Atti mode mid-flight, ahhhhhh

[Tricky]

So, oops I crapped my pants. Flying low (for me) around 95' altitude, within visual...I'd say 300' away from me...I was circling aggressively above a marina of boats...when all of a sudden, that nice young woman whispers to me, ATTI Mode...I say, come again?!?! So I instinctively remove my fingers from the sticks...and frantically look at the ipad screen to get my bearings...then it goes back to GPS mode...bird is hovering motionless, thankfully.

I reviewed my video footage...bird seems somewhat "out of control" at one point, as the horizon become tilted and she flies awkwardly sideways...I am always flying in the direction of the camera, so tilted horizon or flying sideways means I was NOT in control...but then she goes back to steady hover with level horizon.

My question is...even though I have practiced on a Hubsan 4, and I understand generally stick controls for atti, what would have been the best standard procedure for abruptly entering atti mode...in order to prevent a crash, or an out of control bird? should I try to gain elevation? or just keep off the sticks until I can get my bearings? if she werent in visual of me, I might have freaked even more.

If she goes from GPS to atti, without my consent, and I give zero stick input, will she hover beautifully, or continue in the trajectory she was in during gps mode, until I correct that trajectory in atti?

Atti lasted all of 5 seconds, according to the GO App...i watched it over and over, to see if I could learn...

thanks everyone...i know this was a long long story...

 

[Tricky]

I also sort of assume she abruptly entered atti mode due to radio interference from marina...and steel pier that she was near...or maybe my maneuvers were too aggressive for GPS mode? i mean, i was just performing a wide circle...but the pitch? might have caused the switch to atti?

 

[AlmostTan]

Hey,

I've flown on cheap quads before and atti mode is not what you're used to. You should try it under controlled situations as its vastly different. Altitutde is still controlled by the barometer but gusts of wind can push it around. Get a bearing on where you are on map and how you'll fly it back to you and you'll be fine.

For the record since the latest FW update this seems to be happening to a lot of people but always quickly snapping back into GPS. I'm not too worried.

 

[Oso]

This for sure highlights why everyone should routinely practice ATTI mode flying.

For me, when it switches to ATTI mode (which doesn't happen often) I instinctively increase altitude to be sure I am clear of anything, while at the same time gaining control of any horizontal movement due to the momentum or prevailing winds. Normally by that time, GPS has already been reestablished. This is usually all within a few seconds.

 

[Sprague]

I've had lots of issues with marinas. Between a PS, VHF, radar etc. lots and lots of interference.

 

[witold]

I haven't enabled it on my P3.

But on my P2, if you stop to hover, let off the sticks, and flip the switch, you wouldn't even know you are in ATTI. If there is a breeze going, it will start to drift. But it's so gentle you don't even notice.

 

[JohnK]

Increase altitude is going to be a safe temporary reaction most of time, especially if it takes a moment or two to determine horizontal direction. "Up" is good in that case, and then you can watch either the map or your distance readout to bring it closer should it be out of immediate visual contact.

 

[Patrick]

it's really odd to see the phantom drifting in the wind if you mostly fly in GPS mode.