Who/How/Why -- do you trust non-DJI automation apps? (Litchi, DroneLink, DroneDeploy, etc...)

[Mossiback]

I have used Litchi to make a time-lapse video of construction but I would not trust it or any technology to take my MP out of VLOS and bring it back. Not mentioned yet is the mistake of misjudging wind speed and direction. Litchi will continue the mission if disconnected from the RC but if it encounters too strong a headwind it may not come back. Because you have lost connection you have no logs after the disconnect and can only guess where it went down.

 

[Ems_pilot]

As a fairly new Mavic Air pilot I've been primarily using the DJI Go app for basic flying. When I needed to look for waypoint flying I found Litchi.

Now there is DroneLink that just came out as well. DroneLink looks really good and offers a lot more than Litchi BUT and this is a big BUT.. how do you put your trust in an automation app to not fly away with your drone or crash it?

If you're using the DJI app and it crashes your drone and the logs show it did I'm sure DJI will replace your drone. What happens if these third party apps do the same thing? How much do they stand behind their products?

How as a drone pilot do you yourself trust an app or do y'all have money to burn in replacing drones? Every time I fly a mission with Litchi I cross my fingers it comes back.

Curious because I've been seeing DroneLink out there and went to their web site. Like I said lots of great features. When I went to get the app though it's not available on Google Play yet because of an issue and you have to download the APK directly. It's version 1.01!!!! As a non-Part 107 pilot I can't afford to have my drone disappear into the wild blue yonder.

At what point do you take the plunge and at what point do you simply not trust the company producing the app?

I have used Litchi for a number of years. I am 107 certified and can't afford to have my UAS disappear into the wild blue either. But there are cases where having a precise, repeatable flight are desirable. We shoot a video of a construction site every week using Litchi and will eventually put the video into time lapse to show the progress over the month. In also video a free lance video along with the GPS shots and fly inside the building with out sensors or GPS- all Litchi. Always keep compass calibration up to date, make sure home point has been established and DJI Go has been force stopped so as not to interfere. Fly confidentially!

 

[marklyn]

I trust non-DJI apps as long as the reliability from the community seems to be there (ie: how long the app has been around, regular updates/fixes, no pattern of serious issues) and secondly, I trust them as long as I have my State Farm insurance policy paid up.

 

[PointJoe]

Have you thought of asking DJI?

I have an M2P with DJI Refresh and prefer Litchi to DJI Go4. I emailed DJI asking them if Refresh covers a crash if I were using Litchi. Their answer is Yes. That's what I needed for peace of mind.

 

[Mossiback]

Have you thought of asking DJI?

I have an M2P with DJI Refresh and prefer Litchi to DJI Go4. I emailed DJI asking them if Refresh covers a crash if I were using Litchi. Their answer is Yes. That's what I needed for peace of mind.

And if you use the replace option they won't even look at the logs. All they need is the wreckage.

 

[Peio64270]

I use almost exclusively Litchi for autonomous and (rare) manual flights with all my DJI drones since now 5 years. I must say that I couldn't realize any of the shoutings I do without the help of this app. My last mission, today :



The corresponding patway in the Litchi hub :

Mission Hub - Litchi

Litchi's Mission Hub lets you plan waypoint flights and later execute them using the mobile Litchi app.

flylitchi.com

 

[DJ Wes]

I am a long-time Litchi waypoint user. I use Litchi maybe 80% and DJI Go maybe 20% of the time. I must say that I trust a Litchi waypoint mission more than I do trying to fly the equivalent route manually using DJI Go.


With Litchi I can pre-plan a mission at the comfort of my office computer. I can test the mission using VLM. While flying, I don’t have to worry about whether or not my depth perception is putting the drone where I want it to be. I am ready to press the pause button or put the drone is sport mode if I need to abort. It is much easier to fly a mission that produces more professional-looking footage with Litchi than with DJI Go.


I have had DJI Go disconnect a number of time while flying (the RC remains connected). It is very disconcerting when that happens. Litchi has been rock solid. No disconnects – a much better experience for me.

 

[ChrisOutdoors]

How do you trust 3rd party apps? Easy!

• Know your UAS every working function.
• Read forums and learn from others experience
• Read app directions
• Test on own UAS in small increments, gain new insights and repeat this process over and over until you have full confidence.

I use a ton of apps, I've run into bugs were app crashed, uas feed stopped working, etc. But I know my UAS inside and out and know how to troubleshoot should an app do something weird. In the end, you can always force close an app and fly with only remote to recover.

No reason to not try new apps and unlock the full potential these tools have to offer but as another poster put it, garbage in garbage out.

After all, they're not "drones" if you never embrace its smart functions.

 

[aliveathome]

On that note, I was pleased to see this in the Litchi update log today. Makes filming timelapses all the more easier with the MA.View attachment 83327

What version are you referring to?

 

[iowahill]

As a fairly new Mavic Air pilot I've been primarily using the DJI Go app for basic flying. When I needed to look for waypoint flying I found Litchi.

Now there is DroneLink that just came out as well. DroneLink looks really good and offers a lot more than Litchi BUT and this is a big BUT.. how do you put your trust in an automation app to not fly away with your drone or crash it?

If you're using the DJI app and it crashes your drone and the logs show it did I'm sure DJI will replace your drone. What happens if these third party apps do the same thing? How much do they stand behind their products?

How as a drone pilot do you yourself trust an app or do y'all have money to burn in replacing drones? Every time I fly a mission with Litchi I cross my fingers it comes back.

Curious because I've been seeing DroneLink out there and went to their web site. Like I said lots of great features. When I went to get the app though it's not available on Google Play yet because of an issue and you have to download the APK directly. It's version 1.01!!!! As a non-Part 107 pilot I can't afford to have my drone disappear into the wild blue yonder.

At what point do you take the plunge and at what point do you simply not trust the company producing the app?

Litchi has worked out well for me in mapping a survey work.

 

[Deleted member 94047]

What version are you referring to?

It might be just in the beta.

 

[dronelink]

They all use the same programing under the hood it’s just way the user interacts with that program that’s different.

Most apps use the built in waypoint functionality in the DJI SDK but apps like Dronelink and Autopilot use a custom flight controller which greatly extends the capabilities beyond what DJI waypoints can do.

 

[skiptv]

If you have paid for the DJI replacement insurance. They will not pay if your drone crashes on a 3rd party app. Just FYI. 3rd party apps I have used are fine, but I only use them on my drones that are out of the AirCare Program form DJI

 

[ajkm]

This was supposed to follow the main road into downtown of my home town:

As far as I’m aware, using automated programming does not provide a waiver from the regulations... the consequences of a failure, over a downtown area, BVLOS could be catastrophic.
My main thing against “free” automation apps is that it allows for exactly this type of flight.
You specifically say “both of my Mavic Air drift off course from what I program with Litchi” and yet proceed with a BVLOS flight. The logic of taking off with that knowledge simply escapes me.

[Feel free to flame or provide thumbs down responses.]

 

[ajkm]

The actual results were "Smashing"

What happened is I got a reading at the crest of 3660ft above sea level when I got up there to recover.
Google maps thought it was 3,805 Above sea level including the 150ft AGL.
Meaning it was flying at 3655ft above sea level to try to clear the crest.

So, first question, why not hand fly the flight?

 

[SvenG]

The actual results were "Smashing"

Uninformed question: Does the app turn off obstacle avoidance ? It looked like the sensors should have seen what it was about to run into, but maybe their FOV isn't as wide as the camera's ?


-Sven

 

[tmtwomey]

If you have paid for the DJI replacement insurance. They will not pay if your drone crashes on a 3rd party app. Just FYI. 3rd party apps I have used are fine, but I only use them on my drones that are out of the AirCare Program form DJI

If you have DJI refresh and you crash while using a 3rd party app, tell DJI you crashed due to pilot error, send your drone in and they WILL cover it.

 

[brett8883]

Most apps use the built in waypoint functionality in the DJI SDK but apps like Dronelink and Autopilot use a custom flight controller which greatly extends the capabilities beyond what DJI waypoints can do.

Ah so Dronelink uses joystick mode like auto-pilot does? Didn’t realize that. That’s good to know! Opens up a lot more possibilities. I’ll have to check it out again. Thanks!

 

[brett8883]

As far as I’m aware, using automated programming does not provide a waiver from the regulations... the consequences of a failure, over a downtown area, BVLOS could be catastrophic.
My main thing against “free” automation apps is that it allows for exactly this type of flight.
You specifically say “both of my Mavic Air drift off course from what I program with Litchi” and yet proceed with a BVLOS flight. The logic of taking off with that knowledge simply escapes me.

[Feel free to flame or provide thumbs down responses.]

What difference does it make if it’s free or not?

 

[dronelink]

Ah so Dronelink uses joystick mode like auto-pilot does? Didn’t realize that. That’s good to know! Opens up a lot more possibilities. I’ll have to check it out again. Thanks!

Yes, I was the one that wrote Autopilot. Dronelink is the next evolution of that type of app.