Negative altitude?

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Is it possible to take off on say a bluff 100ft above water and take the drone to -50 ft, or fifty feet above the water? Can you go lower than your starting altitude?


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yea people do that to achieve a higher limit. Some people even stick 'em in glass chamber vacuums to do it. I don't know, but I remember seeing that somewhere on vimeo or youtube.
 
yea people do that to achieve a higher limit. Some people even stick 'em in glass chamber vacuums to do it. I don't know, but I remember seeing that somewhere on vimeo or youtube.
No ... people do it because they launch from a high point and want to fly down lower than the launch point.
Is it possible to take off on say a bluff 100ft above water and take the drone to -50 ft, or fifty feet above the water? Can you go lower than your starting altitude?
Yes, just like a real plane, your Phantom can fly and land higher or lower than where it took off.
It makes no difference to the Phantom.
 
No ... people do it because they launch from a high point and want to fly down lower than the launch point.

Yes, just like a real plane, your Phantom can fly and land higher or lower than where it took off.
It makes no difference to the Phantom.
thanks. Sorry, it works opposite too
 
Yes, I do it all the time. However I believe that RTH will be based on your STARTING height, not your 'current' height.


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When your home point is recorded, everything is relative to that location in space, so that is why it is height and not altitude.

I flew down into a huge copper mine in Bisbee, Arizona recently, and it was over 800' down to the small lake at the bottom I hovered over. So, I was over 800' negative height to my home point.

I have some Litchi missions where I have to use negative height, which is scary to me to plan since I'm going by the map's altitude reading. So far, I've made it back safe and sound.
 
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The Phantom measures hight by air pressure (internal barometer). Take off height is zero, flying up is positive and below take off is negative. Understanding how it works may make it easy to remember.


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So there is no limit on negative feet below takeoff? IE if I was on a hill at 1500ft I could fly down to see level and back with no firmware issues? Is there a limit?
 
No limits other than radio reception.

I’m puzzled as to why this would be something folks feel DJI would program into the aircraft.
 
There are a few posts around with folk saying they have heard of a limit but I too see no reason for one. I think the Litchi limit below your takeoff is -200M which seems unnecessarily restrictive
 

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