Following RC Glider

[Island Guy]

Still very new at droning but I fly rc gliders and a flying partner of mine and I are wondering if the following feature of the mini 5 could be set up to follow one and get some footage. Anyone do something like that?

 

[Cafguy]

I wish BUT..It won't do it . We try and film with the Drone when we can but YOU gotta do it.....And it aint easy lol If the glider pilot cooperates its not too difficult, but give the glider its space. I have seen 1 close call.

 

[Kilrah]

Since you can't exactly stop the glider for the time it takes to select the subject etc not really. Can totally do it manually as long as the speeds are compatible obviously.

 

[Droning on and on...]

Since you can't exactly stop the glider for the time it takes to select the subject etc not really. Can totally do it manually as long as the speeds are compatible obviously.

There's also the problem of what subjects Active Track will follow, which is only people and cars, IIRC.

Used to be able to "lock" on anything, but in the last few years DJI has narrowed this down, likely to improve tracking success.

The POI feature of Focus Track can lock on anything, but it's really intended for stationary subjects, and has problems keeping a lock on moving subjects.

 

[Felix le Chat]

I think what you need to do is find a really good chase pilot... FPV fliers who specialize in dogging the flight path of other (model) aircraft. I've seen videos of some really excellent FPV'ers doing exactly this - the best of which was following and filming the maiden flight of a custom built Millennium Falcon drone... Nothing short of bloody brilliant!

 

[Island Guy]

I think what you need to do is find a really good chase pilot... FPV fliers who specialize in dogging the flight path of other (model) aircraft. I've seen videos of some really excellent FPV'ers doing exactly this - the best of which was following and filming the maiden flight of a custom built Millennium Falcon drone... Nothing short of bloody brilliant!

Sounds like a great solution!
Appreciate everyone’s replies.

 

[Rchawks]

Sounds like a great solution!
Appreciate everyone’s replies.

 

[Nexus Dragoon]

Still very new at droning but I fly rc gliders and a flying partner of mine and I are wondering if the following feature of the mini 5 could be set up to follow one and get some footage. Anyone do something like that?

honestly, don’t bother with the standard ActiveTrack. Gliders are way too thin and fast for the AI to handle; the second you bank or pass a tree, the Mini 5 is going to lose the lock and just sit there. Plus, if you catch a decent thermal, the glider will easily outrun the drone's auto-tracking speed cap.

Your best bet is to use Spotlight Mode. Just draw the box around the glider to lock the camera, but keep the flying to yourself. That way you can stay in Sport Mode to actually keep pace. It’s much better because the gimbal handles the tracking while you focus on not crashing into each other.

Just watch out for the prop wash. If you get too close or fly right above the glider, the "dirty air" from your props can make a light sailplane stall or get really twitchy. Also, make sure you aren't standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the glider pilot—sometimes having two transmitters that close causes some signal jitter. Stay a few feet apart, fly slightly behind and to the side for the best angle, and you should be golden.