- Joined
- Jun 9, 2018
- Messages
- 46
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- 11
- Age
- 58
Hi. New MA pilot here. Some 10 years experience flying RC helicopters and dumb drones. After pracicing with the MA for a couple weeks, I went on a back country canoe trip with the intent to document it with the MA. I knew I was too green to do so because I haven't fully explored all the ins and out of the MA and its associted software control. Sure enough on one flight I almost lost it. Here are my lessons-learned. These apply to new MA pilots mostly:
1. Keep the RTH battery limit to 20%. I set it on 10% because I was too cocky. This didn't leave me enough time to fully manage the MA back.
2. Learn the audio cues from GO 4 and look at the screen when you hear key cues. Resist the urge to keep your eye on the MA. Not being comfortable with the MA I kept my eye on it and totally didn't pay attention to the audio cues. This resulted in the MA going into RA as the battery depleted. RTH was very precarious where I was.
3. Ensure your RTH spot is not obstructed by objects creating a ceiling. I launched off the ground but under tree cover. so when RTH initiated it was above the trees and couldn't land.
4. Leave obstruction avoidance on. I did. and it saved my ***.
5. Don't fly with a low battery trying to use up the remaining juice unless you are in a clear spot. I did and there was a screw up and I almost didn't have the power I needed to get the MA back.
6. Learn to fly nose-in. I am only ok with nose-in flight. In this emergency I didn't feel comfortable with nose in so I wasted 3 seconds with a yaw maneuver to go tail-in. This wasted valuable time.
Here's what happened. I will post a video of it with the ATC audio intact so you can hear me panic:
I was at a camp site on a lake. I had about 3:30 on the battery from a previous flight. Since there is no way to charge batteries in the field, I wanted to use as much of each battery as possible. I decided to fly the MA for a quick pan across the camp site, from over the lake. I was nose-in for this. I am not as good at nose-in as I am tail-in. The pan shot went well but as soon as I was done, and the MA was pointed at me, it went into RTH because the battery was low.
At this point I began to panic and kept my eyes on the MA and totally tuned out GO 4. I missed the 10 second window to cancel RTH because I totally forgot the process because I was trying frantically to get the MA back to me. Going into RTH was pointless because of the geography and wasted more precious flight time. Remember I set the warning to 10% giving me only 2 mins before emergency RTH.
I launched from the ground on shore but there was tree cover above the RTH point. The MA started to ascend to an RTH alt of 30m. I was VERY LUCKY that it was still out a bit from the trees enough that the object avoidance could pick up branches just above it because of the field of flew of the front sensors. This worked amazing - the MA stopped very close to the branches and moved itself back to clear them, then continued to ascend.
It reached RTH ALT and then moved forward to the RTH height. But now it wa over the trees. It wouldn't descent because of the bottom sensors. Thank you!!! At this point I regained control and moved the MA back out from the trees and quickly descended narrowly missing branches. I have a good eye for this kind of thing from my RC experience.
From there the MA was almost in front of me but I didn't want to risk nose-in so i used yaw to go tail-in. Drove the MA back right to me and landed in my hand. As it was landing it went into emergency RTH mode for the last second of landing because I grabbed it.
Whew. Luck man. and obstacle avoidance - wow. it worked great and saved my MA from my stupidity.
The video starts out with me positioning the MA for a pan across the campsite. I then spin it around for a shot of the other side wanting to do a similar shot. I realized I didn't have the campsite across the lake in the shot so I am sizing that up. I should have pre-established what shots I wanted. Then I begin to bring it back nose-in and goes into RTH because I didn't hear the warning and didn't disengage. the ascent up and until it goes nose-out, its RTH. All the motions on the ascent are becase of obstacle avoidance moving the MA safly away from the trees. I lost control and I am panicing. It flies over the trees at the RTH location. the obstacle avoidance prevents it from going down. I get control back and bring it down manually after positioning it nose-out. I narrowly avoid trees on the way down. Just I grab it, emergency RTH goes on (fast warning beep). Eeeesh!
1. Keep the RTH battery limit to 20%. I set it on 10% because I was too cocky. This didn't leave me enough time to fully manage the MA back.
2. Learn the audio cues from GO 4 and look at the screen when you hear key cues. Resist the urge to keep your eye on the MA. Not being comfortable with the MA I kept my eye on it and totally didn't pay attention to the audio cues. This resulted in the MA going into RA as the battery depleted. RTH was very precarious where I was.
3. Ensure your RTH spot is not obstructed by objects creating a ceiling. I launched off the ground but under tree cover. so when RTH initiated it was above the trees and couldn't land.
4. Leave obstruction avoidance on. I did. and it saved my ***.
5. Don't fly with a low battery trying to use up the remaining juice unless you are in a clear spot. I did and there was a screw up and I almost didn't have the power I needed to get the MA back.
6. Learn to fly nose-in. I am only ok with nose-in flight. In this emergency I didn't feel comfortable with nose in so I wasted 3 seconds with a yaw maneuver to go tail-in. This wasted valuable time.
Here's what happened. I will post a video of it with the ATC audio intact so you can hear me panic:
I was at a camp site on a lake. I had about 3:30 on the battery from a previous flight. Since there is no way to charge batteries in the field, I wanted to use as much of each battery as possible. I decided to fly the MA for a quick pan across the camp site, from over the lake. I was nose-in for this. I am not as good at nose-in as I am tail-in. The pan shot went well but as soon as I was done, and the MA was pointed at me, it went into RTH because the battery was low.
At this point I began to panic and kept my eyes on the MA and totally tuned out GO 4. I missed the 10 second window to cancel RTH because I totally forgot the process because I was trying frantically to get the MA back to me. Going into RTH was pointless because of the geography and wasted more precious flight time. Remember I set the warning to 10% giving me only 2 mins before emergency RTH.
I launched from the ground on shore but there was tree cover above the RTH point. The MA started to ascend to an RTH alt of 30m. I was VERY LUCKY that it was still out a bit from the trees enough that the object avoidance could pick up branches just above it because of the field of flew of the front sensors. This worked amazing - the MA stopped very close to the branches and moved itself back to clear them, then continued to ascend.
It reached RTH ALT and then moved forward to the RTH height. But now it wa over the trees. It wouldn't descent because of the bottom sensors. Thank you!!! At this point I regained control and moved the MA back out from the trees and quickly descended narrowly missing branches. I have a good eye for this kind of thing from my RC experience.
From there the MA was almost in front of me but I didn't want to risk nose-in so i used yaw to go tail-in. Drove the MA back right to me and landed in my hand. As it was landing it went into emergency RTH mode for the last second of landing because I grabbed it.
Whew. Luck man. and obstacle avoidance - wow. it worked great and saved my MA from my stupidity.
The video starts out with me positioning the MA for a pan across the campsite. I then spin it around for a shot of the other side wanting to do a similar shot. I realized I didn't have the campsite across the lake in the shot so I am sizing that up. I should have pre-established what shots I wanted. Then I begin to bring it back nose-in and goes into RTH because I didn't hear the warning and didn't disengage. the ascent up and until it goes nose-out, its RTH. All the motions on the ascent are becase of obstacle avoidance moving the MA safly away from the trees. I lost control and I am panicing. It flies over the trees at the RTH location. the obstacle avoidance prevents it from going down. I get control back and bring it down manually after positioning it nose-out. I narrowly avoid trees on the way down. Just I grab it, emergency RTH goes on (fast warning beep). Eeeesh!
Last edited:
TWICE
