Is there a way to get my Mavic 2 Pro to come down faster?

[DaddyDe]

Is there some setting or method that I can utilize that will allow my Mavic 2 Pro to come back down faster? I live on a canyon ranch in Idaho and the mountains around me extend up several thousand feet. I was at 800+' altitude from my launch point but still way below the top of the mountains so still at a legal height. It was a cold day, in the low 30s Fahrenheit at launch point, possibly colder as I went higher... As a result, My battery went down to 25% fairly quickly so I started bringing her down but it would only come down at the rate of about a foot or two per second and did not have enough battery to make it back down to the launch point before running out of battery. The system tried to bring it home automatically at some battery percentage but it still came down too slowly... I was able to guide it over a bush so that when it ran out of juice and fell it had a soft crash in the brush and fortunately just scratched the blades a bit... There must be some setting that I am not familiar with that will allow it to come down faster? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks in Advance.

 

[brett8883]

Is there some setting or method that I can utilize that will allow my Mavic 2 Pro to come back down faster? I live on a canyon ranch in Idaho and the mountains around me extend up several thousand feet. I was at 800+' altitude from my launch point but still way below the top of the mountains so still at a legal height. It was a cold day, in the low 30s Fahrenheit at launch point, possibly colder as I went higher... As a result, My battery went down to 25% fairly quickly so I started bringing her down but it would only come down at the rate of about a foot or two per second and did not have enough battery to make it back down to the launch point before running out of battery. The system tried to bring it home automatically at some battery percentage but it still came down too slowly... I was able to guide it over a bush so that when it ran out of juice and fell it had a soft crash in the brush and fortunately just scratched the blades a bit... There must be some setting that I am not familiar with that will allow it to come down faster? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks in Advance.

There is a way to do this but it requires a firmware modification. I live in Salt Lake City, Utah so I had the same exact issue as you. I changed my sport mode to descend at a maximum 18 mph and my P-mode to max of 9mph.

It’s an easy software mod to do and many people on here have done this but keep in mind it’s outside of what DJI intended for us to be able to change. It requires accessing the program DJI uses to test and fine tune the flight parameters which is normally hidden.

I give this disclaimer because it sounds like you were asking if there’s a setting you can change in the app or something but there’s not. This will require you to hook up your Mavic to the computer.

 

[klexal]

DJI has implemented firmware that limits the speed at which drones descend because of 'prop wash'.

Basically when you're lowering your altitude in a straight vertical line, your drone is descending into the current of air that your propellors are creating, causing general instability and potentially a drone crash.

Here's an example of prop wash in action:

The best technique to emergency/fast descent is to apply some forward throttle as your descending, which will avoid any prop wash. You'll notice that this will create a much faster drop in altitude.

Hopefully that helps.

 

[Spike151]

Shotgun with OO buckshot !

 

[jwt873]

I flew a 3DR hexacopter for a couple of years. It wasn't constrained like with DJI products. Dropping the throttle stick fully on the hex while in flight would bring the motors right down to idle speed.

Descending too fast would create a horrible wobble. Even adding forward motion didn't help a lot. Shutting the motors right down to idle would start the drone tumbling head over heels as it fell.

As klexal indicates... I'm pretty sure DJI limits the descent speed to prevent flyers from having to deal with things like this.

 

[DaddyDe]

There is a way to do this but it requires a firmware modification. I live in Salt Lake City, Utah so I had the same exact issue as you. I changed my sport mode to descend at a maximum 18 mph and my P-mode to max of 9mph.

It’s an easy software mod to do and many people on here have done this but keep in mind it’s outside of what DJI intended for us to be able to change. It requires accessing the program DJI uses to test and fine tune the flight parameters which is normally hidden.

I give this disclaimer because it sounds like you were asking if there’s a setting you can change in the app or something but there’s not. This will require you to hook up your Mavic to the computer.

Thank You!

 

[DaddyDe]

I flew a 3DR hexacopter for a couple of years. It wasn't constrained like with DJI products. Dropping the throttle stick fully on the hex while in flight would bring the motors right down to idle speed.

Descending too fast would create a horrible wobble. Even adding forward motion didn't help a lot. Shutting the motors right down to idle would start the drone tumbling head over heels as it fell.

As klexal indicates... I'm pretty sure DJI limits the descent speed to prevent flyers from having to deal with things like this.

Thank You!

 

[DaddyDe]

DJI has implemented firmware that limits the speed at which drones descend because of 'prop wash'.

Basically when you're lowering your altitude in a straight vertical line, your drone is descending into the current of air that your propellors are creating, causing general instability and potentially a drone crash.

Here's an example of prop wash in action:

The best technique to emergency/fast descent is to apply some forward throttle as your descending, which will avoid any prop wash. You'll notice that this will create a much faster drop in altitude.

Hopefully that helps.

Thank You very Much - I’ll practice & give it a try.

 

[brett8883]

DJI has implemented firmware that limits the speed at which drones descend because of 'prop wash'.

Basically when you're lowering your altitude in a straight vertical line, your drone is descending into the current of air that your propellors are creating, causing general instability and potentially a drone crash.

Here's an example of prop wash in action:

The best technique to emergency/fast descent is to apply some forward throttle as your descending, which will avoid any prop wash. You'll notice that this will create a much faster drop in altitude.

Hopefully that helps.

It’s good advice I usually try to take but Mavic props are slightly bowed out and so I believe this prevents the vortex ring issue. It can be programmed to defend at up to 22 mph and I’ve never experienced vortex ring with the mavic even at that speed

 

[kjcbid54]

The fastest way that I descend in right stick full forward and left stick full down. The drone descends much faster with forward momentum vs, just flying directly above the landing spot and dropping straight down. I have a lot of fun practicing how far away horizontally that I should start descending and flying forward to try and "time" the drone being at a good height right where I want to land.

 

[sar104]

The fastest way that I descend in right stick full forward and left stick full down. The drone descends much faster with forward momentum vs, just flying directly above the landing spot and dropping straight down. I have a lot of fun practicing how far away horizontally that I should start descending and flying forward to try and "time" the drone being at a good height right where I want to land.

Have you set a higher descent maximum speed? If not then adding forward motion will not increase the vertical descent rate above the firmware parameter limit.

 

[kjcbid54]

Have you set a higher descent maximum speed? If not then adding forward motion will not increase the vertical descent rate above the firmware parameter limit.

No I have not changed the maximum speed. When I first started flying my drone, I either read somewhere or watch a tutorial that explained that a DJI will descend quicker with forward motion compared to just a vertical descend. Being information that I found on the internet, I figured that I MUST be true, so I have been using this method for times that I want to descend faster. I have not done any scientific study to prove this to be true or not, but to me, it just feels like I can be on the ground quicker from say 200 feet if I'm flying forward (or backwards) compared to simply coming straight down. But this just may be a perception and not fact. Regardless, it's much funner to descend while flying forward sort of like "coming in hot" so to speak than just watching the drone drop straight down from 200 feet.

 

[Kilrah]

It's not correct, descent speed is same regardless of your motion.

Going forward is a way to avoid wobbles during descent (aka, on some aircraft might allow you to go down faster if you were limiting yourself becasue of the wobbles), but that has nothing to do with modern DJI aircraft and the way they're controlled.

 

[sar104]

No I have not changed the maximum speed. When I first started flying my drone, I either read somewhere or watch a tutorial that explained that a DJI will descend quicker with forward motion compared to just a vertical descend. Being information that I found on the internet, I figured that I MUST be true, so I have been using this method for times that I want to descend faster. I have not done any scientific study to prove this to be true or not, but to me, it just feels like I can be on the ground quicker from say 200 feet if I'm flying forward (or backwards) compared to simply coming straight down. But this just may be a perception and not fact. Regardless, it's much funner to descend while flying forward sort of like "coming in hot" so to speak than just watching the drone drop straight down from 200 feet.

As @Kilrah mentioned above - the lateral motion was used to reduce the likelihood of VRS instability during descent on the older quads (e.g. Phantom 1 and 2). The more recent DJI equipment doesn't suffer from that as much due to changes in motor geometry, but they do have the maximum descent rate set in the firmware and simply won't let the aircraft descend any faster. The default in P-GPS mode is 3 m/s.

 

[kjcbid54]

It's not correct, descent speed is same regardless of your motion.

Going forward is a way to avoid wobbles during descent (aka, on some aircraft might allow you to go down faster if you were limiting yourself becasue of the wobbles), but that has nothing to do with modern DJI aircraft and the way they're controlled.

Thank you for correcting me.

 

[kjcbid54]

As @Kilrah mentioned above - the lateral motion was used to reduce the likelihood of VRS instability during descent on the older quads (e.g. Phantom 1 and 2). The more recent DJI equipment doesn't suffer from that as much due to changes in motor geometry, but they do have the maximum descent rate set in the firmware and simply won't let the aircraft descend any faster. The default in P-GPS mode is 3 m/s.

This is a very good and detailed answer to something that I had misunderstood. Thank you for setting me straight. But I still think it's fun to come in hot.

 

[CanadaDrone]

Sport Mode + added forward momentum and you will come down quite quickly. I'm not sure I'd want to descend any faster than that except perhaps in an emergency.

 

[FormerMember07122019_2]

This is a very good and detailed answer to something that I had misunderstood. Thank you for setting me straight. But I still think it's fun to come in hot.

Fun is what it’s all about!

 

[dwolfe002]

It's not correct, descent speed is same regardless of your motion.

Going forward is a way to avoid wobbles during descent (aka, on some aircraft might allow you to go down faster if you were limiting yourself becasue of the wobbles), but that has nothing to do with modern DJI aircraft and the way they're controlled.

I'll try it again when I can get out again but it does seem to come down quite a bit faster with forward speed and full down. It could be the same but it feels a lot faster to me than a normal straight down landing like return to home. I could be the fear of running it into the ground before letting up on the left stick that makes it feel faster!!!!!!!!

 

[DaddyDe]

Sport Mode + added forward momentum and you will come down quite quickly. I'm not sure I'd want to descend any faster than that except perhaps in an emergency.

I tried switching to sport mode but it did not appear to increase my descent speed.