Mini 4 Pro Landing Pause, Option to Turn It Off?

[Brian_MavicPro]

I have been flying DJI since the Phantom FC40. I have had two crashes in all those years and each have been on a watercraft. The most recent was my DJI Mini 4 Pro. I am curious if anyone has experienced a similar situation when out on the water. I took off in alligator-infested Lake Okeechobee, FL. I wanted to film the numerous gators swimming around me. So, I launched from the rear of my Seadoo. I had plenty of room, done it before numerous times before. However, this was a wee bit different. Although on a lake and in a side channel, I did not recognize that there was a current. Must have been caused by the draining of the lake through the locks they have. So, when I tried to land after my filming, I was able to bring it right back and place it over the tail of the jet ski. However, the drone will not land until it hovers for about 3-4 seconds while it senses the ground, then it commits to the landing. Well, the Seadoo would float just enough in that short time to cause the drone to be hovering over water as the Seadoo floated away. I even thought I was a genius and tried to place it forward of the Seadoo. I would either catch it or allow it to land on the tail...nope. The drone detected the changes in elevation from the bow of my jet ski, to the height of my head, to the hight of the seat, then to the rear deck...at no time was there complete stillness for it to remain with the jet ski for 3-4 solid seconds of the exact landing height...so, it would not land until it was over water again.....and it did. lol. Buh Bye. I guess DJI insurance calls it a fly away but I was not going to fetch it. Sunk like a rock, and the water clarity is that of mud. Taking in the area around me, there were no less than 4 alligators within 30 feet. NO SIR! The lake takes that one. NOW! Can anyone tell me if there is a way to force the drone to land even though it wants to sense, measure, pause, etc? I know how to land a drone on a dime..even while moving. The problem is, the drone does not want any movement of the terrain below. If I could disable this so called feature, I would still have my drone. I could have simply hand caught it or dropped it quickly onto the rear deck. I had no chance to do it though. The drone refuses to land until it sees steady terrain with no height variance. Just like when you go to hand catch, it pauses for what seems like eternity before it commits to land in your hand. I am so frustrated because that was my one fly away coverage and when you add up the cost of the warranty and the cost of the replacement...I have spent just over $300 to get a new drone back. Althoug cheaper than a refurbished Mini 4 Pro...it hurts the wallet and now I am out big time should I actually have a real fly away. I will have jump in gator infested water if it happens next time, lol.

 

[Brian_MavicPro]

So...it turns out that, according to a random AI generated query about this topic, I may have found a solution. However, have not tested it. Holding the left stick down overrides the avoidance sensors but NOT UNTIL 5 seconds pass. This would not work in my scenario, as this is exactly what I did, I keep the stick held down from the moment I wish to commit to a landing, it refuses, lol. So, the secondary solution is the one that interests me. It says to put the drone into sport mode to avoid having those sensors function. Thus, it should stick a landing exactly when you tell it to. Again, i have not tested AI's solution but it may work come to think of it.

 

[BossBob]

Yes, I would say that the AI is correct but like you, I much prefer to be the one to tell my drone when to land and hate the pause between pulling down the left stick and the manoeuvre taking place. I was able to turn off landing protection on my Mavic Pro but that isn’t possible on the Mini 4 Pro, (or if it is I’ve not discovered the settings yet!).