Back on the altitude......

[maelstrom]

It's correct for the UK and reflects the wording from CAA

On re-reading CAP 722, you're correct and I've interpreted it wrongly. Sorry if this caused any confusion.

 

[WyomingCB]

There's potentially a very simple way to to determine distance above ground or distance away from ANY object.....While flying, (at least hovering)
without any calculations. If DJI or anyone else will manufacture is a different question.

It seems like it would be easy to implement/import/download topography maps into DJI Fly especially with the new Smart Controller. Heck, I've been running those apps and tools for years on my phone/tablet. That's solution #1.

Solution #2 requires a little more electronics in manufacturing but it's old technology at this point. We've had push button laser range finders for decades. The ones useful in a drone would only need 1/4 mile max distance and those (in real life) have been obsolete for nearly 2 decades. Very affordable today.

Seems they could put one into the lens and one of the programmable buttons could operate it. The button press or hold would then give us a reading. It would be instant, it would be precise and it would be easy to operate.

 

[Meta4]

There's potentially a very simple way to to determine distance above ground

Or you could always just estimate it, which isn't that hard.

 

[WyomingCB]

Or you could always just estimate it, which isn't that hard.

Estimated...Certainly works for me and my drone uses, most of the time, but my reply was directed toward folks who want to be more precise. Perhaps some NEED to be more precise due to surveying or mapping landscapes. I don't know, it was just a thought. ??

 

[cheddar-man]

It would seem that the only way to keep the drone safe across country would be to never let it go more than a few hundred feet from you, where you can clearly SEE what is in front/under it. It's all very well setting height above ground at take off but then there's a 200 feet tall tree, no maps show that!

 

[WyomingCB]

It would seem that the only way to keep the drone safe across country would be to never let it go more than a few hundred feet from you, where you can clearly SEE what is in front/under it. It's all very well setting height above ground at take off but then there's a 200 feet tall tree, no maps show that!

That's very true. You said it. There's no guarantee of safety. Not in our life or the life of a drone. Anybody who promised that is a bald face liar.
In my particular area, no trees exists that are over 80 feet.

Personally I'd much rather have the topo map within DJI FLY instead of that road map. There's very few roads where I fly.
Topo would be WAY more useful.
Granted:
No map shows a 100-150 foot drilling rig or power line. They wont show that we're about to fly directly above a gaggle of geese. They certainly don't show the flock of Sandhill Cranes on their Bi-Annual migration, USUALLY above our ceiling but they occasionally land on fields and hill sides. An Eagle or Hawk that's nesting probably isn't happy about our presence.
Those maps certainly don't know that we just flew directly over a trap/skeet range or a pissed off landowner. They don't show any steep topography thats within the contour interval either, so we do need to use them at our own risk! All that said, for anyone who flies canyons or mountains, topo maps are more beneficial than any other type of map.

Laser Range is simple, we could all benefit, and it's old tech; therefore not expensive. Again, just an idea. Do you think DJI or anyone else will implement it...?? I have my doubts.

 

[BobbyBob]

t would seem that the only way to keep the drone safe

Enclined to agree. I'm in the habit of flying immediately to my expected operating altitude, then having a good 360 look around, and amend alt as necessary. Plus I usually have a max horizontal range set, - not to prevent me from flying (as I immediately click to ignore it), but to prompt me into having a another hovering 360 recce before venturing further out. I'll be adding some of the great ideas in this thread though to my approach.