Will the drone fly out of range or just stop
- Thread starter Robby manning
- Start date
FlushVision
Premium Pilot
The aircraft will enter into RTH status once it loses control signal. If operating correctly with GPS active it will not fly beyond that point. It will return to the last known position of the ST16 and hover there until control is re-established. If control is not re-established it will auto land once the battery has reached a low point. Note that usuallly the video signal is lost before the control signal. This means that just because you can't see any video feed on your screen doesn't imply that you have no control over the aircraft.
Edit to say that, of course, if there is an obstacle between you and the aircraft...you have flown to the other side of a building, say, then you can lose video and control at the same time. However, if you have your RTH height set to an appropriate level it will enter RTH and rise to that height and fly over the obstruction. This is why it's important to ensure you have sufficient height set for RTH.
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Thanks that was great information I was freaking out because of the loss of the video signal
FlushVision
Premium Pilot
If you are out of VLOS when you lose your video feed it is easy to panic. However, all other things being equal and the aircraft is functioning as it should, you should still have control and there is no cause for a panic. Just flick the switch into RTH until your video picks up again and continue having fun. I always fly so that I can see my aircraft but I understand that some folk like to push their aircraft out a little further. I will not judge, just advise not to panic when video is lost. Bad things can happen in a panic.
Note that the H480 will still fly to last known position of the ST16 even if the GPS is inactive so long as it took of with GPS active at that point (so it knows where the ST16 was at that point.)
Note. The GPS is never actually off. Just active or inactive...unless the GPS module develops a fault.
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PatR
Premium Pilot
Perhaps it should be mentioned that if you are beyond VLOS you went somewhere you should not have gone. People that fly BLOS take full responsibility for anything that might happen to the aircraft or anything else. They should be aware the flight telemetry documents distances pretty well. Well enough to be used as hard evidence in a criminal trial.
Not saying such is the case here but it needs to be brought up from time to time as a reminder. If you lose your H and someone in a LEA gets it, if it was registered for warranty it's real easy to find out who the owner was, even if the serial number label had been removed. The auto pilot has a number stored in it.
Not saying such is the case here but it needs to be brought up from time to time as a reminder. If you lose your H and someone in a LEA gets it, if it was registered for warranty it's real easy to find out who the owner was, even if the serial number label had been removed. The auto pilot has a number stored in it.
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......And to ensure you have sufficient battery reserve to come back home safely. Consider also, factors such as wind direction. You may be flying away from yourself with a tail wind, which means you are returning with a head wind, which will not only slow you down, but will also consume more battery power.
As PatR and FlushVision have mentioned, it is always a wise choice to stay within VLOS (Visual Line Of Sight) of your UAV. If this is adhered to, then the question you have asked would become moot.
Under certain conditions, they all will keep going. The best of the best flying the best have lost their drones....so don't let anybody tell you differently. MOST times they won't fly away, but make no mistake...they can and will. I had three fly away's...found two still in tact with no damage, but the last one kept climbing and flying away. It was at night and we watched it until it was out of sight....it was only two days old. It really took the fun out of flying...even though I still fly, it's much less fun.
It does come back. Even with GPS disengaged. Don't trust the green arrow though, or this will happen:
Steve, were you on the roof of your house or something? It looks like there were a lot of trees between you and the bird. That's usually a very BAD thing!
Was GPS disengaged in flight? If so, that's why it knew where to return to home.
PatR
Premium Pilot
The gps was disengaged. I had it in sight on the first part of the video and then I looked at the ST16, and when I looked back up I could not see it. It was there, but my eyes did not catch it. So I used the green arrow to bring it back. That is when as I thought it would come back to me, but it went back past me and then across the highway. The whole time I thought it was just coming back to me. The -16 lost contact so I went into pad mode to check the UAV Toolbox telemetry but it did not have one. I learned then that when the gps was disengaged, it does not keep the telemetry. You will see the drone start to go into home mode around the 1:02 mark where it rises to 200 ft. and then comes home. I then heard it and set the -16 back to flight mode and then landed it. The only way to find out where it went was to look at the sd card in the camera. There are trees everywhere in VA. The only places to fly without trees is farmland, graveyards, oceans or rivers.
PatR
Premium Pilot
My apologies, the distance wasn't deliberate. Do consider who else might see a long distance video though. The wrong people can use them as evidence in a violation hearing.
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Now you know that when you turn off the GPS you are on your own.
If/when you also lose visual contact the only blame is ?
Experience, mistakes, are just part of learning.
If/when you also lose visual contact the only blame is ?Experience, mistakes, are just part of learning.
I have to disagree with that part, I have a few (I don't usually fly without GPS) telemetry data files from non-gps flights.
If you couldn't find it perhaps it was something else, but GPS disabled does keep telemetry, it will just record the F_MODE variable as 4 (angle mode gps off) instead of a 3 (angle mode +gps)
Greetings!
There is a lot wrong with your assumptions Steve.
If GPS is off, RTH does not work and Home does not work. It could not change altitude and fly back without stick input. In the video, the GPS is obviously turned on or it would not have gone into hover. If GPS was off, the H would have kept flying in the last direction you sent it. It won't stop unless you stop it manually.
The telemetry is recorded regardless of GPS status. You can't view the telemetry file while you are flying because the file is in use.
Losing video does not mean losing control. You can lose video and telemetry and still have control. If you can't see the H then you won't realize you have control.
The telemetry file from that flight will clearly show the flight mode as well as any connection problems with the ST16.
I hope you will take the time to learn a great deal more about the aircraft you are flying. There is much good information on this forum and many good tutorials on Youtube.
FlushVision
Premium Pilot
Steve. I don't believe this is correct.
As part of the flight assessment to get the U.K.s CAA PfCO one has to demonstrate a RTH function with the GSP inactive and control signal lost. The H480 will do this so long as the flight started with GPS active so that the H 'knows' where the ST 16 is/was at the time of take off. The H480 will then return to the last known position of the ST16 even if GPS is inactive at the time the control signal is lost. Note that technically the GPS is never actually off even though you may have switched to the off position. Switching it off merely puts the GPS into an 'inactive' state.
I have to admit, though, that I'm not sure how the aircraft achieves this since, to me, logic would dictate otherwise. I've not tried this myself but I've seen reports from other H pilots doing the test saying that the H will do it. (I did my flight test using a Phantom at a time when you could demonstrate RTH with GPS on).
If i'm wrong then someone is welcome to put me right.
You are perfectly correct. As mentioned, you have to initially take off with GPS active and disable whilst in flight but then it will RTH no problem. Telemetry is also recorded (including position) with GPS disabled.
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