Hello High Altitude

[Gilarino]

I'm glad I found this forum. You are helping a ton with the used Phantom 4 I got.

I'm in Denver Colorado, which is a mile above sea level. I'm sure the lower air density affects flight. Anyone know how much affect it has?

Thanks again!

 

[dronesky]

Welcome to the forum from Indiana great bunch here find a air density chart to see what effect it has on flying

 

[ianzone]

Probably none,,you got to be up in the stratosphere before air gets to thin for props to hold up,,should make for some good footage though being above sea level,,remember to share nice pics and clips

 

[Mavikhan]

WELCOME ABOARD!

 

[dirkclod]

Have seen videos here higher than that. Sure the temperature
cuts down on the flight time as it does lower but other than that
I don’t think you would have any issues.
Welcome to the forum. ?

 

[Great Pumpkin]

I've flown at 9,000 feet with no noticeable difference from flying at sea level.

 

[Pygar70]

I'm in Denver Colorado, which is a mile above sea level. I'm sure the lower air density affects flight. Anyone know how much affect it has?

I'll take a stab at this: The air density is roughly 15% less at Denver's elevation compared to sea level. In which case your drone would use 15% more power to produce the same amount of lift. You'll get reduced flight times (per your battery), but I doubt you'd notice a change in performance.

 

[Phil Crossley]

I'm glad I found this forum. You are helping a ton with the used Phantom 4 I got.

I'm in Denver Colorado, which is a mile above sea level. I'm sure the lower air density affects flight. Anyone know how much affect it has?

Thanks again!

I'm flying in the Gunnison area. I haven't flown elsewhere to compare to, but have not noticed any problems in performance. I'm hoping to go fly at 13,000 + sometime soon, to see what happens!

 

[3putts]

Our son lives in Colorado Springs and is an avid Razr (4 wheeler) fan. He flies a lot at the 9,000 foot level and says he notices little, if any performance or flight time issues. He has bath a P3S and a Mavic.

 

[rattydude77]

Welcome to the forum

 

[RedGreen]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Gilarino]

I'll take a stab at this: The air density is roughly 15% less at Denver's elevation compared to sea level. In which case your drone would use 15% more power to produce the same amount of lift. You'll get reduced flight times (per your battery), but I doubt you'd notice a change in performance

I replied to maybe 6 of your messages, but nothing stuck. Is there a troubleshooting post?

 

[mossphotography]

I live in Lakewood. About the only difference is slightly less response, and slightly less battery time. If you have your 107, thinking about getting one, or just want to learn more about drones, check out our meetup group. We're called the Denver Drone Pilots Social Hour.

We meet once a month to fly drones, talk about drones, and have a beer or two. We meet at area breweries, and we reserve a room or area for our group. We usually have an informative discussion about one aspect of UAS.

If you're on Meetup, check us out. We're starting back up this month (weather contingent) on the 23rd. We had to shut down for a bit due to COVID. We've done some zoom meetings, but it's not the same thing.

Denver Drone Pilots Social Hour (Denver, CO)

Commercial drone pilots doing Part 107 work in the Denver metro area. A casual monthly meeting to discuss work, events, networking and commercial drone adventures.

www.meetup.com

 

[Steve_in_DE]

I'm glad I found this forum. You are helping a ton with the used Phantom 4 I got.

I'm in Denver Colorado, which is a mile above sea level. I'm sure the lower air density affects flight. Anyone know how much affect it has?

Thanks again!

Here's a video that I shot with my P3A running autonomously with Litchi, shooting from 9,000 to 10,500 feet in Conifer, CO, about an hour SW of Denver.

Bottom line - no problem. I HAVE learned however that the craft flies about 40 feet LOWER in winter, given the same directions from Litchi. See this comparison of that same flight, shot in summer and winter, using the same Litchi path...

 

[Pygar70]

I HAVE learned however that the craft flies about 40 feet LOWER in winter, given the same directions from Litchi. See this comparison of that same flight, shot in summer and winter, using the same Litchi path...

That's some fancy programmed flying there. I prefer the winter version!

I presume your summer/winter change in elevation is due to air pressure variation? I'm not familiar with Litchi, but it would be beneficial if there was an option to calibrate elevation from a given launch spot. i.e. use relative elevations rather than 'absolute' elevations - which aren't, in fact, absolute. Even after a twenty minute flight I've seen my drone touching down when it is apparently still four metres in the air - according to the on-board barometer.

 

[skymonkey]

Altimetry

Altimetry - full text of the classic FAA guide

www.aviationweather.ws

 

[Capt. Guts]

And no one mentions the FAA 400 foot altitude rule. As a FAA sec. 107 pilot I find 120 meters good for me.
And yes altitude has a big factor in air density. At AGL the density is high. As u go higher it gets less. Density. So the higher you go the less air density there is. AS you reach 60,000 ft in class A air space there is no density. And you can't fly.
Take the FAA Sec. 107 course . Very interesting.

 

[snowy23]

Welcome to the forum from the UK