Anyone have any experience flying phantom at Altitude?

[mlees]

I'm looking to see if anyone has any experience flying their phantom at 10,000ft - 14,000ft above sea level. I'm wondering if flight characteristics will be different since air is thinner thus requiring gain adjustment.

I hate to hike in with this thing and not be able to fly it.

 

[Pull_Up]

I don't, but plenty of users have flown at 10,000+ without reporting any issues. I haven't seen anyone report they needed to change gain settings to maintain a hover either...

 

[adanac]

Where do you do this where you know with 100% certainty that there will be no aircraft? Is there a website?

I'm looking to see if anyone has any experience flying their phantom at 10,000ft - 14,000ft above sea level. I'm wondering if flight characteristics will be different since air is thinner thus requiring gain adjustment.

I hate to hike in with this thing and not be able to fly it.

 

[IrishSights]

Where do you do this where you know with 100% certainty that there will be no aircraft? Is there a website?

I'm looking to see if anyone has any experience flying their phantom at 10,000ft - 14,000ft above sea level. I'm wondering if flight characteristics will be different since air is thinner thus requiring gain adjustment.

I hate to hike in with this thing and not be able to fly it.

I dont think he means AGL. Probably no greater chance of aircraft than anywhere else.

Sent from Samsung S4 via Tapatalk

 

[BigTulsa]

Where do you do this where you know with 100% certainty that there will be no aircraft? Is there a website?

I'm looking to see if anyone has any experience flying their phantom at 10,000ft - 14,000ft above sea level. I'm wondering if flight characteristics will be different since air is thinner thus requiring gain adjustment.

I hate to hike in with this thing and not be able to fly it.

I dont think he means AGL. Probably no greater chance of aircraft than anywhere else.

Sent from Samsung S4 via Tapatalk

And this is partially what I'm talking about. People not understanding how to really 'fly' before they start using these things.

I'm guessing, however, that since these things are so light in relation to power to weight ratio, that they can be flown pretty well at higher altitudes. Real helos (well typical like the Bells and Sikorskis) won't have the same power to weight and struggle more so at higher altitudes just due to loss of air density needed to keep the vehicle in flight.

 

[QYV]

remember this "matterhorn drone selfie" ? they were flying at the summit of the Matterhorn which is over 14,000 ft.

 

[IrishSights]

And this is partially what I'm talking about. People not understanding how to really 'fly' before they start using these things....

I don't quite understand what you mean.

Sent from Samsung S4 via Tapatalk

 

[Pull_Up]

See here - 11,000ft altitude, 400ft above ground level... viewtopic.php?t=4146

Given the new 2m/s max descent rate I don't think you'll find anyone getting safely back from 10,000 AGL!

 

[Mal_PV2_Ireland]

I have seen plenty of people post that they have flown up high in the mountains above 10,000ft ASL with no problems due to air density.

 

[mlees]

thanks!

See here - 11,000ft altitude, 400ft above ground level... viewtopic.php?t=4146

Given the new 2m/s max descent rate I don't think you'll find anyone getting safely back from 10,000 AGL!

- I was referring to 10,000-14,000 above sea level. Still probably only a few hundred feet above ground level though just like the link you included thx...

 

[WessexWyvern]

I don't have any experience flying a quadcopter at that sort of altitude but have many hours flying full sized aircraft and the principles of the effect of altitude and density altitude (google it) remain the same for any aircraft. The flight surfaces ie the props and therefore the motors will have to work harder to generate the same lift as at sea level. Expect reduced flight times and a reduced response when manoeuvring, particularly on hot days. You are very sensible seeking anecdotal evidence of Phantoms flying at that sort of height as (to the best of my knowledge) there aren't any performance graphs to refer to. I suspect it will fly adequately as it is such a nimble and responsive aircraft at sea level but don't rely on that.
As for safety, stay below 1000 ft above the highest object in your local area (I'd stay below 400ft above it personally). Stay clear of airfields and places where you regularly see helicopters.

 

[mlees]

I don't have any experience flying a quadcopter at that sort of altitude but have many hours flying full sized aircraft and the principles of the effect of altitude and density altitude (google it) remain the same for any aircraft. The flight surfaces ie the props and therefore the motors will have to work harder to generate the same lift as at sea level. Expect reduced flight times and a reduced response when manoeuvring, particularly on hot days. You are very sensible seeking anecdotal evidence of Phantoms flying at that sort of height as (to the best of my knowledge) there aren't any performance graphs to refer to. I suspect it will fly adequately as it is such a nimble and responsive aircraft at sea level but don't rely on that.
As for safety, stay below 1000 ft above the highest object in your local area (I'd stay below 400ft above it personally). Stay clear of airfields and places where you regularly see helicopters.

thx. I had a feeling that there could be some noticeable differences and wanted to be prepared since I will be very remote. I am fairly familiar with principles of aerodynamics, and noticed a huge change using vision props on a v1.1 requiring gain adjustment. thanks for the tips -

 

[DJIp2v]

Hi, I was flying between 14000 to 14800 ft (4226mts to 4500 mts) with no issues, It was last January during my vacations visiting a high altitude national park in my country.

The only "problem" for say something was the battery, it doesn't last as usual because the thinner air at high altitudes.

hope this help.

Best regards

 

[ianwood]

This is what I would do: Lighten the Phantom as much as possible. Remove any prop guards. If it's a P2, use OEM P2 props, no CF props or other aftermarket. VRS is a pretty big risk so leave lots of time to descend slowly using lateral movement to limit the risk.

Best would be to get comfortable with it at 10,000ft before trying 14,000ft.

 

[Pull_Up]

Hi, I was flying between 14000 to 14800 ft (4226mts to 4500 mts) with no issues, It was last January during my vacations visiting a high altitude national park in my country.

The only "problem" for say something was the battery, it doesn't last as usual because the thinner air at high altitudes.

hope this help.

Best regards

Just to add that lower temperatures, whilst good for "thickening" the air, are not so good for lipos. Cold ambient temperatures bring reduced battery performance. I know this from bitter (and numb, and blue) experience flying around a few months ago! Luckily a freshly discharged lipo can be used as an effective emergency hand warmer...

 

[Alex Baxter]

DJI say 6,000 metres, if you RTFM