Piss poor preparation makes for piss poor performance....

[n6vmo]

Having driven past these rock formations for about 20 years, I decided to try and get some footage.

I went on Google Earth, located a safe spot along the road to pull over, used the 'Ruler Tool' to plot a range from my proposed takeoff and destination. 4400' was the distance I calculated, easy flight, been twice that distance on numerous occasions.

There were a couple of things I did not take into account for this flight:

1. Takeoff elevation
2. Destination elevation...and
3. RTH elevation.

After the 45 minute drive to the takeoff point I flew the route only to discover that my maximum altitude setting was set about 30' too low. I had planned on an overflight of the destination as well as a couple of rotations around it. Not wanting to make adjustments to max alt. while still in flight, I kicked myself for not checking and continued without issue. Since I could not rotate behind the destination without losing signal, I headed back for an uneventful landing.

On the drive home, I realized that my RTH altitude was set for 240', if anything had gone wrong while I was near the destination, RTH would have dropped elevation from 650' to 240', possibly causing the craft to impact the terrain below.

Google Earth has all the distance and elevation data I needed, but I didn't bother to use it.

Here is the video....

 

[Marlin009]

RTH would have gone home at 650, it doesn't drop.

 

[n6vmo]

RTH would have gone home at 650, it doesn't drop.

That's good to know....Thanks.

 

[Marlin009]

You still got some good shots of a very cool rock formation.

 

[xave]

cool

 

[flyNfrank]

That is way cooler then anything I can shoot a video of in my area.

So why didn't you land and go through the setup and fly back up to the Rocks?

 

[koviatt]

Breathtaking ride. Next time take it all the way around the knob. I made a similar trip around a formation but chickened out on the side and returned prematurely as you did. Understandable. That was a phantom 1. Now I have no excuse with my p3p. Thanks for sharing.

 

[n6vmo]

That is way cooler then anything I can shoot a video of in my area.

So why didn't you land and go through the setup and fly back up to the Rocks?

I didn't even think about that....I was thinking about my second destination about 1 mile down the highway and the questionable takeoff spot I chose.
Although the highway isn't very busy, there's still the chance for an encounter with a curious highway patrolman.

I will return to that spot when the terrain gets green in the winter, armed with more flight knowledge.

 

[n6vmo]

I should explain that a destination and flight like this is way outside my comfort zone for two reasons.
The first is flying in such a public spot. I avoid flying in public places and when I do, try and get airborne and downrange as fast as possible.
The second is the distance and probability of drone issues downrange. That would be quite a hike if I needed to recover the P3.

 

[n6vmo]

With data overlay......

 

[bobmyers]

With data overlay......

Very nice!

 

[Jimmykjimmy]

I was wondering, as the flight got so far out obviously you had to use the app exclusively. Would FPV googles make it easier to fly these distances more comfortably. I ask because I've been thinking of getting a pair, thx

 

[n6vmo]

Yes, it was very sunny out and I had to get a better angle on the tablet to see, but it was still difficult.

 

[bobmyers]

Yes, it was very sunny out and I had to get a better angle on the tablet to see, but it was still difficult.

Should have used one of those shade trees on the hill behind you-- that is the first think I look for

 

[Chuck Young]

I do that kind of flying all the time up here in Colorado. I always worry about the crazy recovery I am going to have to do to get a downed bird back. Measure twice and cut once you know. LOL

I have learned to always account for RTH, tweek it on location for an eventual emergency return. Max altitude I always have set for 500 meters, never take the chance but always stay below 400 feet AGL just to play it safe. I also carry a set of home-made signal boosters if the signal drops off, hate it when that happens.

 

[tigerdave67]

I have adjusted max hight in flight a number of times without issue using the app.

 

[GeeDee]

Great footage especially with the data...how to you make a video with flight data.

 

[n6vmo]

I use Dashware http://www.dashware.net/.
There are many tutorials on YouTube.

You must also convert your P3 flight data file from a .DAT to a .csv (comma separated values) file. This can be done here: http://flylitchi.com/logs

 

[n6vmo]

Should have used one of those shade trees on the hill behind you-- that is the first think I look for

Three things kept me from doing that...rattlesnakes, ticks and private property. LOL

 

[jephoto]

Very cool. Also highlights a question asked recently, but I'm still fuzzy on.
Does the drone calculate its current altitude based on where you take off- meaning where we stand and launch is 0' altitude, or is is altitude based on "sea level" no matter what?

My instinct tells me it's based on GPS lock at launch. So what happens when you launch from a spot on a road and fly to an area of either much higher or lower elevation? How do you decide where to set the RTH altitude?

Around Chicago & Midwest not much an issue. In the mountains or areas of rapid changes in elevation it could be tricky...