Mavic mini - Flying in airplane mode

[Davidmito]

Hi all,
I have seen alot of people saying it is best to fly the mini with your phone in airplane mode to help improve signal stability etc. Is this advisable?

Also, I use to fly RC planes etc in the past, when powering everything on, the controller was always 1st on, last off.
When I do this with the mini it has difficulty connecting. I only every seem to get it to connect 1st attempt by turning the mini on 1st and then the controller.

 

[Dakarenduro]

I do not have a mini, but...
Airplane mode is advisable for all flying. Do you want a text, phone call, or something else start to ring on your phone when you are trying to fly? Or maybe have some weird phone/software/gofly scenario that causes the app to crash/shutdown...

I too am an old RCr. So for safety we always did RC on first and last off, to avoid any errant prop spins.

On my MA and M2, I also do RC first on and last off. I never have a problem connecting. Perhaps it is a Mini 'thing'?

 

[GerdS]

The power-on sequence with first turning transmitter on followed by turning the receiver on is a relict from analog r/c systems with "stupid" receivers which didn't know what do do in case they don't receive a valid signal.
This is no longer important for most digital systems, except for some special ones which reaquire a specific sequence for binding, e.g. Walkera Devo.

For using with a phone it is important to ensure that the phone is not radiating rf power on same frequency as the r/c system is using. As our drones usually are using either 2.4 or 6.8ghz and in case of MM the transmission is wifi based, it is sufficient to shut down wifi and maybe Bluetooth on your phone. Cell phone frequencies are away far enough to not disturb.

 

[Guitarzan]

As previously posted, "airplane" mode is merely to stop any incoming interference (calls, texts, etc.). Like the OP, I was an RC flyer back in the 80's when the transmitter and receiver were both analog, with little or no CPU (processor) reliance. This made for some enlightening moments at the airfield, when someone would power up their plane's receiver, without the radio being on, or even worse, powering up their radio transmitter without being in possession of the of the frequency flag for that particular channel! With today's aircraft and processors in aircraft, remote controller, and display device, ALL of them are "computer controlled" and by design, will not allow operation until all are "synced" up on same page for safety reasons.

 

[Davidmito]

Cheers guys. The manual wasnt very clear on these.

As this is my 1st drone...only had it about 2 weeks, I'm nervous flying it. Dont know why but I just have visions of it flying away if I get out of range etc, again think this is going back to my RC plane days, if your plane went out of range it just stuck with the last signal it was given. So each time I have been out I keep pushing a little further...but panic every time I get weak signal warning or when the picture gets laggy or starts breaking up.

Also I've noticed that it is always different depending on the direction i fly. Today, stood in the same spot on open land free of buildings or obstacles I was able to fly around 250m when I got weak signal warning, but then I turned and flew the opposite direction and got 500m.

 

[Camino Ken]

The reliability of the connection between the controller and the drone is a function of a number of variables. Line of sight/obstacles, antenna orientation, interference signals, temperature and humidity to name the significant ones.

 

[Davidmito]

Thanks for the support. One last question...while flying today it was very sunny, making the screen on my phone hard to see. Any tips?

 

[Thomas B]

Thanks for the support. One last question...while flying today it was very sunny, making the screen on my phone hard to see. Any tips?

Try a wide brimmed hat if you can’t stand in the shade.

 

[Gkinghrn]

And if you are in airplane mode you get no maps , unless you d/l for the area you intend to fly in ..

 

[Davidmito]

And if you are in airplane mode you get no maps , unless you d/l for the area you intend to fly in ..

I was thinking about that. Is it best to set up and do pre flight checks etc, making sure home point has been updated and then put into airplane mode just prior to flight?

 

[OldGuy]

Cheers guys. The manual wasnt very clear on these.

As this is my 1st drone...only had it about 2 weeks, I'm nervous flying it. Dont know why but I just have visions of it flying away if I get out of range etc, again think this is going back to my RC plane days, if your plane went out of range it just stuck with the last signal it was given. So each time I have been out I keep pushing a little further...but panic every time I get weak signal warning or when the picture gets laggy or starts breaking up.

Also I've noticed that it is always different depending on the direction i fly. Today, stood in the same spot on open land free of buildings or obstacles I was able to fly around 250m when I got weak signal warning, but then I turned and flew the opposite direction and got 500m.

If it helps. I was like you a few years back when I got my first drone. I’m an old R/C pilot from the ‘70’s. So when I lifted off on my first flight with my new drone my knuckles were white gripping the remote, beads of sweat were running down my face and I was close to panicking. Of course nothing happened and the drone just hung there a few feet in front of me and didn’t fly away as I feared it would. Now after several drones and many flights I just carry out the basic preflight checks, hover and check the satellites, signal strength, batteries etc and then fly off and have a good time. I’ve put the old R/C days behind me as you eventually will.

 

[Dronernator]

And if you are in airplane mode you get no maps , unless you d/l for the area you intend to fly in ..

I'm looking for this answer as well. I have an old phone I use for car satnav and the mini. In the car I tether it to my new phone but I'd prefer to have WiFi off with the mini.

Is it just a case of tethering it pre-launch to let Fly download the local area map or can anything be done before setting off to fly?

 

[Gkinghrn]

Not sure but pretty sure it uses Google Maps so I would do a d/l of maps there ..check it out then use the fly app and see the difference .lbut I was sure it used your google maps. But I could be wrong..