Question about flying over water and diving

[dwolfe002]

I have a question about diving down toward water while also going forward at a fairly good speed. If you do this will the sensors on the M2P keep you from going into the water and either stop the drone or just not let it go any lower but still fly forward. It's something I would like to try when the weather warms up but not being sure of what the M2P will do kind of scares me to try it. I plan on trying it manually but was just wondering if the sensors would/could save me if I mess up. While I'm at it, I might as well ask the same question for swamp grass too since there is plenty of that in the waters close to me.

Thanks

 

[msinger]

If you do this will the sensors on the M2P keep you from going into the water and either stop the drone or just not let it go any lower but still fly forward

If you have Landing Protection enabled, the Mavic will auto ascend if it detects something is close to the bottom of the drone. Considering that you'll be flying fast and water is not detected with 100% accuracy, I wouldn't rely on the downward sensors to help. Flying within VLOS (and nearby) is going to be your best bet in this case.

 

[old man mavic]

it seems that people think there mav is crash proof just because it has sensors,they can be fooled in low light conditions and also they need some definition of the ground to sense where the drone is. they will help avoid a crash in fairly normal flight but if you are going fast then there is inertia to take into consideration it will not stop on a dime from high speed you should not just rely on the avoidance system, to as you say save your drone

 

[dwolfe002]

If you have Landing Protection enabled, the Mavic will auto ascend if it detects something is close to the bottom of the drone. Considering that you'll be flying fast and water is not detected with 100% accuracy, I wouldn't rely on the downward sensors to help. Flying within VLOS (and nearby) is going to be your best bet in this case.

I will try to find the landing protection. I just can't remember that parameter and I will also be flying VLOS but at a few hundred yards my eyes can get fooled easily. Do you happen to know if there is a set height it will ascend to if something is detected? I don't plan on relying on it but would like to make sure what it is supposed to do as a possible backup for any mistakes I may make. Thanks for your help.

 

[old man mavic]

you would be better off learning all about how your drone flies,before you go anywhere near water. the electronics inside do not like getting wet you will end up with a none operating mav

 

[dwolfe002]

it seems that people think there mav is crash proof just because it has sensors,they can be fooled in low light conditions and also they need some definition of the ground to sense where the drone is. they will help avoid a crash in fairly normal flight but if you are going fast then there is inertia to take into consideration it will not stop on a dime from high speed you should not just rely on the avoidance system, to as you say save your drone

I guess fast is kind of a relative term for me to use. I was thinking about maybe 10 MPH forward speed but also desending at the max speed. Thats fast enough for me right now, especially in an unknown situation. I was just wondering if I might have a chance of it saving itself if I happen to screw up. I'm sure the M2P isn't crash proof but I do need too kind of understand its limits if I'm thinking about flying certain areas or certain ways. I would try it out over land if the weather were better but my end flight will be over water and I would rather get some advice up front instead of just turning the M2P into a bad boat.

 

[dwolfe002]

you would be better off learning all about how your drone flies,before you go anywhere near water. the electronics inside do not like getting wet you will end up with a none operating mav

That's exactly what I am trying to do by asking questions I am not sure about a few months before I will attempt to fly in the situation I was talking about. I have seen videos of crashes in water and others that don't seem to have a problem so I'm not real sure why one works and the other doesn't. So, I came to this forum being certain that there are people here with way more knowledge about flying than I have and especially knowledge of different situations that may be good, possible, or no go and what may help save my butt, not will.

 

[Speedmeister]

My concern when flying over water at below 10 meters is its ability to maintain altitude hold. My P4P has a tendency to dip in altitude over water on low altitude during hovering.

 

[BD0G]

I always descend slowly when over water making sure to keep one eye on the altitude display within the telemetry. I dont trust that display 100 percent when it comes to height above a surface of water , but its a good reference. Fly VLOS so you can judge the Mavics actual height.

 

[dwolfe002]

Thanks Speedmeister and BDog. I will definitely be flying VLOS but I don't know how my perception will be from even 100 yards. These eyes aren't what they used to be or at least what I thought they were.

Speedmeister, does the P4P have the same type of sensors on it? I have no idea! If it does I'll definitely keep that 20ft number in mind. Thanks!

 

[Meta4]

That's exactly what I am trying to do by asking questions I am not sure about a few months before I will attempt to fly in the situation I was talking about. I have seen videos of crashes in water and others that don't seem to have a problem so I'm not real sure why one works and the other doesn't. So, I came to this forum being certain that there are people here with way more knowledge about flying than I have and especially knowledge of different situations that may be good, possible, or no go and what may help save my butt, not will.

Go back to the manual and read the list of conditions that your sensors can have difficulty with.
They aren't magic and don't work in all conditions or with all obstacles.

 

[knewt]

Go back to the manual and read the list of conditions that your sensors can have difficulty with.
They aren't magic and don't work in all conditions or with all obstacles.

Unless tide or other visual references would make it look daft, why not just fly the scene in reverse (start low an climb) and then reverse the clip in the editor of your choice.

 

[dwolfe002]

Go back to the manual and read the list of conditions that your sensors can have difficulty with.
They aren't magic and don't work in all conditions or with all obstacles.

I believe the manual says to fly carefully over water but I will read it again. Thanks!

 

[dwolfe002]

Unless tide or other visual references would make it look daft, why not just fly the scene in reverse (start low an climb) and then reverse the clip in the editor of your choice.

Now there is an idea that had not occurred to me at all. Thanks knewt that helps a bunch.

 

[DanMan32]

Also note that water is transparent. Bottom sensors can just as well detect the floor below the water as the surface. That may be why others have noted VPS altitude variations.
M2 uses IR for downward (and upward) distance as well as vision. When you're in VPS range, you'll note two height readings: one from barometer (which can drift a few feet) and VPS determined height, which is usually accurate over solid surfaces.

 

[dwolfe002]

Also note that water is transparent. Bottom sensors can just as well detect the floor below the water as the surface. That may be why others have noted VPS altitude variations.
M2 uses IR for downward (and upward) distance as well as vision. When you're in VPS range, you'll note two height readings: one from barometer (which can drift a few feet) and VPS determined height, which is usually accurate over solid surfaces.

I haven't even noticed the barometer reading which sounds like it would be more applicable in the flight I described. I will check that when the rain stops and I can get out to practice some more. Do you happen to know which one it uses and when. What I mean is does it use the reading that says you are lowest to the ground or an average between the two or some other calculation? I can always fly it backwards like knewt suggested but would like to know just in case.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

That's exactly what I am trying to do by asking questions I am not sure about a few months before I will attempt to fly in the situation I was talking about. I have seen videos of crashes in water and others that don't seem to have a problem so I'm not real sure why one works and the other doesn't. So, I came to this forum being certain that there are people here with way more knowledge about flying than I have and especially knowledge of different situations that may be good, possible, or no go and what may help save my butt, not will.

Welcome to the forum, We fly both the Phantom and the Mavic over the water almost every other day , and we have tested both methods of flying , with sensor and without .

When skimming the lake , the Mavic will recognize the wave ahead and stop.
Than when it passes it will continue. It was just a test , and it passed the phantom will do the same.

The problems come when you have to bring the drone back on the boat, the jet ski, ect this is when the sensors become a big pain and cause the drone to drop in the water as you drone just stops and gets stuck on the sensors.

Because of the this , we dont use the sensors , so the question you also asked was why do so many end up in the water, and that has everything to do with the magnetic interference happening at the very take off without the Pilot knowing .

Here is how it happens, you go to slide the button for take off, You watch the Drone take off as I have a hundred times and failed to see the Quick Error message flash on the sceen, now its just a matter of time before the Drone Enters atti mode over the lake and you loose control.

We have some videos on our site , that show this very thing happening

Watch me trying to fly off the concrete Pier the Drone just wont have anything to do with it.

We also have a video showing how fast that error message comes and goes,

Phantomrain.org
Approved Vendor.

 

[dwolfe002]

Welcome to the forum, We fly both the Phantom and the Mavic over the water almost every other day , and we have tested both methods of flying , with sensor and without .

When skimming the lake , the Mavic will recognize the wave ahead and stop.
Than when it passes it will continue. It was just a test , and it passed the phantom will do the same.

The problems come when you have to bring the drone back on the boat, the jet ski, ect this is when the sensors become a big pain and cause the drone to drop in the water as you drone just stops and gets stuck on the sensors.

Because of the this , we dont use the sensors , so the question you also asked was why do so many end up in the water, and that has everything to do with the magnetic interference happening at the very take off without the Pilot knowing .

Here is how it happens, you go to slide the button for take off, You watch the Drone take off as I have a hundred times and failed to see the Quick Error message flash on the sceen, now its just a matter of time before the Drone Enters atti mode over the lake and you loose control.

We have some videos on our site , that show this very thing happening

Watch me trying to fly off the concrete Pier the Drone just wont have anything to do with it.

We also have a video showing how fast that error message comes and goes,

Phantomrain.org
Approved Vendor.

Thank you. I will definitely watch the videos on your site so I can check on the error message and possibly do some testing of my own.

 

[mikemoose55]

Relying on the electronics to fly, avoid, navigate , take off , land and so on is a huge mistake.
First off that crap only works if you know how to operate your drone completely and understand the limitations of such systems.
Just because it has some nice features doesn't mean you can "phone it in' so to speak and allow the drone to cancel you out as the PIC.
Even the most sophisticated aircraft like a jumbo jet can't be flown on auto pilot in an abnormal situation.

Additionally the pilot has enough experience to know not to depend on the technology in a trouble situation. They are trained and skilled to out think the electronics and understand that using them is to augment the flight characteristics of the plane not take the place of the pilot.

Strongly recommend you think through a rapid decent situation and have a plan to manage it.
Practice it , understand it and use it instead of expecting the drone to take care of itself.
Responsible flying starts with the best understanding of the limitations of your equipment and especially your immediate skills as the PIC.

mikemoose55

 

[dwolfe002]

Relying on the electronics to fly, avoid, navigate , take off , land and so on is a huge mistake.
First off that crap only works if you know how to operate your drone completely and understand the limitations of such systems.
Just because it has some nice features doesn't mean you can "phone it in' so to speak and allow the drone to cancel you out as the PIC.
Even the most sophisticated aircraft like a jumbo jet can't be flown on auto pilot in an abnormal situation.

Additionally the pilot has enough experience to know not to depend on the technology in a trouble situation. They are trained and skilled to out think the electronics and understand that using them is to augment the flight characteristics of the plane not take the place of the pilot.

Strongly recommend you think through a rapid decent situation and have a plan to manage it.
Practice it , understand it and use it instead of expecting the drone to take care of itself.
Responsible flying starts with the best understanding of the limitations of your equipment and especially your immediate skills as the PIC.

mikemoose55

Mikemoose55
I plan to think the situation through by practicing on dry land at the park and am trying to understand the equipment also. If I can't get any information on how the M2P actually works over water, then the only way to know is to try it so I thought I would ask here before doing that. I don't understand why some people act like they want to spank me for thinking of such a thing. So, if you read my first post, I am looking for a backup just in case I mess up. I'm not phoning it in or anything of the sort. I plan to fly manually but you have to have the electronics to do that, I can't fit my wide rear on the Mavic. I'm going to practice the flight for quite a while over land before ever attempting it over water. At the same time I will be getting a lot of practice on my flight skills. The one thing I'm not even close to being certain of is how the Mavic will act over water and if the sensors will save me if I make a mistake or if the sensors don't work over water or tall swamp grass. And I don't know how you cannot depend on the technology anytime you turn the Mavic 2 on. So, for the flight, I promise I will hone my flying skills, I will practice the flight over land until I feel like I am quite capable of completing it, I will fly manually, and I promise that I will not ask anyone here for a loan to replace my Mavic if it goes into the water. With all that said, I still want to know if the sensors may help if I mess up. Also, I want to thank Msinger, Speedmeister, Bdog, Meta4, Knewt, DanMan32, and Phantomrain.org for giving me advise instead of acting like I was a 62 yr old child that needs a spanking for doing something bad.