It appears people didn't like my post before. I'll try to not add my quirky humor going further.
So, I was flying my DJI Mini, on Mt Hood, In Oregon.
I was at an elevation of approximately 4700 feet.
I flew the drone to 55m and about 200 feet away from me.
The area is relatively flat with sparse David Douglas Trees.
I was flying that elevation to do a test flight and to try recording a video and to test the RTH function.
At the furthest point I was able to rotate the drone 30 degrees. I was able to slide side to side. Etc. All movement functions appeared to work fine.
RTH button pressed and the drone didn't respond. About 30 seconds later a message appeared "RTH command not successful" or something to that effect. I almost panicked.
I turned the drone 180 degrees and commanded forward. The drone responded.
I stopped about 30 feet north of me and 55m up. The drone stopped responding to commands of:
camera zoom
Reverse
Side to side
Rotate
It would move forward.
I inched forward and started to bring it down. After it got to about 100 feet, it was able to turn and I maneuvered to land it within 12" of it's takeoff point.
So, questions were asked.
I did forget that the almost directly overhead, at 55m might need the controller antennae pointed at the drone. That would explain the non control and why it was reestablished at a lower elevation.
I don't know why the RTH function didn't work. That is the #1 reason I bought this particular drone. The #2 was obstacle avoidance.
A comment that was mentioned was that the controller should have recorded the video. Well, is that recorded on the controller memory or the memory card? The memory card is blank. I formatted it before inserting it. It's still blank.
Comments were made bout reading the manual. Ins a perfect world, everyone would learn the same way. For whatever reason, I can read a manual 10 times and still not absorb the knowledge. I also can't read for entertainment. My mind drifts after 2 sentences. Does that mean I'm dumb? No. I've found many ways to learn. Videos, for example, are very informative when done properly. Add in a ton of technical info unrelated to actual function and I'm, again, drifting off. I don't need to know the history of the gyroscope to know what a gyroscope is and what it does. I learned that 55 years ago, literally. The same goes for almost all aspects of my learning.
The point is I can read the manual 10 times and not learn what I learned in 10 minutes of flying. I put nobody in danger. The only possible harm would have been to myself and/or my bank account.
But when I do have issues, I can reference materials, including, but not limited to, the manual.
So, I actually listen to people when they give advice on things that help. Judgment, well, that's all with a grain of salt. I never really cared much that people dive 70 in a 55, for example.
Anyhow, I wonder some things. I wonder if I power up my drone in my front yard, if it comes on the radar with the transponder. I wonder if I do a quick hover, if it's illegal (I suspect it is even if it's legal to throw a ball in the same airspace) since I live within a restricted area (Max altitude at my house is 300'). I wonder why the RTH didn't work (which I'll probably have to reference somewhere). So much to wonder after my second flight.
So, I was flying my DJI Mini, on Mt Hood, In Oregon.
I was at an elevation of approximately 4700 feet.
I flew the drone to 55m and about 200 feet away from me.
The area is relatively flat with sparse David Douglas Trees.
I was flying that elevation to do a test flight and to try recording a video and to test the RTH function.
At the furthest point I was able to rotate the drone 30 degrees. I was able to slide side to side. Etc. All movement functions appeared to work fine.
RTH button pressed and the drone didn't respond. About 30 seconds later a message appeared "RTH command not successful" or something to that effect. I almost panicked.
I turned the drone 180 degrees and commanded forward. The drone responded.
I stopped about 30 feet north of me and 55m up. The drone stopped responding to commands of:
camera zoom
Reverse
Side to side
Rotate
It would move forward.
I inched forward and started to bring it down. After it got to about 100 feet, it was able to turn and I maneuvered to land it within 12" of it's takeoff point.
So, questions were asked.
I did forget that the almost directly overhead, at 55m might need the controller antennae pointed at the drone. That would explain the non control and why it was reestablished at a lower elevation.
I don't know why the RTH function didn't work. That is the #1 reason I bought this particular drone. The #2 was obstacle avoidance.
A comment that was mentioned was that the controller should have recorded the video. Well, is that recorded on the controller memory or the memory card? The memory card is blank. I formatted it before inserting it. It's still blank.
Comments were made bout reading the manual. Ins a perfect world, everyone would learn the same way. For whatever reason, I can read a manual 10 times and still not absorb the knowledge. I also can't read for entertainment. My mind drifts after 2 sentences. Does that mean I'm dumb? No. I've found many ways to learn. Videos, for example, are very informative when done properly. Add in a ton of technical info unrelated to actual function and I'm, again, drifting off. I don't need to know the history of the gyroscope to know what a gyroscope is and what it does. I learned that 55 years ago, literally. The same goes for almost all aspects of my learning.
The point is I can read the manual 10 times and not learn what I learned in 10 minutes of flying. I put nobody in danger. The only possible harm would have been to myself and/or my bank account.
But when I do have issues, I can reference materials, including, but not limited to, the manual.
So, I actually listen to people when they give advice on things that help. Judgment, well, that's all with a grain of salt. I never really cared much that people dive 70 in a 55, for example.
Anyhow, I wonder some things. I wonder if I power up my drone in my front yard, if it comes on the radar with the transponder. I wonder if I do a quick hover, if it's illegal (I suspect it is even if it's legal to throw a ball in the same airspace) since I live within a restricted area (Max altitude at my house is 300'). I wonder why the RTH didn't work (which I'll probably have to reference somewhere). So much to wonder after my second flight.
