New to the world of drones

[PureBlue]

Hello,
I'm new to the world of drones. I have some experience in photography and I'm looking to add drone shots to my skills.
I purchased my first drone, the Mavic Air. One of my first concerns is the maximum flight ceiling. What i'm worried about is what happens if i'm at a high altitude on a mountainous area and I fly the drone over a cliff area? I'm worried that the drone will be over the maximum ceiling over the edge and wont be able to gain enough altitude due to the maximum 400 foot ceiling to return to the home location higher on the mountain. Any advice and info would be appreciated.

 

[dawgpilot]

Hello,
I'm new to the world of drones. I have some experience in photography and I'm looking to add drone shots to my skills.
I purchased my first drone, the Mavic Air. One of my first concerns is the maximum flight ceiling. What i'm worried about is what happens if i'm at a high altitude on a mountainous area and I fly the drone over a cliff area? I'm worried that the drone will be over the maximum ceiling over the edge and wont be able to gain enough altitude due to the maximum 400 foot ceiling to return to the home location higher on the mountain. Any advice and info would be appreciated.

That won't be an issue. The altitude limit is set relative to the take off point.

 

[Shon]

You can also reset max altitude on your drone. For example, there is a “beginner mode” which is like training wheels for a new drone pilot.

 

[Deleted member 94047]

Hello,
I'm new to the world of drones. I have some experience in photography and I'm looking to add drone shots to my skills.
I purchased my first drone, the Mavic Air. One of my first concerns is the maximum flight ceiling. What i'm worried about is what happens if i'm at a high altitude on a mountainous area and I fly the drone over a cliff area? I'm worried that the drone will be over the maximum ceiling over the edge and wont be able to gain enough altitude due to the maximum 400 foot ceiling to return to the home location higher on the mountain. Any advice and info would be appreciated.

Well, you can put the maximum height limit to anything between 0 - 500 meters. Remember that maximum height and RTH height are two different settings and need to be adjusted separately.

 

[PureBlue]

Well, you can put the maximum height limit to anything between 0 - 500 meters. Remember that maximum height and RTH height are two different settings and need to be adjusted separately.

I read somewhere that here in the U.S. the max alt is 400 feet and that'sthe default max that the drone can go. Can that be changed?

 

[Thomas B]

I read somewhere that here in the U.S. the max alt is 400 feet and that'sthe default max that the drone can go. Can that be changed?

Not legally, unless you lower it.

 

[Deleted member 94047]

I read somewhere that here in the U.S. the max alt is 400 feet and that'sthe default max that the drone can go. Can that be changed?

Yes the maximum height can be changed to anything up to 500m, that is the absolute maximum the aircraft will accept. The rules of course may not allow that. I cannot say whether it is legal or not.

 

[msinger]

I read somewhere that here in the U.S. the max alt is 400 feet and that'sthe default max that the drone can go. Can that be changed?

The max altitude can be adjusted in the following section of DJI GO:




Keep in mind that it's not legal to fly over 400 feet AGL in the US. If you set the max altitude higher than 121 meters, then you'll need to keep an eye on the current altitude to ensure you stay at a legal altitude.

 

[Simmo]

Imagine a 400ft 'weighted string' beneath the drone.
That string, to be legal, must always touch the ground.
Take off from a 500 ft cliff say, and fly over the edge, that string is now 100 ft above ground level in the vallley and you are flying illegaly.

When you take off, your RTH settings are recorded at that point.
So you set RTH to say 100 ft. Thats 100 ft from where you take off!
Fly over the edge again, and you are physically at 500 odd feet.... fly out a ways, and hit RTH, the drone will go up to 100 ft and RTH

How about, take off, fly out over the edge, and fly down into the valley??
Your telemetry on the screen will say that you are at a negative altitude!!
Go down 200 ft. Press RTH.
The drone will ascend 300ft to be 100ft above you, and RTH.

Clear as mud???!!
Be aware that 'distances off' matters with RTH. If you are close to the Drone, and press RTH, it will try to come right back at ya at that altitude, or even land where it is!