Max altitudes when flying up a hill.

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I recently took my drone up to my brothers who lives in the Yorkshire Dales, Littondale to be precise.

I wanted to fly up a nearby hill to view the standing stones at the top, however the 400ft maximum altitude from the home point was insufficient to reach the top.

Is it acceptable when flying up a slope to increase the max altitude, given that the drone will never be more than 400ft above actual ground level?

Thanks.


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I recently took my drone up to my brothers who lives in the Yorkshire Dales, Littondale to be precise.
I wanted to fly up a nearby hill to view the standing stones at the top, however the 400ft maximum altitude from the home point was insufficient to reach the top.
Is it acceptable when flying up a slope to increase the max altitude, given that the drone will never be more than 400ft above actual ground level?
The rules relate to your Phantom's height above the ground below it - not where it was launched.
This illustration should show why.
i-r8PzgJk-L.jpg
 
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I had a similar question as it seems when I take off from a high hill at 300' then fly to lower ground my altitude doesn't seem to change (get higher). I could be wrong as I've only flown here a few times but I'm pretty sure I was paying attention. So does the P4 raise and lower itself to maintain a constant 400' if that's the set height? I was more worried about RTH height.
 
I had a similar question as it seems when I take off from a high hill at 300' then fly to lower ground my altitude doesn't seem to change (get higher). I could be wrong as I've only flown here a few times but I'm pretty sure I was paying attention. So does the P4 raise and lower itself to maintain a constant 400' if that's the set height? I was more worried about RTH height.

The Phantom works on relative altitude by measuring barometric pressure relative to the take off point. Except at the take off point (additionally assuming that it takes off from ground level) it knows nothing about absolute altitude (AGL) unless it is close enough for its ground proximity sensors to register, since it does not have access to digital elevation model.
 
Either stand halfway up the hill, so 400ft (actually 1000ft, look it up if you can still see it or have a spotter) or stand at the top of the hill and fly the drone to you (depends how long it takes to get to the top or get someone to switch it on when you are at the top)
If you think about it i am sure you will find a answer
 
The Phantom is not limited to 400 feet, it's 400 meters or 1640 feet.

Yes I knew that, if I set it to max 1640 then keep it less than 400 feet above the ground I gather nobody will get upset. The RAF do low flying practice along the valley but there's no flying restrictions in place.


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Yes I knew that, if I set it to max 1640 then keep it less than 400 feet above the ground I gather nobody will get upset. The RAF do low flying practice along the valley but there's no flying restrictions in place.
400' is the _recommendation_ by the FAA. 400' above ground or 400' is next to a taller object. Again, this is their recommendation not a regulation. If you are close to a flight path I'd highly recommend you stay at or below 400'.

But yes, the limit in the Phantom firmware is 500 meters or 1640 feet.
 
The problem for newbies is judging AGL (above ground level) while flying up a hill, especially hills that are 1000' high. This takes practice to judge correctly, within 100' accuracy. Someday drones will have laser range finders integrated into their system so we can get hard data for AGL, but until then we have to go with visual judgment, both by VLOS and also FPV. I find my estimation accuracy is better via FPV, I simply fly low at what I believe looks like 150' so I'm above any trees or wires.

When you're flying on flat ground, "FPV altitude estimation" is a good game to practice. Fly up around your area without telemetry showing. After flying around a few minutes, fly up to an elevation that you think is 150' by looking through your smart device, FPV. Then turn on telemetry and see if you guessed right. Play this game about 50 times and you'll get good at estimating elevation via FPV.
 
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Either stand halfway up the hill, so 400ft (actually 1000ft, look it up if you can still see it or have a spotter) or stand at the top of the hill and fly the drone to you (depends how long it takes to get to the top or get someone to switch it on when you are at the top)
If you think about it i am sure you will find a answer
If the intent is to film something at the top of the hill and the area is accessible then he would just take off from
The problem for newbies is judging AGL (above ground level) while flying up a hill, especially hills that are 1000' high. This takes practice to judge correctly, within 100' accuracy. Someday drones will have laser range finders integrated into their system so we can get hard data for AGL, but until then we have to go with visual judgment, both by VLOS and also FPV. I find my estimation accuracy is better via FPV, I simply fly low at what I believe looks like 150' so I'm above any trees or wires.

When you're flying on flat ground, "FPV altitude estimation" is a good game to practice. Fly up around your area without telemetry showing. After flying around a few minutes, fly up to an elevation that you think is 150' by looking through your smart device, FPV. Then turn on telemetry and see if you guessed right. Play this game about 50 times and you'll get good at estimating elevation via FPV.
Good advice. I fly a lot close to the ocean and other areas where it's often possible to see to the horizon through the FPV. If an object appears lower than the horizon I know I can fly over it.
 

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