's a big waste of money and sometimes it's difficult getting a refund from iTunes even if you can show you were clearly mislead. It's far better to avoid the purchase in the first place.

Hope this helps and clears things up for future people stumbling onto this thread.