With that in mind, I’m not a player. The mini that I have will be sold for that reason. Go4 for me.
help with setting
- Thread starter akawho
- Start date
PhantomFandom
Well-Known Member
Yes this is technically true, but representing true AGL for the current in-flight location would be not very feasible. Even manned aircraft don't typically use AGL as their main altitude instrumentation. They all operate on MSL.
So it is still better to use ALP than it is to use MSL, which a DJI drone could also easily use as long as the initial reference atmospheric pressure were properly obtained.
In my opinion it is more than reasonable if you are in a country that has both a 400' max altitude and a VLOS regulation. At 1500' a MA2 (this thread's topic) is barely a speck and you will lose sight of it as soon as you just briefly take your eyes off it. As to hard limits, I think no one really wants them (I would prefer not to have them) but since there are a lot of people out there who have no regard for rules, they seem to be necessary.
The documentation certainly is not perfect. However it isn't terrible either. It generally is well written and does cover the basics of what is necessary to start flying. It is only a starting point! Making it more detailed and longer would only turn more people away from reading it at all. In fact so many issues and questions that come up here in these forums would be solved if people just read the manual.
I'm new to drones but have an aircraft background and am currently teaching airline pilot students in technical subjects. One of my subjects is Instruments, which includes Altimetry. Unless a Drone has a barometric sensor (some may have I haven't really looked) then the Height gain must be all down to the Inertial Units sensing vertical accelerations and integrating this into vertical speed and distance. As in the USA, it is illegal in the UK (unless specific permission is sought and given) to fly more than 400 feet above the terrain directly below the Drone. This is to ensure that we do not ever interfere with normal air traffic. Obviously the restriction zone around airfields and airports allows for this air traffic to take off and land without interference.
DJI don't really make a point of telling you that, should you fly at a constant altitude in level flight, you could break the legal limit by flying your drone to lower terrain than your start point.
I noticed the other day, after taking my MA up to 150 feet, that when I brought it back down to what I thought was 20 feet for a closer follow me shot, it was clearly at at least 50 feet. That was when I realised that, as has been said, the Screen display shows height above your take-off point. landing and taking off again would reset it, but it's a shame that the drone can't cross-reference its position with the local terrain height and fly accordingly, or at least display an accurate Height above Ground Level. on this particular flight, as I descended the path through the fields, the Altitude display started to read minus values as it was below the take off point, but 500 metres north of it where the ground was much lower.
When I go to The Cuillin on Skye, I must remember that when flying at the top of a mountain, the height limit will work, but as I descend, the drone could easily break the height above terrain limit of 400 feet, unless I ensure I keep it descending.
Blimey, didn't I go on. Hope someone finds that useful.
DJI don't really make a point of telling you that, should you fly at a constant altitude in level flight, you could break the legal limit by flying your drone to lower terrain than your start point.
I noticed the other day, after taking my MA up to 150 feet, that when I brought it back down to what I thought was 20 feet for a closer follow me shot, it was clearly at at least 50 feet. That was when I realised that, as has been said, the Screen display shows height above your take-off point. landing and taking off again would reset it, but it's a shame that the drone can't cross-reference its position with the local terrain height and fly accordingly, or at least display an accurate Height above Ground Level. on this particular flight, as I descended the path through the fields, the Altitude display started to read minus values as it was below the take off point, but 500 metres north of it where the ground was much lower.
When I go to The Cuillin on Skye, I must remember that when flying at the top of a mountain, the height limit will work, but as I descend, the drone could easily break the height above terrain limit of 400 feet, unless I ensure I keep it descending.
Blimey, didn't I go on. Hope someone finds that useful.
All DJI drones use a barometric sensor for altitude data.
Yes realise that now after digging into the tech specs later. So What the drone is giving you as an Altitude is actually a QFE. Using this setting, an aircraft would show its altitude relative to its take off point. I wonder if in the future, DJI Go will be able to use this data to show an accurate height above terrain figure?
The pilots of most small aircraft manage without having any measure of their height above ground level.
It's not too difficult for drone flyers to manage either.
There's a slight difference between setting an altimeter to QNH and staying above a safe altitude, compared to having to stay less than 400 feet above local ground level, wouldn't you say? The rules are totally different.
I'd say that it doesn't take much, a little bit of planning, a little mental arithmetic and some estimating.
It's not a serious task.
I'd agree, but for some people, it does mean it's easy to go over the limit unintentionally.
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