AGL sensing in Mavic Air 2?

[Stephen21]

Hello Everyone,

I gotta tell you, I love the feature here where it pulls up similar titles when you post to avoid asking those questions that tend to get asked over and over again. I have joked, on another forum that I frequent, "Nobody has asked about interlocks in three days... Whats wrong?"

Of course, we had good flying weather up through the shipping and arrival of my new drone. While I was unboxing and charging the wind, rain and finally snow began. Now I sit watching other people fly on YouTube and see the trees outside bending to a 25-30kt wind....

Question: Does the Air 2 have any capability of determining AGL? It does not appear to have any sensors capable. Is there any capability to determine via GPS and terrain maps?

Thanks.

S.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Withe regards to sensors, you might like to read pages 16, 17 and the start of 18 of the manual etc., available at Mavic Air 2 - Downloads - DJI

With the M2P and the Go4 app the VPS height is displayed in the app but has limited range.
I do not know if it is shown in the Fly App for the MA2. If not I guess it is just another of the losses due to improvement.

Outside VPS range I doubt there is any method of determining AGL with the DJI apps whilst in flight. Third party apps might offer this. I suppose you could do it manually providing you know the drone's precise position and have a terrain map available or in your head. But I would be concerned by how much such calculations would distract you from actually flying the drone.

Even if the Fly App / MA2 combination does not show AGL in the app 'it' will know if the ground is within range of the VPS.
A useful demonstration of this is a maximum descent rate descent from height with the throttle FULLY closed the whole way down until the drone has landed.
I think you will find that the drone automatically slows its descent (starting at maybe 10m) as the ground 'approaches'.

I can fly both my MM and M2P up the slope of my drive without touching the elevator PROVIDING the drone is moving slowly. The landing protection system is responsible for the climb.

Post flight, I think there are methods but that search function might be useful there, try searches based around google earth and or anything you think relevant.

 

[Stephen21]

Thank you for the reply.

I was hoping that I had missed/overlooked the capability in my reading. No such luck.

I am in hill country and am particular about observing the 400 AGL limit. I had hoped that there was something other than my eyeballs to help my comply.

That does bring another question to mind:

Have any of you had issue with certificated aircraft flying below 500 AGL in G? We have significant aerial spray activity and they are VERY relaxed about minimums when not spraying. How would you approach this? Hope for the best? Call the FAA? Call the spray operators?

 

[Meta4]

I am in hill country and am particular about observing the 400 AGL limit. I had hoped that there was something other than my eyeballs to help my comply.

You just have to do what the pilots of most small planes do ... estimate.
It's not hard when you already know the height above (or below) your launch point to start with.

Have any of you had issue with certificated aircraft flying below 500 AGL in G? We have significant aerial spray activity and they are VERY relaxed about minimums when not spraying. How would you approach this? Hope for the best? Call the FAA? Call the spray operators?

What they do might be perfectly legal.
Here's the rule for aircraft regarding minimum safe altitudes.
Note particularly C & D:

§ 91.119 Minimum safe altitudes: General.
Except when necessary for takeoff or landing, no person may operate an aircraft below the following altitudes:
(a) Anywhere. An altitude allowing, if a power unit fails, an emergency landing without undue hazard to persons or property on the surface.
(b) Over congested areas. Over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement, or over any open air assembly of persons, an altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the aircraft.
(c) Over other than congested areas. An altitude of 500 feet above the surface, except over open water or sparsely populated areas. In those cases, the aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.
(d) Helicopters, powered parachutes, and weight-shift-control aircraft. If the operation is conducted without hazard to persons or property on the surface—
(1) A helicopter may be operated at less than the minimums prescribed in paragraph (b) or (c) of this section, provided each person operating the helicopter complies with any routes or altitudes specifically prescribed for helicopters by the FAA

 

[Rich QR]

Thank you for the reply.

I was hoping that I had missed/overlooked the capability in my reading. No such luck.

I am in hill country and am particular about observing the 400 AGL limit. I had hoped that there was something other than my eyeballs to help my comply.

That does bring another question to mind:

Have any of you had issue with certificated aircraft flying below 500 AGL in G? We have significant aerial spray activity and they are VERY relaxed about minimums when not spraying. How would you approach this? Hope for the best? Call the FAA? Call the spray operators?

They are allowed to fly as low as they want in class G, if it's a sparsely populated area. They are merely required to maintain a 500 ft distance from any person, vessel, vehicle or structure.

Drones must stay below 400 ft AGL, but they can't use that as an excuse to become lax on their obligation to see and avoid all other traffic. That's a big part of why we have to maintain VLOS.

 

[Stephen21]

That is exactly what I was referring to.

 

[Guido Cangelosi]

Thank you for the reply.

I was hoping that I had missed/overlooked the capability in my reading. No such luck.

I am in hill country and am particular about observing the 400 AGL limit. I had hoped that there was something other than my eyeballs to help my comply.

That does bring another question to mind:

Have any of you had issue with certificated aircraft flying below 500 AGL in G? We have significant aerial spray activity and they are VERY relaxed about minimums when not spraying. How would you approach this? Hope for the best? Call the FAA? Call the spray operators?

Wonder what they are spraying ?

 

[SkyPath Studios]

Hello Everyone,

I gotta tell you, I love the feature here where it pulls up similar titles when you post to avoid asking those questions that tend to get asked over and over again. I have joked, on another forum that I frequent, "Nobody has asked about interlocks in three days... Whats wrong?"

Of course, we had good flying weather up through the shipping and arrival of my new drone. While I was unboxing and charging the wind, rain and finally snow began. Now I sit watching other people fly on YouTube and see the trees outside bending to a 25-30kt wind....

Question: Does the Air 2 have any capability of determining AGL? It does not appear to have any sensors capable. Is there any capability to determine via GPS and terrain maps?

Thanks.

S.

No it doesn't, just the height. You could estimate, but a tip I use is -> if you are not in a rush, fly to the tallest obstacle, measure how high it is, and then add 400 to it. May be a little complicated, but it works!