MP Obstacle Sensors

[Sportking]

Can a Mavic Pro inadvertently fly into a NFZ if forward obstacle sensors are turned off? Or can the obstacle sensors prevent me from entering a NFZ?

I normally fly with sensors off, and a few weeks ago My drone did a forced self landing because the message told me I was in NFZ. I am still trying to figure out why it did that since I was not within the NFZ according to Go4 map.

Thanks for any information.

Sporting

 

[Mossiback]

OA is not related to NFZ and NFZ is not a part of Go 4 maps (at least, not in my Here map version). The NFZ's are in a database that is updated from time-to-time whereas your maps may not be. Every time I start up I am notified that a NFZ update is available. I ignore it and fly. I do not want my NFZ database updated because it now allows me to fly where I want.

 

[BD0G]

Forward obstacle sensors are not what determines if one is at the boundary of or within a NFZ. This is accomplished using the GPS coordinates and correlating them with nearby NFZ. Turning on or off the forward obstacle sensors should not play a part in determining NFZ

 

[okw]

If you consider the side of a building as an NFZ, then the Obstacle Avoidance sensors would keep you from flying into it.

 

[Congoblue]

There have been a few reports on here of a mavic suddenly deciding it's in an nfz which appears out of nowhere and landing immediately with no user control. If you have logs report it to DJI

 

[Sportking]

There have been a few reports on here of a mavic suddenly deciding it's in an nfz which appears out of nowhere and landing immediately with no user control. If you have logs report it to DJI

Thanks, that's exactly what happened to me a few weeks ago, and I almost lost my MP when it landed in a tree in a forested area. My map showed me that my drone was more than a mile outside the Houston IAH NFZ. Now I am very gunshy about flying over trees and water, etc. Fortunately my drone was undamaged when I recovered it.

I have that flight log on my IPad mini and would report it to DJI if I knew how.

At that time, I had made over 140 flights without any incidents.

Sportking.

 

[AnzacJack]

But how does it see the geo-fence with no OA sensors

Joking of course

 

[Sportking]

I was wondering the same thing. I guess the compass and gps tells the flight controller of the geofence and the flight controller stops or lands the drone.

Isn't the MP supposed to be prevented from entering the NFZ in the first place?

A drone that I had built using an APM flight controller could be programmed with geofences and it did not have obstacle avoidance capability. It would either stop, land, or return upon encountering the fence depending on option selected by programming.

 

[BD0G]

If you consider the side of a building as an NFZ, then the Obstacle Avoidance sensors would keep you from flying into it.

ROFL!

I had not considered that! LOL

 

[BD0G]

From my reading on this forum others that have encountered a GeoFence have had thier Mavic Pro stop in its tracks as if there is a see through wall that the drone hit. Then the only option is to fly away from that invisible to the eye GeoFence.

I have never encountered this myself so I cannot speak from actual experience and just from what I have noted others have experienced.

 

[mrreddog]

Some times the sun streaks or glare will cause OA to think its an obstacle, and halt the Mavic..

 

[Sportking]

Some times the sun streaks or glare will cause OA to think its an obstacle, and halt the Mavic..

Or late in the evening and after dark. I have had that happen flying over forest after dark at 200'AGL way above the trees, I was still getting obstacle warnings. Scary! So now I fly with it turned off. MP Flies at 30 mph with it turned off. I never use sport mode.

 

[Congoblue]

Isn't the MP supposed to be prevented from entering the NFZ in the first place?

Yes it is, but there have been some occasions where the MP has suddenly decided it is in the middle of an NFZ which it did not previously know about (presumably due to a software or detection error).
So basically it never flew into an NFZ, but suddenly detects that it is in one. This causes it to land immediately with no user control available.

I haven't had this happen to me personally but I've seen a few posts on here where it's happened, with no actual NFZ anywhere near the location.

Clearly a bug or error but can cause loss of the drone since you could easily be over an unsuitable place to land.

 

[Sportking]

This exact situation happened to me on an evening flight about 2 miles outside of an NFZ. I was able to recover my undamaged Mavic Pro after dark, 23' above the ground in the trees of the woods where it landed, but I could have lost my drone. This incident makes it very difficult for me to fully trust my drone now. I have made about 25 flights or so since then, without incident, but the possibility still worries me every time I fly.