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[JWH]

I totally avoid RTH, and I fully understand it. There are some strange programming rules that kick in within 20 meters that could cause unexpected behavior, resulting in panic, resulting in unnecessary crash. Learn to fly the bird home manually. Too many fliers use it as the "magic button". If you don't believe me, just read all the crash threads that started with "I pushed RTH..."

Stay away from it, unless an absolute emergency.

I doubt if I would ever use it unless I lost sight of it for some reason. I will be flying it if I can see. I am cautious about the RTH altitude in case the software takes over for some reason, such as a loss of signal.

 

[MGR457]

Is that some kind of truism, or just your opinion? I've not seen that written anywhere.

In MY humble opinion, RTH is as valid a way of "returning to home" as a waypoint or tap-to-fly mission is of flying your drone, or as an orbit mission is of circling a point of interest.

Right up to the point that your aircraft is higher than 20 meters but less than selected RTH height, RTH is activated either by you or automatically, and you move the left stick.....aircraft STOPS climbing to RTH, and flies direct to home...You better hope there is no obstacle between the aircraft and home point, cause if there is ..... it's over. My sentiment, especially for newcomers is to NOT overly rely on RTH. All you have to do is read all the crash threads that started with " I pushed RTH, then..."

 

[Theo450]

I feel like RTH is a parachute. Please use for emergency purposes only. Same with tap fly, etc. anytime I am not the one in control of my aircraft, I am nervous.

 

[Turbomania]

I totally avoid RTH, and I fully understand it. There are some strange programming rules that kick in within 20 meters that could cause unexpected behavior, resulting in panic, resulting in unnecessary crash. Learn to fly the bird home manually. Too many fliers use it as the "magic button". If you don't believe me, just read all the crash threads that started with "I pushed RTH..."

Stay away from it, unless an absolute emergency.

No disrespect but you don't fully understand RTH if anything about it is unexpected.
RTH crash's are almost always pilot error. Learn how it works and use it. When that emergency situation arises, you won't be startled and know exactly what is going to happen.
Stuff happens, Example... I flew out 15000' the other day and had to take a leak :O Emergency... Right
Hit RTH, set down RX, went in the house, used the facilities, grabbed a soda and went back outside to wait for my bird to arrive. Didn't even break a sweat...lol

 

[MGR457]

And THAT is EXACTLY my point....RTH should not result in ANY crashes. The fact that there are a LOT of RTH crashes speaks of programming that is not straight-forward. The 20 meter land-in-place is illogical, especially if you have relatively low experience, and there is water within 20 meters and it lands-in-place...RIGHT in the drink. Oh sure, you can stop the descent if you remember one of the little weird programming rules...an inexperienced operator may not...resulting in another RTH crash.

There are plenty of other very experienced operators that agree that the RTH logic is flawed in many areas.....but to each his own....no disrespect intended.

 

[Turbomania]

And THAT is EXACTLY my point....RTH should not result in ANY crashes. The fact that there are a LOT of RTH crashes speaks of programming that is not straight-forward. The 20 meter land-in-place is illogical, especially if you have relatively low experience, and there is water within 20 meters and it lands-in-place...RIGHT in the drink. Oh sure, you can stop the descent if you remember one of the little weird programming rules...an inexperienced operator may not...resulting in another RTH crash.

There are plenty of other very experienced operators that agree that the RTH logic is flawed in many areas.....but to each his own....no disrespect intended.

It's all good my fellow Phantom pilot
I do agree that RTH shouldn't take a 2 day training course like it does. It could be wayyyy better !!
It having all those oddities is why I say learn it and practice with it. In a open clear place of course.
I fly mostly over water, If I hadn't practiced RTH and read this forum a lot, my bird would be swimming with the fish.
Try landing a 10% battery induced Autoland from your boat, 500' out, over the water.
You have 1 or 2 seconds to know what to do and what it's going to try to do. I hand caught it on the edge of the water :O
Your right, DJI programming is not user friendly.

 

[MGR457]

Glad to hear it was a happy ending. Agree, DJI could do way better RTH programming, but it is what it is. Nice to know there are operators out there that have taken the time to get comfortable with it.

You have a level of comfort with RTH that I likely will never have...

Happy droning!

 

[Meta4]

And THAT is EXACTLY my point....RTH should not result in ANY crashes. The fact that there are a LOT of RTH crashes speaks of programming that is not straight-forward. The 20 meter land-in-place is illogical, especially if you have relatively low experience, and there is water within 20 meters and it lands-in-place...RIGHT in the drink. Oh sure, you can stop the descent if you remember one of the little weird programming rules...an inexperienced operator may not...resulting in another RTH crash.

There are plenty of other very experienced operators that agree that the RTH logic is flawed in many areas.....but to each his own....no disrespect intended.

I think that RTH programming is elegantly simple and works beautifully.
All you have to do is make sure your RTH height is sufficient to clear any potential obstacles and be familiar with using and cancelling RTH to resume control.
Every pilot should experiment with RTH to learn what it does and how to use it.
The day you need RTH is the worst day to learn how it works.
You are never likely to run into the 20 metre thing except when you try RTH too close as a timid newbie flyer.
It just doesn't affect most flyers - who uses RTH when the Phantom is within 60 feet?

 

[MGR457]

If it is so elegantly simple ands works so beautifully why are there so many crash threads because of it?

Sorry, I am inherently familiar with the aircraft.....the RTH programming is NOT simple, and is flawed in some elements of it's programming logic.

You better be on your A game if your gonna use it anywhere there are multiple obstacles, buildings, trees, etc.. and you hit that button. You get a signal loss, the vehicle activates RTH, you bump the left stick, you think it's gonna climb to Failsafe altitude....WRONG....it STOPS climb and makes a beeline for your Home Point at current altitude. Hope there's nothing in the way.

Elegant? HARDLY.

 

[jlrsn]

In as much that I have 100'+ trees within 30' or closer to my takeoff point I went to a friend's house without trees and watched a typical RTH and discovered that my drone would maintain my preset 121 meter altitude until directly over the takeoff location and then descend vertically and land softly even in gusting winds. I'm operating at 8,000' and above in the Rockies and have never had a problem with my P3P or P4 using RTH! Initially I didn't trust my drone descending vertically within 15' of the 100'+ trees but if everything is set up properly I learned to trust it! I don't use it always and will manually descend and land but there have been instances when I was physically over 100' or more from the RTH landing spot while trying to keep line of sight and my drone would be a mile away from me and I'd show that I had lost my signal and when I got back to the landing spot there was my drone waiting for me! I have to be careful where I send it as one of the local vertical cliffs is over 2,500'. I used to only set my RTH altitude to 200' but a treetop a half mile away that I never saw took my P4 out of the air! I'd love to see DJI advance to where it will accurately read the altitude above the ground and not just above the takeoff point.

Sent from my SM-N910V using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[MGR457]

Understood, and that is one of my points; you lost a bird during RTH. A slight miscalculation on Failsafe altitude, or a non-considered obstacle, tree, antenna, building, etc., and RTH could cost you another drone.

DJI could do better RTH programming to help prevent the unaccounted for hazards that have and will pop up during RTH. The concept is great; I just see an over-reliance, particularly among inexperienced operators, on a program that has too many gotchas, particularly in a cluttered flying environment.

If you got a spare $1500 lying around, and don't care, then by all means, push RTH till the button wears out. For others, where $1500 bucks is an investment and experience is limited, I would advise a more cautious approach to RTH.

 

[jlrsn]

Understood, and that is one of my points; you lost a bird during RTH. A slight miscalculation on Failsafe altitude, or a non-considered obstacle, tree, antenna, building, etc., and RTH could cost you another drone.

DJI could do better RTH programming to help prevent the unaccounted for hazards that have and will pop up during RTH. The concept is great; I just see an over-reliance, particularly among inexperienced operators, on a program that has too many gotchas, particularly in a cluttered flying environment.

If you got a spare $1500 lying around, and don't care, then by all means, push RTH till the button wears out. For others, where $1500 bucks is an investment and experience is limited, I would advise a more cautious approach to RTH.

Actually, I believe that you misunderstood what I posted earlier. I've never lost, crashed, or even damaged any of my drones during RTH. My P4 made contact with a very tall Ponderosa Pine Treetop when sending it outbound on a return trip to rephotograph what I covered in my previous flight only I sent it direct which caused the accident as during the previous flight I semi-followed a canyon road. It was my error completely as where it contacted the tree top was higher than my prior flights. I should have set it 100' higher than the programmed height above the takeoff point. I FULLY TRUST the RTH feature if set up properly! I fully agree that the land where it's at if within the 20 meters of the takeoff location when RTH is activated is poorly thought out by the programmers!! I'd love to know what they had in mind!!

I can no longer brag that I've flown everything from Small Reciprocating Single Engine Airplanes, to Multi Radial Engined WWII Bombers, to 4 Engine Transports, to today's Multi Engined High Altitude Fan Jet Airplanes, plus Small Reciprocating Single Engine Helicopters to Russian Multi Turbine Engined Heavy Lift Helicopters and even though I've had many In-Flight Emergencies and Emergency Landings since the 1950s I've never crashed an Aircraft, if I can call a Sophisticated Toy an Aircraft!

 

[JWH]

Actually, I believe that you misunderstood what I posted earlier. I've never lost, crashed, or even damaged any of my drones during RTH. My P4 made contact with a very tall Ponderosa Pine Treetop when sending it outbound on a return trip to rephotograph what I covered in my previous flight only I sent it direct which caused the accident as during the previous flight I semi-followed a canyon road. It was my error completely as where it contacted the tree top was higher than my prior flights. I should have set it 100' higher than the programmed height above the takeoff point. I FULLY TRUST the RTH feature if set up properly! I fully agree that the land where it's at if within the 20 meters of the takeoff location when RTH is activated is poorly thought out by the programmers!! I'd love to know what they had in mind!!

I can no longer brag that I've flown everything from Small Reciprocating Single Engine Airplanes, to Multi Radial Engined WWII Bombers, to 4 Engine Transports, to today's Multi Engined High Altitude Fan Jet Airplanes, plus Small Reciprocating Single Engine Helicopters to Russian Multi Turbine Engined Heavy Lift Helicopters and even though I've had many In-Flight Emergencies and Emergency Landings since the 1950s I've never crashed an Aircraft, if I can call a Sophisticated Toy an Aircraft!

I like the last paragraph! I always like to say that even though I have wrecked a few cars, I have never wrecked an airplane. I can still say that, but I have come close with both the drone and my Cessna 172.