Which mode to fly the longest

[Marcus_54]

Hello

Now that I have the FCC function, I managed to go up to 4 km, I could have gone further, nevertheless I was at 50% of the battery, I had to go back.

To make it faster, I have you in sport mode

Will putting ourselves in normal mode consume less and could we go further?

What is your technique to be able to go as far as possible?

Thank you

 

[ExEvo]

The manual quotes Max Flight Distance of 18 km/ 11 miles (standard battery) measured while flying at 43.2 kph/26 mph in windless conditions (only possible in Sport mode) and 25 km/ 15.5 miles (Plus battery) at the same speed. And the higher you can legally fly, the further you will get.

 

[Meta4]

Now that I have the FCC function, I managed to go up to 4 km, I could have gone further, nevertheless I was at 50% of the battery, I had to go back.

To make it faster, I have you in sport mode
Will putting ourselves in normal mode consume less and could we go further?
What is your technique to be able to go as far as possible?

The topic is more complicated than you seem to grasp.
Are you asking about longer flight distance or longer time?
They are completely different.

DJI give you some clues in the specs for your drone:
Max Flight Time

38 minutes (with Intelligent Flight Battery)​

51 minutes (with Intelligent Flight Battery Plus*)​

Measured in a controlled test environment. Specific test conditions are as follows: flying forward at a constant speed of 21.6 kph in a windless laboratory environment, in photo mode (without photo taking operation during flight), and from 100% battery level until 0%. Results may vary depending on the environment, actual use, and firmware version.​

Max Flight Distance

18 km (with Intelligent Flight Battery and measured while flying at 43.2 kph in windless conditions)​

25 km (with Intelligent Flight Battery Plus* and measured while flying at 43.2 kph in windless conditions)​

Flying until 50% battery before turning back is a good way to lose your drone.
The air is rarely calm and wind complicates things even more.
You need to consider how the wind will affect your return flight and allow a comfortable safety margin to deal with the unexpected.

 

[Marcus_54]

I just did a test, the weather is nice, there is no wind, it is a little cold 4 °
I launched the drone towards a church located at 2600 m in normal mode and in sport mode.

As you can see from the photos that arrived at the church:
I have in normal mode 80% battery
In Sport mode, 66% battery

On return

in N mode I have 58% battery left 12 min flight time
in S mode I have 41% battery left 9 min flight time

Conclusion if you want to go far it is better to go slowly

 

[ExEvo]

"in N mode I have 58% battery left 12 min flight time
in S mode I have 41% battery left 9 min flight time"

But you also need to factor in your speed. If travelling at the alleged maximum speed in each mode, ie. 36 km/h (22.36 mph) in N mode and 57.6 km/h (35.79 mph) in S mode, you will travel further (approx 8.5km) in 9 minutes in S mode since 12 minutes in N mode gives you 7.2km.

Conclusion: battery life is obviously reduced when you put your foot down but you travel further.

 

[scro]

If you fly extremely slowly, lets say 1km/h, then most of the battery capacity is dedicated to keeping the drone airborne, and very little is used in making forward progress - This is not ideal for achieving a long distance flight.

If you fly at maximum speed then you will incur the highest drag penalty (drag force varies as the square of velocity) so a significant portion of the battery capacity will be used in overcoming this drag force. Again, not ideal for a long distance flight, but closer to the optimum than flying very slowly.

In reality there is a tradeoff between using up power to stay airborne for longer, and using up power to overcome high drag forces seen at faster speeds. As per @Meta4 's post earlier in the thread, DJI state the max flight distance for the 2 varieties of battery and give a speed of 43.2km/h. They have likely found the balance point between speed and airtime and used that to determine the maximum distance. Note that it is faster than max speed in N mode (36km/h), but slower than max speed in S mode (57.6km).

All the longest distance flights in my logs were done in S mode. These weren't flown in a straight line, but rather "round in circles" so signal range was never an issue.

 

[Walleye Hunter]

When 'stretching my legs', I check my outgoing speed and if I detect a tailwind, I know I'll have a headwind coming back. So far, this has prevented me from losing my drone.

 

[Marcus_54]

The maximum speed in N mode seems to be the best compromise to go very far.

This afternoon I did almost 11 km with a normal battery

 

[hiflyer201]

The more power you use the more you use the battery. Always keep in mind that any wind at all will become a headwind component at some point in your flight...meaning you can travel a greater distance on a battery with zero wind.

 

[scro]

The maximum speed in N mode seems to be the best compromise to go very far.

This afternoon I did almost 11 km with a normal battery

Have you tried using S mode, but not using full S mode speed?

 

[Marcus_54]

No I have not tested

it's comfortable to push the handle to the maximum in N mode

in S mode, you would have to keep an eye on the speed constantly, I don't yet have enough driving experience to manage all this

 

[Walleye Hunter]

The more power you use the more you use the battery. Always keep in mind that any wind at all will become a headwind component at some point in your flight...meaning you can travel a greater distance on a battery with zero wind.

For some reason, I'm not seeing that. If on a no wind day, you can get out and back straight line 3 miles on one battery, just for hypothetical situation. And on a windy day, you make that same distance in 75% of the normal time, won't it take you 25% longer to get back, making the distance the same?

 

[Meta4]

And on a windy day, you make that same distance in 75% of the normal time, won't it take you 25% longer to get back, making the distance the same?

No ... do some testing and you'll find that although your drone works harder and makes a slower groundspeed when fighting a headwind, it doesn't pick up a speed boost from a tailwind.

 

[Walleye Hunter]

No ... do some testing and you'll find that although your drone works harder and makes a slower groundspeed when fighting a headwind, it doesn't pick up a speed boost from a tailwind.

I have not performed an extensive study but I have already noticed that it goes faster with tailwinds than it does in with no wind and slower with headwinds. But I run mine full throttle, that would make a difference vs setting a speed.

 

[mobilehomer]

The max speed is governed by GPS.

 

[Walleye Hunter]

The max speed is governed by GPS.

I do stand corrected. I could have sworn I saw 40 with a tail wind.

 

[mobilehomer]

I do stand corrected. I could have sworn I saw 40 with a tail wind.

Max Air 2S is 42mph. Mine has gone 43-44 with a wind that kept it in the low 30s into it. Max Mini 3 is 35. All in Sport mode.

 

[scro]

From my experience with the mini 3p, a tailwind can push the drone's groundspeed to just under 17m/s (I've seen speeds peak at 16.9m/s, 37.8mph) which is marginally higher than the stated maximum speed. It is clear that the drone is limiting its speed though, as even a fairly strong tailwind won't get the ground speed much beyond the official max speed.

 

[FlySkyJumper]

Hello

Now that I have the FCC function, I managed to go up to 4 km, I could have gone further, nevertheless I was at 50% of the battery, I had to go back.

To make it faster, I have you in sport mode

Will putting ourselves in normal mode consume less and could we go further?

What is your technique to be able to go as far as possible?

Thank you

Normal

 

[ExEvo]

My impression is that flying while screen recording and/or with focus peaking turned on reduces my range. No idea if RC processor load can logically have such consequences.