When do YOU use Return to Home?

[Luckyguy9]

Return to Home is a great feature! It's even nicer with the new Green Glide Slope on the Mini 4 Pro .

Since I started flying a number of years and several drones ago, I always thought of it as a last ditch savior. That I should improve my flying skills so I wouldn't need it.
A parachute -if you will - for when things go wrong like a dying battery, signal loss or when I can't find HOME.

But lately I'm wondering, "why not just use it to get back quicker and easier" instead of flying my way back home.

I'M CURIOUS... WHAT IS EVERYBODY ELSE DOING?

 

[mavic3usa]

Certainly it makes sense to practice RTH so you won't be surprised when it kicks in suddenly like upon signal loss. While I don't use it regularly, there are times where it is useful such as you simply don't feel like flying home or you need to leave quickly and have no reason to look at anything or go anywhere in particular for the remainder. Just press the button and start gathering your things. I'm always mindful of RTH altitude since I set it pretty high (just to be super safe) and often, I don't want to fly that high at all so I won't use RTH and just fly back. Since I'm never really far away, it's kinda pointless. For sure RTH on an FPV is not as useful since all of my flights back home are a journey and a challenge right up until I reach the takeoff point.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

RTH is the most underated feature as most think of it as an emergency exit plan when it can be used repeatedly in a single flight for quick Orientation of the drone and than cancelled several times over.


With that said most do not use the change of Home Point well either and this is yet another feature that can be repeated several times if needed.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. Land on the Water.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Certainly it makes sense to practice RTH so you won't be surprised when it kicks in suddenly like upon signal loss.

I would go further and say it is essential to work through every aspect of ALL the RTH behaviours in practise before they are met for real. Especially as the available options and behaviours become more numerous and complicated.
This isn't helped by DJI messing with what should be standardised behaviours such as the dwell time before failsafe behaviour kicks in and what happens if you fiddle with the sticks during RTH.
I have been caught out in one way or another by some aspect of RTH behaviour with every model of DJI drone that I have.

I would disagree that a high RTH height is a catch-all safety net, it risks putting the drone up into high wind and it wastes battery power in both the climb and the descent.

 

[GFields]

I use the feature on a regular basis.

 

[Starz]

Let’s ask another question.
What is a high RTH altitude? I tend to add 100 feet to the drone grabbing obstacles that are in the flight area to help with the old eye syndrome that isn’t as good anymore for judging height at a distance. Fifty feet might cut it, but a hundred makes me feel better. Wind issues are verified prior to takeoff so I know what I may be up against in crisis mode. I have also stayed away from the mini line specifically for the wind issues that are somewhat difficult to predict at varying heights. I’ve always leaned towards more horsepower on anything I touch.

 

[GFields]

Let’s ask another question.
What is a high RTH altitude? I tend to add 100 feet to the drone grabbing obstacles that are in the flight area to help with the old eye syndrome that isn’t as good anymore for judging height at a distance. Fifty feet might cut it, but a hundred makes me feel better. Wind issues are verified prior to takeoff so I know what I may be up against in crisis mode. I have also stayed away from the mini line specifically for the wind issues that are somewhat difficult to predict at varying heights. I’ve always leaned towards more horsepower on anything I touch.

Same here.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Top Reason for phantomrain to use RTH

#1 Sun Glare
#2 Lost my Focus on the Drone and the Black dot is gone .
#3. Beyond VLOS flights
#4 Phone Call
#5. Dealing with the Karens.
#6. Showing off the RTH feature to friends.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.. Land on the Water !!

 

[Meta4]

But lately I'm wondering, "why not just use it to get back quicker and easier" instead of flying my way back home.

Three reasons.
1. It's not quicker and not the most efficient use of the battery.
2. Easier? Easier than turning the drone for home and holding the right stick forward?
3. To choose what height the drone returns at

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Let’s ask another question.
What is a high RTH altitude?

Trees near the home point tend to be my concern, I check their height and add 10m or so, anything above that I consider high ..... but I am in general a ground hugger.

 

[BigAl07]

I'm obviously in the minority here (by far) but other than testing different RTH settings etc I don't use RTH. In the last 10 years(or more) I've only hit RTH for testing reasons. I have yet (as far as I recall) to hit RTH in order to call it a day etc.

I'm definitely Old School . . .

 

[AlanL]

I used it once on my old Air 2 but that was hundreds of flights ago. If my drone is in the air I know where it is, where the home point is (or at least where I am standing) and the best/safest way to get there. Can't say I see a reason to use it to be honest.

Your preferences might not match mine but I'm fine with that.

 

[MS Coast]

I use RTH occasionally just to be sure I understand how it behaves and how to cancel it. Other than that, I fly the drone home. I bought it to fly it, so why punt on flying and let the software do it?

I wish there was a way to turn off the silly green stripe DJI added. The marker for the home point is handy, though a bit distracting. But I don't see any real additional information being provided by the green stripe.

 

[old man mavic]

@Luckyguy9 i fall in with those of posts #11 and #12 above ,preferring to fly back home myself
but i will occasionally use it ,just to make sure that it will still work if needed ,in an emergency
as @Yorkshire_Pud mentioned in his post #4 ,with the introduction of the new forms of RTH, combined with the visual return to home path ,in the latest mavic 3, air 3 ,and now mini 4 series
it can alter the RTH behaviour of the drone ,depending on which setting has been chosen

 

[mavic3usa]

Roughly. Some Mini drones in the past have been known to be placed in RTH mode which gives a smooth, direct, clean path back to the home point and with the camera rolling, you get a nice video (which is my primary reason for the camera drone, the video, not the flying part) *AND* you can yaw the camera. For awhile, this was the best replacement for the feature that disappeared from the Mavic I think it was called Course Lock or TapFly.

 

[KBF]

I use it just about every time because ..... well, why not?! And I always try to end a flight with a decent battery reserve so my RTH height is way up at 280 when flying around the farm as we have some pretty tall trees.

 

[Luckyguy9]

I use RTH occasionally just to be sure I understand how it behaves and how to cancel it. Other than that, I fly the drone home. I bought it to fly it, so why punt on flying and let the software do it?

I wish there was a way to turn off the silly green stripe DJI added. The marker for the home point is handy, though a bit distracting. But I don't see any real additional information being provided by the green stripe.

There is a way to turn the green stripe off. In the safely screen, there is an "AR" choice. When you hit the arrow, there are 3 buttons that control the RTH screen settings. see attached photos.

 

[MS Coast]

There is a way to turn the green stripe off. In the safely screen, there is an "AR" choice. When you hit the arrow, there are 3 buttons that control the RTH screen settings. see attached photos.

Thank you.

 

[Flakey Flier]

Never yet with a DJI drone,tried it once with a hubsan zino many years ago, never again, just fly it back.

 

[dan.utinske]

Return to Home is a great feature! It's even nicer with the new Green Glide Slope on the Mini 4 Pro .

Since I started flying a number of years and several drones ago, I always thought of it as a last ditch savior. That I should improve my flying skills so I wouldn't need it.
A parachute -if you will - for when things go wrong like a dying battery, signal loss or when I can't find HOME.

But lately I'm wondering, "why not just use it to get back quicker and easier" instead of flying my way back home.

I'M CURIOUS... WHAT IS EVERYBODY ELSE DOING?

I use RTH almost exclusively, specifically for precision landings. I find it useful, accurate if you follow instructions and the best way to guarantee you won't lose your drone in unusual circumstances. I swear by it, and I always marvel at how accurate it can be, within inches of take off. I mastered it with the Mavic Pro, Pro 2 and now the Mini 4 Pro.