Question for those that like to fly out of sight 2000 feet +

[abacus01]

So,
First off, I never like to fly completely out of site..I see some of you have flown 1.2 miles away or over 3000 feet away, which of course your out of sight and only thing you have to go by is FPV. First off, if the FPV screws up...i guess you'd better have a GPS tracker on it..which I don't have...secondly, I notice that when the 30 per cent alarm goes off on my cell which has this annoying warning sound....it sort of terrifies me at times adding to my anxiousness to begin with ...and I nervously alway return it at 30 per cent because i've noticed sometimes that the battery level goes down real fast from 30 to 10 and then practically nothing. So for those that fly 1.2 miles away. Do you wait until the battery level goes down to 30 per cent before returning and I'm wondering how much power do you have to complete a 1.2 mile away trek back. I don't want to have to buy another phantom hopefully for 2 years more as the technology will of course improve. But doesn't it scare others like myself to attempt this long a flight away without line of sight, or am I just being overly cautious with a 1300 dollar toy. I'd love to hear what others do or think of these long flights and how you calculate the returns.

 

[xgeek]

Re: Question for those that like to fly out of sight 2000 fe

I have only been out to 3385m (11105 feet) and I am always back on the ground at 30%. I use the the 3rd rule. First 3rd going (100% to 66%), Second 3rd to return (66% to 33%). Land at 30%

Edit:-
Oops I have a P2Z not a P2V. but the 3rd rule is still a good one to follow.

 

[abacus01]

Re: Question for those that like to fly out of sight 2000 fe

wow 11,000 feet away....i'd have a heart attack...lol....thats incredible...i don't trust this technology to that extent...i guess everyone has their ways....im assuming you have a gps tracker and if it went down would high tail it into your car to go retrieve it...at that distance?

 

[xgeek]

Re: Question for those that like to fly out of sight 2000 fe

Yes I do have a tracker fitted.

I edited my post as I did not see this was in the P2V forum. I have a P2Z.

 

[Dirty Bird]

Re: Question for those that like to fly out of sight 2000 fe

So,
First off, I never like to fly completely out of site..I see some of you have flown 1.2 miles away or over 3000 feet away, which of course your out of sight and only thing you have to go by is FPV. First off, if the FPV screws up...i guess you'd better have a GPS tracker on it..which I don't have...secondly, I notice that when the 30 per cent alarm goes off on my cell which has this annoying warning sound....it sort of terrifies me at times adding to my anxiousness to begin with ...and I nervously alway return it at 30 per cent because i've noticed sometimes that the battery level goes down real fast from 30 to 10 and then practically nothing. So for those that fly 1.2 miles away. Do you wait until the battery level goes down to 30 per cent before returning and I'm wondering how much power do you have to complete a 1.2 mile away trek back. I don't want to have to buy another phantom hopefully for 2 years more as the technology will of course improve. But doesn't it scare others like myself to attempt this long a flight away without line of sight, or am I just being overly cautious with a 1300 dollar toy. I'd love to hear what others do or think of these long flights and how you calculate the returns.

On a bright, sunny day, you can sometimes lose sight very quickly, so you won't be going far if you have to see it. I use FPV all the time and, if my daggone Sunhans 2.5 & 5.8 Ghz amps ever arive, I hope to couple them with my FVPLR antennas sitting upstaires and get out to 16,000'! If you lose FPV at distance, you can use RTH to return, just remember to always fly higher than the highest obstacle you have to clear on the way home! The Phantom 2 battery has enough power to travel 6-7 miles on a charge so, with no wind (or beginning your journey INTO the wind), you should be able to travel 3-3.5 miles and safely return. I lowered my battery warning to 25%, and usually fly until it is down to the 15-20% range, however, were I way out, I would not wait until the warning before heading back. Flying far doesn't frighten me. I enjoy the thrill and the challenge.

 

[nhoover]

Re: Question for those that like to fly out of sight 2000 fe

I haven't been able to fly far enough away to have any issues with battery getting back. With my P2V I've gone 1.8 miles (9500') and back. The flight took 11:20 total and I landed with 52% battery. On the P2V+ (unmodified except the booster app), I've done a couple of distance tests - made it to 1.4 miles, flew around a little trying to go further, then returned with 54% battery. I've done flights close in that totaled over 6 miles (measured by Flytrex), so flying out 2 miles and coming back doesn't seem like a problem battery-wise. If you lose control and start flying back at RTH speed, you should take control back and speed up - you want to fly at full speed.

 

[HunterSK]

Re: Question for those that like to fly out of sight 2000 fe

I have only been out to 3385m (11105 feet) and I am always back on the ground at 30%. I use the the 3rd rule. First 3rd going (100% to 66%), Second 3rd to return (66% to 33%). Land at 30%

Edit:-
Oops I have a P2Z not a P2V. but the 3rd rule is still a good one to follow.

The 1/3 rule is something from my Cave SCUBA diving days Flying a drone has some similarities to being in some underwater caves (you may not be safe unless you come back to the starting point).

Yeah I've been flying it to 65% battery remaining and then make a return. I haven't been breaking any distance records, but my quad has been safe and did its job that's the most important thing.