I was impressed

[Older_Man]

This weekend while at the lake I decided it was time.I took it out of beginner mode and set the height limit to 380 ft. and turned the max range off but it was too windy to fly .Last night almost dark the wind calmed down and I just had to try it out and it was bugging the crap out of me if the RTH would work.It's been bothering me for a long time and I just had to know and the time was right,come back or fly away I had to know.I had set my RTH height to 40m but I might change it to 35m I don't know yet.I flew out 40-50 yards and hit the RTH button and hoped for the best.I think my drone climbed a few feet then started towards me in a slow motion then slowly made it's way down to earth.It was almost too dark to fly but I was having fun and a great way to build up some confidence.

 

[solentlife]

Please be careful about using the RTH when relatively close as any anomaly could make it default to the 20m limit. If the model is about 20m or less from home point - it will not RTH - it will land where it is.

Best way to test is to take it way out ... at least 100m or more .... then double tap the S2 ... this way you learn the emergency way without GO / Litchi ... in event tablet decides to shut down - which they do occasionally !

And to learn to use S1 to cancel it and land manually with sticks.

Just commenting.

Nigel

 

[RodPad]

@Older_Man

RTH, can be the fail safe that makes you fail.

Here is some questions and comments.

Best Method to RTH?
Lesson learned from crash by RTH because flying with a low battery
Lost signal (but not really)

Rod

 

[Older_Man]

Please be careful about using the RTH when relatively close as any anomaly could make it default to the 20m limit. If the model is about 20m or less from home point - it will not RTH - it will land where it is.

Best way to test is to take it way out ... at least 100m or more .... then double tap the S2 ... this way you learn the emergency way without GO / Litchi ... in event tablet decides to shut down - which they do occasionally !

And to learn to use S1 to cancel it and land manually with sticks.

Just commenting.

Nigel

I was planning on tapping the S2 switch instead of using the screen but the last minute my finger touched the screen instead.This was my first time and I knew what was supposed to happen but I was expecting the worst.As you have probably read I have been in beginner mode and I didn't think I could use the RTH as 30m isn't that far away to try it so I never did.I read about the S1 to cancel but it was too dark last night.I live in a neighborhood with lots of houses and I don't know how they feel about drones yet.

 

[Older_Man]

@Older_Man

RTH, can be the fail safe that makes you fail.

Here is some questions and comments.

Best Method to RTH?
Lesson learned from crash by RTH because flying with a low battery
Lost signal (but not really)

Rod

I don't like flying with low battery unless it's close by and coming home.I have already lost signal last night when I got between the xmitter and drone (first mistake!).I was happy to see it finally coming down.

 

[Dpemberton415]

My first two flights I used the return to home and auto land both ended in a crash. From that point on its manual land with the sticks, sometimes I'll use rth when I'm way out and feeling lazy but I take back over when it gets closer.

 

[wichkans]

I feel you lack of confidence older_man, I may not be as careful as you are but I felt super nervous on my first few flights and still do to some degree.
I remember when I first pushed the RTH button, as soon as the button was pushed the ship shot up to 350 M , I had intended the RTH height to be set at 50M but accidentally added the 3.

 

[solentlife]

Confidence comes with trying out the commands.

I am a strong supporter of manual flying. It teaches the control 'instinct' so important in RC models.

The usual observation is when a new pilot appears - they react to what the model does. This means model is in control.

It takes time and practice for the Pilot to take command and the model to do as told !

Call it what you want ... muscle memory ... the feel .... instinct ... it all comes down to one thing - action that dictates what model is to do.

On fixed wing flying when I teach new pilots ... I get them to fly figure 8 circuits. Why ? Because it has all the elements in that teach that. It has turns both directions, it has upwind and downwind legs, it crosses over in front and needs change of apparent orientation.

On to these Multi Rotors such as the P3 ... DJI have made it too easy for a new pilot to be lulled into a false sense of security. The model takes off .. hovers ... auto-lands ... RTH .... etc. all at the touch of an icon. Get dis-orientated ? Hit RTH and bring her close in ... hit cancel and back in business again.
What would be better is to learn to fly ATTI mode so that any situation you can fly with the sticks with knwledge that RTH is there as well.

People laugh at the 'Toy' Quads from such as WLToys ... but believe me - if you want to learn to fly a quad manually - they are an excellent cheap way to do it. I have a V959 with camera ... cost about $50 ... I flew that baby till I could just about make it do anything I wanted ... the P3S is a walk in the park compared to that 959. But at least I have knowledge from the 959 that helps me if I have any upsets.

I am member of the Latvian group LARPAS ...

Latvian Association of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems

There is another member on this forum as well ... but he's a lot "quieter" than me !!
LARPAS is actively involved in forming the Guidelines for Latvian CAA to 'govern' RC flying ... and the single largest item of all which takes up more than 75% of the discussions ... models such as these Phantoms and other Multi Rotor platforms. Why ? Because of the ease to fly - people get stupid and fly them in unsuitable locations or just fly them stupidly. One of the items I raise with LARPAS is the matter of how to get people to actually learn to fly them, instead of just opening box ... charge up and hit auto take-off !!

Sorry if I am getting on a Soapbox here ... but "wichkans" hit a spot with me about how confident / ability to fly.

Nigel

 

[120CCPM]

I was planning on tapping the S2 switch instead of using the screen but the last minute my finger touched the screen instead.This was my first time and I knew what was supposed to happen but I was expecting the worst.As you have probably read I have been in beginner mode and I didn't think I could use the RTH as 30m isn't that far away to try it so I never did.I read about the S1 to cancel but it was too dark last night.I live in a neighborhood with lots of houses and I don't know how they feel about drones yet.

If everything else fails and you're in panic mode, turning the RC off is the best way (in my opinion) to make sure RTH gets triggered.

 

[DARLAK]

I basically figure each time I take it up it's not coming back....that way when it does I am super happy each and every time

well, except twice.....but then I got to learn how to fix it!!!

 

[solentlife]

If everything else fails and you're in panic mode, turning the RC off is the best way (in my opinion) to make sure RTH gets triggered.

Of course a last ditch action ....

S2 ... then S1 are my advice to people .... that way you get RTH and then to land it without mishaps.

Just as an aside .... I don't mind using auto take off in small area but auto land ? I avoid it as much as possible.

Nigel

 

[Older_Man]

Confidence comes with trying out the commands.

I am a strong supporter of manual flying. It teaches the control 'instinct' so important in RC models.

The usual observation is when a new pilot appears - they react to what the model does. This means model is in control.

It takes time and practice for the Pilot to take command and the model to do as told !

Call it what you want ... muscle memory ... the feel .... instinct ... it all comes down to one thing - action that dictates what model is to do.

On fixed wing flying when I teach new pilots ... I get them to fly figure 8 circuits. Why ? Because it has all the elements in that teach that. It has turns both directions, it has upwind and downwind legs, it crosses over in front and needs change of apparent orientation.


Nigel

I agree,confidence comes with time and trying ALL the commands and that's what I am doing.So far I have been taking off,flying around and landing with the sticks but it was time to start learning.So I decided to take it out of beginner mode and my first priority was RTH to make sure it was going to work !.Now I am satisfied after reading numerous threads where other people were having problems right out of the box.Pilot error ?,I don't know but for right now mine works and I know how to cancel it if I get in a bind but,one step at a time.
I may be new to this drone but I still have a few RC planes hanging that I don't want to part with just yet and others are long gone.
40 Avastar.
Four Star 60.
Yak-54F electric.
40 Sky Raider.
All ready to go but I lost interest and other things got in the way and then we retired and started traveling.

 

[Older_Man]

Of course a last ditch action ....

S2 ... then S1 are my advice to people .... that way you get RTH and then to land it without mishaps.

Just as an aside .... I don't mind using auto take off in small area but auto land ? I avoid it as much as possible.

Nigel

I don't think I will ever use auto take off and auto land ?,it doesn't land in the exact spot it takes off from so I doubt i'll use that function either.I like to control where I want it to land.

 

[solentlife]

Auto take off - I use near every time ... its too easy to just tap the icon .. slide the button to say yes its safe ...

Its the best way to take off in fact as its programmed to a) record Home Point, b) rise vertically with minimum drift, c) stop and hover at about 1.4m. This gives me nice relaxed short period to make sure all is good before pushing sticks forward and flying out.

But Auto land ... not for me unless I have no choice. I use RTH a lot as I fly to max range most times. RTH gives me possibility to get AC back home efficiently, once I hear and locate - I then wait till I can see clearly to change to manual for landing.

As to auto land on the spot. Some others do run away with the idea that the AC should land back on the exact same spot it took off from. As far as the GPS is concerned it does. Trouble is that GPS is not a constant fixed error position fixing system. The error is variable and affected by many different things. Because it uses calculations of time to arrive at distance from its reported position at that instant .... plus triangulation with other sats having same calculations made - the resulting position can be cms or m's wrong. Forget the marketing hype of 20cm accuracy etc. Its total BS. Even the Dual Military GPS cannot get to 20cms constant accuracy !
Therefore it is no surprise that the new pilot thinking his new 'toy' will land at his feet actually lands 10ft or so away from him ... OK - you should actually have better than that most times - but there will be times it could be 10 ... 20ft away when it auto lands.

Navigation and later GPS has been part of my professional working life for more than 45yrs.

Nigel

 

[120CCPM]

LARPAS is actively involved in forming the Guidelines for Latvian CAA to 'govern' RC flying ... and the single largest item of all which takes up more than 75% of the discussions ... models such as these Phantoms and other Multi Rotor platforms. Why ? Because of the ease to fly - people get stupid and fly them in unsuitable locations or just fly them stupidly.
One of the items I raise with LARPAS is the matter of how to get people to actually learn to fly them, instead of just opening box ... charge up and hit auto take-off !!

A bit off topic, but I think the piloting skills of the average drone operator (which I agree, are much lower compared to the average RC hobbyists) have little to do with all these new regulations that governments all over the world are imposing on radio controlled models (aka UAS).
The two main factors that come into play, in my opinion, are volume and purpose. Volume because drones appeal to a much larger audience than classic RC models, so there are way more drones in the air than RC helis or planes. Purpose because people buy aerial photography drones specifically to take photos or videos of interesting subjects, so they are always looking for "cool" places where to fly, whereas pilots of classic RC models are just looking for "blue sky" with no distractions and obstacles (and with planes, for a place to take off and land).
The end result is many more flying objects in places where there should be none (actual or perceived risk), and regulators are responding to that.

 

[Dpemberton415]

I agree with Nigel the best way is to start with the cheap "toy" drones. I still have my second one it has about three tubes of superglue holding it together and this addiction started from a toy for Christmas. Now I'm obsessed!

 

[solentlife]

Authorities obsession with Multi-Rotors as I see it has nothing to do with the number only.

Too often we read about an idiot who thinks the world is his stage and he can do what he wants. Remember Trappy and his gang of morons ? Remember Hogwart who 'edited' his video of being attacked for filming on the beach ... who also uploaded video of a gun fitted to a quad ..... the guy who flew from his balcony, got in a car, flew through a tunnel and down to the beach .....

There are so many examples of Darwin's theory in the Multi-Rotor world that kicks powers into action.

What makes it worse now than it was before. Media has spread the word far and wide about risks flying these. But still Neanderthals go out there and do stupid things.

If the human being would always act safely and with regard to all others including animals / property - most of the rules we have would not be there, regardless of what they are for.

Nigel

 

[120CCPM]

Authorities obsession with Multi-Rotors as I see it has nothing to do with the number only.

That's why I said volume AND purpose. It's the combination of these two factors (with bit of privacy paranoia on top) that brought drones under scrutiny.

Too often we read about an idiot who thinks the world is his stage and he can do what he wants.

Totally agree, just look at this, fresh from the local news: Search for drone operator who disrupted fire fighting efforts
But this has nothing to do with piloting skills (i.e. being able to fly in ATTI mode). The guy could have been the most skilled flyer, but was his desire to capture an interesting subject (what I called "purpose") that pushed him to do something stupid.

 

[solentlife]

I never put PIloting Skills and Neanderthal brain in same pot ... the likes of Hogwart have good piloting skills ... bujt look at what they do with them !!

Trappy was just an overgrown child ....

Nigel

 

[aeronca47]

Darlak's theory is the same as Black Elk; American Indian who wrote, "Black Elk Speaks". The short version: He went into battle hoping to be killed. If he was killed, then he got what he hoped for. If he wasn't killed, then how could he be sad about that. Either way, he won. That's how he killed Colonel Custer. I digress; but a little history now and then is good.