Is their a faster decent available?

niclariv · Dec 25, 2016

UrbanPhotoSniper said:
The quick start guide states "The motors can only be stopped mid-flight when the flight controller detects critical error." I don't what what that error is but you probably can't just stop it while flying, but it would definitely be interesting to know if that's true or not.

You can enable it to stop anytime in the settings. I doubt they'd recommend it for descent, however I've seen a phantom video where someone accidentally did that over the ocean and managed to save it just in time.

arcolog2 · Dec 25, 2016

Can we all pitch in some cash to get someone to do this on video? CSC from 400ft, try to restart motors around 100ft, if they do start, it should self right I would assume.
But whoever said the motors would freespin, forgot they would be going backwards and put a lot of stress on the motor and prop if rapidly changed back. They might not start if the esc timing can't fight the reverse spin(if the wind can actually spin the motor much, it might not if the craft tumbles)

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4wd · Dec 25, 2016

niclariv said:
You can enable it to stop anytime in the settings. I doubt they'd recommend it for descent, however I've seen a phantom video where someone accidentally did that over the ocean and managed to save it just in time.

Eventually someone will try it perhaps using one with a busted camera or something.
Phantom 2 could sometimes recover after a restart but not reliably enough unless it was some kind of emergency.
I saw a test with Phantom 3 suggested it couldn't recover if it restarted at all - perhaps the tumbling motion stops the motors starting?

BigDan · Dec 25, 2016

I thought I saw in the DJI forum that the number one pilot error (based on RMA info ) was "CSC in the mid air".

Kind of sounds like you actually can initiate the "like a rock" maneuver

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Loz · Dec 25, 2016

BigDan said:
Kind of sounds like you actually can initiate the "like a rock" maneuver

Or LAR for short ha ha!

Bryan Conover · Dec 25, 2016

longrange said:
Yes there is. For anyone that wants to fly at 1600 feet. Make sure u r in a open field. For a quick decent. Hold both sticks down and toward the middle. Your drone will be down shortly.

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You mean as gravity takes over when the motors stop turning and it falls from the sky?

LakeTravis · Dec 25, 2016

Loz said:
Or LAR for short ha ha!

I'm going to have to remember that one!!

LakeTravis · Dec 25, 2016

Tanis said:
Yes, circle while descending

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One of the drawbacks of living out in the boonies on a lake in the wooded Texas hill country, is there are a lot of critters of all kinds which attracts a lot of hawks, beautiful Chicken Hawks mostly and they really seem to like the railing on my upper balcony (pic). Anyway, there have been many times I've been flying my Phantoms and now my Mavic where a curious hawk showed up and the wise thing always seems to be fly away from their approach and descend. UNFORTUNATELY, circling and descending doesn't speed up the descent at all since, as someone with many more smart molecules than me told me, velocity in the downward direction is controlled by one of the computing cores and is limited to whatever the specs say. It's not like a fixed-wing aircraft where gravity assists velocity during descent and you have to decrease throttle to slow your airspeed. FORTUNATELY, they've gotten very close but never attacked... at least not yet. Happy Holidays all and where the HECK is some football???

Butterpuff 6 · Dec 25, 2016

Mattman said:
Where in the world did you quote that from? I sure hope official literature uses better editing than that...Either way, anybody with a mavic will you you that it's pretty hard to see the thing (clear VLOS) even at 400 feet...So the point is moot.

Get your eyes checked if you can't see your Mavic beyond 400 ft.
http://amablog.modelaircraft.org/amagov/files/2016/07/FAA-400feet.pdf

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Ender · Dec 25, 2016

longrange said:
Yes there is. For anyone that wants to fly at 1600 feet. Make sure u r in a open field. For a quick decent. Hold both sticks down and toward the middle. Your drone will be down shortly.
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Hi !
Beeing new to DJI, NOT to Multicopters:

Are you 100% that a second CSC will turn on motors again ?

Greetings,

Ender

Andrew F · Dec 25, 2016

longrange said:
Yes there is. For anyone that wants to fly at 1600 feet. Make sure u r in a open field. For a quick decent. Hold both sticks down and toward the middle. Your drone will be down shortly.

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Obviously not everyone knew this was a joke. It took me a minute of laughing to read the next response.

Andrew F · Dec 25, 2016

IcySparks said:
My new kick is 30' above the farm with my $30 VR Glasses.

Was just curious as my RTH test took it up to 200' and seemed to take an eternity to come down.

It's very slow coming down due to aeronautical realities. If it comes down much faster, it has a tendency to lose all lift and plummet. The controlled descent can be irritating but is very helpful.

Andrew F · Dec 25, 2016

arcolog2 said:
Can we all pitch in some cash to get someone to do this on video? CSC from 400ft, try to restart motors around 100ft, if they do start, it should self right I would assume.
But whoever said the motors would freespin, forgot they would be going backwards and put a lot of stress on the motor and prop if rapidly changed back. They might not start if the esc timing can't fight the reverse spin(if the wind can actually spin the motor much, it might not if the craft tumbles)

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Haha. I'd pay to see that. But I'd want to see it 5 out of 5 times to try it myself.

longrange · Dec 25, 2016

Andrew F said:
Obviously not everyone knew this was a joke. It took me a minute of laughing to read the next response.

Lol. I didn't think anyone would take it serious.

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Loz · Dec 25, 2016

Andrew F said:
It's very slow coming down due to aeronautical realities. If it comes down much faster, it has a tendency to lose all lift and plummet. The controlled descent can be irritating but is very helpful.

The MP is not designed as a racing FPV as we are all aware however IMO there is a fair bit more leeway before it will plummet to the ground, infact for it to plummet to the ground the rotors would have to stop completely as all the time they are spinning they will slow the decent. (Not collective pitch)
I find it annoying that even in sport mode when you want to descend it is far too slow especially at full forward tilt.
Surely a FW update can improve this, when stick is at full down, idle the motors at say 30rpm instead of 100rpm. (example I have no idea of actual rpm's)

Snoweman · Dec 25, 2016

Loz said:
I wonder what and how you have offended people here, I thought when you wrote "401" feet it was a typo anyway...

Can we get back on topic here and stop the ridiculous altitude police from hammering the chap for asking a perfectly reasonable question?!!!

Why not try stopping the motors just a few feet over something soft like a sofa cushion to try it out perhaps?

The original post was quicker descent from 1,200 feet. It would appear it has now been edited.

Loz · Dec 25, 2016

Snoweman said:
The original post was quicker descent from 1,200 feet. It would appear it has now been edited.

Ah I did wonder if this was the case.. thanks

The OP being a Pilot so he claims is a bit odd flying at that height and one would think he should know better, however I did the exact same thing and what I found was that until you read forums such as this the temptation to fly high and far can be overwhelming.

Bikemonster · Dec 25, 2016

The users manual states "Descending speed is significantly increased in S-mode". Tried full left stick down in both Sport and P-Mode, with no difference in rate of descent. Exactly the same.
Am interested in the answer to this question, and not at all interested in what altitude people are descending from.
Thank you.

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Andrew F · Dec 25, 2016

Anyone interested in the science can read this or other similar explanations. Trust me, slow is better than the wobble of Death! Haha.

What Is Vortex Ring State And Why Should You Care?

Andrew F · Dec 25, 2016

Bikemonster said:
The users manual states "Descending speed is significantly increased in S-mode". Tried full left stick down in both Sport and P-Mode, with no difference in rate of descent. Exactly the same.
Am interested in the answer to this question, and not at all interested in what altitude people are descending from.
Thank you.

Sent from my iPad using MavicPilots

I may be wrong and I haven't timed it, but it sure seems to me that it descends much more quickly when flying forward rather than hovering. Give that a try - if you have the room - or fly a big downward circle.