Filming under (and over) a forest canopy

[robinbuzios]

I'm really nervous about taking on a job that requires me to film inside and above a fairly dense forest. GPS lock is unreliable, so I'll have to fly in ATTI mode, which could get hairy in close quarters with any wind. My real concern comes with the RTH settings. What's the safest approach to take with this scenario? Should I cancel RTH, even if I get Home lock, so that I don't hit trees if I lose contact? Would it be safest to have it auto land straight down (if this is even possible)? I sure wish I had an Inspire with that fancy vision sensor for "gps-less" work!
Thanks for any advice.

 

[landmannnn]

You are right that auto land would be better than RTH. Just set it in the phantom assistant.
Choose a non-windy day if you are concerned about using ATTI.

 

[MapMaker53]

IMO you should be using a tracking device if you elect to use the auto land option. No telling where it comes down or what might be below it.

 

[yorlik]

I would definitely have my prop guards on for this.

I would definitely ASSUME I have NO RTH or HL function due to likelihood of ATTI flight.

I would wonder how you could fly "above it" knowing that I loose FPV at only about 300-500 ft away thru the trees.

Unless you really have an ulterior motive to be able to replace it with a P3, this does not sound like a good ROI job.

 

[dysan911]

The problem with prop guards is if you do end up in a tree. Chances are the guards will hook a branch much higher.

 

[robinbuzios]

Thanks for the input... it's helping with my decision. How fast does the phantom lose contact with the controller if it doesn't have perfect line of sight? For example, will a thin tree canopy affect my signal if I'm still within 100 feet of the bird? I'm dealing mostly with mostly palm trees since I'm in in Brazil, so it's not all that dense with respect to the canopy.

 

[MapMaker53]

If you need video from above the canopy and fear you will lose signal, you might consider flying a GS mission to a number of waypoints above the canopy for a resulting video containing a number of different flight line viewpoints. It doesn't need controller contact for that as long as it has enough sats. Just set the waypoints high enough above the trees.