Hello, so I have owned my MA for about close to 3 months now. Been flying regularly but not everyday. Confidence is definitely and slowly building up after each flight, so far no issues at all, no crashes, only some very minor crashes where it resulted in my props got chipped slightly ( had it replaced immediately ). So, today I'll be going to a mountain, where there is a blue lake in the middle, yes it sounds like a paradise and it is. And without a doubt I'm obviously going to bring my MA there to shoot some videos and take some astounding pictures. But somehow I'm hesitating and probably a little fear got me. What I plan to do is to fly around 200 ft above the air in the middle of the blue lake, and take a bird's eye view picture from the top, but if I do that, I wouldn't be able to see my MA physically because I'll be in a corner, somehow being not able to see my MA although it's just 200 ft right above me worries me, should I be worried ? Or should I be brave and believe in my MA that nothing is going to happen ? Would love some advice.
Should I be slightly daring and be confident in my MA ?
- Thread starter Isaac94
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Skywatcher2001
Well-Known Member
Be brave but keep it in site. Not only to be compliant but MA has a WIFI connection and it's not as reliable as OcuSync but still rock solid. Hopefully more MA Pilots with more knowledge and experience can chime in and give advice. I've read plenty of comments here and have NOT read any with serious connection issues with MA. But it can happen if you bank behind a mountain.
Will do, I always make it a point to be brave, but at the same time a safe pilot, as safe as I could be at any point given any situation. I'll just be flying my MA straight up to the sky aronnd 150-200 ft in the air, won't go behind or infront, just right up. I think that wouldn't pose much risk ?
Skywatcher2001
Well-Known Member
Man, your comment just made me feel ever so ready to let that bird fly like it should, like it is made to be and meant to be. Will do sir, will let it fly and with that, I'll be having stunning pictuers ( hopefully ) in return. I do for sure without a doubt believe in my MA.
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What MIGHT be an issue in the situation you describe, is LOS . . . line of sight as in what's between you if you (the controlloer) and the Air.
Ie too much *stuff* in between you that can affect signal.
Even with Occusnc and other such, this can happen . . . wifi is not quite as good in such places, so if you have a lot of trees, or a slight hill, etc, you might find connection issues.
Sure, it will 99% RTH, but ensure then that your RTH settings are perfect for the area.
High enough to clear tallest trees, low enough to keep out of strong wind, route it will take when coming back in a straight line (and obstacles) . . . it may even be that you could be better to have it set to hover in the event of a disconnect, and you move closer to the drone.
It's great to get freedom of trust built, but you just have to plan around 'what ifs'.
Ie too much *stuff* in between you that can affect signal.
Even with Occusnc and other such, this can happen . . . wifi is not quite as good in such places, so if you have a lot of trees, or a slight hill, etc, you might find connection issues.
Sure, it will 99% RTH, but ensure then that your RTH settings are perfect for the area.
High enough to clear tallest trees, low enough to keep out of strong wind, route it will take when coming back in a straight line (and obstacles) . . . it may even be that you could be better to have it set to hover in the event of a disconnect, and you move closer to the drone.
It's great to get freedom of trust built, but you just have to plan around 'what ifs'.
There have been numerous pilots on this forum, including me, that have had issues with batteries. Specifically, a single cell will "collapse" briefly and the bird will go into Autoland mode, which you cannot override. Before you do this flight, and in general, be sure to evaluate the health of your batterie(s) using a service like AirData. It's free. you want less than .1Volts deviation between the 3 cells in your MA batteries.
silverdragon
Well-Known Member
CORRECT, On all counts...the batteries....I had several instances that the bird would go straight up,then at about 100 feet or so Auto land would kick in. I did not know why at first but after flying like that with several other batteries it would boil down to my #2 battery... I decided to watch the battery info on my device and it was there I noticed as soon as the 3rd cell turned red in the graph the autoland initiated. I took the #2 battery out of service and the problem is no more... time will tell the future of the other 3 batteries I have.
This is why AirData is so valuable. 2 of 3 of my MA batts that came with my fly more package have gone bad.
silverdragon
Well-Known Member
I was fortunate that I flew straight up when Autoland initiated because the bird came straight down on the landing pad each time..I thought it was the NFZ at first, but I ruled that out quickly.
I caught mine on film. Took about 20 mins of hiking through 8' tall corn to retrieve it! I cut out the 30 or so minutes while the drone was just sitting there awaiting rescue
silverdragon
Well-Known Member
Oh crap, that is crazy.... I'm glad you retrieved it back...I caught mine on film. Took about 20 mins of hiking through 8' tall corn to retrieve it! I cut out the 30 or so minutes while the drone was just sitting there awaiting rescue
I have a Mavic pro and fit 3-4 months was very careful. I had a minor crash in month 4. I got very comfortable with my pilot skills and had a fatal crash on Oct 3. Luckily I purchased the refresh from DJI, but my issue was my overconfidence. I suggest as others do, if you are flying in parts unknown or unfamiliar, excerise caution and keep LOS. I suggest if feel like you are getting into trouble, stop...let it hover until you regain LOS or confidence that your next move won’t result in a fatality.
Mine was insured...still $99 to insure with DJI and then $79 deductible since the accident was user error and then another $89 for a new battery as the drone is insured and not the battery...and to add insult, when I shipped the damaged unit back, I forgot to remove the SD card, so another $45 for that. So all in all, I saved $350 but spent about $350 in insurance related items. However, I agree, drones are luxury items and if you are so concerned with your budget that $350 is taking food off your plate then maybe you should rethink the hobby, otherwise, fly it! Take chances, have fun!
If you plan on going any distance at all you can forget VLOS as that is just an idea not a reality. at 200 feet you will be fine and if you lose connection the MA will simply return home. With this in mind survey the area and prepare for a lost connection by setting the RTH high enough to go over any obstacles. Typically for lake views a mix of low and high levels are desirable. While the MA is a pain with the constant need to calibrate the compass it will go a long way without losing connection in an open area. I normally will go 2000-2600 feet and still have solid connections. In fact I have never experienced a RTH so the MA is pretty reliable in that sense. In a residential area I would be much more cautious.
The important thing to remember about the MA is that it's on Wifi frequencies and these do tend to be line of sight so physical obstructions can cause problems. The other thing to remember is to keep the antennae perpendicular to the drone so that the flats of the antennae are facing it especially at long distances and in urban environments.
Keep an eye on the signal levels and watch for disturbances in image or control that way you won't go far wrong.
It's a great little drone. Enjoy it!
Bob4131
Well-Known Member
It's nerve-racking to fly far if you lack the confidence but once you get used to it, your trust goes way up.
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