Mavic Air 2 climbing terrain

[RDNelson]

I wanted to find if anyone had a workaround for climbing terrain. There is a lake in Maine that I frequent that has an island with 800-900 foot vertical faces. Taking off from water surface, I am limited to 400 AGL, which would appear to be referenced from my home point.

Taking off from the top of the island I have no such issue. as I can drop altitude more than 400 feet.

Is there a flight adjustment to adjust the AGL elevation to reflect variations in terrain?

Video of Kineo Mountain

 

[mavic3usa]

You said "I am limited to 400 AGL, which would appear to be referenced from my home point."

Is there some sort of limitation in your drone software that will not allow you to increase your height above 400? You are correct that this number would reflect the height from your take off point (or home point). But you are legally allowed to keep climbing beyond 400 as long as the ground below also climbs and you keep the gap consistent with 400 or less. If the side of the rock is 90 degree sheer face, I would say get as close as you can to the face and then rise up to the top about 1000 indicated on your controller.

 

[Meta4]

Is there a flight adjustment to adjust the AGL elevation to reflect variations in terrain?

The height you see on the screen is the height relative to your launch point.
The drone has no way to tell how high it is above the terrain below, so you have to estinate that.

The drone has two height limits.
One is a hardwired maximum height of 1640 feet higher than where you launch.
The other is a user-configurable Max Altitude Limit, which has a default setting of 400 feet, but you can adjust it to whatever height you like up to a max of 1640 ft.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Is there a flight adjustment to adjust the AGL elevation to reflect variations in terrain?

No there is not, you carry what adjustment there is in your head.

BTW in the USA you are probably flying illegally if you fly off the top of a 400ft+cliff, where cliff means a vertical face, and out beyond the cliff face into open air but someone would have to be a jobsworth to pull you on it ...... unless something untoward were to happen as a consequence and then you might be in it up to your neck.

If the "cliff" is not vertical but steeply sloped then it might, legally, be possible to fly up the slope providing that a 400ft long plumb line hanging from the bottom of the drone was in contact with the slope.

 

[mavic3usa]

No there is not, you carry what adjustment there is in your head.

BTW in the USA you are probably flying illegally if you fly off the top of a 400ft+cliff, where cliff means a vertical face, and out beyond the cliff face into open air but someone would have to be a jobsworth to pull you on it ...... unless something untoward were to happen as a consequence and then you might be in it up to your neck.

If the "cliff" is not vertical but steeply sloped then it might, legally, be possible to fly up the slope providing that a 400ft long plumb line hanging from the bottom of the drone was in contact with the slope.

Because of the misunderstand with AGL, many people do this all the time; you can see it in their YT videos. Find the highest point in the city (ground or building) to launch from and then simply fly off into the wild blue yonder for a mile or two while going no higher than 400 indicated on the controller thinking they are still legal (where 400 AGL laws exist); notwithstanding the minor exception for part 107 pilots in non-restricted airspace.

 

[GadgetGuy]

The height you see on the screen is the height relative to your launch point.
The drone has no way to tell how high it is above the terrain below, so you have to estinate that.

The drone has two height limits.
One is a hardwired maximum height of 1640 feet higher than where you launch.
The other is a user-configurable Max Altitude Limit, which has a default setting of 400 feet, but you can adjust it to whatever height you like up to a max of 1640 ft.

Under the more recent FW's, DJI now offers a 1000m hardwired maximum height, as long as you are over 50km from the nearest airport. It's more annoying than beneficial, because it creates a new gray 500m altitude zone everywhere else, which used to be clear, when the hardwired maximum was 500m everywhere.

 

[a2tomm]

Truly Gods Country ,Beautiful stuff there my young brother

 

[bmwbob]

I take my Air 2 to 1600 feet climbing an adjacent mountain where the factory limit stops it.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I take my Air 2 to 1600 feet climbing an adjacent mountain where the factory limit stops it.

Like most areas in CA, you are likely still within 50km of some airport limited to 500m. This new 1000m limit is only available way out in the boonies, away from civilization like in remote areas of Alaska, where there are no airports within 50km!

 

[bmwbob]

Like most areas in CA, you are likely still within 50km of some airport limited to 500m. This new 1000m limit is only available way out in the boonies, away from civilization like in remote areas of Alaska, where there are no airports within 50km!

Drone is within 100 feet of a mountain at all times and in the boonies

 

[tokertm]

I take my Air 2 to 1600 feet climbing an adjacent mountain where the factory limit stops it.

Have a look at drone-hacks.com then you can unlock it to climb to the top and beyond. I now regularly fly up and down any mountain with no worries of it's height, always stay close to it too so I'm not randomly out in a valley. My max is up one of the Austrian Alps about 2.4km up