RTH Question

[RTI Glen]

If I lose control of my drone and it starts to fly off - - -
What would happen if I powered down the controller ?
Would it force the RTH function to kick in ?

 

[sar104]

That depends on why/how you lost control of it to begin with. If it is out of control due to compass errors, high winds, no GPS reception etc. then it's not going to be able to RTH. If you simply don't know where it is or how to fly it back then that would work, but why would you not just press the RTH button?

 

[msinger]

Using the default settings in DJI GO, RTH is automatically initiated 3 seconds after the remote controller disconnects from the drone if the drone is using GPS (the usual case). If the GPS data is not being used, the drone will auto land at its current location instead of returning home.

Some other things to keep in mind:

• If the drone is too close to the home point, it will auto land at its current location instead of returning home (see the Mavic Pro manual for more details).
  
  
• The "Remote Controller Signal Lost" setting in DJI GO can be changed to make the drone hover in place or land at its current location when the remote controller signal is lost.

 

[RTI Glen]

Excellent feed back Thank You
I was thinking the drone might get locked up like my PC and shutting down the controller
would trigger an over-ride to kick in . I did not want to test out my theory without checking with you guys !

 

[Thomas B]

Also, remember that if you need a moment to regroup hit the pause button to stop the bird where is is and cause it to hover. Check the manual controller section for more details.

 

[CarlStarke]

Also remember even if the Go4 app crashes or your device appears disconnected this may not necessarily be the case, always check the display on the controller to verify connection

 

[BD0G]

Try this feature out in a field having flown more than 20 meters away from you but not much farther. Maintain VLOS.
Try and get used to what happens. That way when it happens unexpectedly you dont panic and know exactly what steps you will take.

You are training yourself for the unexpected.

 

[Mossiback]

If I lose control of my drone and it starts to fly off - - -
What would happen if I powered down the controller ?
Would it force the RTH function to kick in ?

The key to your question is lose control and it starts to fly off. In the first place, it shouldn't just fly off. A loss of control implies either a RC disconnect or a magnetic/compass problem. An RC disconnect should trigger a Failsafe RTH and a compass problem (rare) would cause it to fly in a different direction than the input you are giving it. If for some reason it loses GPS reception it will be susceptible to drift and could be pushed away by the wind but you should still have control.

But, to answer your question, if you truly have no control then you have nothing to lose by turning the RC off. I would then turn it back on in the hopes that connection would be restored.

 

[THE WOMBLE]

Please correct me if I am wrong. If your drone loses contact the first part of the jouney back home retraces the outward journey. When contact is made again it returns home in a straight line. So if you turn of the controller the drone will trace the outward trip till it gets home.

 

[Kilrah]

No, it comes straight back.

 

[sar104]

Please correct me if I am wrong. If your drone loses contact the first part of the jouney back home retraces the outward journey. When contact is made again it returns home in a straight line. So if you turn of the controller the drone will trace the outward trip till it gets home.

No, it comes straight back.

Just to avoid any confusion - a Mavic Pro will return directly to home on failsafe RTH. A Mavic Air or Mavic 2 will retrace the previous 60 seconds of its flight path in an attempt to regain signal.

 

[Kilrah]

Yup probably good to mention both. I just went by the fact that this is posted in the Mavic 1 series forum

 

[THE WOMBLE]

Just to avoid any confusion - a Mavic Pro will return directly to home on failsafe RTH. A Mavic Air or Mavic 2 will retrace the previous 60 seconds of its flight path in an attempt to regain signal.

MAVIC2 ...So if you turned off the controller within the 60 seconds of loosing contact would the drone continue to trace the outward path all the way back home. At what point would it increase to the set RTH height.?

 

[sar104]

MAVIC2 ...So if you turned off the controller within the 60 seconds of loosing contact would the drone continue to trace the outward path all the way back home. At what point would it increase to the set RTH height.?

Page 18 of the instruction manual:

Failsafe RTH​

The Forward Vision System allows the aircraft to create a real-time map of its flight route as it flies. If the Home Point was successfully recorded and the compass is functioning normally, Failsafe RTH automatically activates after the remote control signal is lost for more than two seconds.​

When Failsafe RTH is activated, the aircraft starts to retrace its original flight route home. If the remote control signal is re-established within 60 seconds of Failsafe RTH being activated, the aircraft hovers at its present location for 10 seconds and waits for pilot commands. The user may tap in the DJI GO 4or press the RTH button on the remote controller to cancel Failsafe RTH and retake control. If no pilotcommand is given, the aircraft flies to the Home Point in a straight line. If the remote control signal is still lost 60 seconds after activating Failsafe RTH, the aircraft stops retracing its original flight route and fliesto Home Point in a straight line.​

​

Climb to RTH height doesn't happen until RTH kicks in.

 

[msinger]

Also, here are some important notes from that section of the Mavic 2 manual:

• If the aircraft is further than 2 km or less than 50 m from the Home Point when RTH begins, the aircraft will not retrace the original flight route and instead flies in a straight line to the Home Point.
  
  
• After detecting obstacles during flight, the aircraft stops retracing the original flight route and instead flies in a straight line to the Home Point.