Return to Home learning curve...

[Sailingfool59]

As a newby, I learn more on virtually every flight. Most recent was an attempt to get some shots of the cliffs on a mountain top. I was flying from a hill top approximately 1.5 miles from the mountain. The P4 was barely visible against the background. I'd set the RTH altitude to 80 meters, which was well above any obstacles in the flight zone.

As the Phantom was climbing to the cliffs, I got 'Max Altitude Reached' warning. Because I could barely see it, and glare on my screen made it difficult to see, I initiated Return to Home. To my horror, bird instantly descended straight down and crashed before I even realized it was happening!

Fortunately, it was a soft landing in grass and sagebrush. The course plot helped me find it right away, and other than grass wound up in a couple props, it was fine.

My error was not realizing that the display, max altitude, and RTH altitudes are all based on the home point altitude, and are not the craft's AGL. It was 400' above the home point when I hit RTH, but less than 100' AGL. I don't know if the sonar or visual detection made the landing softer, (P mode), but from now on my RTH altitude is always set at 120 meters!


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[Thomas.]

This looks very strange to me. I thought the RTH altitude means "return to the home point while keeping your altitude if it's above RTH altitude, if it's below RTH altitude climb there and continue".


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app (living near Cologne, Germany)

 

[dronejunkyev]

This looks very strange to me. I thought the RTH altitude means "return to the home point while keeping your altitude if it's above RTH altitude, if it's below RTH altitude climb there and continue".


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app (living near Cologne, Germany)

That was my assumption as well..


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[tcope]

This looks very strange to me. I thought the RTH altitude means "return to the home point while keeping your altitude if it's above RTH altitude, if it's below RTH altitude climb there and continue".


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app (living near Cologne, Germany)

That is correct. It does not decend to the RTH altitude.

 

[msinger]

Sailingfool59, please upload your TXT flight log here and post a link back here.

 

[Sailingfool59]

Um, uh, ya...well I did say I was a newby, right? After analyzing the flight log for the first time, it looks like I initiated the auto land feature instead of RTH. DOH! Sorry for the waste of bandwidth...


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[msinger]

Ah, well, that makes sense now. No worries. Let us know if you need help with anything else

 

[John Locke]

Um, uh, ya...well I did say I was a newby, right? After analyzing the flight log for the first time, it looks like I initiated the auto land feature instead of RTH. DOH! Sorry for the waste of bandwidth...


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Instead of using the screen icon for RTH, I always use the physical button on the RC, just hold it down for three seconds. This will prevent the mistake you made.

 

[atariman]

This looks very strange to me. I thought the RTH altitude means "return to the home point while keeping your altitude if it's above RTH altitude, if it's below RTH altitude climb there and continue".


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app (living near Cologne, Germany)

You are correct. If it is above the RTH altitude it arrive home at that height or ascend if lower.


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