RTH Height settings confusion..!

[Paul Dawson]

Hi guys,

I have a little query before I step out for my first flight - and that's the Smart Return to Home, and "Failsafe Altitude" settings.
Do I/or why do I need to set a "Failsafe Altitude" setting if I'm using Smart RTH? By this I mean - can I rely on the Smart RTH to safely navigate trees etc that may be on the return flight's path (ie, will it climb to clear the obstacle as it seems to indicate on page 16 of the manual) regardless of what Failsafe Altitude setting may have been set - or is this Failsafe Altitude setting only for when you disable the Forward vision sensors?
What is the Failsafe Altitude setting specifically for?
Hope this question makes a little bit of sense.
Regards, Paul

 

[msinger]

You should always set/check the RTH altitude prior to each flight. It's best to estimate the highest obstacle above the takeoff point and then add a buffer of at least an additional 50 feet (since the altitude is only an estimate).

If you have the obstacle avoidance features enabled, your Mavic will try to avoid obstacles on the way home. The obstacle sensing is not foolproof though, so it would be better to always set the proper RTH altitude.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

Like singer says, be sure your RTH is always set higher than any obstacles you may be near.
For example I fly in a lot of wooded areas so I set mine between 120' & 150' which I know is taller than the tallest trees I am flying over. I have my sensors on, but I never rely on them as they are not 100%.

 

[GlenT]

Also, if the Mavic engages obstacle avoidance during a smart RTH it may well fly sideways or climb into another branch that it has no way of seeing. So, it would work better if it was avoiding a solid monolithic object for example that it would see and be able to climb over without colliding with overhanging objects/branches. That's why it is better to set the RTH height higher than anything around for each flight to be on the safe side. And also, don't fly too far away with a low battery. If the Mavic needs to ascend to a decent altitude before it starts heading home, it will need all the power it can get. It's all very well having enough battery capacity to fly "straight" home, but if anything untoward happens when she's way over yonda and it (or you) initiates RTH, it'll need more juice.

 

[Paul Dawson]

Thanks guys - sounds like sage advice. Just didn't want to rely on what I thought was a simple set and forget setting...
And I get the battery level scenario - all very good advice.
Thanks once again.

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