Adjusting altitude settings for mountain flying.

[rumblefish]

I am heading up to the mountains to fly. Reading some of the threads, there is reference to having a max altitude above ground level. How do I adjust the settings so the drone adjusts its altitude limit as the terrain ascends (i.e. as you fy up the side of the mountain)?

 

[msinger]

How do I adjust the settings so the drone adjusts its altitude limit as the terrain ascends (i.e. as you fy up the side of the mountain)?

That's not possible. The altitude limit is always the altitude above the takeoff point.

 

[Trucker Den228]

You do what I do. Go to the top of the mountain then take off from there.

 

[Robert Mitchell]

Another unintended consequence of the DJI nanny approach.
Love the drone, hate the philosophy.

 

[4wd]

Another unintended consequence of the DJI nanny approach.
Love the drone, hate the philosophy.

You can set altitude limit to 500m from launch point which is pretty high following a mountain slope.

 

[Robert Mitchell]

You can set altitude limit to 500m from launch point which is pretty high following a mountain slope.

You're right, it's not a deal breaker, but I still don't have to like it, lol!

 

[iFlyForFun]

Technically speaking, as long as you are within 400’ of a structure( building, radio antenna ) you can fly 400’ above that structure and still be within legal limits. The issue that I have run across is that the software does not allow you to go above 400’ from your takeoff point. The argument to this is “ can you even see your drone at altitudes approaching 600, 700 & 800 feet. The law says you must have visual contact with you drone.
For the masses I feel that the software limit to 400’ above takeoff point is a smart move. I myself follow the rules 90% of the time. But on occasion ( like mountain flying ) or last month in the Grand Canyon I found the need to fly rising terrain way above the 400’ limit. In the Grand Canyon I took off from the bottom and flew to the rim 4768 feet above. I was always within 400’ of the wall and extremely remote ( not in the National Park). Could I see my Mavic ? No, I lost visual contact a few seconds after liftoff. Is that breaking the law? Yes. Did I consider the location, distance from objects etc? Yes.
You may ask how is it possible to take off at ground level and fly to 4768 feet? It’s actually pretty easy to change the parameters built into the Mavic. You’ll have to research that yourself but it can be done pretty easily.

 

[msinger]

Technically speaking, as long as you are within 400’ of a structure( building, radio antenna ) you can fly 400’ above that structure and still be within legal limits.

I guess you're referring to the rules for flying commercially, right? There is no legal minimum altitude for hobbyists.

For safety reasons, the FAA does ask hobbyists to fly below 400 feet AGL in their guidelines.

 

[iFlyForFun]

I guess you're referring to the rules for flying commercially, right? There is no legal minimum altitude for hobbyists.

For safety reasons, the FAA does ask hobbyists to fly below 400 feet AGL in their guidelines.[

 

[iFlyForFun]

Thanks you for the correction. They are guidelines!

 

[Xtreme Drone Pilot]

Is that breaking the law? Yes.

The correct answer is No. There's no law that prohibits hobbyists flying as high as possible. As long as you exercise common sense, give way to manned aircraft, stay away from restricted areas and people, you're 100% legit. If you're in the middle of Nowhere, no airplanes/helis, no people, and not a National Park, Wilderness, or Wildlife Refugee - you can do virtually anything you want.

 

[iFlyForFun]

I would guess that my interpretation of the FAA rules pertaining to hobby flying are different than yours. Like I said, “ my I terpretation”.
First, the FAA has no law in place and at this point can not pass a law regulating hobby use. Now if you take that out of context then you are correct. The problem is that most do take it out of context and that is where we get into trouble. Even thou the FAA can not pass a law, Congress can impose and regulate what a hobbyist is and they do exactly that!! H.R.658 sec336 says be a hobbyist you must 1. Fly solely for recreational use. ( if you post your drone footage on YouTube and monetize it, you are no longer a hobbyist).
2. The drone is operated in accordance with a set of community based saftey guidelines.
3. Drone weighs under 55 lbs
4. Your flight cannot interfear with manned aircraft
5. Within 5 miles of an airport you must call them and inform them of your flight and location. ( the airport maintains the right to tell you not to fly).

The one that is critical is #2. This is not a wish or a hope, we are to operate our drones in accordance with a nationaly recognized community based set of guidelines. Now what does that mean? It means that we need to find an organization like the AMA and FOLLOW that organizations guidlines. I’m not a lawyer and I understand that I may interpret things differently than others, but to the beat of my knowledge everything ive said above is true. The way I interpret what Congress has imposed in us is very simple “ in order to be a hobbyist, you must find a nationally recognized organization and follow the guidlines”. I’ve been a member of the AMA for 44 years and in their guidelines they state that you 1. Fly at or below 400 feet AGL. 2. Keep your drone within line of sight. 3. Never fly near other aircraft ......... and so on.

To sum it all up, this is how I interpret all of this.

1. The FAA can not pass a law and has no law regulating hobbyist aircraft.
2 Congress does have a law that tells us the criteria that put us in the hobby category.
3. That criteria says that we MUST follow a nationally recognized community based organizations set of guidlines.
4. The only nationally based organization that the FAA has acknowledged / Docket #FAA-214-0396 is the AMA and the guidlines the FAA would like you to follow come right from the AMA’s own web site.
5. The AMA’s guidlines tells us to fly at or below 400’.

Like I mentioned above, I’m not a lawyer but common sense tells me that god forbid I caused a serious incident because I was flying OUTSIDE of the AMA’s guidlines any prosecutor would jump all over that fact like a tic on a dog.

So sum it all up, if someone asks me how hi I’m allowed to fly, I tell them 400’.

 

[iFlyForFun]

Guideline -noun
a general rule, principle, or piece of advice

 

[Xtreme Drone Pilot]

It's still only a guideline. For example, speed limit (white sign in the States) is a law, if you drive faster, a cop can give you a ticket. There are also yellow speed signs, e.g. before sharp turns or congested areas - these are recommended speeds, in other words, guidelines. You can drive faster and cops won't give you a ticket (as long as you're not faster than speed limit).

400ft guideline is like that - "please, as much as possible, fly below 400ft, it helps avoid accidents" (just like driving slower in a sharp turn does).

There's lots of "white" space in the States and elsewhere in the world where there's absolutely no, zero, nada air trafic, and flying as high as you want is absolutely no, zero, nada problem to anyone. I know because I fly a lot in the desert in the US West.

All known pidiot accidents involving manned aircraft were caused by flying in congested airspace, not by high altitude. I've lived in New York City for a long time and know well that helicopters fly below 400ft all the time and can appear at any place at any time, so a drone below 400ft can, and has, cause an accident.