Flying for distance P or S mode?

[Jason Newbie to drones]

Just sent in my P4 RC to maxx uav, and was curious what modes most you long distance guys and gals are running?
Myself living on a lake, am flying with a head/tail wind. I usually head out in P-Mode, and return in sports mode, but is that correct?
Just would like some helpful advice to better help me understand the battery%/minutes left, and know when to tell myself you can keep going, or you need to RTH..
Thanks

 

[Meta4]

Just sent in my P4 RC to maxx uav, and was curious what modes most you long distance guys and gals are running?
Myself living on a lake, am flying with a head/tail wind. I usually head out in P-Mode, and return in sports mode, but is that correct?
Just would like some helpful advice to better help me understand the battery%/minutes left, and know when to tell myself you can keep going, or you need to RTH.

Sports mode is not very economical. It makes the battery level go down much faster than other modes.

 

[tevek]

Depends on what distance you are looking for. I fly at my lake and the ocean and the wind is a huge influence in trying to get the distance vs battery equation right. I usually fly in sports mode and try to keep it sitting at around 50kph after I have checked it in atti mode to see what the wind is doing. There are wind apps etc but I don't use them (probably should find one) and if flying into an onshore wind, run the the battery down to 60% and turn around. Height is usually between 100-80 mtrs to allow for the cliffs at the beach and have lowered it to find a sweet spot. My best distance is about 6klms which is more than enough for me and not within spitting distance of some of the folk on here, but fun just the same. Apparently my FPVLR is good for up to a theoretical 10klm but I'm not going there without Dirty Bird. You can try P mode but may want to switch off OA to get some extra speed.

 

[Jason Newbie to drones]

I've tested a lot on windy days
flying into a strong head wind in P mode to clocking how long it takes to go a mile.. to traveling back with and timing it.
6 months of slowly stretching it out, till I had 1 more attempt to make 3 miles one way, and chickened out 600ft from 3 miles because the wind started swirling, and I get back to home with 30% battery, could have easily flown that extra 1,200ft. Oh well
I guess that's why I'm trying to figure out the best happy medium, where I can push it out there, Knowing ok no wind, head wind, tail wind, I can do this, that or whatever.
As you can see, its a long trip across the lake to this cool lighthouse is at...

 

[Jason Newbie to drones]

Wish more days were like this one, where the lake is so calm, it's almost like a mirror of the sky.

 

[tevek]

I've tested a lot on windy days
flying into a strong head wind in P mode to clocking how long it takes to go a mile.. to traveling back with and timing it.
6 months of slowly stretching it out, till I had 1 more attempt to make 3 miles one way, and chickened out 600ft from 3 miles because the wind started swirling, and I get back to home with 30% battery, could have easily flown that extra 1,200ft. Oh well
I guess that's why I'm trying to figure out the best happy medium, where I can push it out there, Knowing ok no wind, head wind, tail wind, I can do this, that or whatever.
As you can see, its a long trip across the lake to this cool lighthouse is at...

Mate, you're smashing it. Took me ages to get the confidence to trust the technology in the drone. You're on the way!

 

[PinnacleRun]

I do not have any mods on my 3A and to achieve distance I use litchi and let the app Cruze at my set speed to ensure optimal performance and battery length. Here is a quick flight at 1.9 miles

Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

 

[Meta4]

You can try P mode but may want to switch off OA to get some extra speed.

That's an important point about disabling OA to get useful speed.
Flying with Obstacle Avoidance is like driving with the brakes on.
With it disabled, I get 17 metres/sec (38 mph) in still air.

 

[Bckmstr]

Wish more days were like this one, where the lake is so calm, it's almost like a mirror of the sky.

sweet pic

 

[Bckmstr]

yep, OA off ...p-mode and let er eat straight out and back ...

 

[Avalon90]

I'm interested to know if there is a DJI GO app to run in a Mac Book Air for the DJI Mavic Pro.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

 

[PinnacleRun]

I'm interested to know if there is a DJI GO app to run in a Mac Book Air for the DJI Mavic Pro.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

Nope, DJI go app is only available for tablets/phones.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

 

[Xenomorph]

Wish more days were like this one, where the lake is so calm, it's almost like a mirror of the sky.

AMAZING PIC! Nice job!

 

[Jason Newbie to drones]

Wow, I never thought of the AO causing those effects, and never turned them off in any of my flights.
I've had several people tell me good things about that litchi app. I also ordered 2 P4P batteries in hopes I can get a few extra minutes out of it.
So between that, the AO being turned off, and the litchi app, sounds like I can really get it out there on a calm day.
Even though I have never flown a drone untill October 17th to be exact. I made a newbie mistake early on, by paying more attention to the battery of my RC/drone, and my iPad went in to software update, and I lost all communications!!
I just knew it was gone. Then as I'm on the phone telling my brother the bad news, all the sudden I look up, and it landed in the exact spot it took off from. So there on I had total faith in this drones technology. Just triple check, everything is fully charged, and all updates are up to date..
Where can I find the app, where I can make a video of what I'm seeing on my iPad?
I getting better at video, but my software, computer skills are not so great.
Here is my first time taking pics of a bad, but fast moving storm. 1 pic came out with tracers, that I thought looked cool.
Thanks for all the very helpful advice/tips

 

[tevek]

Wow, I never thought of the AO causing those effects, and never turned them off in any of my flights.
I've had several people tell me good things about that litchi app. I also ordered 2 P4P batteries in hopes I can get a few extra minutes out of it.
So between that, the AO being turned off, and the litchi app, sounds like I can really get it out there on a calm day.
Even though I have never flown a drone untill October 17th to be exact. I made a newbie mistake early on, by paying more attention to the battery of my RC/drone, and my iPad went in to software update, and I lost all communications!!
I just knew it was gone. Then as I'm on the phone telling my brother the bad news, all the sudden I look up, and it landed in the exact spot it took off from. So there on I had total faith in this drones technology. Just triple check, everything is fully charged, and all updates are up to date..
Where can I find the app, where I can make a video of what I'm seeing on my iPad?
I getting better at video, but my software, computer skills are not so great.
Here is my first time taking pics of a bad, but fast moving storm. 1 pic came out with tracers, that I thought looked cool.
Thanks for all the very helpful advice/tips

Since you are using an iOS device, go into iTunes and look for the litchi app. Costs around US$20. Your footage will record the same as your dji footage to the SD card. You can download the footage to your PC either using the drone with cable or using a SD card reader.

 

[Jason Newbie to drones]

Since you are using an iOS device, go into iTunes and look for the litchi app. Costs around US$20. Your footage will record the same as your dji footage to the SD card. You can download the footage to your PC either using the drone with cable or using a SD card reader.

Ok will do, what about video editing software for dummies? lol price isn't a problem, well I mean that I'm more worried about getting the right software then the price..
I even got the new Alienware 17 laptop for gaming/bot/video editing. I don't know the exact specs but here are some pics of it

 

[tevek]

Ok will do, what about video editing software for dummies? lol price isn't a problem, well I mean that I'm more worried about getting the right software then the price..
I even got the new Alienware 17 laptop for gaming/bot/video editing. I don't know the exact specs but here are some pics of it

I'm using adobe premiere elements 15 and can only comment on that and it works fine. Since I record in 4K, it is good enough for editing and publishing.

 

[Jason Newbie to drones]

Well first are you pretty good on a computer/laptop? Just was wondering if you have to be a wiz at this stuff to operate it correctly?

 

[tevek]

Well first are you pretty good on a computer/laptop? Just was wondering if you have to be a wiz at this stuff to operate it correctly?

Nope I am absolute rubbish with editing software. I learnt along the way and stuck with basic settings until I ended up with the end product that looked OK to me. I applied some Andy Warhol type enhancements to some footage I filmed today and might send it to some whacko friends that I have. The software that I use makes me look a lot better than I am.

 

[Jason Newbie to drones]

Nope I am absolute rubbish with editing software. I learnt along the way and stuck with basic settings until I ended up with the end product that looked OK to me. I applied some Andy Warhol type enhancements to some footage I filmed today and might send it to some whacko friends that I have. The software that I use makes me look a lot better than I am.

Dang I'll have to check it out then.