Altitude

[AnthonyTalerico]

Here goes a question that's probably been discussed, but I wanted to start a more recent topic on it.

I'm trying to figure out what the point of an altitude limiter on this thing is aside from covering DJI against liability. My Karma had no altitude limit. I understand that the Mavic 2 has a way longer range and could likely go a lot higher, but lets take a step back to legal altitudes. A ceiling of 400 feet seems pointless given that if I really wanted to get it into the air more, I could go somewhere that has high elevation. For example: if I wanted to get it into the clouds (I'm in Albuquerque this week), I could simply drive up a mountain and fly it 200 feet in the air and I'd be above them. Now what if I decide to fly it off of the mountain a couple thousand feet. Now I'm well above the altitude limiter compared to if I was on the ground.

I understand that this probably going to have people asking why I even care if I'm a responsible flyer. My answer to that is 1: It's more just the point of it that I'm trying to figure out and 2: I think you can (depending on location) get higher than 400 feet easily without harming anything.

I'm going to assume that this is more for areas where air traffic is busy or populated areas so we just have to follow the rule everywhere.

Anyone's thoughts?

 

[pross]

its 400 feel AGL thats from the ground below the drone. If you take off at 2000 feet up a mountain you can go up to 2400 feet.

 

[dronerdave]

Hobby flying in the USA is 400' max straight below your AC while in the correct airspace. As soon as you move in hilly terrain for example, you must keep the aircraft at 400 or less over the floor. So off a straight cliff that drops say 500', you'd be 100' too high if you ventured off the top of the cliff. It's not about if you think it's OK, if you violate airspace regulations you're responsible for your actions.

 

[AnthonyTalerico]

Okay this makes a little more sense to me. I knew there had to be some caveat for hilly terrain.

 

[dirkclod]

You just would have to follow the terrain down the mountain . Would be nice if the readout showed actually
height above the floor as you were moving.

 

[dronerdave]

Would be nice if the readout showed actually height above the floor as you were moving.

X2. It would make it much easier and safer to fly in hilly terrain. In the past I had hoped to see a side allowance such as what 107 operators have but the hobby folks don't have that luxury.

 

[DanMan32]

You can change the maximum altitude setting to as high as 500m. It's preset to 400ft because legal limit is 400ft AGL, and most flights won't have too much of a terrain height deviation from the takeoff location.
The only situation where you would still be legal but need to raise your limit is if you were flying uphill relative to takeoff location. Let's say 1000ft out the ground is 200ft higher. Then when you're out there you can legally be 600 higher than where you took off. Just be sure to decend as you come back.

 

[Heavyopp]

Ok Hypothetical -- lets say you take off at the base of a 450 foot cliff -- Will the mavic let you climb high enough to get over the top of the cliff or will it fly into the side of the cliff 50 feet below the top?

 

[Meta4]

Ok Hypothetical -- lets say you take off at the base of a 450 foot cliff -- Will the mavic let you climb high enough to get over the top of the cliff or will it fly into the side of the cliff 50 feet below the top?

Do you realise that your drone has a hard-wired altitude limit of 1640 feet and a user-configurable Max Altitude limit of 400 feet?
You will be able to fly higher than the cliff if you set the Max Altitude limit higher than 450 ft.
Your drone is only going to fly into the side of the cliff if you pilot it that way.

If you are curious about how your drone acts when you attempt to fly past the Max Altitude limit, try setting the Max Altitude limit to 100 ft and see for yourself what happens when you go up 100 ft and try to go further.

 

[Heavyopp]

Only had the drone for a week -- have not tried to go over 400 feet

It was just a question...

So how about this -- It's not a cliff its a gradual hill thats 450 feet high -- Same thing, you start at the base of the hill

Is the 400 foot altitude limit set from the start point only and will it fly into the side of the hill thinking it's at 400' AGL?

And to take me from piloting it lets say I'm flying to a waypoint

 

[Meta4]

Is the 400 foot altitude limit set from the start point only and will it fly into the side of the hill thinking it's at 400' AGL?

Your drone has no way to know what its height above ground is.
All heights are relative to your launch point.

 

[ZX14-R]

onward and upward.

 

[Thomas B]

So how about this -- It's not a cliff its a gradual hill thats 450 feet high -- Same thing, you start at the base of the hill

Is the 400 foot altitude limit set from the start point only and will it fly into the side of the hill thinking it's at 400' AGL?

Regardless of the limits set in the controls, the drone will always fly into the side of any obstruction that is above it’s current height unless the pilot tells the drone to climb.

In some recent mountain shooting I had to launch from a smaller foothill so that the drone could reach the summit of a larger mountain as there is a hardwired altitude limit, relative to take-off, of about 500 meters.

 

[Heavyopp]

Regardless of the limits set in the controls, the drone will always fly into the side of any obstruction that is above it’s current height unless the pilot tells the drone to climb.

I understand this, what I wasn’t sure about is will the drone know that the ground level has changed relative to the take off point allowing altitude gains above max set altitude

That question is now answered

 

[Meta4]

I understand this, what I wasn’t sure about is will the drone know that the ground level has changed relative to the take off point allowing altitude gains above max set altitude

Except for the VPS sensors which only work close to the ground, the Mavic has no sensor that can detect the height above the ground.

 

[dronerdave]

Kind of important to understand how RTH works. In rough terrain I feel safer manually flying back rather than hit RTH. The object is to maintain max 400' or lower over where the quad is flying.

 

[Gizmo6257]

Wrong. He can go 400 feet from where he takes off. If it is at 2000 ft where he is with Drone on a mountain, he can fly 2400.

Hobby flying in the USA is 400' max straight below your AC while in the correct airspace. As soon as you move in hilly terrain for example, you must keep the aircraft at 400 or less over the floor. So off a straight cliff that drops say 500', you'd be 100' too high if you ventured off the top of the cliff. It's not about if you think it's OK, if you violate airspace regulations you're responsible for your actions.

 

[Gizmo6257]

No true. He could go 400 feet from take off point. That is the rule or law.

Hobby flying in the USA is 400' max straight below your AC while in the correct airspace. As soon as you move in hilly terrain for example, you must keep the aircraft at 400 or less over the floor. So off a straight cliff that drops say 500', you'd be 100' too high if you ventured off the top of the cliff. It's not about if you think it's OK, if you violate airspace regulations you're responsible for your actions.

 

[Gizmo6257]

400 feet from take off point. Watch Drone U video about this question.

You just would have to follow the terrain down the mountain . Would be nice if the readout showed actually
height above the floor as you were moving.

 

[Meta4]

No true. He could go 400 feet from take off point. That is the rule or law.

400 feet from take off point. Watch Drone U video about this question.

You might want to reconsider that.
No air safety authority anywhere has a rule relating to height above your launch point ... only how high you fly above the ground below it.
If that seems wrong, perhaps this hypothetical example will clarify it for you: