DJI Mavic, Air and Mini Drones
Friendly, Helpful & Knowledgeable Community
Join Us Now

Course lock in Mavic 2 Pro found!

Phil Brinkman

Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2018
Messages
9
Reactions
15
Like a lot of users here, I've been mystified and more than a little miffed at DJI for not including course lock on the Mavic 2 Pro (or rather, in the DJI GO 4 app, since it does exist in Litchi). If it was good enough for a Phantom 3 Standard, why on earth is it not standard with this model? Sure, there's Tap Fly, but you have to set the speed and glide path at the outset, and it kicks off before you can really plan your flight, so by the time I get my bearings and my camera where I want it, the drone is already under way.

Today I was playing around switching back and forth between the DJI GO 4 app and Litchi mid-flight, force-quitting each before starting the other. But one time I accidentally left LItchi running, with the course lock on, then switched to the DJI GO 4. When I did, the old-style course lock was running on that app, too. Not Tap Fly, but straight-up course lock, with all the stick controls still working. I could change the settings in the DJI app; that is, I wasn't locked into the settings I put into the Litchi app. The DJI app even had the window I remember from my old Phantom where you could select "hide" or "exit."

So clearly the Mavic 2 Pro has course lock functionality, and the DJI GO 4 app has the ability to tap into that. Which just again raises the question: Why is this not one of the native intelligent flight modes in the app?
 
Wow, how strange that one app can force another into the control for course lock.
I don't have the M2P, just the original MP, and have used course lock a few times, it's quite a handy mode to use on fly bys of longer landscape features.
 
Like a lot of users here, I've been mystified and more than a little miffed at DJI for not including course lock on the Mavic 2 Pro (or rather, in the DJI GO 4 app, since it does exist in Litchi). If it was good enough for a Phantom 3 Standard, why on earth is it not standard with this model? Sure, there's Tap Fly, but you have to set the speed and glide path at the outset, and it kicks off before you can really plan your flight, so by the time I get my bearings and my camera where I want it, the drone is already under way.

Today I was playing around switching back and forth between the DJI GO 4 app and Litchi mid-flight, force-quitting each before starting the other. But one time I accidentally left LItchi running, with the course lock on, then switched to the DJI GO 4. When I did, the old-style course lock was running on that app, too. Not Tap Fly, but straight-up course lock, with all the stick controls still working. I could change the settings in the DJI app; that is, I wasn't locked into the settings I put into the Litchi app. The DJI app even had the window I remember from my old Phantom where you could select "hide" or "exit."

So clearly the Mavic 2 Pro has course lock functionality, and the DJI GO 4 app has the ability to tap into that. Which just again raises the question: Why is this not one of the native intelligent flight modes in the app?

I'm not quite clear on what you are describing - are you saying that course lock became a selectable intelligent flight mode in the GO 4 app or just that the aircraft continued to fly in course lock after switching to the GO 4 app? Or something else?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Emanáku and Totem
I'm not quite clear on what you are describing - are you saying that course lock became a selectable intelligent flight mode in the GO 4 app or just that the aircraft continued to fly in course lock after switching to the GO 4 app? Or something else?
It was not a selectable flight mode in the sense that it showed up as an option with all the other flight modes, but it appeared as if it had already been selected. I should have taken a screen grab, but it looked something like this (image is borrowed from an unrelated tutorial on course lock with the Mavic Pro).

course lock.jpg
 
Last edited:
I'm really trying to wrap my head in what your saying but do you trust that unproven method? I would not chance my M2 using that method. Then again, it's just me thinking that.. Your title may be somewhat misleading.
 
  • Like
Reactions: globetrotterdrone
I'm really trying to wrap my head in what your saying but do you trust that unproven method? I would not chance my M2 using that method. Then again, it's just me thinking that.. Your title may be somewhat misleading.

I'm not sure; I'm only using it in safe situations. But so far, it behaves exactly like it's supposed to.
 
Good luck with that, be safe...
 
Someone please help out this old geezer...

I THOUGHT I understood nomenclature but now I'm not sure. What does "Course Lock" mean to DJI and Litchi? Will the aircraft hold a MAGNETIC COURSE and crab for wind or does "Course Lock" really mean HEADING HOLD? From that Go4 screen, it appears to indicate the latter.
 
Someone please help out this old geezer...

I THOUGHT I understood nomenclature but now I'm not sure. What does "Course Lock" mean to DJI and Litchi? Will the aircraft hold a MAGNETIC COURSE and crab for wind or does "Course Lock" really mean HEADING HOLD? From that Go4 screen, it appears to indicate the latter.

Course lock means that the elevator moves the aircraft forwards/backwards on that course, independent of the direction that the aircraft is facing. In other words you can rotate the aircraft using the rudder as it moves but it will continue to fly that course.
 
I'm not sure; I'm only using it in safe situations. But so far, it behaves exactly like it's supposed to.
I guess if theres no ramification to it you may have stumbled upon something that may be useful for some....
 
  • Like
Reactions: Emanáku
Here are a couple of screen captures from today. The top photo is course lock in Litchi; the bottom is how the DJI GO 4 app appeared when I switched over to it while still running Litchi.

View attachment 74480
This is exactly what I have been waiting for. I really need 'course lock' for some work and I hope someone can figure out how to bring it back :)
 
The course-lock in the go 4 app looks like it belongs there... good find, its like digging a hole in your backyard and finding jar of gold coins.... well, you know what I mean.....
 
I'd be very careful with this mode - it looks like DJI purposefully disabled it, and most logical reason for that would be some kind of serious bug found during their testing.
 
I'd be very careful with this mode - it looks like DJI purposefully disabled it, and most logical reason for that would be some kind of serious bug found during their testing.

But it's obviously functional in the firmware and SDK since Litchi uses it just fine. Seems like it's just been left out of the GO 4 app options for the M2.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Emanáku
Sar104, are you going to try it.?The course lock function in the go 4 app.
 
Great, I'm feeling confident with using that function/feature.
 
Lycus Tech Mavic Air 3 Case

DJI Drone Deals

New Threads

Forum statistics

Threads
130,583
Messages
1,554,088
Members
159,588
Latest member
gfusato