Flying over cliff with 500m DJI max altitude

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Hello everyone,

I've heard there is an altitude governor that prevents the Phantom 3 from flying over 500m. I live in Utah where there are many mountains with steep cliffs. I could have the Phantom fly up a mountain with elevation of a couple hundred feet but am worried if I fly slightly one direction and the Phantom read it is then at a 1000m elevation and tried to return to home. And experience with flying around high cliffs and how that affects the return to home feature and the elevation readings? I want to be able to navigate some of the steep valleys from the bottom or the tip of the valley. No fly air space. Not national park. Just steep ravines between mountains with lots of space. Thanks.
 
The altitude is based on your take off point, that is zero. The phantom will not know the bottom just dropped out if you fly off a cliff.
 
I have just tried how the RTH function works. You can set your RTH altitude from 20 to 500 meters in dji pilot app. Your take off altitude is 0. When you activate RTH, phantom will immidiately head back home at its current altitude, if its more then the set altitude in dji pilot app. If its lower, phantom will rise to the set altitude and then head back home.
 
As mentioned, your Phantom is limited to 500m above your takeoff point.
But when it gets to any hardwired limit or any you have configured, it shouldn't RTH.
It would just hit an invisible fence that it can't go past.
 
Good tips from experience. I shouldn't have any issues taking off near a ledge then, but video of a 1000m cliff it sounds like I need to hike a bit more than half way up.

Originally I wondered if the Phantom could go up the side of the mountain and it might thinking it's altitude is only 100m above the ground it is directly over, the 45 degree slope it is following, before it goes off a ledge and the distance between it and the ground becomes 1000m. It sounds like it would be the ceiling while traveling up the side of the mountain, though it wouldn't technically touch any. FAA ceiling that way.
 
The difficulty you may have in climbing a hill is that, at least for me, it's difficult to judge the drones height above the ground as it climbs. If you stay 10 feet off the ground the ultrasonic will show you the height but 10 feet is extremely risky. Of you were to stay something like 100 feet above, then you'd be okay. To me it's interesting to find out what shots are possible and how to obtain them.
 
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