Flying in Fog: Beware!

[thebigbaddan]

Ok, I got some really cool video of these buffalo:

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After a no-fly day yesterday I was eager to test out my new tablet (Kindle Fire HD8-- highly recommended!). So today, I got a chance but it was lightly snowing, and a bit foggy. I flew relatively low (under 100 feet), but coming home (after the video above) the ground obstacle avoidance sensors went haywire on me, and it kept thinking it was landing. I was able to steer, but it didn't really want to come down from 80-100 feet, and when it did it kept telling me it was landing. I was nervous it was going to land wherever it wanted to on the way home.

When I got it back to the home point, in the process of landing (from about 80 feet up), it did a pretty rapid descent and I was worried it would come down to hard. It landed just fine, but I was a little nervous on the way down.

I've flown in worse conditions (snow in the mountains) and have never had this happen.

Has this happened to anyone else? If I flipped it to sport mode, would that have helped? I didn't think of that until after I landed.

 

[Paul2660]

Fog and or low cloud will give the sensors havoc.


I had the same thing happen with a Spark and thought I was not going to get it back down. In my case it was fog that rolled in while I was flying. The aircraft kept trying to land at around 50 to 69 feet up. Then I started getting IR sensor fail notices.

Finally shifted to sport mode and got it low enough to grab.

Note I asked a question to DJI and was told fog was not a condition to fly in.

Footage however was very nice watching the low clouds move under the Spark. But it did really throw a wrench into the flight.

In the future you might try turning off the downward sensors or landing assistance.

Paul Caldwell

 

[OldBlueHeron]

This is a pretty common problem with Sparks. It happened to me in British Columbia on an especially foggy morning. Glad to know to be cautious with the Air as well. I haven’t had the issue with a Phantom or a MP yet.

 

[Mr. C4]

Would it not be recommended to switch off sensors if flying in fog?

 

[thebigbaddan]

Thanks all! I was worried my drone was busted, it's good to know this is common. I try to be super careful, it's good to know when not to fly, and what to do when **** goes wrong.

 

[Kilrah]

Yep, turning the sensors off is a good idea.

The Pro uses ultrasonic sensors so they couldn't care less about the fog, but the Spark and Air use infrared and that definitely gets messed up.

 

[thebigbaddan]

Dumb question, but is there a quick way to turn them off in the app?

UPDATE: Yes there is:

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[William Ball]

Love it, Nice footage.

 

[N7VDR]

I have flown in fog before and never had a issue. In fact this was some of my best footage!

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[OldBlueHeron]

I have flown in fog before and never had a issue. In fact this was some of my best footage!

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If your using a Spark or an MA, you got lucky. Beautiful footage...

 

[Surge]

He didn’t “get lucky”. It just affects the sensors. You can always turn them off and be fine. I flew in fog with my Air yesterday and the sensors were on and it was fine.

 

[twitchyzero]

he got lucky because he's flying blind and without VLoS
i'm not saint but tbh it's fairly wreckless because there's no way of landmarking

 

[Surge]

I see. Agree.

 

[JManges]

I have flown in fog before and never had a issue. In fact this was some of my best footage!

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Nice footage. Nice choice of music too.

 

[davidzimagery]

Haven't flown my Mavic Pro in fog. My Phantom 3 Pro tends to disconnect in heavy fog and goes to rth. I didn't fly around much, pretty much straight up over open farm land. Ground fog doesn't seem to be a problem.

 

[jpbluzharp]

Ok, I got some really cool video of these buffalo:

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After a no-fly day yesterday I was eager to test out my new tablet (Kindle Fire HD8-- highly recommended!). So today, I got a chance but it was lightly snowing, and a bit foggy. I flew relatively low (under 100 feet), but coming home (after the video above) the ground obstacle avoidance sensors went haywire on me, and it kept thinking it was landing. I was able to steer, but it didn't really want to come down from 80-100 feet, and when it did it kept telling me it was landing. I was nervous it was going to land wherever it wanted to on the way home.

When I got it back to the home point, in the process of landing (from about 80 feet up), it did a pretty rapid descent and I was worried it would come down to hard. It landed just fine, but I was a little nervous on the way down.

I've flown in worse conditions (snow in the mountains) and have never had this happen.

Has this happened to anyone else? If I flipped it to sport mode, would that have helped? I didn't think of that until after I landed.

Perhaps you should review the FAA guidelines for mandatory ceiling height... There are many reasons not to fly in fog, low ceilings, lack of visibility... If you can't see your drone, do you think an aircraft will?

 

[davidzimagery]

You're exactly right. I tried it when I first got into this a couple of years ago. I didn't go over 400 feet. Now that I've learned the guidelines, and have gotten a part 107 cert, I'm more careful about what I do. It is a cool thing to shoot though.

 

[FEMit]

Any concern about the high moisture in fog ruining any electronic components? is the MA protected against this? Condensation an issue?

 

[davidzimagery]

I would say it's a concern. Mine had moisture on it when it returned. I took it inside and let it dry out, and never had a problem. Obviously, rain and snow would be even wetter. Now I don't push my luck, rule wise or weather wise.

 

[thebigbaddan]

Perhaps you should review the FAA guidelines for mandatory ceiling height... There are many reasons not to fly in fog, low ceilings, lack of visibility... If you can't see your drone, do you think an aircraft will?

I was pretty low... Less than 100 feet.