New Flyer...Rethinking my Purchase.

[CC Rider]

With regards to RTH and Mavic crashes, the concern is always being certain before you takeoff that your RTH altitude is correctly set for the conditions in which you are flying and autolanding, keeping in mind flight obstacles such as trees, buildings and other structures, etc., and ensure your altitude is set accordingly.

As far as RTH and crashes, I do not know anything about that, having never experienced that problem - or any problems whatsoever - with my Mavic since I acquired it. I've read about some crashes attributed to RTH, but most I've seen end up usually being pilot error somehow in the long run.

 

[MustGoFaster]

Well my final thoughts are these. Enjoy your drones and use them responsibly. All of the places I envisioned using mine are off limits to me. I love the spirit of the responders here but use your drones wisely as I am sure in the next year or two the rules and enforcement will get even stricter. (Just ask Canada.) If they ever come up with any type of licensure plan that will allow unlimited private recreational use I will be back with another drone. It's funny that I can get a permit to carry but no permit is available to be able to fly a little drone no bigger than a loaf of bread! Otherwise it's just not worth the hassle of always looking over my shoulder and wondering where the next Barney Fife is approaching from.

 

[Arkarian]

A lot of RTH talk on here as being a cause for most crashes or flyaways. How does this feature work in hilly areas? If I set it for 200', is that distance from the ground while flying or 200" from where it took off.

The Mavic's altitude is measured "altitude above take-off point (ATO)" So make sure you set RTH altitude to the highest obstacle and add a little extra.

Also if you have the bird low and are near trees or some other obstacle with over hang and the Mavic goes into RTH, it will rise to it's return to home altitude and can go right into the trees because it can't see up. So always be ready to pause and keep the drone in sight.

 

[Arkarian]

Well my final thoughts are these. Enjoy your drones and use them responsibly. All of the places I envisioned using mine are off limits to me. I love the spirit of the responders here but use your drones wisely as I am sure in the next year or two the rules and enforcement will get even stricter. (Just ask Canada.) If they ever come up with any type of licensure plan that will allow unlimited private recreational use I will be back with another drone. It's funny that I can get a permit to carry but no permit is available to be able to fly a little drone no bigger than a loaf of bread! Otherwise it's just not worth the hassle of always looking over my shoulder and wondering where the next Barney Fife is approaching from.

There is a test you can take to become certified.

 

[Arkarian]

I love those people. Yeah I am spying on you with 1x digital zoom from 300ft in the air and 750ft out

Lots of paranoid people. Some guy on my street hovered his Phantom over someone's house and the guy came over fighting mad. (It's well known that the guy is running a puppy farm in a residential area that restricts you to three pets). So explains why he is paranoid.

I told the guy come to the park with me and fly. Lets not piss off the neighbors.

 

[Vilco]

Here are some answers to your question

Lets hear from everyone who hasn't has promblems with there Mavic

 

[AlanTheBeast]

A lot of RTH talk on here as being a cause for most crashes or flyaways. How does this feature work in hilly areas? If I set it for 200', is that distance from the ground while flying or 200" from where it took off.

RTH is not the cause. The users are the cause.

RTH height is the height it will climb to for RTH. I simply set it to the max legal altitude (91 m Canada). Note that where I fly that is appropriate. If you're in a very hilly area, I would set it such that it would climb at least 30 m above all hills in the operating area. If there are towers, add that in there too.

Bear in mind: all heights are relative to your starting location. That is 0.

I also recommend that you turn OFF obstacle avoidance in the RTH menu. The MP is known to face a setting sun and believe it to be a close in obstacle. It will just hover there until the battery is low and then land at that location. If that is over water, swamp or lawyers you are screwed. (This does not remove OA in P-mode, only when the drone is in RTH).

Also try to plan your flights to start upwind of your location so that you're sure it has the ability to come home in RTH if you don't have radio contact.

Most importantly be sure GPS is acquired before starting the motors and that the recorded home point is correct (map on your smart thing).

RTH is not a "I lost my brain, save me" system - it's a "set it up so it can do its job" system.

 

[Bob Benton]

The Mavic's altitude is measured "altitude above take-off point (ATO)" So make sure you set RTH altitude to the highest obstacle and add a little extra.

Also if you have the bird low and are near trees or some other obstacle with over hang and the Mavic goes into RTH, it will rise to it's return to home altitude and can go right into the trees because it can't see up. So always be ready to pause and keep the drone in sight.

And in addition if you are above the RTH set altitude when it goes into RTH, or you select RTH manually, it will return at the altitude it was at when RTH selected. I fly in canyons and mountains too. Love this thing. Never an issue, 20 flights so far. I just retired as well. Enjoy!!

 

[mav09]

geezer,
there will always be someone complaining. the Mavic is a good buy. just fly it over forestry, fields for now till you are happy with it. get a skin for it as well, like mine lol

 

[bergermeister]

Then they are wrong. The federal rules apply to federal parks. If the state parks (or a state park) wants to ban drones they have to make it park policy and write it up.

QUESTION AUTHORITY.

Minnesota State Parks have a written rule that no aircraft (including sUAS aircraft) can land in a State Park. It's technically not illegal to fly a drone over the airspace of a State Park, but keep in mind that you need to be in line of site at a maximum of 3 statute miles, or whenever you can't see your drone, whichever is less. Also keep in mind that State Parks maybe aren't the best place to have the buzz of a drone. The specifics from the Minnesota DNR website regarding unmanned (or manned, for that matter) aircraft is at Minnesota state park rules. Drone Laws in MN are here: Drone Laws in Minnesota (2021) - UAV Coach. The only option you have is to see if you can get permission, but understand that asking for permission means that the park ranger has every right to say "no".

 

[bergermeister]

Please provide references leading you to believe we can't fly in Minnesota parks. Certainly not all City and local park reserves have the same restrictions, and my review of the Minnesota State Parks do not show such prohibitions:
Minnesota state park rules: Minnesota DNR

Additionally, the State of Minnesota does not have any "drone" laws on file:
Drone Laws by State - FindLaw

Minnesota DNR does have a drone rule on their website: The specifics from the Minnesota DNR website regarding unmanned (or manned, for that matter) aircraft is at Minnesota state park rules, the same link you specified, so I don't know if when you posted it, the MN DNR didn't have the area for "Unmanned Aircraft Systems/Drones" at that time, but they do presently. Specifically, the rule is that no aircraft can land in the boundaries of a State Park. That essentially means that while it is technically not illegal to fly a drone in the airspace above a state park (staying within the 400' AGL rule), it's impractical to fly a drone "above" nearly every MN State Park because of the height and line-of-sight rule, assuming also that the cloud ceiling rule doesn't force you even lower. It's best to take pics and video with a camcorder or your smartphone or a good SLR in a MN State Park and leave the drone at home or in the car for that adventure.

 

[bergermeister]

I also panic'd. Where am I going to fly this thing. But I wrote several park managers and found out I could fly as long as I don't fly right over people having picnics or playing sports. Then there are places you can't fly like the stadiums and airports. Just have some common sense. You can find a place.

State Parks are illegal to launch a drone but what some people do is be just outside the park and launch their drone. They can only get you if you launch it inside the state park.

Don't panic. Also don't hover over people. They think you are spying on them.

The specific rule for MN State Parks is that no aircraft can land within the boundaries of that park. With line of sight and ceiling rules, that makes it impractical to fly a drone in the boundaries of pretty much every MN State Park: Minnesota state park rules

 

[ATW]

The specific rule for MN State Parks is that no aircraft can land within the boundaries of that park. With line of sight and ceiling rules, that makes it impractical to fly a drone in the boundaries of pretty much every MN State Park: Minnesota state park rules

Why do you feel that you must land in the park?
Fly over it, enjoy the views, stand right next to the park boundary, take off from there.

 

[Thomas B]

@bergermeister ... Welcome to the forum from the deserts of Arizona! Enjoy.

but... Why revive a thread after no post for four years.

 

[jenrobsdad]

So now an addendum to my earlier post. Sadly here in Minnesota I can't use in State Parks, local park reserves or City Parks. Totally prohibited at all 3! I really have nowhere I can legally fly this thing! The whole point was photography of all the places I love to camp and hike. I was so focused on complying with the FAA that I didn't do enough research on the local laws. I just finished carefully re packing it and I am glad Amazon has a good return policy. I am hoping to return it to the DJI Store. This has been a very short lived hobby for me.

From what I have read on the DNR website it is "Discouraged" to fly in a state park. Unless I am missing something discouraged is not the same as prohibited. Honestly if the park is not busy and you aren't bothering anyone, I don't think you would be hassled. I want to go to Gooseberry falls and take some good shots in the fall.

 

[tcope]

From what I have read on the DNR website it is "Discouraged" to fly in a state park. Unless I am missing something discouraged is not the same as prohibited. Honestly if the park is not busy and you aren't bothering anyone, I don't think you would be hassled. I want to go to Gooseberry falls and take some good shots in the fall.

This thread _was_ 4 years old.

 

[Thomas B]

This thread _was_ 4 years old.

Yep

 

[Conservative Nihilist]

Well since this thread has been exhumed from the crypt as one would a long-dead vampire, I might as well seek to confirm that this reference to RTH height being above the elevation of the launch site, does NOT apply when the drone is out flying an autonomous Litchi mission.

My presumption has been that when RTH kicks in during a Litchi mission in which ALL altitudes were specified to be above individual successive waypoint elevations along the flight path, and NOT above launch point elevation, a Mavic Pro in this circumstance would rise to the pre-set RTH altitude above its current waypoint whenever RTH kicks in due to low battery conditions, and would not reference its RTH altitude to the launch point. Confirmation of this assumption would be appreciated.

 

[bergermeister]

Why do you feel that you must land in the park?
Fly over it, enjoy the views, stand right next to the park boundary, take off from there.

I didn't say that I must land in the park, only that that's what MN says. Can you keep line of sight doing that? Then maybe you can, assuming you have permission to be standing on the land that is next to the Park Boundary.

 

[bergermeister]

@bergermeister ... Welcome to the forum from the deserts of Arizona! Enjoy.

but... Why revive a thread after no post for four years.

My apologies. I maybe wasn't paying as close attention to the dates of the posts themselves, and was concentrating on the content, which either wasn't completely accurate, or isn't accurate any longer for the State of MN for drone pilots, regardless if they are strictly recreational or fly under Part 107. Just wanted to make sure people from (or flying in) MN looking through these posts would have the correct info. MN has some really restrictive (and somewhat costly) drone rules compared to just about every other State at the moment, and they aren't necessarily the easiest to find or be aware of, based on my own experience. It sure wasn't like when I bought my Drone from Best Buy (a company with headquarters based in MN, even) there was anything provided to say, "Hey, by the way, there are not only FAA rules, but also rules specific to MN that you need to know about". What I know now came from reading posts here at MavicPilots and also from going through Part 107 Training for the Drone Certificate test. At the end of that training, that program was the one that noted the rules, that I actually thought I already understood from a year previous, but either I messed up and misunderstood (most likely) or they changed. I will, however, do better looking at the year of the post in the future! Thank you for having this resource!