What do you have your return to flight height set for?

[MrChris]

I'm not one to rely on RTH, but I have hit the button a few times, in a safe area, just to make sure I was familiar with it and it did what it was supposed to do. Hopefully never need to rely on it, but better to see it work and try it out than to need it without any familiarity at all, even though its pretty simplistic to actually use.

For height like others have said gets adjusted before each flight. I'm in the Great PNW and we have lots of tall trees. Just in my yard alone I have fir trees clearing 160 to 180 feet and 200 feet isn't unusual. I know some guys that just set it to 400 feet (or metric equivalent) but between potentially higher wind speeds and maybe not having enough battery to climb that high if you are near the end of a long flight are two good reasons to be a little more proactive about it.

 

[Sixgun89]

I go balls to the wall (120m)!
Never use it, but if I ever need it, I want best chance to avoid any obstacles as high as possible. In my case it’s an emergency button or trigger by firmware. JMHO

 

[Thomas B]

I set mine at 100’ or above the highest obstacle that may be between me and my drone, depends on the situation. Don’t like high altitude RTH in all circumstances.

 

[AMann]

Be careful using RTH if you are flying up the side of a gradual hill and are higher than your original RTH height above your takeoff point, your drone can drop into the hill before it pulls away from it.

 

[Thomas B]

Of course, if your drone is above your set RTH height it will return at that current height...

Recently in flying the Superstition Mtns... largely immense straight up rocks... my RTH altitude, using the RTH button, would be almost 1600’ above TO point. Got lazy and used it once. Takes a l-o-n-g time to descend that far. Something to keep in mind if your drone’s battery is low.

 

[AMann]

Of course, if your drone is above your set RTH height it will return at that current height...

Recently in flying the Superstition Mtns... largely immense straight up rocks... my RTH altitude, using the RTH button, would be almost 1600’ above TO point. Got lazy and used it once. Takes a l-o-n-g time to descend that far. Something to keep in mind if your drone’s battery is low.

I had to cancel RTH when mine descended to just above tree tops on a side of a gradual hill after I pressed RTH near the summit- a steep hill would be safer for the reason you stated in that it descends gradually and would pull away faster from the side of any steep terrain. I often use RTH while flying along cliff faces when there’s a straight shot back to home.

 

[old man mavic]

i dont own a M2P but i thought that if it does a RTH it retraces it parth for a while before it comes home ,does this include a RTH started by pressing the RTH button, or only if it looses signal, i ask because it may have been descending towards the trees, as that was the way it flew up to the point where RTH was initiated

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

i dont own a M2P but i thought that if it does a RTH it retraces it parth for a while before it comes home ,does this include a RTH started by pressing the RTH button, or only if it looses signal, i ask because it may have been descending towards the trees, as that was the way it flew up to the point where RTH was initiated

The auto trace is for loss of signal RTH, so it can hopefully pick up signal again as it retraces path a little.
While I don't have the M2P either, I assume that normal manual RTH is just straight out RTH like other DJI aricraft, as you decide to launch it.

 

[AMann]

i dont own a M2P but i thought that if it does a RTH it retraces it parth for a while before it comes home ,does this include a RTH started by pressing the RTH button, or only if it looses signal, i ask because it may have been descending towards the trees, as that was the way it flew up to the point where RTH was initiated

I’m not sure about the auto retrace, I think @MAvic_South_Oz is right and it is active on loss of signal -but what does someone who always flies their Mavic upside down know?

I had mine flying a Litchi grid of the side of the hill for photo mapping and then stopped and hung around near the top of the hill for a while looking around before clicking on the RTH button. It then headed down straight back towards me but was descending lower than I felt it was safe.

 

[old man mavic]

The auto trace is for loss of signal RTH, so it can hopefully pick up signal again as it retraces path a little.
While I don't have the M2P either, I assume that normal manual RTH is just straight out RTH like other DJI aricraft, as you decide to launch it.

its something that someone with a M2P will have to let us know ,it was just a thought to explain the descent before it returned

 

[AMann]

its something that someone with a M2P will have to let us know ,it was just a thought to explain the descent before it returned

I will have to test that out more, I still haven’t flown mine enough to know all the ins and outs.

 

[old man mavic]

I will have to test that out more, I still haven’t flown mine enough to know all the ins and outs.

perhaps its a Litchi thing

 

[AMann]

perhaps its a Litchi thing

That’s a great quote for a T-Shirt...”It’s a Litchi Thing”


Anyways, I was not running Litchi when I hit RTH on the controller.

 

[old man mavic]

That’s a great quote for a T-Shirt...”It’s a Litchi Thing”

View attachment 88153
Anyways, I was not running Litchi when I hit RTH on the controller.

love that,but just make sure you dont leave off the L or it would have a completely different meaning

 

[RonW]

I, like Old Man Mavic, live in the Uk and have my RTH set for 40 m. Not many trees over that height here, and I don’t fly near tall structures over 25m. Obviously, when flying at a new location I check the heights before flying in case of problems. Agree that too high a value will increase return home time and deplete battery more. Common sense should prevail when flying anywhere.
As an aside, how good are the strobes for daytime cloudy skies for spotting drone after looking away for a second or two? I fly a Mavic Pro, two years old now, but old age (70) makes it hard to re spot drone sometimes.
Xmas Greetings to All members.

 

[RonW]

On the Litchi front, it’s the best thing that’s happened for DJI. Not a fan of the Go App.
Litchi is the best.

 

[old man mavic]

I, like Old Man Mavic, live in the Uk and have my RTH set for 40 m. Not many trees over that height here, and I don’t fly near tall structures over 25m. Obviously, when flying at a new location I check the heights before flying in case of problems. Agree that too high a value will increase return home time and deplete battery more. Common sense should prevail when flying anywhere.
As an aside, how good are the strobes for daytime cloudy skies for spotting drone after looking away for a second or two? I fly a Mavic Pro, two years old now, but old age (70) makes it hard to re spot drone sometimes.
Xmas Greetings to All members.

@ RonW hello fellow flier, the strobes do help with being able to find the drone ,after looking at the display,and with orientation ,that plus a bright orange skin means i can happily cope with keeping VLOS to around 1200 ft, the worst part are floaters on a sunny day when you look back up to find the drone you see several and have to work out which one is the drone age doesnt come cheap

 

[Drgnfli]

I’m with the others.....it’s set during pre-flight at each location....higher than the tallest obstruction, but not excessively high.

I’ve never used RTH or had the aircraft enter that mode.

I would suggest you "test" RTH. It will give you a bit more confidence. I have had my tablet on the RC go blank & that makes things 'pucker' but then tapping RTH & watching my MP turn & return on its own is a glorious sight... IMHO...

 

[Drgnfli]

that all depends where you are flying from in relation to the topography and what you need to clear on a RTH

Hmm! Sounds like you are BVLOS when that happens... You don't ever do that though, right?

 

[drakkor]

Just curious what others are doing. Thanks.

Always higher than the tallest obstacle. Usually a setting of 40m works for me so far.