Another one just fallen from the sky....

[AZSteveB]

That was a guess on my part -

 

[AH-1G]

That was a guess on my part -

I knew you knew better.

 

[Skeets]

Well that's a neat graph, thanks. But how does one interpret it?

That graph is from WebFlightPath.com : Online Drone Services. You can download your telemetry there and it will generate that graph. Looks pretty daunting, but you can click the names on the right to add or delete them from the chart so you are able to view only what you want to view.

 

[PatR]

500 feet I thought 400 feet is the FAA legal limit???

There is no limit for amateur operators. There is an advisory but bot a rule. A 400' limit rule is imposed on commercial operators but can be exceeded under certain conditions or with a waiver. Refer to FAA docs 336 for general rules covering sUAS and 107 for commercial sUAS.

 

[PatR]

Yuneec likely will not ask for the battery to be returned...

 

[ThunderChicken]

The "Altimeter" on the H is just an air pressure sensor and the height above ground is a calculated number which may or may not reflect a true height above ground. I have worked on equipment that used the air pressure sensors to determine operating parameters. We had a barometer that was calibrated full sized Mercury filled column.

I downloaded the file and then put a spreadsheet extension and opened the file with Open Office and it really made it more understandable. Which column contains the altitude information?

 

[Skeets]

There is no limit for amateur operators. There is an advisory but bot a rule. A 400' limit rule is imposed on commercial operators but can be exceeded under certain conditions or with a waiver. Refer to FAA docs 336 for general rules covering sUAS and 107 for commercial sUAS.

According to the manual, the altitude is restricted to 400 feet. I thought that limit was coded into the H to keep it from going above 400'. I couldnt find anything from Yuneec to confirm that, other than what the manual states.

 

[Steve Carr]

The "Altimeter" on the H is just an air pressure sensor and the height above ground is a calculated number which may or may not reflect a true height above ground. I have worked on equipment that used the air pressure sensors to determine operating parameters. We had a barometer that was calibrated full sized Mercury filled column.
I downloaded the file and then put a spreadsheet extension and opened the file with Open Office and it really made it more understandable. Which column contains the altitude information?

You should see the column labels on line one of the spreadsheet.

According to the manual, the altitude is restricted to 400 feet. I thought that limit was coded into the H to keep it from going above 400'. I couldnt find anything from Yuneec to confirm that, other than what the manual states.

You can adjust the altitude limits with the GUI.

 

[Skeets]

You can adjust the altitude limits with the GUI.

Ahhh...forgot about that.

 

[PatR]

And obtain waivers from Yuneec.

 

[Windluv]

I believe one culprit is how slooooooow the H descends with GPS. Especially with the legs up, as you are supposed to be flying. At 200' the time to descend to a landing with full throttle in the down position is almost a minute. During this one minute you can get the first, second and third battery warnings (happened to me two weeks ago). I do believe Yuneec needs to adjust the descent rate especially in lower voltage stages. It is to difficult to flip GPS off within the GUI to create a rapid descent.

In this scenario I have not tried the auto-land. Is it a faster descent and landing?

 

[Steve Carr]

I believe one culprit is how slooooooow the H descends with GPS. Especially with the legs up, as you are supposed to be flying. At 200' the time to descend to a landing with full throttle in the down position is almost a minute. During this one minute you can get the first, second and third battery warnings (happened to me two weeks ago). I do believe Yuneec needs to adjust the descent rate especially in lower voltage stages. It is to difficult to flip GPS off within the GUI to create a rapid descent.
In this scenario I have not tried the auto-land. Is it a faster descent and landing?

The max descent rate is set at 2 meters per second. Any faster would significantly increase the likelihood of VRS when descending straight down. A faster descent rate would be safe provided there is lateral movement but that would be very difficult to build into the firmware. Auto land is not any faster.

 

[ArnhemAnt]

I believe one culprit is how slooooooow the H descends with GPS. Especially with the legs up, as you are supposed to be flying.

I hear certain members talking about this situation, and I have never encountered it. GPS enabled, legs up, the H descends just fine. If you are trying to come straight down (just using the throttle input) then you are going to be fighting prop wash. Try coming down with a little pitch and yaw (or roll) input. This way, you are descending, but avoiding direct prop wash. Just picture a big corkscrew in the air, for the flightpath. Once you are down closer to the ground, then obviously move into a more direct 'downward' path to your landing location.

 

[Windluv]

I hear certain members talking about this situation, and I have never encountered it. GPS enabled, legs up, the H descends just fine. If you are trying to come straight down (just using the throttle input) then you are going to be fighting prop wash. Try coming down with a little pitch and yaw (or roll) input. This way, you are descending, but avoiding direct prop wash. Just picture a big corkscrew in the air, for the flightpath. Once you are down closer to the ground, then obviously move into a more direct 'downward' path to your landing location.

Yes. Dang. I remember you saying this previously I believe. Just hard to remember when it is happening. Need to practice the 'fast lateral descent' move. Thank you! Again!

 

[ArnhemAnt]

^^ Hope you get to see some improvements. Also, keep in mind that I am NOT using 'smart' mode.

 

[CraigCam]

Where in AZ are you? I've gotten pretty good at repairing these things. If your main board survived, parts can be cheaper then new unit depending on what took the hit. The camera is another story. Those are not repairable.

 

[JulesTEO]

Haven't taken a look at the telemetry data yet, but I see some have already done.. So what's the veredict on this case of mid-air blackout? Sent it too high for too long during too windy conditions?

 

[Steve Carr]

Haven't taken a look at the telemetry data yet, but I see some have already done.. So what's the veredict on this case of mid-air blackout? Sent it too high for too long during too windy conditions?

That was my conclusion. Winds at altitude caused rapid battery depletion. There simply wasn't enough battery power remaining to bring it down.

 

[vr-pilot]

500 feet I thought 400 feet is the FAA legal limit???

That was also my first thought...

 

[PatR]

Find that 400' limit in the recreational flyer rules as written in the CFR's. Let us know when you find it. Let us know when you find any limit.