Not enough gps lock, is it safe to fly ?

[jojonono]

Am trying to fly my air 2s from the 18th floor balcony of my apartment, am in a very unique place and the shot will look out of this world, only problem since we r in city and it's a balcony am unable to lock on more than 10 satellites and the GPS is red color, i don't want the drone to return to gome automatically and I won't fly it so far it will stay within my line of sight (probably), is it dangerous to fly and what's gonna happen if I do take off ? Will it be unbalanced due to lack of GPS or whatever exactly?

Also once the drone takes off and gets more GPS satellites will it be safer flight ?

Any ideas how to get an orange or white signal to fly safely ?

Thanka,

 

[mavic3usa]

On my drone, I see a warning when there is not enough satellites to get a lock. If the drone is allowed to take off and you only get a warning, then it can't be unsafe. Just be aware when you do get a lock, your homepoint might get set to the location where the lock was achieved. On most drones, you are free to reset the homepoint to a different location so maybe look into that as well.

 

[MS Coast]

If the drone is allowed to take off and you only get a warning, then it can't be unsafe.

Not so. The DJI drones I've flown allow me to take off regardless of the GPS satellite reception. This forum has many posts reporting crashes that occurred when the drone was flown without adequate GPS satellite locks.

 

[mavic3usa]

Not so. The DJI drones I've flown allow me to take off regardless of the GPS satellite reception. This forum has many posts reporting crashes that occurred when the drone was flown without adequate GPS satellite locks.

Agreed the drone might crash. It might crash with a satellite lock. It might crash if it loses satellite lock during the flight. Either way, both me and DJI are not yet ready to label a drone that takes off prior to gaining satellite lock as "unsafe." You and others are free to call it whatever you wish and provide your own opinions; my opinion is it isn't unsafe. Seems to me if the drone is unsafe to fly, DJI would do a little bit more than just provide a warning.

I am aware of numerous posts where flyers have gone into much detail about their negative experiences when taking off before getting a GPS satellite reception. For the OP and his unique situation mentioned, wouldn't stop me from taking off from your balcony just be careful and be aware.

 

[Cafguy]

is it dangerous to fly and what's gonna happen if I do take off ?

I do not have an inner Nostradamus to channel. Its really your call. I would say by your description that YES it is indeed dangerous.
Forget about GPS. Sure you can fly and safely but don't expect to know where "home" is if you need it..
At 18 stories a drone that, say.... loses a prop During takeoff has quite a ways to go before hitting the ground! BUT I am not saying it is a flight that would be "dumb" or foolish, I am just saying that there is a lot more to consider with this flight then say your normal Drone Mission.
Why the Balcony, Takeoff from a safe place (the courtyard?).
I wouldn't do it, law or not, I wouldn't fly in a congested "downtown like" environment with a DJI camera Drone. thats just me tho.
Too many people to hit unless it was a tiny whoop maybe.

 

[MS Coast]

Agreed the drone might crash. It might crash with a satellite lock. It might crash if it loses satellite lock during the flight. Either way, both me and DJI are not yet ready to label a drone that takes off prior to gaining satellite lock as "unsafe." You and others are free to call it whatever you wish and provide your own opinions; my opinion is it isn't unsafe. Seems to me if the drone is unsafe to fly, DJI would do a little bit more than just provide a warning.

I am aware of numerous posts where flyers have gone into much detail about their negative experiences when taking off before getting a GPS satellite reception. For the OP and his unique situation mentioned, wouldn't stop me from taking off from your balcony just be careful and be aware.

@mavic3usa, what could possibly go wrong for an apparently inexperienced pilot taking off without adequate GPS lock from an 18th floor balcony in the midst of a city?

@jojonono, you're likely to experience poor position holding with the drone if you don't have an adequate satellite lock, indicated by a white icon. With the drone 180 feet above the ground, the sensors on the bottom of the drone won't be able to help stabilize the drone either. Be aware that there may be ferrous metal in the balcony structure that might bias your compass, leading to an uncontrollable flight. Check the accuracy of the compass reading on the on-screen map and be certain that it agrees with reality.

Yes, once the drone is away from the building and has a wider view of the sky, it will probably be able to acquire additional satellites and establish a good lock.

Be aware that there are FAA regulations regarding flights over people and that many large urban areas have FAA or local drone flight restrictions. Use a B4YouFly app to check for FAA restrictions.

From what you've described, this doesn't sound to me like a good flying opportunity.

 

[mavic3usa]

....but don't expect to know where "home" is if you need it..

i don't want the drone to return to gome automatically and I won't fly it so far it will stay within my line of sight (probably), is it dangerous to fly and what's gonna happen if I do take off ? Will it be unbalanced due to lack of GPS or whatever exactly?

That's what he said, no care homepoint. I believe he is asking a technical question so the tech experts here may want to give him technical advice on GPS since my advice on this topic is limited to my one drone that constantly loses GPS after a few minutes in flight but nothing bad ever happens while I am bringing it home. He's likely just looking for a technical answer.

what could possibly go wrong for an apparently inexperienced pilot taking off without adequate GPS lock from an 18th floor balcony in the midst of a city?

I don't know where the flyer is located or his skills (I assumed in a foreign country using my memory) so I left that judgment part of my answer out of my comments but I'm sure he is open to anyone who wants to give other advice.

 

[Cafguy]

I believe he is asking a technical question so the tech experts here may want to give him technical advice on GPS

I am not really sure what is technical about it after all you yourself just answered his question.
Is it safer to fly with more satellites My guess is yes. I am sure you could find or make some sort of more efficient sat receiver and somehow make it work with the drone , I suppose, Or you could just move away from the building ( again Courtyard?) and achieve the same goal. The drone doesn't need to start on the 18th floor, it has a means to get there from the ground. I have seen tons of videos from other countries with operators flying downtown so I reserved the not in the U.S. spiel.