Critique my strategy for testing for distance.

[jsposito]

I'm new or fairly new - obviously. I want to ease my way into atti mode. Back to the point. I'd like to launch in P mode, with RTH postion locked, then after 30 meters switch to atti mode, thereby preserving battery use ( NO OA on to reduce battery).

At that point I want to fly FULL speed to my desired goal ( distance wise 10,000 feet). SInce I will BE out of LOS i would then like to switch back to p mode and hopefully the lauch parameters have been kept and make my landing autonomys. As I said I would like to gradually and eventually will fly in Atti but not quite ready.

If this were not enough to ask my fellow pilots, is it a mistake to fly to goal at full forward speed in atti or slower to preserve battery? Or does all of the above sound logical.?

All points or comments welcomed.

 

[Yarome]

Sounds like a plan, but I would do it in increments. 1/2 your distance and only run at cruise. It will give you more time for correction. It also will give you a benchmark for power consumption that will be useful when planning additional atti flights.

You also need to account for the physiological aspect. If it's your first time flying atti, maintaining a higher level of adrenaline for an extended period will affect everyone differently. That will lessen with each flight, but testing your own reactions will also give you a "benchmark" for future flights.

If you're just dying to "gun" it, then go for it. If you're trying to develop your comfort level in atti then I would take it in increments. The return legs is really where you want to spend as much time as possible getting used to the control reversal.

Just MHO.

 

[Erised]

The long run speed agreed by many pilots is 31 mph. this will give you the most distance vs battery life. The constant is gravity and going faster then 31 mph the wind resistance becomes too great. In atti you have positioning off and you may be flying a zig zag, hard to tell if the power savings will be more than the power needed for course correction. , OA off will save a bit. I often fly around 30 mph for 20 minutes and land about at 20% and have covered around 45,000 feet total distance. Have fun and be safe.

 

[jsposito]

45,,, total distance landing at 20% that's great! So, at 22,000 feet out what is the battery % when you rth? 30-40 percent battery, normal winds.

 

[tevek]

The long run speed agreed by many pilots is 31 mph. this will give you the most distance vs battery life. The constant is gravity and going faster then 31 mph the wind resistance becomes too great. In atti you have positioning off and you may be flying a zig zag, hard to tell if the power savings will be more than the power needed for course correction. , OA off will save a bit. I often fly around 30 mph for 20 minutes and land about at 20% and have covered around 45,000 feet total distance. Have fun and be safe.

Correct advice sir! Exactly how I do it.

 

[tevek]

45,,, total distance landing at 20% that's great! So, at 22,000 feet out what is the battery % when you rth? 30-40 percent battery, normal winds.

Since there is never really 100% available battery I only use it as a guide, however at 6000mtrs I have approximately 65% left and use the time line at the top of the app showing time remaining to HP as a better guide. Between 10-12 mins and I'm coming home unless the low battery RTH starts singing to me and I will often use that, cancel the warning, and fly P-GPS back. RTH is way too slow. Turn off OA also to get to that sweet spot of 50 kph. As @Erised has covered off on.

 

[jsposito]

Correct advice sir! Exactly how I do it.

30MPH in atti, correct?

 

[tevek]

30MPH in atti, correct?

I fly those trips in P-GPS to keep it straight. As erised mentioned, in atti mode it will be harder to keep it on track since you will need a whole lot more stick input and probable wastage of battery life.

 

[jsposito]

I fly those trips in P-GPS to keep it straight. As erised mentioned, in atti mode it will be harder to keep it on track since you will need a whole lot more stick input and probable wastage of battery life.

yes, great but P-GPS uses cruise speed less than 30mph. 30 mph appears to be the sweet spot for speed and battery usage. no?

 

[tevek]

yes, great but P-GPS uses cruise speed less than 30mph. 30 mph appears to be the sweet spot for speed and battery usage. no?

I flew yesterday and had no problems sitting on 30 mph going out and coming back (OA turned off). Very little wind as this normally affects my cruising speed and in Atti mode, would be a nightmare trying to control both the direction and fight the wind at the same time. You can try taking up the bird on a breezy day out to 200 metres, switch it to atti mode and bring it back and watch your battery level disappear.

 

[jsposito]

ah, ok, so the times I did fly was upwind strongly, that must have been the case...Though they say a case can be made for flying in ATTI in order to hone pilot skills.

 

[tevek]

ah, ok, so the times I did fly was upwind strongly, that must have been the case...Though they say a case can be made for flying in ATTI in order to hone pilot skills.

Yep, wind can be a killer and has caused a lot of grief for some on this forum. Although I did clock 90kph one time at the end of a trip with a stiff breeze behind me, I thought the drone was going to explode! I usually end a long trip with burning my battery down to say 25% flying in Atti mode, to as you say, get some practice. Bringing it through the trees where I live can be interesting at times....

 

[Meta4]

yes, great but P-GPS uses cruise speed less than 30mph. 30 mph appears to be the sweet spot for speed and battery usage. no?

Forget using atti mode for what you want to do.
It won't give you any advantage but there are some potential negatives.
If you want speed and range, turn your obstacle avoidance off.
Don't get too hung up on 30 mph.
Best range is at just a fraction less than full speed (in still air) but wind will make it different every time.
Just use full speed in P-GPS mode and you'll be so close you won't notice the difference.

ah, ok, so the times I did fly was upwind strongly, that must have been the case...Though they say a case can be made for flying in ATTI in order to hone pilot skills.

Save flying atti for a nice big open area where you can see the Phantom.
Here's an example of what can happen when you try flying atti, long distance without experience.
Phantom 4 Pro Flyaway
And most pilots with experience would use GPS.

 

[jsposito]

Yep, wind can be a killer and has caused a lot of grief for some on this forum. Although I did clock 90kph one time at the end of a trip with a stiff breeze behind me, I thought the drone was going to explode! I usually end a long trip with burning my battery down to say 25% flying in Atti mode, to as you say, get some practice. Bringing it through the trees where I live can be interesting at times....

My bird landed once at 0% battery. Did a distance test, 40% remaining apparently was not enough to make it home, it tried force landing at 10% into a beautiful lake just a few hundred yards away from me. I wanted to keep the direction it was in and left it in p mode, but I held the ascend stick up all the way till it cleared the lake, then at about 30 feet up in a safe place zero battery - no damage thanks to prop guards.

 

[Capo]

Best way to learn ATTI is in small open areas in a treed spot. A tight area will teach you much more about ATTI then long distance flights. If you start to panic, switch to P mode. If you aren't comfortable with that start with wide open areas. But if you are used to P mode in reasonably tight areas, it's only a minor adjustment to learn ATTI. Just remember where the P switch is if you start to lose control.