RTH or fly home?

[dwallersv]

I recommend everyone go to a big field (a High School football field works), and play around with RTH in all its different behaviors/modes. I finally did this the other day ('been flying DJI for a while now, and never did this), and learned a few things.

Do it all: Send it far enough away that it does a full ascend on user RTH. bring it in closer and RTH it from a variety of different distances -- explore just where that outer radius is where it just lands in place for RTH (20m I believe), so you can SEE how far away that is.

Fly a battery around until it forces RTH. Fight it and make it do a Critical Battery landing. Turn the RC off with it 100' away and see the timing of lost signal RTH.

I played a lot with it on one battery, and got much more familiar, and comfortable with it.

Glad I did.

 

[2nckayakers]

I fly home about 90% of the time. The other 10% I use RTH and usually it is when I get the battery low warning.

 

[Chun]

I test rth on occasion , but enjoy clicking into sport mode and hauling *** home 99% of the time.

 

[EJay]

newbie here... my home launch site has a relatively narrow vertical window (house 10m behind, big trees 10m in front) but very open diagonally to right. I launch manually, rise 10m and hover for 15 seconds (to get the precision landing thingie set - although get no notification that this has happened - should i?) . Then turn 45degrees left, fly forwards for 10-20m into the open area and then climb to 40m which gives me obstacle free access in any direction. I haven't used RTH yet as i'm worried that my landing site is to tight for a safe return (either trees or house). I suppose i could fly it out to the open area of my property, land it there and set home... would that work?

Think I can visualise your situation. You are right pausing for precision landing if not a bland area. I like 9+ satellites first. RTH should be fine with altitude set above tree level and clear vertical space.
I have taken off from roofed balcony for better view, but "re-landed" on nearby open space to reset RTH before heading off, otherwise RTH would try landing on the roof. Not exactly your situation, but resetting RTH in open area is same idea.
Think you will find RTH will work well. You can easily cancel RTH & finish with manual landing.

 

[m0j0]

I recommend everyone go to a big field (a High School football field works), and play around with RTH in all its different behaviors/modes. I finally did this the other day ('been flying DJI for a while now, and never did this), and learned a few things.

Do it all: Send it far enough away that it does a full ascend on user RTH. bring it in closer and RTH it from a variety of different distances -- explore just where that outer radius is where it just lands in place for RTH (20m I believe), so you can SEE how far away that is.

Fly a battery around until it forces RTH. Fight it and make it do a Critical Battery landing. Turn the RC off with it 100' away and see the timing of lost signal RTH.

I played a lot with it on one battery, and got much more familiar, and comfortable with it.

Glad I did.

Exactly... this is how you learn the aircraft. Practice all the scenarios that way when you have an in flight emergency you know exactly what to do and how the Mavic should behave. I have many scenarios that I practice to learn how to get mine back.

Like you said find a place where you know it will be able to land safely and practice..

 

[vertigo235]

Fly home most of the time.

 

[Glen e]

I do both, sometimes I feel like piloting back, sometimes I don't. Has nothing to do of how much of a "pilot" I am.

 

[BossBob]

Fly home manually. Too many trees with a dense canopy where I often fly for RTH.

 

[geigy]

I think it's fun to use, and good to be sure that it will work because you never know. OTOH it's the sign of an amateur with all the beeping. So I don't do it in front of my drone buddies unless it's for a demo. haha.

 

[Turnerm]

Fly home manually. Too many trees with a dense canopy where I often fly for RTH.

Just set the RTH height appropriately and it's the same as hand flying it home.

 

[QuadFlyerPhilly]

I use both but more RTH than anything just because I use the Helipad circle and like watching the precision landing. I use adaptive cruise control in my car too. I am too old for peer pressure so going in on someone for using the features designed for it makes no sense to me. If you use it great if not great . Not using it doesn't make you a better pilot than if you do. If you flew it away from you odds are you can manually fly it back to you. While it's flying back I am usually packing my stuff, etc etc. You bought it do what you want.

 

[Glen e]

I use both but more RTH than anything just because I use the Helipad circle and like watching the precision landing. I use adaptive cruise control in my car too. I am too old for peer pressure so going in on someone for using the features designed for it makes no sense to me. If you use it great if not great . Not using it doesn't make you a better pilot than if you do. If you flew it away from you odds are you can manually fly it back to you. While it's flying back I am usually packing my stuff, etc etc. You bought it do what you want.

Well said...it reminds me of the stick vs automatic threads on car forums, that always end up in a fight after someone posts" you're not a man unless you own a stick" ....what crap, the new 10 speed automatics that shift with steering paddles will get a better track lap than any stick, yet the manly fight goes on....LOL

 

[Rbruz]

Here is a rth gone wrong


Mavic stopped responding after rth fail

Mavic stopped responding after rth fail

 

[Glen e]

And your point is?

 

[Turnerm]

I use both but more RTH than anything just because I use the Helipad circle and like watching the precision landing. I use adaptive cruise control in my car too. I am too old for peer pressure so going in on someone for using the features designed for it makes no sense to me. If you use it great if not great . Not using it doesn't make you a better pilot than if you do. If you flew it away from you odds are you can manually fly it back to you. While it's flying back I am usually packing my stuff, etc etc. You bought it do what you want.

Totally agree. I flew RC planes for several years. Was big into 3D stuff. That sort of flying takes practice and skill.

I do not get the concept of thumbing your nose at someone for using RTH on the MP. I think it's really cool to watch the precision landing in action. Hand flying it back home is almost more boring to me than using RTH. It's simply a matter of ensuring you are high enough (which you also need to do in your RTH settings) and then pointing it in the right direction and holding the right stick until it gets back to you. If someone tells me there is some sort of skill in that then I'd laugh.

 

[Rbruz]

And your point is?

Scroll wayyyy wayyyy up, rth can and will error and damage the bird, I return 100% manual and never have had an issue, why I like manual better when out traveling in places I have never been. I also tend to be shooting vid or picts the entire time all the peeps claiming rth button is best way back could have this happen and be screwed

 

[Turnerm]

Scroll wayyyy wayyyy up, rth can and will error and damage the bird, I return 100% manual and never have had an issue, why I like manual better when out traveling in places I have never been. I also tend to be shooting vid or picts the entire time all the peeps claiming rth button is best way back could have this happen and be screwed

Just like any sort of autonomous movement in cars, planes, quads, etc... the user needs to be there to monitor and override when necessary. The MP controller has a VERY handy little pause button on it. If I'm using RTH I monitor things closely and if it gets in a tight spot (and it has...) I hit that button and then take over from there.

RTH isn't a feature where you hit it, go make a grilled cheese sandwich and come back later to pick up your drone.

 

[Glen e]

Scroll wayyyy wayyyy up, rth can and will error and damage the bird, I return 100% manual and never have had an issue, why I like manual better when out traveling in places I have never been. I also tend to be shooting vid or picts the entire time all the peeps claiming rth button is best way back could have this happen and be screwed

I disagree completely....can it fail? Of course, but anything can.....you can't read posts on a forum and come to conclusions like you just did.....

 

[MacPap]

Coming home is as pleasant as flying away so why have the Autopilot have all the fun?

 

[dwallersv]

Fly home manually. Too many trees with a dense canopy where I often fly for RTH.

I'd recommend then that you use RTH over and over again in this scenario to make sure you have the settings, and the particulars of how it behaves under RTH in that environment, so that you DON'T have something go wrong when it does RTH on its own.

Your RC could up and suddenly just fail completely. Very unlikely, but it could. I'd rather feel pretty confident it was going to clear everything and just come back and land, than be pissing my pants hoping it would clear everything.