Magic Air takes off by itself and flies at me!

[Kilrah]

Wow - that is crazy if true. I never gave it permission to takeoff.

You did by starting the motors. You should never have them running anytime you're not intending to be in the air.

Sorry but this makes no sense. Do you think an plane, helicopter, car, motorcycle, lawnmower cannot idle without the system thinking it's running/flying?

Makes no sense to do that comparison. An electric car can't have its motors running without moving...

 

[MrRobville]

This is just a matter of misunderstanding on the drone's behavior. Not saying this is an obvious feature you would instantly come across, but it can be dangerous to assume a drone works exactly like you want it to. Especially when taking off from a boat, you need a thorough understanding of how the quad operates.

If you hand launch the drone a couple times on solid ground, you'd quickly notice that the MA does try to hold vertical position when idling. I pretty much always launch it like that, by simply dropping my hand quickly once it idles.
Like mentioned above, the MA has no idea it is on a boat. Once the props start spinning, it considers it a takeoff, which even should be audibly confirmed by the voice in DJI Go.
In that regard, I'm wondering why you'd need the props to idle for so long anyway? It's not a gas engine in mid winter.

Just to be clear, I could have made this mistake just as easily, and there are many other potential ones still to be made. That's why I don't takeoff from a boat until I have a full grasp of it to avoid surprises like this.

 

[Air Beetle]

Dude I’m a Pilot for prop planes, fighters and helicopters, an Engineer and Programmer in about every language and control system that exists the last 30 years. I’d agree with you if you were right.
I love this drone, it’s a great piece of equipment. Nothing is perfect. I agree it’s a great piece of equipment but I also agree there could be some improvements too. If you cannot agree to that, it’s fine. I always take responsibility for my actions and wasn’t blaming them for it, I was saying it happened and could be improved.
I really don’t care if you like it. Thanks all for the help.
S

You are scary then! You are telling us you get in your helicopter, spin up the rotors and then get out and walk around leaving the rotors spinning and no one at the controls. I'd love to see a video of that the next time you pilot a helicopter LOL. And you regularly spin up a prop plane or a fighter jet and then jump out? Since you are apparently a pilot, you of all people should know that after you call "clear prop" you "should" be piloting.

You screwed up royally so just admit it and move on. All the goofing around you did with your buddies on the screen can be done without the props spinning.

 

[wildlifr]

I pretty much always launch it like that, by simply dropping my hand quickly once it idles.

I never realized you could do this. Does the "take off" button on the app disappear when you do this?

 

[George_Grant]

I have a Mavic Pro. I have mounted the styrofoam float balls.
After using them for awhile I don't know why anyone doing any flying over water wouldn't have them!
They don't seem to noticeably effect the performance and make the drone easier to see.
I don't turn off any sensors and land on the water as I would on land, absolutely no issues. Interesting though, after a shutdown on the water
When I put it to idle, it will immediately lift into a low hover with no further control input. Not on land though.
LOVE the floats everyone needs them!

 

[MrRobville]

I never realized you could do this. Does the "take off" button on the app disappear when you do this?

I think it even already disappears if you manually turn on the propellers to have them idle, since DJI Go considers that as a takeoff already. The idle is pretty much just there so that the props are activated and can respond adequately to the control input.

As soon as the propellers kick in when lowering the quad during idle, it's airborne and you can let go of it.
I said quickly, but of course I mean a gentle but somewhat swift downward movement is enough to let it takeoff. It's not hard to master as you'll notice clearly when it throttles up.

 

[wildlifr]

I think it even already disappears if you manually turn on the propellers to have them idle, since DJI Go considers that as a takeoff already. The idle is pretty much just there so that the props are activated and can respond adequately to the control input.

As soon as the propellers kick in when lowering the quad during idle, it's airborne and you can let go of it.
I said quickly, but of course I mean a gentle but somewhat swift downward movement is enough to let it takeoff. It's not hard to master as you'll notice clearly when it throttles up.

Yes, that's true now that I think of it. That button disappears when you start the props.

 

[MavicCF]

You are scary then! You are telling us you get in your helicopter, spin up the rotors and then get out and walk around leaving the rotors spinning and no one at the controls. I'd love to see a video of that the next time you pilot a helicopter LOL. And you regularly spin up a prop plane or a fighter jet and then jump out? Since you are apparently a pilot, you of all people should know that after you call "clear prop" you "should" be piloting.

You screwed up royally so just admit it and move on. All the goofing around you did with your buddies on the screen can be done without the props spinning.

He had the controller in his hands the whole time, in your example, it would be like getting in a jet, spooling it up, and then sitting in idle while you ran a systems check. Suddenly, with no input, it goes to full throttle and rockets across the runway.

 

[Kilrah]

Except in a combustion engine having it run and warming it up is a requirement, on an electric device it is not. Procedures are not the same, and on the quad leaving it idle is not a thing you should do. Especially not on moving grounds.

 

[MrRobville]

He had the controller in his hands the whole time, in your example, it would be like getting in a jet, spooling it up, and then sitting in idle while you ran a systems check. Suddenly, with no input, it goes to full throttle and rockets across the runway.

With the Mavic Air (or any other (DJI) drone for that matter) that isn't required like Kilrah mentioned. When the props start spinning, that means you should've already done those checks.

 

[MavicCF]

With the Mavic Air (or any other (DJI) drone for that matter) that isn't required like Kilrah mentioned. When the props start spinning, that means you should've already done those checks.

The systems check was in reference to the jet.

I think the OP used a designated feature of the Mavic and it behaved contrary to how it should have and he is taking way too much flack over it.

Regardless of why he had it idling, it should not, of its own accord, switch from “On Ground” status to “Flying” status without user input, that’s just common sense.

 

[Kilrah]

It's jsut a misunderstanding that there actually is no "on ground" status, when you start the motors it's straight away in "flying" status.

You just don't leave a multicopter running on the ground ever.
With some DIY builds they may actually slowly throttle up and end up flipping after a while if you do so. Others have a safety system where if you don't increase throttle within 2 seconds after starting them they stop again.

 

[WayneMHK]

The systems check was in reference to the jet.

I think the OP used a designated feature of the Mavic and it behaved contrary to how it should have and he is taking way too much flack over it.

Regardless of why he had it idling, it should not, of its own accord, switch from “On Ground” status to “Flying” status without user input, that’s just common sense.

Actually, it behaved EXACTLY how it should have. The motors were armed, and when the boat dipped, it attempted to hold it's position. The A/C didn't fly at him, he moved into the A/C.

 

[dwallersv]

I agree - in fact it almost seems like the default setting should be "off". Operation from a moving boat must be a relatively common use case.

I agree that this is not an uncommon use case, but relatively speaking, I expect it's statistically rare. The vast majority of flights take off and land on the ground.

So the default use case should be ground flight, not moving platforms. And this is exactly how it's configured -- hold position and altitude. Of course, both of these features are problematic for a moving launch/land platform.

It would be nice if we could easily access ATTI mode, turning off position hold. The altitude hold thing is easily managed simply by hand launching.

 

[sar104]

It's jsut a misunderstanding that there actually is no "on ground" status, when you start the motors it's straight away in "flying" status.

You just don't leave a multicopter running on the ground ever.
With some DIY builds they may actually slowly throttle up and end up flipping after a while if you do so. Others have a safety system where if you don't increase throttle within 2 seconds after starting them they stop again.

While I agree that the aircraft should be considered in flight mode after motor start, in fact that's not correct - in the flight control software there is that exact flag - "ground" or "air". When the motors are started and idling the aircraft is still in "ground" status. If you execute a takeoff or drop it, as is effectively happening on a boat, the status changes to airborne.

 

[sar104]

I agree that this is not an uncommon use case, but relatively speaking, I expect it's statistically rare. The vast majority of flights take off and land on the ground.

So the default use case should be ground flight, not moving platforms. And this is exactly how it's configured -- hold position and altitude. Of course, both of these features are problematic for a moving launch/land platform.

It would be nice if we could easily access ATTI mode, turning off position hold. The altitude hold thing is easily managed simply by hand launching.

I'm sure you are correct in terms of the relative number of flights. But I don't think it's trying hold altitude after motor start and idle because if you raise or lower it slowly it doesn't react - I think it is specifically programmed to to detect being dropped, as detected by its accelerometers, and to treat that as a transition to flight.

 

[dwallersv]

I'm sure you are correct in terms of the relative number of flights. But I don't think it's trying hold altitude after motor start and idle because if you raise or lower it slowly it doesn't react - I think it is specifically programmed to to detect being dropped, as detected by its accelerometers, and to treat that as a transition to flight.

That makes sense, I'm going on (as everyone here) my experience with its behavior when I hand launch, which never includes any slow Tai Chi moves before launching

 

[MrRobville]

The systems check was in reference to the jet.

I think the OP used a designated feature of the Mavic and it behaved contrary to how it should have and he is taking way too much flack over it.

Regardless of why he had it idling, it should not, of its own accord, switch from “On Ground” status to “Flying” status without user input, that’s just common sense.

Though some of the response here is indeed uncalled for since this is a very easy mistake to make, this is in the end a pilot error as Mavic did indeed exactly do what it was supposed to do. Again, the Mavic doesn't know it is on a rocking boat. All it knows is that it's going down while the propellers are already initiated.
Hence why I mentioned before that it is paramount to thoroughly know the quad's behavior and the way it operates when planning to fly from a more tricky location like from a boat. The same goes with pilots who wonder why the quad landed right into the ocean, not knowing that they had drifted away from the homepoint.

Could DJI take moving platforms better into account? Perhaps, but that's a discussion for another day.

 

[MavicCF]

Though some of the response here is indeed uncalled for since this is a very easy mistake to make, this is in the end a pilot error as Mavic did indeed exactly do what it was supposed to do. Again, the Mavic doesn't know it is on a rocking boat. All it knows is that it's going down while the propellers are already initiated.
Hence why I mentioned before that it is paramount to thoroughly know the quad's behavior and the way it operates when planning to fly from a more tricky location like from a boat. The same goes with pilots who wonder why the quad landed right into the ocean, not knowing that they had drifted away from the homepoint.

Could DJI take moving platforms better into account? Perhaps, but that's a discussion for another day.

I do see (and take) your point, for hand dropping it is acting as designed. I think it would make more sence if it switched to "Air" mode as soon as you started the motors instead of staying in "Ground" mode. To me, if it knows it's on the ground, it should not be able to take off without a specific user command.
As the OP said, having an option to turn on and off the drop-to-launch option would be the best solution, in that case, the AC would have a designated command to start flying when dropped. -CF

 

[Chirp]

I hop

No Stripper shots unfortunately - but did get quite a few of the stripers! LOL

I hope you filed for the Part 107.68+1 Stripper Waiver

Sorry couldn't resist. Best of luck with that...