P3 Distance Limits ( long high flights only in ATTI)

Odiedog · May 1, 2015

It is actually a pretty big limit on one of the more functional uses of UAVs. For search and rescue and checking out smoke reports for wildland fires, it is pretty common to fly from the road side or a parking area and up a trail or ridge line to do a quick look before crews head out, saving them time. The AC is rarely more than a couple hundred feet AGL, but the ridge could go up a couple thousand feet within 2 KM. One of the draws of the P3 was the increased range with FPV capability without doctoring a bunch of add-ons. We'll have to see if a work around comes out for those applications.

Bigdz · May 1, 2015

GB Phantom said:
Ben nevis Scotland...

1,344 metres

View attachment 18253

This is my play ground....just me and my bike In gods land..

Your play ground looks fun! I would love to take my O2 flhr and P3 for a ride up and down...providing the roads are paved

F6Rider · May 1, 2015

Apparition said:
Pioneer Peak is a 6,398-foot (1,950 m) mountain in the Chugach Mountains in the U.S. state of Alaska. Located beside the Knik River just nine miles (14.5 km) south of Palmer and about six miles outside the Municipality of Anchorage limits, it is a prominent landmark in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, as well as a popular hiking destination. The name was given in 1939 in honor of the pioneers of the Matanuska agricultural colony of the mid-1930s.[1] The Pioneer Ridge Trail leads up the eastern shoulder, beginning below 200', it allows access to the summit.

Very Nice, when I was stationed at Ft. Richardson outside Anchorage we took field trips there, absolutely awesome country, spent 3 years up there.

cleaner1369 · May 2, 2015

Julius717 said:
Sure it's just a matter of weeks before someone removes that in a new APP

I'd be happy if someone would write an app to turn the dam flashing lights off...

Buzz313th · May 2, 2015

Why do you wanna turn off the lights?

Apparition · May 2, 2015

cleaner1369 said:
I'd be happy if someone would write an app to turn the dam flashing lights off...

I thought blade strike said you could but I don't know how.

He mentioned turning them off because of the glow from the red lights while filming.

cleaner1369 · May 2, 2015

Apparition said:
I thought blade strike said you could but I don't know how.

He mentioned turning them off because of the glow from the red lights while filming.

I'm currently using black electrical tape when they're a nuisance. Twilight videos show the red lights the worst.

Buzz313th · May 2, 2015

Ahh I can see why the position light would be an issue.

Meta4 · May 2, 2015

cleaner1369 said:
I'd be happy if someone would write an app to turn the dam flashing lights off...

That might not be necessary.
Early indications are good ... http://www.phantompilots.com/threads/p3a-night-video.39860/

Tahoe Ed · May 2, 2015

You can't turn the front lights off in the App, not the mode lights.

Apparition · May 2, 2015

Tahoe Ed said:
You can't turn the front lights off in the App, not the mode lights.

I must have misunderstood Blade Strike because I thought he said you could on the rcgroups thread.

Taptalk2015 · May 3, 2015

Apparition said:
I must have misunderstood Blade Strike because I thought he said you could on the rcgroups thread.

I thought he said that too.

Apparition · May 3, 2015

Taptalk2015 said:
I thought he said that too.

Paging Blade Strike, please comment on this thread so we are clear.

AshP3A · Sep 6, 2015

Ezookiel said:
A company here recently photographed our huge annual Fireworks display.
They were given permission to fly at night, and to 1500 feet, by CASA, both of which are normally forbidden by the rules.
However, That was ample to get them up above the fireworks, and 500m is higher again than what they were given authority to go to, so really should be more than enough.
So I'm really not too sure why everyone keeps baulking at the restriction.

I do partly understand it, from the perspective that I also find restrictions frustrating as well, and it's part of why I won't be buying the P3 but will instead buy either an I1 or wait till an I2 comes out, as they're both professional level craft that at the moment don't have restrictions that I know of, but even with my own distaste for having restrictions imposed on me by others, the fact is that there really shouldn't be much need to go higher than that. Especially with how slow the stupid descent speed on these things is, it's going to take more than 4 or 5 minutes to come back down. About 1/3rd of the total flight time you get out of a battery just to come back down doesn't appeal to me at all. So whilst it's frustrating to be forced to that limit, in reality there's not much need to go higher than it. In Australia you'd have to have special dispensation from CASA to go anywhere near it anyway.

As for the question about GPS, from what I've read, the distance limit is able to be changed by the user, and still allows GPS, it's only the height that can't go beyond the 500m and that's in both GPS and in ATTI.

Great post, we need to watch and be carefull what we do, dont need more regs. beacause of those who feel they need to fly higher and farther than necessary.....there are regulations now, dont need more!!!!

Don Wilson · Feb 11, 2016

I would like to fly out past 1500 feet, but I am not an experienced pilot. Just to get across the canyon where I live hits the 1500 feet. If I am in ATTI Mode, does that require more skills and no hovering like in GPS mode? I have not flown this in ATTI mode. I have flown on the simulator in a mode that requires constant attention and really hard to just hover in place, and a mode that is very much like GPS mode (Flight Simulator 7) I see all of these cool videos showing flying by cliffs and over buildings across cities, should I assume these are done in follow me mode?

Meta4 · Feb 11, 2016

Don Wilson said:
I would like to fly out past 1500 feet, but I am not an experienced pilot. Just to get across the canyon where I live hits the 1500 feet. If I am in ATTI Mode, does that require more skills and no hovering like in GPS mode? I have not flown this in ATTI mode. I have flown on the simulator in a mode that requires constant attention and really hard to just hover in place, and a mode that is very much like GPS mode (Flight Simulator 7) I see all of these cool videos showing flying by cliffs and over buildings across cities, should I assume these are done in follow me mode?

Here's what the manual says about atti mode:

It's just like GPS mode but with out position holding.
It will hold altitude and hover but can drift with the breeze.
Try it in an open area sometime.
You don't need to use atti mode to cross the canyon.

wayne hebb · Dec 31, 2016

PaulW said:
Part of the problem for me is 500m height is relative to the take off point. If I'm trying to photograph a mountain of 750m starting from the base at 100m then the 500m restriction would be too low to get to the top.

I appreciate its not going to be an everyday problem but I hope to go to Snowdonia next year and take some mountain shots.

I saw a solution recently where a pilot did a couple of intermediate landings on the way up the mountain where he turned the motors off. This started the 500 meters over at that point part of the way up the mountain. You just need to find a clearing suitable to land at about 500 meters and then again at 1000 meters... At that point, battery life is your issue!!