Can this flight be automated?

[Les Grossman]

Hi!

Excited about joining this forum, seems like there are a lot of knowledgeable folks here.

So I am trying to figure out if my flight route that I fly for work can be automated. I haven't tried yet, but this upcoming week, I am going to begin testing

Basically, I am flying around a wide, oval shaped racetrack where my subjects are moving at speeds up to 40mph. My drone is a Mavic Pro 2 Zoom, which can just about keep up at top speed in good conditions. I need to be trained on my subjects, and any jerky motions will void the shot.

Can this flight path be automated with waypoints somehow? I need to be in sport mode to fly the required speed, but if I remember correctly, any kind of "mode" requires you to be in P mode. Can I push the throttle as I am flying in waypoint to get me up to 40mph+?

Just starting to brainstorm now... would love to hear what people think.

 

[Meta4]

Hi!

Just starting to brainstorm now... would love to hear what people think.

Waypoints would be fine if the subject was the track and surrounding area.
But if it's a moving object on the track, waypoints won't be useful.
Active tracking would be the way to go, but it sounds like the speed would cause problems.

 

[brett8883]

Yea I would try ActiveTrack. I’ve been surprised in the past at how fast the drone will go when tracking something.

I would also try Litchi “track mode” which I believe you can have active while in Sport mode. It will keep the camera aimed at something while you fly the aircraft manually but since it’s not controlling the aircraft I think you can still be in sport mode. I know it works like that on the Inspire 2 but haven’t tried it on the Mavic in awhile.

 

[dirkclod]

Well you didn’t do your first post in the intros but seemed to got your answer but welcome to the forum.?

 

[Ralph thompson]

Active track will work quite well & will get u standard stock footage. Boring. But if you are want to be a pro, then u should learn how to fly in clever ways. Just because the car is doing 40mph doesn’t mean the drone has to travel at that speed or even travel at all. It may seem contrarian, but you’ll get better video in Tripod mode & keeping yr eye on the car using yaw & roll. Start at a distance then get closer as u improve yr skills. When things get exciting and u want to grab the action, then u need to be hands on.

 

[Les Grossman]

Yea I would try ActiveTrack. I’ve been surprised in the past at how fast the drone will go when tracking something.

I would also try Litchi “track mode” which I believe you can have active while in Sport mode. It will keep the camera aimed at something while you fly the aircraft manually but since it’s not controlling the aircraft I think you can still be in sport mode. I know it works like that on the Inspire 2 but haven’t tried it on the Mavic in awhile.

This is important.. I need it to be in sport mode as the 40mph speed is crucial.

Do you know if I can download and use Litchi on a smart controller? I need the SC for its HDMI out.

 

[Les Grossman]

Active track will work quite well & will get u standard stock footage. Boring. But if you are want to be a pro, then u should learn how to fly in clever ways. Just because the car is doing 40mph doesn’t mean the drone has to travel at that speed or even travel at all. It may seem contrarian, but you’ll get better video in Tripod mode & keeping yr eye on the car using yaw & roll. Start at a distance then get closer as u improve yr skills. When things get exciting and u want to grab the action, then u need to be hands on.

Love the idea, but this is less for cinematic reasoning and more for safety and a god's eye type view to see if anyone encroaches on another's lane.

 

[brett8883]

This is important.. I need it to be in sport mode as the 40mph speed is crucial.

Do you know if I can download and use Litchi on a smart controller? I need the SC for its HDMI out.

I’m pretty sure you can do it in sport mode. Like I said I’ve been using my Inspire 2 a lot more recently and not the Mavic so much but yea you can download Litchi to the Smart Controller see link for instructions

DJI Monitors (Smart Controller, CrystalSky, Phantom 4 Screens) - Litchi

flylitchi.com

 

[Les Grossman]

I’m pretty sure you can do it in sport mode. Like I said I’ve been using my Inspire 2 a lot more recently and not the Mavic so much but yea you can download Litchi to the Smart Controller see link for instructions

DJI Monitors (Smart Controller, CrystalSky, Phantom 4 Screens) - Litchi

flylitchi.com

Thanks, I'll download it and try it next time I'm out there.

I'm also on the verge of needing an Inspire 2 for speed purposes. The Mavic does fine in calm conditions, but going against any wind, it will not get above 40mph...

 

[brett8883]

Thanks, I'll download it and try it next time I'm out there.

I'm also on the verge of needing an Inspire 2 for speed purposes. The Mavic does fine in calm conditions, but going against any wind, it will not get above 40mph...

I was gonna say the Inspire 2 is a beast. It can go from 0-60 in no time flat. Doesn’t really care much about wind.

 

[Les Grossman]

I was gonna say the Inspire 2 is a beast. It can go from 0-60 in no time flat. Doesn’t really care much about wind.

Noise may be an issue..

 

[brett8883]

Noise may be an issue..

Are these horse races then? I wouldn’t argue that it’s quieter certainly but it makes a lower pitched noise so it is more tolerable.

You can also put longer zoom lens on it to stay further away too. The M2Z has a 24-48mm equivalent lens. The with the Inspire 2 you can put the equivalent of a 90mm (almost 2x zoom over the M2Z fully zoomed in) lens on with no issues. Some people put even longer lenses on it but it can shaky if you go way beyond 90mm equivalent.