Maiden Flight Advice?

[jmt]

It was activated from the factory. You had me thinking, so I tracked down how to verify it and I'm all good.

Four flights down and only had the one hiccup with loss of signal. I may have not had the plug all the way into my phone.

Still looking for a way to reconnect if signal is lost. I have flown farther and higher than when I lost signal and had strong bars the whole time, even in the exact place where I lost connection before.

From your video, you're obviously fairly adept at flying low level. Your signal loss may have been due to ground clutter - bushes, trees and the like - as you get further out.

I often fly routes which are marginal for signal due to intervening terrain - (though flying behind hills is not usually a good idea). The saving factor is that the video feed usually starts to go before the control signal is lost. If you let go of the right stick and push up on the left to gain height, the bird still responds even though you can't see it doing so. After a couple of seconds it gains enough height for normal service to be resumed.

The main thing is not to be too heavy with the left stick or you will regain contact with the bird a lot higher than you expected.

If this doesn't work and the loss of signal continues, the drone will automatically go into Return to Home (RTH) mode. If you have set an appropriate RTH height, then it will rise to that height before starting back towards you. Contact will normally have been resumed by then and you can cancel the RTH and get on with the rest of the flight.

 

[Astom22]

From your video, you're obviously fairly adept at flying low level. Your signal loss may have been due to ground clutter - bushes, trees and the like - as you get further out.

I often fly routes which are marginal for signal due to intervening terrain - (though flying behind hills is not usually a good idea). The saving factor is that the video feed usually starts to go before the control signal is lost. If you let go of the right stick and push up on the left to gain height, the bird still responds even though you can't see it doing so. After a couple of seconds it gains enough height for normal service to be resumed.

The main thing is not to be too heavy with the left stick or you will regain contact with the bird a lot higher than you expected.

If this doesn't work and the loss of signal continues, the drone will automatically go into Return to Home (RTH) mode. If you have set an appropriate RTH height, then it will rise to that height before starting back towards you. Contact will normally have been resumed by then and you can cancel the RTH and get on with the rest of the flight.

Thanks for the great tips.

The incident was I was flying up high and not too far away, I was hovering and looking at something near me. Then "Grey screen" (like when you turn off the drone and it began return to home.

I think I mah have not had my phone securely plugged in and it momentarily lost contact with the RC.

If I lose contact and the Air is returning to home, is there a way to reconnect? Do I cycle the RC?

Thanks again.

 

[Donnie Frank]

Do it in a park with lots of room. Do that for at least 5 flights. Practice figure 8's.

 

[Drgnfli]

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Finally got the video uploaded. I have a long way to go as a video editor, but I am looking forward to learning that too.

Were those your cattle you flew near? I hope so or you might PO your neighbor by low flying over his stock... Just saying...

 

[Astom22]

Were those your cattle you flew near? I hope so or you might PO your neighbor by low flying over his stock... Just saying...

Oh yes, my father in laws. I have flown around them so much, they dont even flinch anymore.

With my fpv drones, I have gone and checked on cows for him in the past.

 

[Donnie Frank]

Those cows are clearly scared beyond the capacity for rational thought.

 

[Astom22]

You got me, I went back and rewatched my video. I don't think I had startled the cows. With the exception of the bull, I can walk up and let the majority of the cows on the farm. Docile future steaks, stress taints the meat, so we keep them fat and happy.

Those cows are clearly scared beyond the capacity for rational thought.

 

[charlas]

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Finally got the video uploaded. I have a long way to go as a video editor, but I am looking forward to learning that too.

One thing I would figure out to make your footage look a lot better instantly, figure colour grading out in Premiere, but good one

Also a couple of other things I've learnt whilst also joining the newbie crowd.

1. Slow down your inputs around the center, makes moves less jerky, and more stylish
2. In the same vane seriously reduce the gimbal speed
3. Shoot 180 to your frame rate to get the motion blur right (Cinematic Motion Blur - 180° Rule - Beyond The Time - a Timelapse blog by Tomasz Walczak)
4. Get some decent ND Filters (so you can implement rule 3)
5. Have fun and fly safe!

Welcome to the club

 

[Astom22]

One thing I would figure out to make your footage look a lot better instantly, figure colour grading out in Premiere, but good one

Also a couple of other things I've learnt whilst also joining the newbie crowd.

1. Slow down your inputs around the center, makes moves less jerky, and more stylish
2. In the same vane seriously reduce the gimbal speed
3. Shoot 180 to your frame rate to get the motion blur right (Cinematic Motion Blur - 180° Rule - Beyond The Time - a Timelapse blog by Tomasz Walczak)
4. Get some decent ND Filters (so you can implement rule 3)
5. Have fun and fly safe!

Welcome to the club

Thanks, I have adjusted my gimbal and yaw rate to make things smoother.

All my settings are now on manual as you suggested. I have a new software that should make post editing easier too. Picked up a set of ND filters as well.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I even adjusted my gopro settings to make the videos match up better when I edit them together.

 

[charlas]

Any time, always easier to shoot in a LOG format if it's available as welll (D-Cinelike on the Air) as colour grading is so much easier from a LOG format, so I do that with all my camera's (GoPro/Mavic/EOS's) and makes matching footage a lot easier.

I showed the difference colour grading can make here (Vivid colour with air and go4) in a recent thread where the person wanted vivid colours. Always easier to fix after the fact from a 'stable' base colour setting than trying to shoot as you want it out of the camera.

 

[charlas]

Oh, and yeah, if you don't want to go down the Premiere rabbit hole (I use Premiere, but hey) try Davinci Resolve (DaVinci Resolve 15 | Blackmagic Design) as it's free, and get's used in a lot of 'Hollywood' applications, it's a bit of a task to learn, but like everything else, learning it is half the fun

 

[Astom22]

Oh, and yeah, if you don't want to go down the Premiere rabbit hole (I use Premiere, but hey) try Davinci Resolve (DaVinci Resolve 15 | Blackmagic Design) as it's free, and get's used in a lot of 'Hollywood' applications, it's a bit of a task to learn, but like everything else, learning it is half the fun

That's the one I downloaded yesterday. I watched a guy doing his mountain bike gopro videos with it and he explained the most basic ways to get up and running quick.

I plan to get some footage in the next day or two and will post my results for more hints and tips.

My wife laughs at the rabbit holes I jump down with both feet. FPV racing drones, mountain biking (after a 20 year hiatus), 3d printers, '86 Jeep CJ, gimbal stabilized gopro filming while riding, that's just the ones in the last two years. So a new software to play with is a welcome new challenge.

Thanks again.

 

[Donnie Frank]

You got me, I went back and rewatched my video. I don't think I had startled the cows. With the exception of the bull, I can walk up and let the majority of the cows on the farm. Docile future steaks, stress taints the meat, so we keep them fat and happy.

I was joking.

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[Astom22]

I was joking.

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After the other guys comment about who owned the cattle, then yours, I thought maybe I had spooked one or two and hadn't noticed.

Here is when I spooked up a deer on the farm and chased it. Only to clip my vTX antenna on a wire and get taken out. Saw the wire at the lease second. That zmr was tough and didn't even break a prop in that crash. Swapped in a new battery and went right back up.

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[charlas]

That's the one I downloaded yesterday. I watched a guy doing his mountain bike gopro videos with it and he explained the most basic ways to get up and running quick.

I plan to get some footage in the next day or two and will post my results for more hints and tips.

My wife laughs at the rabbit holes I jump down with both feet. FPV racing drones, mountain biking (after a 20 year hiatus), 3d printers, '86 Jeep CJ, gimbal stabilized gopro filming while riding, that's just the ones in the last two years. So a new software to play with is a welcome new challenge.

Thanks again.

I'm a bit the same, I last edited with any vigor 2006/7, so it's been a nice learning exercise getting back into it, I stuck to Premiere as it's what I knew (well thought I did!) so stuck with it, and get educational discount so it's not expensive either (plus lots of guides around on how to do stuff etc).

Learn though and have fun! that's what it's all about, I'm just rendering my latest VLOG, and it's all about flying the drone, so I'll post a link when it's up..... and my wife says the exact same things about me when I get onto something new I want to learn, but wheres the fun in life if you don't constantly learn something

 

[charlas]

Uploaded : Just finishing Processing YouTube's end

New VLOG out, it's a 'geeky' one though, so warning in advance.

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[Astom22]

I'm a bit the same, I last edited with any vigor 2006/7, so it's been a nice learning exercise getting back into it, I stuck to Premiere as it's what I knew (well thought I did!) so stuck with it, and get educational discount so it's not expensive either (plus lots of guides around on how to do stuff etc).

Learn though and have fun! that's what it's all about, I'm just rendering my latest VLOG, and it's all about flying the drone, so I'll post a link when it's up..... and my wife says the exact same things about me when I get onto something new I want to learn, but wheres the fun in life if you don't constantly learn something

Do you teach? I have been an educator for 23 years now. I didn't know Premier had an educator discount, I will have to check that out too. I loaded the Devinci Resolve and now just need some footage to try it out with.

 

[Donnie Frank]

Do you teach? I have been an educator for 23 years now. I didn't know Premier had an educator discount, I will have to check that out too. I loaded the Devinci Resolve and now just need some footage to try it out with.

The educator discount is $21/month for the entire Adobe Suite.

 

[Astom22]

The educator discount is $21/month for the entire Adobe Suite.

Nice, if I don't get what I need from Resolve 15, that's another option. Plus, I think my school may have a license for Adobe, I will check after summer.

Thanks guys.

 

[charlas]

The educator discount is $21/month for the entire Adobe Suite.

Yup, that's what I'm on (18 quid a month in the UK)


Photoshop and aftereffects (still starting down that rabbit hole) are worth it too

I'm just re-uploading the video, as YouTube has done something terrible with it.. Re-encoding at a higher bit rate to see if it doesn't do it again.