Lost Drone precautions

[Venezkudi]

Hello Friends

I bought a new Mavic Air 2s drone. I dont want the drone to get lost. Please let me know what precautions I should take?

Should I enable anything, so that logs are created? Pls advise.

Thanks
Venezkudi

 

[Meta4]

Should I enable anything, so that logs are created? Pls advise.

Your app will record the flight data every flight without you having to do anything.

 

[slup]

...I dont want the drone to get lost. Please let me know what precautions I should take?

As said ... flight logs are saved (all 3 of them...) automatically, 2 runs between power on to off & 1 between motor start to stop.

When it comes to precautions ... below you have a "Newbie Card", follow it & you will avoid the most common mishaps.


Read the user manual ...the thick downloadable one, not only the quick start, download here --> https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/DJI_Air_2S/DJI_Air_2S_User_Manual_v1.0_enIV.pdf

Power on in the right order ... First power on your RC & start the app ... after that, power on the drone (& do it on the spot you're going to take off from). Reverse order to shut down.

Preferably power on the drone keeping it horizontal in your out stretched hand (without watches, rings or other magnetic objects) … once the live view have turned up in your mobile device you can put it on ground for take-off. (This supports the point below …)

Before take-off ALWAYS ... add in one very easy check to avoid a really scary event coming from accidentally launching from a magnetic disturbed place with following flyaway at height in an uncontrollable circular or straight flight path. After powering on your drone, connected to your RC/app & placed it in the take-off spot ... but before lift-off, ALWAYS check that the drone icon on the map in your app is pointing equal in relation to other objects in the map as the drone does in reality ... if not, abort launch attempt, POWER DOWN & move away, power up again and repeat.

Keep well under the wind spec where you fly ... and please note that it's not only at ground, it's at the altitude where you fly. The winds up to 400ft are very different then on ground. Use for instance the UAV Forecast app where you can get a feeling about the winds on higher altitudes, but please note that it's forecasts we are speaking of, a bit of common sense is good to apply to that ... "better skip flying a windy day & fly more another".

Don't go & calibrate everything on a regularly basis ... why fix things that are working, it's just a higher risk that you by mistake calibrate your compass in a magnetic disturbed area & the drone goes haywire 10 meters up in the air. Calibrate IMU + compass according to user manual, keep away from magnetic things like cars, metal tables & reinforced concrete at take-off & compass calibrations. If the app recommend a compass calibration first power down & try another launch spot on a far distance from the first ... if calibration still is recommended by the app do it, but only then.

Don't launch in a hurry ... wait until you have at least 8, preferable 10 locked satellites & wait for the lady voice announce that the Home point has been updated, check then on the map that it's in the correct spot. Learn how the RTH function works (it can work differently depending on scenario), don't set the altitude for that unnecessary high, look around were you are going to fly and set it to clear the highest obstacle, to high & the drone risks a blow away.

Seek up a large open place ... a soccer field, free of obstacles & people. Test off every function one at a time until you fully understand how it works & the logic behind, confirm through the user manual if needed. Fly low, slow & near. And don’t try to fly indoors before you exactly know what makes these machines fly stable … you only risk your interior & to damage your drone in the process.

Take the claimed control distance from DJI with a pinch of salt ... only doable out in the countryside completely free of WiFi disturbance & obstacles in between the Remote & Aircraft.

Don't rely 100% on the obstacle avoidance sensors ... they are good & handy to have to perhaps save you when making a mistake, but they can't see everything, especially thin branches & wires so don't think they will allow your drone to just bounce away from everything all the time. Also note that they need plenty of light to work properly, too dark & they will turn off.

The Pause button on the RC ... It's a handy one, it will stop all automated modes immediately (if you have GPS coverage). Place your thumb on that when you initiate an automated flight mode & be prepare to stop it if too close to a tree for instance.

Don't use the RTH button as a "panic button" it's usually the weakest mode of them all ... you will always have access to more power in the manual modes ... if slow against a bit to strong head wind, go for Sport mode, drop altitude & manoeuvre the drone home manually.

Learn the rules & regulations ... keep the drone within Visual line of sight & respect max altitudes, if you can't avoid going out of visual keep it at least in line of sight (unobstructed line between Remote & Aircraft even though you don't see it) so you don’t lose the connection.

 

[Tarmactripper]

As said ... flight logs are saved (all 3 of them...) automatically, 2 runs between power on to off & 1 between motor start to stop.

When it comes to precautions ... below you have a "Newbie Card", follow it & you will avoid the most common mishaps.


Read the user manual ...the thick downloadable one, not only the quick start, download here --> https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/DJI_Air_2S/DJI_Air_2S_User_Manual_v1.0_enIV.pdf

Power on in the right order ... First power on your RC & start the app ... after that, power on the drone (& do it on the spot you're going to take off from). Reverse order to shut down.

Preferably power on the drone keeping it horizontal in your out stretched hand (without watches, rings or other magnetic objects) … once the live view have turned up in your mobile device you can put it on ground for take-off. (This supports the point below …)

Before take-off ALWAYS ... add in one very easy check to avoid a really scary event coming from accidentally launching from a magnetic disturbed place with following flyaway at height in an uncontrollable circular or straight flight path. After powering on your drone, connected to your RC/app & placed it in the take-off spot ... but before lift-off, ALWAYS check that the drone icon on the map in your app is pointing equal in relation to other objects in the map as the drone does in reality ... if not, abort launch attempt, POWER DOWN & move away, power up again and repeat.

Keep well under the wind spec where you fly ... and please note that it's not only at ground, it's at the altitude where you fly. The winds up to 400ft are very different then on ground. Use for instance the UAV Forecast app where you can get a feeling about the winds on higher altitudes, but please note that it's forecasts we are speaking of, a bit of common sense is good to apply to that ... "better skip flying a windy day & fly more another".

Don't go & calibrate everything on a regularly basis ... why fix things that are working, it's just a higher risk that you by mistake calibrate your compass in a magnetic disturbed area & the drone goes haywire 10 meters up in the air. Calibrate IMU + compass according to user manual, keep away from magnetic things like cars, metal tables & reinforced concrete at take-off & compass calibrations. If the app recommend a compass calibration first power down & try another launch spot on a far distance from the first ... if calibration still is recommended by the app do it, but only then.

Don't launch in a hurry ... wait until you have at least 8, preferable 10 locked satellites & wait for the lady voice announce that the Home point has been updated, check then on the map that it's in the correct spot. Learn how the RTH function works (it can work differently depending on scenario), don't set the altitude for that unnecessary high, look around were you are going to fly and set it to clear the highest obstacle, to high & the drone risks a blow away.

Seek up a large open place ... a soccer field, free of obstacles & people. Test off every function one at a time until you fully understand how it works & the logic behind, confirm through the user manual if needed. Fly low, slow & near. And don’t try to fly indoors before you exactly know what makes these machines fly stable … you only risk your interior & to damage your drone in the process.

Take the claimed control distance from DJI with a pinch of salt ... only doable out in the countryside completely free of WiFi disturbance & obstacles in between the Remote & Aircraft.

Don't rely 100% on the obstacle avoidance sensors ... they are good & handy to have to perhaps save you when making a mistake, but they can't see everything, especially thin branches & wires so don't think they will allow your drone to just bounce away from everything all the time. Also note that they need plenty of light to work properly, too dark & they will turn off.

The Pause button on the RC ... It's a handy one, it will stop all automated modes immediately (if you have GPS coverage). Place your thumb on that when you initiate an automated flight mode & be prepare to stop it if too close to a tree for instance.

Don't use the RTH button as a "panic button" it's usually the weakest mode of them all ... you will always have access to more power in the manual modes ... if slow against a bit to strong head wind, go for Sport mode, drop altitude & manoeuvre the drone home manually.

Learn the rules & regulations ... keep the drone within Visual line of sight & respect max altitudes, if you can't avoid going out of visual keep it at least in line of sight (unobstructed line between Remote & Aircraft even though you don't see it) so you don’t lose the connection.

So very well put !!

 

[Meta4]

Power on in the right order ... First power on your RC & start the app ... after that, power on the drone (& do it on the spot you're going to take off from). Reverse order to shut down.

There is no "right order" for powering on.
Power on in any order and it makes no difference.
Powering on the drone first allows greater time for the drone to acquire GPS signals and record a home point.

 

[Robert Prior]

In addition to what slup said, try to develop a routine. You are less likely to forget a step if you do everything in the same order each time. (Or use a checklist — there's a reason pilots have them!)

Go slowly and carefully at first. As you get used to flying you will naturally gain confidence, so don't feel the need to push yourself. You'll get there.

 

[slup]

There is no "right order" for powering on.

In a way you're correct... but as the "greater" time for letting the drone "go first" in order to acquire satellites is pretty much negligible (what can it take to turn the RC & app on... a couple of seconds?), it's more valuable to have the app running before the drone in order to be certain to record everything from the very beginning in the DAT log... this if some incident occurs that needs to be investigated.

That's why I propose a newbie to adapt that habit from the beginning,

 

[Meta4]

it's more valuable to have the app running before the drone in order to be certain to record everything from the very beginning in the DAT log... this if some incident occurs that needs to be investigated.

And that would happen almost never.

The extra time for GPS acquisition is useful when you haven't flown for a while or have travelled far from your last flight location, otherwise it's not important.

 

[TruGreen]

Put your phone number on the outside of the drone, save a file in the internal storage along with the sd card that has your contact info as well. Can also have the file saved to show a reward for returning. Anything is helpful to allow someone to be able to contact you in the event of a fly away or crash

 

[slup]

And that would happen almost never.

The extra time for GPS acquisition is useful when you haven't flown for a while or have travelled far from your last flight location, otherwise it's not important.

The extra saved time for GPS acquisition will always be a matter of seconds at most, this as it's just about starting the RC & the app ... but when it comes to having a complete DAT log saved when you stand there & have had an incident is far more valuable that one time when you're the unlucky one & wonder what happened or dealing with DJI. And it's equal important for the same reason to power on the drone in the take off location ... not inside your house before the RC & app, your car or on something that might have disturbed the compass & make the IMU initialization fail... then carry the drone to another place for take off. (The later really important if it's a M2P/Z as they can correct a yaw error by a re-initialization of the IMUyaw if the drone isn't moved after power on)

I don't know what drone flying is for you... but think it's a relaxing activity for most & saving a couple of seconds doesn't matter, I imagine very few hunts to save seconds when it's time for take-off.

If you read the OP's post again ... he asks about logs & precautions, not how to save some seconds.

 

[Meta4]

Hello Friends

I bought a new Mavic Air 2s drone. I dont want the drone to get lost. Please let me know what precautions I should take?

Do your early flying in a large, open area, well away from trees, buildings and other obstacles.
It's hard to get into trouble when there's nothing to hit.
Don't get too adventurous, too early and learn how the drone works, what it can and what it cannot do.
Learn from incident and lost drone reports here, to find out some of the things that can go wrong and how to make sure they don't go wrong for you.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Read through the manual (already mentioned) and question everything you even suspect that you do not understand.
In my case asking such questions or trying to replicate, in practise flights, what I was unclear about has often revealed surprising behaviour and you want to encounter surprising behaviour for the first time in a safe place and not a 'real' flight.
For the same reason I advocate practising all the RTH behaviours in a safe place before you use them for real.

An addendum to Slup's "Keep well under the wind spec where you fly ." ........
Read up on how to deal with unexpected high speed wind.
Thinking along those lines, do not set unnecessarily high RTH heights, as the drone may then climb into high speed wind.
Do not fly long distance outbound legs DOWNWIND especially when the battery is partially discharged, more than a few drones have been lost because the batteries were drained to exhaustion during an upwind return to safety.


Whilst not loss prevention the following are good practices.
Backup video after every flying session or, if one flight contains unrepeatable footage, that flight. Some people may go as far as using a fresh memory card for each flight.
Run a screen capture app.

As said ...

Superb post.

 

[Meta4]

Keep well under the wind spec where you fly

There is no "wind spec" for any DJI drone.
DJI list what they call Max WInd Resistance in the specs, but it's a mistake to think you can't fly if the wind is stronger and that any flying is OK below that number.
The number DJI give is the max strength wind for which a given drone can hold position hovering in Normal Mode.

You might safely fly upwind in winds of this strength (or more) and you could get into trouble if you flew longer distances downwind in winds of a lesser strength.
There is no single wind strength that determines whether it is safe to fly.
It takes time to build experience and learn how wind affects your drone.
Whether you should/shouldn't fly in a given wind depends on wind strength, distance direction and battery level.
The important basic question to consider is: How will the wind affect my flight home.

 

[slup]

There is no "wind spec" for any DJI drone.
DJI list what they call Max WInd Resistance in the specs, but it's a mistake to think you can't fly if the wind is stronger and that any flying is OK below that number.
The number DJI give is the max strength wind for which a given drone can hold position hovering in Normal Mode.

You might safely fly upwind in winds of this strength (or more) and you could get into trouble if you flew longer distances downwind in winds of a lesser strength.
There is no single wind strength that determines whether it is safe to fly.
It takes time to build experience and learn how wind affects your drone.
Whether you should/shouldn't fly in a given wind depends on wind strength, distance direction and battery level.
The important basic question to consider is: How will the wind affect my flight home.

You just don't get it do you..?

Giving a newbie the complete Bible to drone flying at once will not make him stay out of harms way, it will only confuse. The intention is to make his drone survive long enough so he have time to get an understanding of all different scenarios & finer details.

If they are keeping "well under" what's stated in the manual, hopefully that mean that they understand that the wind needs to be considered, hopefully that saves them.

 

[Meta4]

You just don't get it do you..?

I do get it.
Providing confusing misinformation is not a good idea.
Already many fliers imagine the number in the specs is a fly/no fly number and this is very wrong.

Giving a newbie the complete Bible to drone flying at once will not make him stay out of harms way,

Like post #3 ??

If they are keeping "well under" what's stated in the manual, hopefully that mean that they understand that the wind needs to be considered, hopefully that saves them.

My post made that very clear as well as clearing up confusion caused by misinformation.

 

[slup]

I do get it.
Providing confusing misinformation is not a good idea.
Already many fliers imagine the number in the specs is a fly/no fly number and this is very wrong.


Like post #3 ??

My post made that very clear as well as clearing up confusion caused by misinformation.

You're just boosting your ego right now... misinformation & shallower information aren't the same.

Please do continue to provide deeper explanations, but skip that "finger pointing" you usually put great effort in doing.

 

[Meta4]

Please do continue to provide deeper explanations, but skip that "finger pointing" you usually put great effort in doing.

I'm not doing anything any different, but you seem to be doing the finger pointing.