Let's go back the wonder years of survey, and mapping, even in cinematography. What do RC joysticks have? The first drone, without the apps, and how the veterans in the then tackle the problem of achieving the dolly cam?
If you have flown the first DJI Phantom or i1 before the intelligent mode tap fly, course lock to achieve a dolly cam effect, you would know what I am taking about. The first version of course lock, tap fly, and Litchi App, operators will tell you the horror stories of the past that is why someone vets use the plastic fork method to lock one’s course, when achieving a smooth dolly effect or survey operators use a DYI tool to achieve a manual heading hold. Fast forward to present. Construction operators relies on manual flight, except for mapping, and progressive time lapse.
My method above in locking the pitch is not new, this is a learned method passed down to the operators of the past. And we can agree that this is a manual tap fly, course lock, or cruise control, and now this method has been brought back, refined into a quality device by an operator, with credibility.
I support this, because it’s GENIUS! The only physical add-on to the Yuneec vehicle that I disagreed, with is the Bird “Cage” that was hyped for inspection use.. Where are they now? And where are the operators, who claimed that they are inspectors?
Circling around: The problem, with apps is that you are in the mercy of an app beyond your control. Let’s take Litchi for example “gimbal not centered” error or “compass recalibration” error when entering an intelligent mode is alarming. As a DJI flyer, every error, you have to exit the mode, land and reset, which will prompt you to do a compass calibrate and when in doubt do an IMU calibration on the field. Yuneec flight mode. Got get me started... That is why field operators old and new has relied on an old and proven method. Manual stick inputs.
Safety: The SD t is not being used on a vehicle being flown at 80mph i2, 70mph i1, 45mph P4P, 44mph M2P. My Typhoon H Plus clocked at 30mph, I don’t know about the H520. But we are not maxing out speed, when we are doing asset management, and survey, also when flying a survey or asset management missions, we fly to a crawl. Manual flight will test an operator’s patience as well as accuracy. As a drone operator, claiming of putting food on the table, subjected to using an app, an operator who cannot complete a manual flight and lacks the “tool” to help her or him in aiding the fundamentals of flight. Man, in my book that’s someone, who’s going through an “illusion of grandeur” because it is not easy flying in the trenches.
I’m going to back track and include this to my first statement. Flying on an App in high winds, and the sUAS switches to ATTI or none GPS. If you are not competent with your flying skills to notice small or drastic changes of your vehicle “asta la bye bye”
Why do I fully support the SD as an aiding device that can help us operators in the field? Because we have been there, done that, some of us don’t have the luxury of spending time in one site, flying one contract, and wear a badge of an honorary weekend drone operator. Some of us are Ninjas.