POLL: What is your typical RTH altitude setting?

[Cobber]

LOS....surely must be below 50 meters? ???

How do people define LOS?

 

[DaveS]

I live in an area with only a few hills (most low and nowhere near the city). The downtown is VERY small and the tallest building is only 10 stories (well under 200' high), and power lines and trees are always way under 100'. So, I keep my RTH at 60 Meters. That's just shy of 200' which means I'll clear anything and everything in height but still be well below any aircraft with the possible exception of the Flight For Life helicopter but I always keep in contact with them to know if, when and where they are flying and I know exactly where the two hospitals are at all times in relationship to where I am flying. So, if I have to rely on RTH, my drone will easily avoid those areas. This is one of the few advantages of living in a small city.

 

[Pushkur]

How do people define LOS?

Variable......Mr Magoo around 5 meters ?

 

[dronerdave]

Maybe it's a false sense of security but I usually do a RTH as part of a pre-flight check. In flatter areas I normally set to about 100 feet which clears everything in the general area. I'll take it out a few hundred feet away from the home point and give the RTH command to make sure the quad comes back and lands normally. I like to have at least 30+ feet above the highest structure I'm flying around. In hilly terrain I almost never use auto RTH and keep a close eye on my quad as I drive it back home. I always stay w/i VLOS and stay below 400 feet AGL these days.

 

[Coco 60]

Depends on your location. If flying over a lake or sea there's no need to set it higher than 50 ft. If you're in a city probably set it at 600 ft to clear all buildings!!

 

[Deleted member 103366]

21- 22 m for me at the moment because that's the height needed to clear trees in my garden, out side in the real world it's probably siimilar, excess height is a waste of battery power in both ascent and descent

 

[old man mavic]

can anyone spot the deliberate mistake in post number #25 above ,but hang on maybe their part 107 aren't the rules different for them

 

[Bill Kennedy]

can anyone spot the deliberate mistake in post number #25 above ,but hang on maybe their part 107 aren't the rules different for them

Ancient Mesepotanian system

 

[23tony]

I fly mainly on my property & road. I set to 40m to avoid the power lines and trees with a little extra to spare.

 

[dirkclod]

How do people define LOS?

LOS is really keeping the Tx and RC in view of each other.
VLOS is being able to see your drone and tell the orientation of it.
BVLOS is flying farther than you can see it.
That’s the definition‘s I have always used.

 

[VenomXts]

Very similar here; make sure it's higher than the tallest tree (or other structure), but also to reduce the risk of someone below noticing the drone and thinking you may be spying on them. Typically, that's probably in the 31-61m meter range, which is how I voted, but will vary considerably if the terrain is very uneven. I'll also try and keep it as low as practical - there's no point wasting battery power on unnecessary ascents and descents, or fighting the wind at higher altitudes - so if it's flat and open ground (or water!), I'll have it much lower.

Personally though, I don't tend to use RTH much and tend to bring it home manually - less risk of collision avoidance errors and temptation to take your eyes off the ball that way. Since that usually means doing some more exploration, I've also spotted some interesting things to photograph that I might have missed otherwise that way too.

This, i set it at 250/300 feet because of this if it is coming back something happened and i want it high and out of the way and its probably coming back in a way i dont want people to see it.

 

[DavidT_ NZ]

No default set height.

It is a good part of a pre-flight check-list to check and set the RTH mode and altitude. This should be done prior to each flight depending on the terrain, obstacles, flight path, and winds aloft. If you don't get in the habit of checking it each time, you will end up having it set incorrectly on that one flight where you really need it.

Also generally better to keep the drone under your control instead of depending on RTH for the return flight. It makes for better piloting skills and builds experience. It is nice to have in case of an emergency disconnect, and that is when you need to make sure it was set correctly prior to the flight.

I check area obstruction heights and set an appropriate RTH on my Air 2 for every pre-flight check. I also enjoy watching the drone “do its thing” on the return and often video it, turning the gimbal down to monitor the ground target pad during the descent. If it drifts a little, I go to Tripod Mode, if necessary, and share the landing. It is also good to use if the light is getting low around sunset; I use the LED then, too. I like the technology and it is good to test the auto RTH and know its limits, just in case it was ever needed in an emergency.

 

[Cobber]

LOS is really keeping the Tx and RC in view of each other.
VLOS is being able to see your drone and tell the orientation of it.
BVLOS is flying farther than you can see it.
That’s the definition‘s I have always used.

Do you fly BVLOS very often?

 

[dirkclod]

Do you fly BVLOS very often?

Often enough, depends where I’m at.
Added, sorry was preoccupied . I fly on a pool by a lock on the Ten Tom Waterway and to get out where I’m going I stay low and watch
out for fisherman to get barges , boats and sunsets the most.
Quit doing range test way back.

 

[dirkclod]

Do you fly BVLOS very often?

Do you.? Am curious why you asked me that. ?

 

[Cobber]

Do you.? Am curious why you asked me that. ?

I’d like to know if you fly BLOS if there is a danger of losing signal. I am a newbie and have flown BVLOG once. Signal seemed ok.

 

[dirkclod]

I’d like to know if you fly BLOS if there is a danger of losing signal. I am a newbie and have flown BVLOG once. Signal seemed ok.

Ok ,yes at some point you will even if you have LOS . Just not enough
power. Some use amps and can go till the battery dies.
The main thing is you have to be dead on with aiming the controller
the farther you go.

 

[Cobber]

Ok ,yes at some point you will even if you have LOS . Just not enough
power. Some use amps and can go till the battery dies.
The main thing is you have to be dead on with aiming the controller
the farther you go.

I flew 1.2 klms over trees with controller pointed the general direction. Probably not dead on because I was trying to keep phone in my shadow and out of bright sunlight

 

[dirkclod]

It’s not to bad with these MP’s as you have the signal strength meters
and you can tell how to adjust. With the Mini you don’t. Is harder to
adjust. Is one of the reasons I dislike the fly app.

 

[Rnl]

145ft for me here in Marysville ohio