Mini 2 non responsive to go lower in alt.

Greatfullded · Jan 7, 2022

I wanted to fly my drone above the fog tonite but i took it to abt 200ft and adjusted my camera settings to night shots but for some reason i decided to take drown down
lower to see the street lights better to adjust the setting but drone didnt move just hovered there i could move it in all directions but to get it to go lower in alt was non responsive.. but then after a min it then started to lower in alt and i was able to land it, has anyone experience this..

old man mavic · Jan 7, 2022

@Greatfullded when you flew above the fog layer this fooled the sensors into thinking the fog was the ground
flying in fog is not really a good idea on many levels

Phantomrain.org · Jan 7, 2022

So dense fog and even really heavy snow can fake out the VPS sensor into thinking that it was the ground and this caused the drone to delay coming down. Best thing to do is fly back up and than descend quickly thru it. Imagine it a white river and the drone dont want to land in it .

If you want to fly in the fog recommend you cover the landing sensor so it does not get confused.
You also might want to watch for Moisture .

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mini 2 in the Rain.

slup · Jan 7, 2022

Phantomrain.org said:
...Best thing to do is fly back up and than descend quickly thru it.

If this would be possible (which it isn't) you could do the same even though you actually have the real ground below the drone ... & crash hard.

With activated VPS sensors, luckily that's not the case. No matter which descend speed you have, when the VPS sensor sees something close enough below, it will brake & descend slowly to 0,5m above whatever it is & then after applying constant throttle down for 3sec ... the auto landing procedure starts.

Phantomrain.org · Jan 7, 2022

I spent some time in what I would call some fog and I am basing it on my recent experience with the M3 , when I was whipping around in sport mode i was fine but when I did start to hover, and the drone did not respond , i went up and came down hard thru the fog fast , I think fog can be Negotiated somewhat by flying thru it but not stopping to hover in it giving the drone time to get confused. I want to spend more time in the Fog but this was the first I have seen in 3 years so might be awhile .

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain and Fog.

Meta4 · Jan 7, 2022

Phantomrain.org said:
I think fog can be Negotiated somewhat by flying thru it but not stopping to hover in it giving the drone time to get confused.

Hovering or not shouldn't make any difference.
Finding a less dense patch in the fog would.
Your flight data might show a difference in what the VPS sensors were seeing.

Greatfullded · Jan 7, 2022

Ty for the tip and possible problem.. i was thinking that too.. since it was just hovering thinking it was at ground level.. did this before and had no problems but will be more careful... ty members...

i just flew my drone just now and it went up 4-600 feet and did a orbit and came straight down NP.. so had to been the dam fog..

Greatfullded · Jan 7, 2022

Phantomrain.org said:
I spent some time in what I would call some fog and I am basing it on my recent experience with the M3 , when I was whipping around in sport mode i was fine but when I did start to hover, and the drone did not respond , i went up and came down hard thru the fog fast , I think fog can be Negotiated somewhat by flying thru it but not stopping to hover in it giving the drone time to get confused. I want to spend more time in the Fog but this was the first I have seen in 3 years so might be awhile .

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Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain and Fog.

i guessed you had the same problems as i did... i had success with ground fog which i could see the moon thru it so i knew it was ground.. and NP. but last night was a nightmare...

MS Coast · Jan 7, 2022

Greatfullded said:
Ty for the tip and possible problem.. i was thinking that too.. since it was just hovering thinking it was at ground level.. did this before and had no problems but will be more careful... ty members...

i just flew my drone just now and it went up 4-600 feet and did a orbit and came straight down NP.. so had to been the dam fog..

I not playing drone police, but I'm wondering if you're aware of the 400' AGL maximum flight altitude? I see that you're new to the forum, so perhaps you're new to flying drones, too. If so, please check on the FAA's TRUST certificate. It's required for all recreational drone flights and provides a good introduction to the basic regulations. Getting certified online is quick, straightforward, and informative. And it's free and fail-proof.

Fly safely. Have fun.

Greatfullded · Jan 7, 2022

Yep i know.. just driving 55 mph on the frwy.. most go over a little... i usually under 400 feet anyways.. you get better shots and most of our shots are ground based anyways. 200 feet is a great alt for shots.. also you dont drive 55 all the way to point a to b urself.. case closed.. but i know the rules.. have to.. i live in the city of Los Angeles.. i wish i was in a corn field in Iowa.. Also like 99% of the members prolly flew their drones abt 400ft for curiosity... and they all know the rules too..

Meta4 · Jan 7, 2022

Greatfullded said:
Ty for the tip and possible problem.. i was thinking that too.. since it was just hovering thinking it was at ground level.. ...

i just flew my drone just now and it went up 4-600 feet and did a orbit and came straight down NP.. so had to been the dam fog..

If it was due to fog, this would be easily confirmed in the recorded flight data.
Likewise if it wasn't due to fog.
But without checking flight data, it's just a guess.

Greatfullded · Jan 7, 2022

Meta4 said:
If it was due to fog, this would be easily confirmed in the recorded flight data.
Likewise if it wasn't due to fog.
But without checking flight data, it's just a guess.

Ya.. thats the consensus with the members too.. and i agree... ty for the reply...

Mavic Merrick · Jun 6, 2022

Not supposed to fly in fog… you know the whole VLOS thing? To me, that rule means you don’t have to be able to see the actual drone but you must be able to see where it is unobstructed. If you are flying in the fog there is no way you can see the drone with your eyes and you also cannot see out of your camera. No way to know if a manned aircraft is flying toward you. Bad idea and do not do again please. Also, go get your TRUST certificate so you can know all the rules and be a legal pilot. Sorry to be strict (I know I am not the police) but I want you to be safe and legal.
Happy flying!

Phantomrain.org · Jun 6, 2022

Greatfullded said:
I wanted to fly my drone above the fog tonite but i took it to abt 200ft and adjusted my camera settings to night shots but for some reason i decided to take drown down
lower to see the street lights better to adjust the setting but drone didnt move just hovered there i could move it in all directions but to get it to go lower in alt was non responsive.. but then after a min it then started to lower in alt and i was able to land it, has anyone experience this..

Both the fog and rain can have this effect on the Sensors causing a forced landing but you can negotiate it as long as your aware of what is happening

There is some Fog that you can fly over , but than again there is some Fog , like the black pearl fog where you will never be seen again.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.