How to stop the air from moving automatically a bit when losing signal ?

[crucx]

Hey, i have seen people trying with their mavic air to fly below a bridge, or below 2 rocks / "island parts" and they lost signal so their mavic air started flying a bit to the side and then crashed.

I am waiting since 8 weeks for my air to arrive so i dont have it atm (arrives in 4 more weeks finally) but i have read the manuals already and such online.
I didn't understand a point exactly. It said that if the mavic air loses GPS or something like that, that it starts flying automatically a bit forward or a bit to the side if i remember right.

So my question is: I wanna try to fly my air below a bridge too and there is not a lot of space to be honest so my mavic air will crash and then land in water 100% if my controllers lose signal and the air moves a bit to the side.
So is it possible to turn off GPS permanently for this one flight scene ? So IF my air should lose signal, i want it to hover instead of keep flying to a direction after losing signal and then hovering...

 

[Rogat19]

Hey, i have seen people trying with their mavic air to fly below a bridge, or below 2 rocks / "island parts" and they lost signal so their mavic air started flying a bit to the side and then crashed.

I am waiting since 8 weeks for my air to arrive so i dont have it atm (arrives in 4 more weeks finally) but i have read the manuals already and such online.
I didn't understand a point exactly. It said that if the mavic air loses GPS or something like that, that it starts flying automatically a bit forward or a bit to the side if i remember right.

So my question is: I wanna try to fly my air below a bridge too and there is not a lot of space to be honest so my mavic air will crash and then land in water 100% if my controllers lose signal and the air moves a bit to the side.
So is it possible to turn off GPS permanently for this one flight scene ? So IF my air should lose signal, i want it to hover instead of keep flying to a direction after losing signal and then hovering...

Hi there, ok i have a mavic so not sure how much is the same but what i would do is, if it has obstacle avoidance or sensors turn them off to start, but it in Atti mode and also if it has tripod mode use that as well and set the "if loss of signal" to hover not return to home here is what happened to my mavic, I did none of the above haha so i do sort of know what im talking about after analyzing the crash happy flying, oh so what happened with me was i almost got to safety and the sensors picked up trhge ripples on the water thinking they were an obstacle so wouldn't let me out! if i had turned the switch to atti mode i would of gotten out the other thing was i was flying normal not in tripod mode so every little movement was critical as you will see Dx

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[hiflyer201]

Hey Rodger, Thanks for sharing that. I can see why you were enticed to fly under that bridge. How did you fish out your drone?

 

[crucx]

Great video, many thanks .
Yeah i read something about ATTI mode in the manuals. What is that ? so if i switch to ATTI mode, my drone will instantly hover when it loses signal instead of keep moving forward / to the side and few seconds later starting to hover ?

The good thing is, i can walk below the bridge. There is a small road. Just in case when my drone should lose signal and hover. I am just scared about the "auto moving" issue. And also i know already about the sensors etc. read all that already )

 

[Meta4]

I am waiting since 8 weeks for my air to arrive so i dont have it atm (arrives in 4 more weeks finally) but i have read the manuals already and such online.
I didn't understand a point exactly. It said that if the mavic air loses GPS or something like that, that it starts flying automatically a bit forward or a bit to the side if i remember right.

You don't remember right.
What you are talking about is loss of signal - not GPS.
The drone does not "start flying automatically a bit forward or a bit to the side".
It's retracing the path that took it to where it lost signal.
However it can only do that if it still has good GPS reception which might not be the case under a bridge.
Here's the relevant section of the manual,:

Failsafe RTH​

The Forward Vision System allows the aircraft to create a real-time map of its flight route as it flies. ​

If the Home Point was successfully recorded and the compass is functioning normally, Failsafe RTH will be automatically activated if the remote control signal is lost for a specified amount of time (three seconds when using the remote controller and 20 seconds when flying with a mobile device). ​

When Failsafe RTH is activated the aircraft starts to retrace its original flight route home. ​

If the wireless control signal is re-established within 60 seconds of Failsafe RTH being activated, the aircraft hovers at its present location for 10 seconds and waits for pilot commands. ​

The user may tap in the DJI GO 4 app or press the RTH button on the remote controller to cancel Failsafe RTH and retake control. ​

If no pilot command is given the aircraft flies to the Home Point in a straight line. ​

If the wireless control signal is still lost 60 seconds after Failsafe RTH was activated the aircraft stops retracing its original flight route and flies to Home Point in a straight line. ​

 

[Rogat19]

Hey Rodger, Thanks for sharing that. I can see why you were enticed to fly under that bridge. How did you fish out your drone?

Two you kids in a dinghy dives in for me but it was finished, salt water he didn’t stand a chance ?

 

[skyrex]

I didn't understand a point exactly. It said that if the mavic air loses GPS or something like that, that it starts flying automatically a bit forward or a bit to the side if i remember right.

If it loses GPS it will switch to ATTI or OPTI mode. You don't lose control - it just the ability to hold it's position for you via GPS.
So if you are expecting it to drop satellites given what you'r asking it to do, you should be prepared to "fly it manually" without GPS stabilisation. It will hold it's altitude using on-board barometer, you just need to steer it.

So my question is: I wanna try to fly my air below a bridge too and there is not a lot of space to be honest so my mavic air will crash and then land in water 100% if my controllers lose signal and the air moves a bit to the side.
So is it possible to turn off GPS permanently for this one flight scene ? So IF my air should lose signal, i want it to hover instead of keep flying to a direction after losing signal and then hovering...

I think you're fundamentally misunderstanding the difference between "losing signal" and "losing GPS".
Losing signal means the connection between controller and craft.
If it goes down and you really have no control. If this was to happen in the predicament of being under a bridge where you'll also lose GPS - then you're screwed.

Losing signal in normal conditions means depending on what the RTH command is set to, it will either ascend and fly back to take off point, pause and hover in place, or auto-land where it loses connection.

Flight modes GPS/ATTI/OPTI with a Mavic Air cannot be commanded like a Phantom etc. It will always look for GPS, and if it can't find any or loses in-flight then it automatically switches to ATTI.

 

[PoonDog]

God, im glad im old. I would never even think of not having a little more room for error. There are a few things you should never attempt, that is unless you have a lot more disposable incom than I do. Bad move dude.

 

[crucx]

@skyrex Yeah i meant losing GPS *facepalm*.

So there is no option to telling the drone to not look for GPS. I want to fly the drone manually since i know it will lose GPS and probably signal from the controller, so it wont fly a bit further to avoid crashing.

If there is no option, i won't take this risk. Can't afford a second one.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

@skyrex Yeah i meant losing GPS *facepalm*.

So there is no option to telling the drone to not look for GPS. I want to fly the drone manually since i know it will lose GPS and probably signal from the controller, so it wont fly a bit further to avoid crashing.

If there is no option, i won't take this risk. Can't afford a second one.

Option to switch off GPS, you can metal foil the antennae on the controller, but have never tried it.
There may also be hacks to make a switch you can go into atti mode with, not sure about the Air.

You really want it to be flying GPS, that's when it will hover almost perfectly in place with no stick input.
Losing GPS is when it can 'wander' or 'drift' with wind, prop wash.

Losing WIFI connection between the aircraft and controller is as bigger issue with the flying scenario you are wanting to try, especially a fully closed off bridge / wide concrete abutment like Rogat posted above.
Depending what your RTH settings are, it will possibly also lose GPS, wander / drift, and you have no control over it unless you can move closer to regain WIFI connection / control again.
If you lose wifi in there, having it on default RTH is an obvious disaster, so to hover as it is probably drifting straight into the concrete, not too many good points about flying through under such a feature really

Crashes happen very fast, well, it seems like slow motion in footage of crashes posted online, but at the moment there is little time to get back in control if there are connection issues.

If you really want to proceed doing this sort of flying, you should be VERY close, direct LOS, have very good visibility / light to see your drone, be prepared to fly out minor adjustments when wandering without GPS.

I would wait a while though, get good at flying it as they are designed to be flown . . . then do the foil thing for numerous flights at a large open field / sports oval etc, do some flights in forced atti mode to get a feel for flying for real.

That big open ground is where your first flight or 3 should be done anyway, no trees or people, power lines, get to know your drone and its capabilities well before trying more advanced flying.

Enjoy the Air when it arrives, it can shoot some very nice video / photos.

 

[crucx]

Thank you so much. Yeah i will practice and try out everything before i do the risky flies. I think turning off GPS would be useful for my case since i am sure there wont be much wind below that bridge. But i am glad you warned me about this, didn't know that.

So depending on the area where i wanna fly, i will chose wisely if i turn on or off GPS. If there is no wind etc. then i will always turn off GPS. After i flew for a few months with the air, i will start looking into "hacks" for turning off GPS. I am sure i can find something .

 

[Meta4]

Thank you so much. Yeah i will practice and try out everything before i do the risky flies. I think turning off GPS would be useful for my case since i am sure there wont be much wind below that bridge.

If you want to fly without GPS, your drone will have no horizontal position holding ability.
One consequence of that is that it can drift on the breeze.
Another is that it will have no "brakes" and will continue to drift in whatever direction you fly it after taking hands off the joysticks.
It's like driving on ice without brakes.
That's no problem out in the open with nothing to hit, but close to obstacles it's a serious risk.

 

[crucx]

Once i got enough practiced, i will search for "hacks" and turn off GPS and try it out on a open field and then also try to lose signal on a open field with intention to see how it drifts etc.

I think i wont risk it anymore. Its rly expensive for me.