distance from the ground.

[Simo37]

Hi All,

As a new flyer could you please offer me some advice?

Is my altitude set at the point of take off as when I'm flying up a hill side for instance to I have to manually judge the distance off the ground?

 

[With The Birds]

The altitude depicted in your flight app is referenced from the home point (above where you took off from) so yes, in instances where the terrain isn't dead flat you have to judge your actual height from ground.

 

[GrammatonxXXxCleric]

Altitude is set at takeoff you will have to use visual positioning sensor reading for altitude below 10 feet

 

[Simo37]

Excuse my ignorance but why does the app just register your altitude from take off point?
If I'm flying up a steep hillside for instance I have to visually check altitude on an ipad screen?
Seems bizarre to me.

 

[kndll]

Your phantom uses the barometer to register altitude , it has no sensor to read ground height , the amount of hardware that you would have to put in it , in order for it to read changes in ground height would make it unflyable !

 

[RockerKevin]

I was wondering the same type of thing. If I set the altitude at 10 feet on the right, what will be the waypoint setting be to the left of the wall; 110 feet‽

 

[With The Birds]

I was wondering the same type of thing. If I set the altitude at 10 feet on the right, what will be the waypoint setting be to the left of the wall; 110 feet‽

A 10ft waypoint will be the same height relative to your launch point both sides of the wall. I would get very comfortable with flying and familiarizing yourself with flying on the sticks before getting too carried away with autonomous flight. You will likely be rewarded with an absence of surprises.

 

[Meta4]

If I'm flying up a steep hillside for instance I have to visually check altitude on an ipad screen?
Seems bizarre to me.

If you were flying a Cessna you'd have to do the same.
Radar altimeters are expensive and for the Phantom they'd be too heavy as well.
Here is one of the smaller, cheaper ones - US$6300, 3.5lbs and it's range is 2500 ft.
https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/166298#overview

If I set the altitude at 10 feet on the right, what will be the waypoint setting be to the left of the wall; 110 feet‽

All heights in the app are relative to your launch point.
Home = zero

 

[GrammatonxXXxCleric]

If you use Litchi, there's a setting to make the way points relative to ground. +/- google inaccuracies.

 

[John Locke]

If you were flying a Cessna you'd have to do the same.
Radar altimeters are expensive and for the Phantom they'd be too heavy as well.
Here is one of the smaller, cheaper ones - US$6300, 3.5lbs and it's range is 2500 ft.
GRA™ 55

All heights in the app are relative to your launch point.
Home = zero

Someday DJI will figure out how to put one of these laser rangefinders in the belly of their drone, small and light enough to be viable. We can only dream and wait.

 

[JMFinch]

I've used Google Earth for getting the relative heights between various locations and home points. It does not account for trees, buildings, towers, etc.

 

[DanMan32]

... Walls as previously mentuoned/asked.

 

[rhoffart]

If you use Litchi, there's a setting to make the way points relative to ground. +/- google inaccuracies.

Also, FPV Camera has had this feature for about 6 months now. I have the app but have not tested this feature.

 

[John Locke]

I've used Google Earth for getting the relative heights between various locations and home points. It does not account for trees, buildings, towers, etc.

How do you do that? Do you have to pay for special access to that data?

I get actual elevation data from the Litchi Mission Hub, very helpful data.

 

[Meta4]

How do you do that? Do you have to pay for special access to that data?

You just put the cursor on the area you are interested in and read the elevation at the bottom of the screen.
If it's not showing you may have to turn it on in the options.

 

[rene van der meer]

Someday DJI will figure out how to put one of these laser rangefinders in the belly of their drone, small and light enough to be viable. We can only dream and wait.

TOF (Time Off Flight) distance sensors are becoming really cheap.
I don't think that the range is far enough yet for quads. But this could be a matter of time.

 

[DanMan32]

I really need to get into those things. Could become my retirement part time job.