Flight Testing

[Scottintexas]

I am going out today to fly my drone a little beyond the 30' or so I have flown it in my back yard. The problem with my yard are the obstacles. I am going to the country and flying it in a large open field. I have added a GPS tracker and I will have my GoPro attached so I can flw it with all the weight it would carry when I have really learned to fly it.
I set the limits (using NAZA-M V2) to 50m. That's far enough both vertical and horizontal. I want to see what happens when it reaches the limits. I read on this forum somewhere that it will simply stop at the limits as though against an invisible wall. We'll see.

I am also going to test Failsafe mode. We'll see.

Any ideas before I do something stupid?

 

[crash1sttime]

Seems you have it all covered, i set my altitude to 400ft, the app gives a warning message when its reached, as for horizontal travel i beleive the unit wont fly forward once the limit is reached, you can however fly backwards, ive also tested failsafe, and found that in a medium breeze the home point landing isnt dead on, mine was about 10ft from take off point, so if it looks like it might land on a slope or other surface just flip the S1 switch out then back into GPS mode to take control.

 

[TimmyG94]

You added a GPS tracker but you set the limits to 50m horizontal?

That's cute.

 

[crash1sttime]

My thoughts are this a tracker is essential, even with a flight limit set, the quad could go crazy and fly up to 5 miles away on a full battery.

 

[HailStorm]

You added a GPS tracker but you set the limits to 50m horizontal?

That's cute.

Yes, as he stated in his post and the thread heading, he is testing these features...
A tracker is a great security whether you're flying in your front yard or flying FPV a km away as sometimes Phantoms like to explore on their own.

I'm assuming he doesn't intend to leave it set at 164 ft.

 

[Scottintexas]

You added a GPS tracker but you set the limits to 50m horizontal?

That's cute.

I know, right? But the limits are set while I learn to fly it. The tracker is going to be a constant weight, so learn to fly the machine you will fly. Also, after calibrating the compass with the added electronics you don't want to remove said electronics and then fly without recalibrating the compass. Even so, I am prepared for the thing to go absolutely bug nuts and take off on me. I'll just dial up my tracker and see where the errant machine ended up.

In any case. I was unable to fly as planned. On the way to the field the drizzle started, then it got heavier, then it turned to real rain and it stayed that way and is still that way today. Oh well, maybe next week.

 

[crash1sttime]

you don't want to remove said electronics and then fly without recalibrating the compass..

Any additional weight such as a tracker wont affect the compass at all mate, any load that is heavy or off centre would affect the flight characteristics and you may need to adjust the gains to compensate.

 

[sdtrojan]

You added a GPS tracker but you set the limits to 50m horizontal?

That's cute.

+1

 

[sdtrojan]

You added a GPS tracker but you set the limits to 50m horizontal?

That's cute.

I know, right? But the limits are set while I learn to fly it. The tracker is going to be a constant weight, so learn to fly the machine you will fly. Also, after calibrating the compass with the added electronics you don't want to remove said electronics and then fly without recalibrating the compass. Even so, I am prepared for the thing to go absolutely bug nuts and take off on me. I'll just dial up my tracker and see where the errant machine ended up.

In any case. I was unable to fly as planned. On the way to the field the drizzle started, then it got heavier, then it turned to real rain and it stayed that way and is still that way today. Oh well, maybe next week.

Scott,

Follow the instructions and the sage advice from the experienced members of this forum and you will be fine. I agree that baby steps are best in growing your piloting skills, but I also think it will be a drag to constantly be attaching to the computer to change your flight control parameters. My Phantom came pre-flight tested and set up by the guys at EZ Drone in San Diego, who have tons of experience. Having not done it myself from opening the box, I can understand your hesitancy, however I think you don't have as much to worry about as you think. Just ensure you have full charges on all batteries, calibrate the compass, get GPS homelock before taking off and have fun.

Every time I read an account on here about a flyaway I also cringe, because I spent close to $4K after taxes for my rig and do no want to see it go bye-bye. That said, it's a hobby with inherent dangers and some of those mean investing more $$$ to make repairs and replacements.

Have fun!