Flying in Mountain Canyons

[Gindra]

This may sound odd, but is there a way to force this mode (in safe surroundings) so I can practice, and thus be familiar with the flight characteristics when it happens unexpectedly?

I have the Hubsan 501s drone that has been great for practicing not only ATTI but also full Manual Mode.

The controller has a toggle switch that toggles between GPS and ATTI. So when I'm in ATTI and it gets scary I just flip the switch and I'm back to GPS mode. In full Manual Mode you can do flips and rolls. Here's a link.

Amazon.com: Hubsan X4 H501SS Pro Version GPS FPV RC Drone with Brushless Motor Quad with 1080P HD Camera RTF: Toys & Games

Buy Hubsan X4 H501SS Pro Version GPS FPV RC Drone with Brushless Motor Quad with 1080P HD Camera RTF: Quadcopters & Multirotors - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[bheiser1]

Thanks for all the feedback, this is great! It seems like the theme is that the safest plan is to start from the canyon rim where possible, though I see some examples here of starting from the depths of the canyon. The imagery from Thomas B and Fat Bastard are very cool. I’ll do some checking to see what’s possible in the places I have in mind, and see what the GPS acquisition looks like. I’m generally pretty risk adverse so am treading carefully with this...

 

[Flynz]

I say go for it, with the following cautions. Only launch when you have GPS home point locked and be prepared to fly in ATTI mode. Have your RTH set for any cliffs that might be in your way. I often fly in the desert canyons near my home and accept the reality that ATTI mode might kick in when deep into the canyons. Know how to fly in ATTI mode in a moments notice. In this video I flew about 250' below takeoff and well below the tops of the ridges before rising above them.

Nice video!

 

[Flynz]

I have flown in an area that looks similar to the picture in the original post. In my case I was on the side of a mountain and was able to go for altitude and/or head away from the mountain when it got hairy. Another mission I was around the coast so not DLOS. The video started to stutter and respond very slowly with bad latency. The signal warning came on but did not initiate RTH. Control became a problem. I could not go high because there are often low flying aircraft around the area so 400ft was it. I slowly turned till I could see the horizon on the ocean and headed for it. Eventually signal returned to normal.

I know the Mavic should sit still based on GPS, but I often do a slow rotate on the spot to work out where my closest hazard is and ensure we are in fact not drifting.

The above posters advice is great, set RTH altitude with headroom, watch the satellite count and if ATTI mode comes on be aware of wind direction turn to face your biggest hazard so you don't drift sideways or backwards into it and climb. Of course of you can see the bird it is easier.