Question for all you experienced pilots

[rwilliam99]

After losing my first MM to pilot error - flying it too tight a space with no GPS lock - it went into ATTI mode and drifed into a branch - I'm wondering what you experienced pilots would say - how confined a space would you feel safe flying in? When I lost my first one, I had 10 feet on 3 sides but only about 3-4 feet on the 4th side and that is the side it drifted to after lifting off, hitting a branch and falling into a creek. I won't make that mistake again, but I'm just curious what is a "safe" buffer zone when taking off so that things like that are less likely to happen. I'm thinking a minimum of 10 feet on all sides of the drone is relatively safe, and not taking off over water, so in case it does fall, it won't fall into water.

Hope the question makes sense. Interested to hear opinions and thoughts.

Thanks

 

[old man mavic]

After losing my first MM to pilot error - flying it too tight a space with no GPS lock - it went into ATTI mode and drifed into a branch - I'm wondering what you experienced pilots would say - how confined a space would you feel safe flying in? When I lost my first one, I had 10 feet on 3 sides but only about 3-4 feet on the 4th side and that is the side it drifted to after lifting off, hitting a branch and falling into a creek. I won't make that mistake again, but I'm just curious what is a "safe" buffer zone when taking off so that things like that are less likely to happen. I'm thinking a minimum of 10 feet on all sides of the drone is relatively safe, and not taking off over water, so in case it does fall, it won't fall into water.

Hope the question makes sense. Interested to hear opinions and thoughts.

Thanks

you had your issue not because of the actual dimensions of your take off point but because the GPS was unable to get a lock so because the drone was in atti mode it drifted into the tree
before you take off you have to have a good look around and assess the location for suitability to fly your drone ,its called doing a risk assessment
if you want your drone to have a long life, then checking these things improve the chances of that happening its the same as checking your batteries are fully charged, checking the airframe for damage etc, these are all things that will help you have a successful days flying happy flying

 

[Delenot]

I am not an 'experianced' pilot compaired to most on this forum. I give a 10' cube for all take-offs. If i plan on flying any closer than 5' to something I use the prop cage. But I normally choose to stay on the side of caution. I've had only one near hit due to wind gusts, had to drop it into sport mode and fight it until it passed so I could land safely. Maybe once my hobby expands past just the Mini I might be a bit more loose, but for now its the only one I have so I play it safe.

 

[Thomas B]

Depends on the verticals depth and the actual length of the space you propose.

 

[rwilliam99]

you had your issue not because of the actual dimensions of your take off point but because the GPS was unable to get a lock so because the drone was in atti mode it drifted into the tree
before you take off you have to have a good look around and assess the location for suitability to fly your drone ,its called doing a risk assessment
if you want your drone to have a long life, then checking these things improve the chances of that happening its the same as checking your batteries are fully charged, checking the airframe for damage etc, these are all things that will help you have a successful days flying happy flying

I get that - and I'm trying to gather info to help me do a good risk assessment the next time. Good judgement typically comes from exercises of poor judgement (I'm a lifelong learner in the school of hard knocks), so I'm just trying to shorten that experience gap a bit.

I've done a LOT of reading and practicing with my new drone trying to make sure that something like that never happens again, hence my question.

Tell me if my thinking is wrong - so say I want to do something similar in the future - take off in a limited clearance area - Next time I will know if I have a GPS lock and if I don't I will be paying a lot more attention to what is going on - to me, I'd think/hope that in 10' horizontal I could make any adjustments needed to keep it flying without running into anything. Does that seem reasonable? Or is that not enough space? I know some of it depends on pilot skill and knowledge. I'm just looking to glean some knowledge from those who have a LOT more experience than I do.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Hovering in a tight space with good GPS and / or a VPS system working ok is . . . no, should be fine with say 5’ clearance around.
It’s much safer to be moving slightly I feel, even slight inertia seems to keep a drone a little more stable.
This is probably more important for the mini, being lighter it seems to drift more than heavier models when hovering , whether in very slight breeze, or even just its own prop wash or prop forces.
Just an observation from watching video if the in various video tests etc.

 

[Camino Ken]

If you have good GPS lock, and if there is no metal in the vicinity, and if the winds are fairly calm, and if there is a clearly defined pattern on the ground, and if there is plenty of light, and if you have an experienced steady hand on the controls, you can get away with a fairly small distance. Due to the potential variables most folks, including myself try to keep at least a 10 ft buffer on all sides.

 

[old man mavic]

i didnt mean to sound condescending in any way,tight spaces all have issues for different reasons,its no different to going deep into a large canyon there might be plenty of space where you are flying ,but as you get lower then you run the risk of losing GPS lock, because the drone cannot receive enough signals to get a lock its not just about the size of the flying area where you want to fly ,there may be power lines close by that could interfere with comms it is a judgment call that you have to make at the time ,what i might consider to be perfectly safe someone else might think differently

 

[Guitarzan]

If you have good GPS lock, and if there is no metal in the vicinity, and if the winds are fairly calm, and if there is a clearly defined pattern on the ground, and if there is plenty of light, and if you have an experienced steady hand on the controls, you can get away with a fairly small distance. Due to the potential variables most folks, including myself try to keep at least a 10 ft buffer on all sides.

Ken, that's a lot of "ifs", but I agree with you.

 

[rwilliam99]

Ken, that's a lot of "ifs", but I agree with you.

I'm just trying to understand what those "ifs" are so I don't repeat my first mistake.

I didn't take any comments as condescending. I just want to learn from others.

Thanks for all comments and suggestions. They are helpful.

 

[Camino Ken]

Ken, that's a lot of "ifs", but I agree with you.

Just trying to cover all the potential variables.

 

[rehkram]

Err on the side of caution, IMO. If you think it may be too tight it probably is. Looking back I did some crazy stuff when it was new, I now listen to my first mind and don't do that anymore. I agree that keeping moving is less risky than hovering or flying very slowly. When shooting through gaps in hedgerows and trees I'm totally glued to the FPV and making slight adjustments on approach. If in any doubt I let go of the sticks so it stops. Or, if possible, climb over and keep going, the footage looks better.

 

[Dbez1]

It’s difficult to assess your skill level. However, if I were just a beginner again, I’d find an open area and then slowly begin flying closer to objects as my skills improved. For a beginning pilot to fly in 5-10’ proximity to things that will reach out and bite you, is asking for trouble. Best wishes and enjoy the sport.

 

[Dave Maine]

From a technology perspective, the gps system that all gps based drones use is designed with a position accuracy spec of being within a 16 foot radius circle 95% of the time. As you reduce the radius, the probability of being that accurate goes down.

As the pilot in charge you have to determine how much risk you want to take on. For me, that means picking the 95% sure option. I do fly within that by quite a bit at times, but very carefully.

 

[SpitFire]

In reference to tight spaces, I put in tripod mode, and have good visual line of sight. Not trying to get thru tight space from block away, also have a Pre flight Check list, (at base)
Pre flight Check list (in field) Take off procedure, after take off procedure, After landing check list. And especially important EMERGENCY PROCEDURE. What to do in case of weak control signal as example, Solution, Reduce distance to aircraft/check antenna position. Problem not solved, =Return to Home. Admittedly I do not check every thing, every time I fly, but do have slide bars and date showing me last time I did a check on lets say, cracks in the hull. Any way my two cents. Safe Flying.