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This thing is pretty amazing.

Quick question guys. Is it ok to fly beyond VLOS non commercial without a waiver?
 
Flew almost 2.5 miles. Limiting factor was winds and the battery life. This thing is incredible.
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Another disadvantage of getting old, I can't see small objects two miles away anymore....
 
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I routinely fly up to a mile away, as that is how large the park is, no houses or buildings in the flight path, just trees, grass, and water. This is where I do all test and practice flights. As I used to fly 'under the hood', or IFR in the Army I don't have the 'out of sight' worries that many new pilots have. The quad will fly the exact same way whether it is 100' away or 1000', you as the pilot just have to trust your instruments (in this case the controller or video read outs) You actually have more and faster information than I had in a OH-58 back in the day. The trick is to fly LOS but spend more and more time looking at only the screen and not the quad, and soon enough you will feel comfortable.
 
I routinely fly up to a mile away, as that is how large the park is, no houses or buildings in the flight path, just trees, grass, and water. This is where I do all test and practice flights. As I used to fly 'under the hood', or IFR in the Army I don't have the 'out of sight' worries that many new pilots have. The quad will fly the exact same way whether it is 100' away or 1000', you as the pilot just have to trust your instruments (in this case the controller or video read outs) You actually have more and faster information than I had in a OH-58 back in the day. The trick is to fly LOS but spend more and more time looking at only the screen and not the quad, and soon enough you will feel comfortable.

Fellow military pilot here. Good to see some other aviators here bending the rules with me.


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Fellow military pilot here. Good to see some other aviators here bending the rules with me.


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HAHA! Heck, we used to do gun runs on German Castles in Germany, over there IFR was 'I Follow Roads'. Pulled out of a 'Gun' run once over an old Castle on a hill, and 20 Japanese tourists popped up with cameras, sweated all the way back to EDIX that one of them got the tail number.
 
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HAHA! Heck, we used to do gun runs on German Castles in Germany, over there IFR was 'I Follow Roads'. Pulled out of a 'Gun' run once over an old Castle on a hill, and 20 Japanese tourists popped up with cameras, sweated all the way back to EDIX that one of them got the tail number.

I've always been envious of you helo guys. Our "low levels" are 1200 feet at 500 knts. Roads are whippin' by a little too quick.


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Anyone that's not comfortable with the RTH really needs to just do it .. Use the button to force it home, then do the same thing again but switch off the remote to simulate the disconnect. I've done it with my quads in huge open fields so I will know they'll come back and I feel comfortable. I still don't like seeing a disconnect while it's in the air away from me, but I know and trust it'll come back (if everything is working as it should).
 
Very cool.....crazy how far this thing can go. I've pushed it twice, and both times the voice came on and said she was returning to home due to the battery. I think it shuts me down about 50%, the software seems to know EXACTLY when to turn you around and still safely make it home with some battery life left. Once I went 2.6 miles before it turned around, and recently got to 2.8 miles before it spun around! It's quite amazing, the software is incredible on this thing, I think as long as you're not just stupid with it, it's pretty tough to trash one unless it has some kind of software or hardware fail. Love the Mavic!
 
Very cool.....crazy how far this thing can go. I've pushed it twice, and both times the voice came on and said she was returning to home due to the battery. I think it shuts me down about 50%, the software seems to know EXACTLY when to turn you around and still safely make it home with some battery life left. Once I went 2.6 miles before it turned around, and recently got to 2.8 miles before it spun around! It's quite amazing, the software is incredible on this thing, I think as long as you're not just stupid with it, it's pretty tough to trash one unless it has some kind of software or hardware fail. Love the Mavic!

I actually agree, but if you keep doing that every time as a matter of course, I guarantee you'll be on here at some point complaining that you've lost it.[emoji6]


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I actually agree, but if you keep doing that every time as a matter of course, I guarantee you'll be on here at some point complaining that you've lost it.[emoji6]


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Well, it's far from 'every time'......in dozens of flights it's been twice to test my range. Both times were in wide open areas, no houses of building whatsoever, high above any trees.....I feel like those flights were safer than all the others around close, where there are a tons of obstacles.

And for the record, I'll be at my State Farm filling out paperwork, not here complaining if I ever lose it. :p
 
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The RTH is the thing i always test after every update as its the one single thing that needs to work if i have a communications failure.... i fly up 20 meters and out at least 20 meters then turn off the RC ...

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So you hit the power button and do a complete shutdown on the remote and then it comes back to your home landing spot?
 
So you hit the power button and do a complete shutdown on the remote and then it comes back to your home landing spot?

Yes that is exactly what i do as this simulates the fails safe RTH ...

Once the drone updates your home point ALWAYS check if on the map before flying off :)

It has worked perfectly every time.
 
Yes that is exactly what i do as this simulates the fails safe RTH ...

Once the drone updates your home point ALWAYS check if on the map before flying off :)

It has worked perfectly every time.
Thanks, waiting for a good weekend to fly. Been nothing but rain last two weekends. I've had to revert to flying toy mini drone in house to keep from going stir-crazy. LOL
 
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Can it be cancelled mid return?. I just like to be prepared. Lol. I really only have one maiden today under my belt. But, I'm very impressed with it.
It certainly can, but you should fully read the manual as its got that and other useful information, which can save you when you have an emergency and don't have time to read it!
 
well, I just retried this as-per the manual and it still didn't come close to landing on the takeoff point as indicated when I took off....it was off by a good 6 feet. I started the engines....let it sit until I got the audible prompt that the home point has been updated and then I took off vertically somewhat slow to a height of around 40ft and sat therefor about 10 seconds and then proceeded to fly around. I was about 200yds away when I initiated a RTH and it did everything correctly other than land in the correct location. It was 12'F outside but don't think that should make a difference....
 
I don't need RTH to hit my take off point. I need it to get the thing back to where I can see it. I have never actually let it land. When I can see it again I cancel RTH and take it from there.


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