How do you fly at distance without course/home lock?

snovvman · Dec 31, 2017

Flying QCs beyond my close line-of-sight is new to me. As the Mavic gets farther and higher away, after some panning, it becomes difficult to determine its orientation. Yes, the camera view can help to make the determination, but it is not always reliable or quick. I know I can setup a scripted flight using Litchi, but that is not what I am asking.

For you experienced flyers, how do you manage the controls when the QC is so far away and you have no way to tell its heading? Is course/home lock the only way to go? Perhaps use RTH to get it back close enough to see? If there are methods of which I am unaware, please do share. I ask also because the Spark does not have course lock nor home lock. I wonder how those owners fly them at distance.

Thanks.

tcope · Dec 31, 2017

You look at the lower portion of the map and use the drone icon to see what direction it's pointing. If you want to fly home, just point it along the white/orange line and fly back.

MavicCF · Dec 31, 2017

snovvman said:
Flying QCs beyond my close line-of-sight is new to me. As the Mavic gets farther and higher away, after some panning, it becomes difficult to determine its orientation. Yes, the camera view can help to make the determination, but it is not always reliable or quick. I know I can setup a scripted flight using Litchi, but that is not what I am asking.

For you experienced flyers, how do you manage the controls when the QC is so far away and you have no way to tell its heading? Is course/home lock the only way to go? Perhaps use RTH to get it back close enough to see? If there are methods of which I am unaware, please do share. I ask also because the Spark does not have course lock nor home lock. I wonder how those owners fly them at distance.

Thanks.

I personally know my area well enough to not become disoriented, however, you can always watch the map in the corner, it shows your flight path, home point, and the direction the Mavic is facing. You can also hit RTH then cancel after a few seconds, this will point it towards your take off point.I think picking out a few prominent landmarks would be a good way to stay oriented. -CF

mitchell.atheis · Dec 31, 2017

Other than these above, in times my phone has a melt down and disconnects at long range, I use the distance meter on the quad to reduce the distance. Not the most accurate but another idea to have incase you find yourself in similar circumstances

MavicCF · Dec 31, 2017

mitchell.atheis said:
Other than these above, in times my phone has a melt down and disconnects at long range, I use the distance meter on the quad to reduce the distance. Not the most accurate but another idea to have incase you find yourself in similar circumstances

I’ve had to use that one a few times too, however I recently discovered that if you hit the RTH button on the remote and wait a few seconds for the Mavic to turn and face you, you can then hit the pause button and fly straight until it’s back in your line of sight. I also keep an eye on the distance meter just in case the RTH messed up the orientation. -CF

Ian in London · Dec 31, 2017

You can also make use of the sun to orientate if the sun is low in te sky, but the little map is best. If you tap the map, it swaps with the camera view and becomes the main element of the screen, makling it far easier to see your direction of travel.

Cheers

Ian

kakao · Dec 31, 2017

Thank you for this helpfull thread guys.

msinger · Dec 31, 2017

If I lose sight of my Mavic, I use the attitude indicator at the bottom, left corner of DJI GO to bring it back toward me. Here are a few videos that explain how to use the attitude indicator:

snovvman · Dec 31, 2017

Thanks for all the great information! They are very helpful.

OCsurfer411 · Dec 31, 2017

I get asked this question a lot by passer byers as I'm flying. I show them the UI and the orientation indicator in the bottom Left of my display, and then I show them how easy it is to switch between Map and Camera views, and how the UI always draws a line between the controller and the drone.

They're always amazed.

Dariof · Dec 31, 2017

I almost always lose sight (I know, not legal, but I fly in wide-open desert spaces).

Here's what I do:

1. Use the lower right map and fly along the indicator line back to my home point. Front of the arrow is the nose of the drone.
2. Use the lower left radar indicator to do the same. Home point is the center of the circle and front of the arrow is the drone nose.
3. Use Home Lock and simply pull the right stick down.
4. Use RTH either in entirety (it's so cool watching it land) or until l I see the drone.
5. I just ordered a set of CREE Strobes (white) which I hope will help me spot the little drone exploring the vast sky.

6. I always fly with friends....more sets of eyes.

There has to be other methods, but this is what I do.