It's my turn, disconnect and lost :Edit Mark another up for pilot stupidity

[Johanna]

That's actually not too far off, sun on the screen, talking to family, and all the technical flying done. I thought I could just relax and come home...right into a hill.
Still working on YouTube, it wants to re-process the video and my internet just isn't up to it...sorry Canada, tomorrow or Sunday I can fix it.

In Canada and it's working fine for me....great memory

 

[MavicCF]

In Canada and it's working fine for me....great memory

There’s no music though right? Glad it’s fixed.

 

[JDawg]

Where is this? Beautiful country. That is an awesome video both for the good and the bad.

 

[MavicCF]

Where is this? Beautiful country. That is an awesome video both for the good and the bad.

It’s outside the tiny town of Mancos, CO. Just at the tail end of the Rocky Mountains. Beautiful place for sure!

 

[JDawg]

It’s outside the tiny town of Mancos, CO. Just at the tail end of the Rocky Mountains. Beautiful place for sure!

CO. was my second guess. Great story, great video and a reasonably good ending since you found your drone. I went through the entire string over a cup of coffee this morning and it was (sorry) fun.

 

[Johanna]

There’s no music though right? Glad it’s fixed.

Right, but that's OK...beautiful scenery.

 

[Brojon]

How well do those things work? I've looked at 'em before, but was unsure.
I wonder if you could do a "find the Mavic demo" to see how well it picks up the Mavic's signature? That would be really cool and useful!

Let's put it this way - I can come into the room and see my cat's footprints on the floor 15 minutes after she wandered through.
The battery will cool off but as anyone who's tried to charge one immediately after a flight can attest it takes quite some time to cool off. Then there's usually a thermal disparity between earth temperature and air - assuming it made it to the ground It's a tool and as such not always applicable to every occasion - like if you drop it into a pond, or it falls behind something large enough to obscure the thermal signature. Tell ya what I'll fly later today and take some images after the flight and then 30 minutes after. I never did that so maybe I'm over optimistic on the thermal mass of the battery and drone body. The software constantly adjusts the image colors to accommodate the detected thermal gradient. That's how it can show the cat prints so long after. It's really a useful tool - I originally got it to evaluate home improvements and detect leaks. It worked beautifully for that.

Thermal Cameras for your Smartphone

 

[Brojon]

Won't that only work at night and you find it within 20mins (or before the battery shuts off and cools down?) If it's the day, aiming to return with 30% battery, if I crash my drone, it'll still have at least 30% battery. Enough time to try to reestablish connection with RC and get location, and also activate the Find My Drone LED flash or beeping. Kinda what happened to my spark, it hit a tree branch and fell into a bed of dried reeds. Took a while to find, but I activated the beeping to help locate it. The reed broke the fall, so no damage. And that way mid day.

No - this is a true thermal camera, not IR which requires illumination. I can even measure temperatures with it.

 

[MavicCF]

Let's put it this way - I can come into the room and see my cat's footprints on the floor 15 minutes after she wandered through.
The battery will cool off but as anyone who's tried to charge one immediately after a flight can attest it takes quite some time. Then there's usually a thermal disparity between earth temperature and air - assuming it made it to the ground It's a tool and as such not always applicable to every occasion - like if you drop it into a pond, or it falls behind something large enough to obscure the thermal signature. Tell ya what I'll fly later today and take some images after the flight and then 30 minutes after. I never did that so maybe I'm over optimistic on the thermal mass of the battery and drone body. The software constantly adjusts the image colors to accommodate the detected thermal gradient. That's how it can show the cat prints so long after. It's really a useful tool - I originally got it to evaluate home improvements and detect leaks. It worked beautifully for that.

Thermal Cameras for your Smartphone

That's amazing! It does seem like the Mavic's signature would stick out for a while after a flight. Definitely keep us posted on the results of your test. I may have to look into these again...

 

[MavicCF]

Even things like rocks retain heat differently than say dirt, I wonder if the Mavic would stick out even after being cold for a while because of the way it retains and radiates heat.

 

[sar104]

No - this is a true thermal camera, not IR which requires illumination. I can even measure temperatures with it.

The problem during the day will be that in sunlight the rocks, logs etc. will also be warm, and the heating due to sunlight will rival and maybe exceed the residual battery heat. I have the Seek Thermal camera - I'll give it a go too.

 

[MavicCF]

The problem during the day will be that in sunlight the rocks, logs etc. will also be warm, and the heating due to sunlight will rival and maybe exceed the residual battery heat. I have the Seek Thermal camera - I'll give it a go too.

Do you know how big of a temperature difference can it sense?

 

[sar104]

Do you know how big of a temperature difference can it sense?

They are quite sensitive - a couple of °C is no problem. But if the landscape is littered with objects of varying temperature that bracket the target, then it won't stand out like it would at night or in a cold environment.

 

[MavicCF]

They are quite sensitive - a couple of °C is no problem. But if the landscape is littered with objects of varying temperature that bracket the target, then it won't stand out like it would at night or in a cold environment.

That makes sense, thanks.

 

[netfolks2000]

This thread has had everything: drama, suspense, mystery, detective work, logic and a satisfactory ending to the story. It was better than reading a suspense novel. Sorry about the crash but glad you found it and are on the road to "recovery" and will fly again!!!

 

[MavicCF]

This thread has had everything: drama, suspense, mystery, detective work, logic and a satisfactory ending to the story. It was better than reading a suspense novel. Sorry about the crash but glad you found it and are on the road to "recovery" and will fly again!!!

I just read through it again and it is kinda fun! Thanks everyone for the support, y’all are awesome!

 

[sar104]

That makes sense, thanks.

Here are some representative thermal images after a 10 minute flight:


Mavic in flight - background in shade - artificial color

The aircraft is quite visible in this mode provided that it is warmer than the background.


After landing - right way up among rocks in full sun

Cooler than the surroundings.


After landing - upside down among rocks in full sun

The Mavic is still cooler than the surroundings.




Immediately after landing - upside down among rocks and vegetation in the shade.

Now the aircraft is hotter than the surroundings.

Conclusion - I think this would work quite well at night or in cold/cloudy weather. Solar heating of the ground is likely to produce higher temperatures than the aircraft itself.

 

[jerryflah]

That’s brilliant! I may have to try it out someday! The only problem (in my current case) is I don’t want to be up there after dark. We found this today along with lots of other sign. View attachment 37477

WOW I wouldn't be there in daylight!

 

[jimlips]

Wow, those are some really interesting rock formations! Never seen anything like that. Sorry for your crash, but thanks for posting the video! It always makes me fly more carefully when I read/see these.

 

[MavicCF]

Here are some representative thermal images after a 10 minute flight:

View attachment 37814
Mavic in flight - background in shade - artificial color

The aircraft is quite visible in this mode provided that it is warmer than the background.

View attachment 37817
After landing - right way up among rocks in full sun

Cooler than the surroundings.

View attachment 37815
After landing - upside down among rocks in full sun

The Mavic is still cooler than the surroundings.



View attachment 37816
Immediately after landing - upside down among rocks and vegetation in the shade.

Now the aircraft is hotter than the surroundings.

Conclusion - I think this would work quite well at night or in cold/cloudy weather. Solar heating of the ground is likely to produce higher temperatures than the aircraft itself.

Thanks for the analysis, useful knowledge for future reference especially if I (or others) start looking into those.