Mavic Pro 2 lost at sea - what could I have done differently

[sar104]

In still air, Sport Mode is not the most economical mode.
It burns the battery faster and you cover less distance than at full speed in P-GPS mode.

It may depend on the model. At least for some models the optimum tilt for flight distance exceeds that available in P-GPS mode.

 

[Nosebump]

Thanks for your to the point responses. Does this mean if right away I had flicked it to sports mode I might still have a drone...?

Yes. Sport mode would almost double your drone’s speed.It appears that you are the victim of a common scenario. Wind can and will overpower a drone. Try arranging your flights so that you fly into the wind on your outbound leg, then return with the wind. -I know, it’s not what your mind wants to do to capture that cinematic event, but it’ll give you an idea of how your drone will perform, and you’ll still have a drone.

As far as your lost signal issue, that also is common, since “atmospherics” can affect transmission. I’ve had it happen to me. The first response would be to climb until signal is regained, but then you would be faced with increased winds (-Again, why you should fly into the wind on an outbound leg).

 

[BlackViperXI]

Every thread on this forum is always a nice learning experience.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[GadgetGuy]

It may depend on the model. At least for some models the optimum tilt for flight distance exceeds that available in P-GPS mode.

Do we have a chart showing optimum speed for each aircraft to maximize flight distance? My understanding is that 31mph is pretty close to the optimum speed for this purpose on most models, including the M2, MP, P4P, P4 and P3P.

 

[bigswifty]

In still air, Sport Mode is not the most economical mode.
It burns the battery faster and you cover less distance than at full speed in P-GPS mode.

If you go flat out. If you use restraint and fly at the most economical speed, but in Sport mode, I think you would use less battery because the vision systems are not being powered. Might be minuscule but would be interesting to know. Also .... Sport Mode+Restraint is something I would find challenging.

 

[E90RAW]

In still air, Sport Mode is not the most economical mode.
It burns the battery faster and you cover less distance than at full speed in P-GPS mode.

You mean you cover more distance but burn more battery?

 

[sar104]

Do we have a chart showing optimum speed for each aircraft to maximize flight distance? My understanding is that 31mph is pretty close to the optimum speed for this purpose on most models, including the M2, MP, P4P, P4 and P3P.

I don't, but there have been discussions on this relating to individual aircraft. See this thread, for example:

I thought I had plenty of reserve to return...and the forced landing warning was inducing panic

I think it's an entrance to an underwater tunnel?It is. Out on a bridge then into a tunnel and out to another bridge, I think.

mavicpilots.com

 

[GadgetGuy]

You mean you cover more distance but burn more battery?

He means at a given battery level, the burn rate on the battery at full speed in Sport Mode will exceed the gain in distance covered by the higher Sport Mode speed. With limited remaining battery, Sport Mode, in still air, is less efficient, to make it back. Use the slower P-GPS at full speed to cover more total distance, at any given battery level.

"In still air, Sport Mode is not the most economical mode.
It burns the battery faster and you cover less distance than at full speed in P-GPS mode."

 

[Gryphon962]

He means at a given battery level, the burn rate on the battery at full speed in Sport Mode will exceed the gain in distance covered by the higher Sport Mode speed. With limited remaining battery, Sport Mode, in still air, is less efficient, to make it back. Use the slower P-GPS at full speed to cover more total distance, at any given battery level.

"In still air, Sport Mode is not the most economical mode.
It burns the battery faster and you cover less distance than at full speed in P-GPS mode."

In still air, true. But the main thing that pushes users to use Sport mode is the wind.

What we need is an analysis of range vs various windspeeds for sport mode and p mode.

As a guess, I would expect that if the headwind is greater than half the still air speed in p mode, then sport mode will give you more into wind range.

What I can say with certainty is that i the headwind is greater than speed in p mode, then flying is p mode is a complete waste of time.

 

[Horus303]

@slup With all due respect, your analysis is quite good. However, I would like to offer some practical advice from a long time telemetry analyst. Extreme detail in every analysis is quite often ( More times than not ) unnecessary. You should consider that any OP who may ask for assistance may not fully grasp the concept of such a detailed report and lead to confusion. I admit that I have made that same mistake a few times. Stick to the point, and as the old saying goes ( KISS ), such that the pilot requests can be answered in simple terms that are easily understandable. Also for other pilots that may read the thread and not understand the fine details. Just a bit of advice. Nothing else....??

@slup just wanted to say I'm also a newbie and not technically well versed in telemetry, I follow those threads as a "Training guide" to know what to do in those situations. I have to say that slup's report was pretty understandable and actually informative for me, less details would have left me wondering about stuff like why RTH is better in some situations and why sports mode is the better option etc.
I know my post has nothing to do with the OP but I wanted to let you guys, the experts, offering help to know that we appreciate your input and the details of what happens under the hood. so thank you all.