Is exceeding 400ft altitude as simple as changing max altitude in the app?

[Daddy]

Not something I would like to experiment with but is there no "true safeguard" within the software to prevent the craft exceeding this altitude? Is it that easily bypassed?

 

[BlakPhoenix]

There's no need for a "true safeguard" because the max height limit in the Go app is height above take off point, not height above ground level. Above ~15M the Mavic doesn't know how far away from the ground it is, so you could be 400m above your takeoff point, but only 10m above the ground (going up a mountain for example).

It is up to the pilot to ensure they do not exceed 400' AGL (where laws require that).

 

[Cyberpower678]

There's no need for a "true safeguard" because the max height limit in the Go app is height above take off point, not height above ground level. Above ~15M the Mavic doesn't know how far away from the ground it is, so you could be 400m above your takeoff point, but only 10m above the ground (going up a mountain for example).

It is up to the pilot to ensure they do not exceed 400' AGL (where laws require that).

You are limited to 500m ATP.

 

[BlakPhoenix]

You are limited to 500m ATP.

Yep, forgot to specifically state that in my post. Thanks for adding it

 

[poweruser15]

You are limited to 500m ATP.

So this means that if I'm on a mountain at 6,000' AGL I can't fly my drone at all?

 

[Strafe1]

AGL is "above ground level". That is the ground beneath your craft. If you are at 6000' above sea level, you can fly up 400 feet, or 6400' above sea level. The readout on your Mavic shows your takeoff as 0 AGL.

 

[aesculus]

The Mavic's service ceiling is 15,000 feet, so as long as your elevation is below that, you can fly.

And by the way, that 400 feet limit gets spouted a lot on drone forums, but you should be aware that it does not necessarily apply to hobbyists. You're not breaking any laws in the U. S. if you fly higher than that. Use common sense and stay low if you spot aircraft in the area and you will run a minimal risk of interaction.

 

[Mavicsailor]

The Mavic's service ceiling is 15,000 feet, so as long as your elevation is below that, you can fly.

And by the way, that 400 feet limit gets spouted a lot on drone forums, but you should be aware that it does not necessarily apply to hobbyists. You're not breaking any laws in the U. S. if you fly higher than that. Use common sense and stay low if you spot aircraft in the area and you will run a minimal risk of interaction.

Where did you read that 400 feet is not the legal limit for hobbyists? (At least in the US) Maybe you're talking about going higher than 400 feet (AGL) if above elevated structures?

 

[Cyberpower678]

The Mavic's service ceiling is 15,000 feet, so as long as your elevation is below that, you can fly.

And by the way, that 400 feet limit gets spouted a lot on drone forums, but you should be aware that it does not necessarily apply to hobbyists. You're not breaking any laws in the U. S. if you fly higher than that. Use common sense and stay low if you spot aircraft in the area and you will run a minimal risk of interaction.

Umm, the 400' limit applies to everyone. It's explicitly dictated to you before you sign the agreement that gets you your registration number.

 

[aesculus]

Umm, the 400' limit applies to everyone. It's explicitly dictated to you before you sign the agreement that gets you your registration number.

Sometimes 400 feet is too low if trees are disrupting your communication. If going a little above 400 feet will improve my signal, then I'm going to do it. The FAA never fined or reprimanded anyone for exceeding 400 feet without incident. If you intentionally fly your drone in the path of an oncoming manned aircraft, you are criminally liable, whether you were at 300' or 500' AGL.

My point is, if you're operating under Part 107 (commercially) then you are subject to its rules. If you are flying as a hobbyist, you are expected to use common sense to keep yourself and others out of trouble. This was in the email that I received immediately after registering. These are safety guidelines that spell out common sense points that should be on the mind of every drone pilot.

Remember these simple safety guidelines when
flying your unmanned aircraft:

• Don't be careless or reckless with your UAS
• Fly below 400 feet and remain clear of obstacles
• Stay away from other aircraft at all times
• Keep your UAS within your sight
• Don't fly near airports, stadiums, or other people
• Don't fly under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• Keep away from emergency responders

 

[KiterTodd]

Before we get off on the legal debate,
what is with the 500' ATP limit? Seems to be conflicting feedback on if that is true.

I do recall reading another post where someone was flying in mountain terrain, wanted to track up the slope and ran into a virtual ceiling that prevented him from flying further up the mountain. (he was close to the ground, but well above his take-off altitude due to the terrain elevation increase).

 

[aesculus]

Before we get off on the legal debate,
what is with the 500' ATP limit? Seems to be conflicting feedback on if that is true.

I do recall reading another post where someone was flying in mountain terrain, wanted to track up the slope and ran into a virtual ceiling that prevented him from flying further up the mountain. (he was close to the ground, but well above his take-off altitude due to the terrain elevation increase).

The Mavic is limited to 500m above its takeoff point. Is that what you're thinking? If he got that high, regardless of his height above ground, he would have been prevented from going higher. Either that or he was VERY high in the mountains and exceeded Mavic's service ceiling of 15,000 ft.

 

[SteelFlyer]

Before we get off on the legal debate,
what is with the 500' ATP limit? Seems to be conflicting feedback on if that is true.

I do recall reading another post where someone was flying in mountain terrain, wanted to track up the slope and ran into a virtual ceiling that prevented him from flying further up the mountain. (he was close to the ground, but well above his take-off altitude due to the terrain elevation increase).

It's 500 meters above takeoff point, not feet. And this is a DJI imposed limitation.

 

[KiterTodd]

Thanks. Yes, that 500M limit is what I was asking about.

On a related note, it annoys me that they don't keep all the units the same. Am I missing a setting or do I always have to do the math to convert feet to meters when adjusting my max ceiling or return-home altitude? Be easier to just look at my current height units and set relative to that, in the same units.

 

[SteelFlyer]

I'm with you there. I hate the mix of units. I don't think you missed a setting. Even when you set units to Imperial it doesn't change the settings being in meters.

 

[aesculus]

Thanks. Yes, that 500M limit is what I was asking about.

On a related note, it annoys me that they don't keep all the units the same. Am I missing a setting or do I always have to do the math to convert feet to meters when adjusting my max ceiling or return-home altitude? Be easier to just look at my current height units and set relative to that, in the same units.

The only units that will display Imperial are your flight telemetry data. Settings remain metric. I agree; it's an annoyance that you would think could be easily fixed for us poor Americans

 

[cobra46]

Thanks. Yes, that 500M limit is what I was asking about.

On a related note, it annoys me that they don't keep all the units the same. Am I missing a setting or do I always have to do the math to convert feet to meters when adjusting my max ceiling or return-home altitude? Be easier to just look at my current height units and set relative to that, in the same units.

That's because the US can't get it's head out of it's bum and fully convert. As a child in the early 70's we started learning the metric system because the US was going to change. Here we are about 45 years later and not much has changed.

It made studying engineering that much harder with problems in both systems which we had to be well versed in. The only benefit to using the Imperial system is that engineers are really good at converting fractions to decimal without a calculator.

 

[m0j0]

The Mavic's service ceiling is 15,000 feet, so as long as your elevation is below that, you can fly.

And by the way, that 400 feet limit gets spouted a lot on drone forums, but you should be aware that it does not necessarily apply to hobbyists. You're not breaking any laws in the U. S. if you fly higher than that. Use common sense and stay low if you spot aircraft in the area and you will run a minimal risk of interaction.

You are actually breaking the rules. To actually be flying with the hobby designation, in the US of course, you have to be no higher than 400ft agl. There is no exception.

 

[m0j0]

Sometimes 400 feet is too low if trees are disrupting your communication. If going a little above 400 feet will improve my signal, then I'm going to do it. The FAA never fined or reprimanded anyone for exceeding 400 feet without incident. If you intentionally fly your drone in the path of an oncoming manned aircraft, you are criminally liable, whether you were at 300' or 500' AGL.

My point is, if you're operating under Part 107 (commercially) then you are subject to its rules. If you are flying as a hobbyist, you are expected to use common sense to keep yourself and others out of trouble.

Terribly wrong. As a hobbyist you are required to stay below 400 feet.
There really is no exception indicated for hobby fliers.

As a part 107 operator you can exceed that altitude in certain circumstances. You can also request a waiver to allow you to operate higher than 400 feet.

I would urge you to stay below 400 and if you chose not to do so understand that you are breaking the rules and however remote the possibility is... risking a visit by the FAA.

I'm not the Drone Police but I can't stand by and let you pass out bad info. If folks on here break the rules they should do so understanding exactly what they are doing.

Darryl

 

[tcope]

Here is the one and only answer to this question every time it gets asked....

No.

When someone raises the issue on how this might be wrong, the answer is still....

No.

The only "purpose" asking this question time and time again accomplishes is the guarantee that no one will care about the OP 2 posts in and it will then move onto 10 pages of how high you can legally fly in the US.

YAWN.....